Lenny

“Let's settle this once and for all,” I said.

I stood in front of Jimmy as Jimmy was coming off the field looking like a mud-puppet. Helmet in hand.

Two fumbles. One in the last two seconds on the two yard line.

Jimmy looked determined to stick his daddy's shot-gun in his mouth, use his toes.

He walked right past me.

“We'll ask her!” I called loudly to his back. I made it loud so the people in the stands could hear. So Sally could hear. This was my moment.

The defeated quarterback with the low sloping shoulder-pads came to a dead stop. It started to rain again, hard, and I realized I'd forgotten my umbrella.

Jimmy stood there huge on the brick-dust before the tunnel. He squinted through the rain towards Sally's seat. She was leaning over trying to hide behind her friends.

Why he couldn't tell that she was hiding from him, I'll didn't know.

Big Jim had just botched the biggest game of the season. My time was now.

I loved Sally Fox. There were a lot of things she loved about me.

“Right now?” Jimmy asked, not turning around.

“Right now!” I said, the rain pouring