“Today I would like to introduce them to field positioning.” There were enough kids now to field a team of eleven, with two left over for subs. The initial nine had grown to thirteen, most from the after-school program, others from the surrounding neighborhood, friends and siblings of her kids. They were all here for today’s practice, kicking the ball between each other, waiting for practice to start. She called them over to form a half circle in front of her. “Listen up, guys, today I am going to introduce you all to your positions on the field. Then we can begin to use the skills we’ve learned in our other practices to play a game.” Between Reye and Sam, the kids were placed in their assigned position on the field. Shondra and Eric were the last to be assigned, and, because they were fast for their ages, both would play in the forward position. “Shondra,” Reye called. Shondra trotted over, her shin guards sitting on the outside of her socks. “Baby girl,” Reye said. “Remember your shin guards belong on the inside of your socks.”
“But I like them this way, Ms. Reye. They’re too pretty to wear inside my socks where no one can see them,” she said earnestly. Reye turned her head and rolled her eyes at Sam, who chuckled.
“Ms. Reye, can we take a water break? I’m thirsty,” Anthony said.
“Sure,” she said, signaling the other players over. They all gathered around the thermos, waiting their turn for water.
“Does everyone understand their positions?” she asked.
“Yes, Ms. Reye,” the more conscientious of the group responded.
“Well, let’s spend a little more time working on playing our positions and then we can stop for the day. Let’s also thank Mr. Sam for helping us again today.”
“Thank you, Mr. Sam,” they sang out loudly, and of course Mr. Sam ate the attention up, the ham, bending at the waist like a Japanese samurai soldier.
“You’re welcome,” he shouted back.
As usual, Reye waited until all of the kids had been picked up by their parents. Shane stood next to her, silent, his standard operating procedure. “Where are your folks?” she asked looking down at him. He shrugged his shoulders, looking dejected. Shane’s parents made her crazy. They never returned any of her calls and she’d only seen the mother pick him up, never stopping long enough to introduce herself. She just drove by and picked up Shane like you’d pick up a hamburger from the McDonald’s drive-thru line.
“Is your mother coming today?” she asked. He shrugged his shoulders. “Do you know how to get home?” Shane nodded.
“Can you show me, if I drive you?” He nodded again. “Remember to use words, Shane,” she said, looking down at him.
“Yes,” he said. Her Shane was a man of few words.
“Okay, grab your soccer ball and I’ll give you a ride home.” He helped her load up her truck, and they both got in. “Seat belt on, bud,” she said, and he reached for his and locked it. “Where do I go from here?” Reye followed his directions to his home. It was a small house painted white, a little run down, but clean. It was about two miles from the center. They got out and walked to the door, which Shane unlocked using a key he kept tucked in his pocket. Just as he started to walk in, they turned to see a car pull into the driveway. She and Shane stopped as Joe, of all people, Joe from Stephen’s soccer team and fraternity, jumped out of his car and stormed toward them.
“What are you doing here with my nephew?” Reye took a step back. “I’m his coach, we had soccer practice today and his mother didn’t pick him up on time. I couldn’t just leave him there, so I gave him a ride home. I didn’t mind,” she said, talking quietly and looking over at Shane, smiling weakly. Joe turned away from them, looking out at the street, taking a deep breath, reigning in his temper.
“Hey, buddy, why don’t you go inside and let me talk to your coach,” he said to Shane.
“Okay. Bye, Ms. Reye,” the child said softly.
“Bye, Shane,” she said, ruffling his hair. After Shane closed the door, Joe spoke. “Look, my sister was supposed to pick him up, but she’s been having a lot of problems lately. I don’t live here, but I try to help them out when I can.”
“No problem,” she said. Reye turned and walked to her car.
“Look, I’m sorry. I was worried about Shane. My sister has had her share of problems in the past, we both have, and she’s been acting strange lately. I panicked when I couldn’t find him.”
“No worries,” she said. “Like I said, I couldn’t leave him there alone.”
“Thank you,” he said as if saying those words to her actually caused him physical pain.
That must have hurt, she thought. “You’re welcome,” she said.
* * *
Reye pulled up to her home, drained. Never in her wildest dreams would she have put Shane with Joe. Small world, huh? How could someone so hateful have a hand in raising that shy, kind boy? Stephen hadn’t arrived yet and she was thankful. She needed a shower and a moment to process her encounter with Joe, knowing she couldn’t discuss it with Stephen. Who knew what that would do to their non-relationship again? Letting herself in, Reye surveyed her home. She was happy that she’d cleaned up before going over to her parents’ for Thanksgiving. She walked toward the bathroom, stripping as she went. Standing under the spray of the shower, she let the hot water course down her body, rinsing away the last of her worries about Joe and Shane. She’d just turned off the water in the shower when the doorbell rang. Grabbing her robe, she went to answer it. She peeked through the peephole and there stood Stephen. She opened the door and stood there for a second, admiring him. He looked great, dressed casually in jeans and a plain, long-sleeved t-shirt that cuddled a beautifully shaped chest and led upward to a lean, angular face. Lips she loved and felt even in her sleep and deep blue eyes that looked back at her.
“Can I come in, or you just going to stand there and stare?” he asked, displaying that wicked smile of his. “I know you missed me, but you have to let me in to show me how much,” he continued, chuckling.
“You are so full of yourself,” she said with a laugh. “That may be so, but you love it.”
If you only knew, she thought. “Come in,” she said, moving over to allow him entrance before asking, “How was your drive back?”
“Fine,” he said, reaching for the belt that held her robe closed. His eyes locked on hers while he closed and locked the door behind him, never breaking his hold on her. He pulled her to him as he walked backward until his back touched the door. Pulling the belt apart, he opened her robe. She was naked underneath—smooth brown skin over a perfect body had him catching his breath, same as always. He moved his eyes from her face to travel down her neck to her beautiful breasts, made uniquely for his hands. He touched them softly, reverently, lightly skimming the pads of his fingers over them. He heard her breathing change, become ragged. His eyes continued their downward perusal, over her waist, which flared out to nice rounded hips, his hands followed, resting on the part of her that he wanted now, moving to touch her, opening her. Returning to look at her face, his eyes watched as hers closed and she moaned. He leaned into her lips for a kiss, so soft, lightly touching them with his, and then spearing her mouth with his tongue to seek and find hers. He moaned now, his hand continuing its play between her legs.
“I missed this,” he whispered softly. His other hand moved to her waist and he pulled her flush against him. His mouth opened more, devouring hers. He walked her backwards to her bedroom, breaking the kiss as he removed his shirt first. She stood immobile as he unbuttoned his pants and chucked them, along with his boxers and shoes. She looked at his now-naked chest and leaned over to suck a nipple.
“I missed you, too,” she said to him, looking into his eyes again as she removed her robe, letting it fall to the floor. He took her hand, leading her over to her bed where he sat, pulling her onto his lap as he lay back. She straddled him, leaning forward to kiss him again. Placing his hand on her hips, he lifted her and positioned her over him, pulling her downward slowly. One of his hands moved to
her chin, to secure it and hold her face in place; he wanted to see her face when he entered her. He pushed his hips upward, watching her eyes lose focus as they both groaned at the pure pleasure of him in her. He began to slowly move in and out of her body. She tried to meet him, to force him to give her more, but he refused, holding her tightly as he set this pace. He would not be rushed, had waited too long for her. He watched her as she sat up and leaned back, her head rolling backward, from side to side, absorbed by the luxurious feel of him. She climaxed quickly, it hitting her before she was prepared. “Oh, Stephen,” she sighed as her head fell to rest on his chest.
He stood, lifting her with him, securing her legs around his waist. Then he lowered her back to the bed, pulling out completely before pushing back into her, hard. Gone were the soft, slow thrusts from a few minutes ago, replaced by a fierce rhythm that moved her up towards the headboard. She planted her feet and pushed back, equally forceful and strong, meeting him thrust for thrust. His lips grabbed hers and didn’t let go, feeling her climax begin again as she gripped him harder. He couldn’t wait, frantic in his quest to reach his climax, pumping into her, feeling her shudder as he came, his body tensed over and in hers and he gave himself over to one powerful climax. He held himself in her, then fell forward on her to lay there. He knew he needed to move, but he was wiped. Reye wrapped her legs and arms around him and held on, energized by the feel of him on top of her, one heavy and thoroughly used male.
“Maybe you should go away more often,” she said to him. He lifted his head, looking down at her. She read satisfaction on his face, evident in the droopy eyelids and the self-satisfied smile he gave her.
“I don’t think my body could survive many homecomings like this,” he said as he rolled to his side taking her along with him and folding her into his body. “But, I’m glad I came back early, too.”
Chapter 11
The first week of December marked the end of the semester for Reye. The law school ended later than most of the other disciplines, so she was at loose ends while Stephen studied for finals. To keep occupied, she spent a lot of time at the center filling in for other volunteers that needed time off, and working with her kids in soccer. She was worried about Shane. He’d completely stopped attending both the after-school program and soccer practices. Dismayed by the prospect of him falling behind, she knew she needed to visit his home, to find out what was up, and soon. He had made such good progress, academically and socially.
“One more semester and I’m done,” Stephen said to Reye. He was sitting on the floor with her positioned between his legs, her back to his chest, watching a movie. Yesterday he’d taken his last final and tomorrow he was leaving to spend the Christmas break with his family.
“You should be proud of yourself,” she said.
“So should you, with your work at the center and with your soccer team.”
“Thanks.”
“When are you going to your parents’?”
“Sam and I are going over Christmas Eve, but I’m coming back here the day after Christmas. See that stack of books on the floor?” she asked, pointing to a moun tain of about ten or so books sitting in the corner of the room. “Well, you can picture me here, snuggled up and reading them. I’m so looking forward to some alone time, to run, relax, and sleep.” She turned and smiled at him. “Someone keeps me up most nights, so I’m really looking forward to having the bed to myself.” She paused. “I am going to miss you, though,” she added more seriously. She considered asking him to come back early, or inviting him to meet her parents, but decided against it. If she had to ask, it wouldn’t be right.
“I’ll be back before you know it,” he said.
“Don’t worry about me, I’ll be busy.” She turned her attention back to the movie.
* * *
Reye woke up early on Christmas morning, just like old times. What child hadn’t gotten up at the crack of dawn to check out the goods Santa had left for them? She and Sam had spent the night at their parents’ home. Her other brothers would be there later on in the evening, she hoped in time for dinner. She heard a knock on her door and sat up. Sam entered, attired in a t-shirt and pajamas bottoms, just like old times.
“Ready to see what Santa brought you?” he asked, sitting on the foot of her bed.
“I asked Santa for a Transformer this year,” she said playfully.
“What, no GI Joes? Remember when you wanted them and you ended up with dolls instead? You were such a weird child,” he said, laughing. “How is Stephen? Where is he, anyway?”
“He went home to Dallas to visit his family.”
“I see. You two still spending a lot of time together?”
“Yep. He comes by the house at the end of the day most days. I like him a lot, Sam. It’s kind of scary. He likes me, too.”
“Are you going to bring him by to meet your mom and dad?”
“Whoa, slow down, I don’t want to run him off just yet. I’m okay in this place for now,” she said, placing hands palm-to-palm slightly in front of the chest, arms parallel to the floor in the classic Zen position.
“Do you want more?”
“Maybe . . . who am I kidding, sure I do. We’ve got one more semester, and who knows what will happen, but I’m not pushing.”
“Okay.” He stood up. “Let’s go and see what Santa left for us.”
Reye smiled. “Give me a second and I’ll be there.”
After Sam left Reye reached for her telephone to call Stephen. It rang several times with no answer, rolling over to his voice mail. She sent him a text instead. Merry Christmas! Miss you, call when you can.
* * *
Stephen woke about mid-morning on Christmas Day. He’d stayed out too late and drank too much with Henri the night before. They’d gotten invited to a party held by some of their undergraduate friends from SMU. Beth had also been there; he remembered mistletoe and kissing. He usually didn’t drink, hadn’t drank like that since his early college days. Henri had driven them home and directed him to his front door.
He got up, brushed his teeth, washed his face, and went downstairs to find his parents. They were in the kitchen drinking coffee and reading the paper, waiting for him.
“Merry Christmas,” said his mom and dad in unison.
“Merry Christmas,” he responded, walking over to kiss his mom’s cheek.
“Late night,” his dad said, more of a statement than a question. “Hope you had a good time.”
“I did, saw some of my friends I hadn’t seen in forever.”
“Did Beth attend?” his mom asked.
“Yep. She did.” He didn’t offer any further details, for they were fuzzy in his mind anyway. He walked over to the cabinet and retrieved a coffee cup. Coffee, black and hot, poured from the carafe that sat on the counter and into his cup. He needed it black and strong.
“So, the grandparents are coming over this afternoon?” he asked after he’d gotten two large swallows under his belt.
“I called them when I heard you stirring around. They are on their way now,” his mom said. “I thought we would open gifts this morning. They wanted to be here when you opened your gifts.”
Sometimes he thought being the only child had its downside; his family’s holiday plans always revolved around him.
His mom passed his cell to him. “You left your phone on the counter last night. Someone named Reye sent you a text this morning.” She looked at him curiously. “Who’s Reye?”
“She’s a friend, mom. Someone from school.”
“Reye is a she, I wasn’t sure. Have you known her long?”
“I’ve spent some time helping her with school, it’s nothing major.” Couldn’t get anything past dear old Mom. He knew better than to have left his cell lying around. His mom was a world-class snoop. I must have been really wasted, he thought.
* * *
He met Henri for basketball the following morning. “I must have gotten really hammered at that party. I can only recall patches of what
happened.”
“Really? Do you remember kissing under the mistletoe?”
“Kind of.”
“Do you remember who you kissed?”
“Beth.”
“You win the grand prize. And here I was thinking you were getting a little serious about Reye.”
Stephen groaned. “Did I do anything that I would regret?”
“Kissing her and seeing Reye isn’t enough? But no, not that I could tell. Beth was glued to you, however, and it didn’t seem like you minded.”
“Reye and I aren’t serious,” he replied, sounding defensive even to his own ears. “It’s just for now, anyway. We wouldn’t work long-term.”
“Why are you so sure it can’t?”
“Do you remember Justin Smith, that African-American kid from middle school?”
“He was the running back for our JV football team, right?”
Stephen nodded. “I liked him. He was cool. We were great together on the field, me handing the ball off to him, him running for touchdowns. We made a good team. Well, anyway. I invited him home to review some plays, to prep for a game. We set up shop in my room and then we went in search of food. I was always hungry at that age and so was he, so we had gone through the refrigerator really well. We had a feast spread out over the kitchen table. I left him eating, and went up to my room to get a copy of some homework he’d mentioned he needed. I returned to find my mom with the phone in her hand, in the process of dialing 911. She thought he had broken into her house and was stealing her food. You know and I know my mom can be a control freak, but I never knew her to be mean until that day. She was rude to him, and she didn’t bother to hide her dislike. She asked me to let her know in the future if I had to bring home any children that she hadn’t met or that were not kids of her friends. I didn’t bring anyone else new over after that incident. You know, he was never the same around me.”
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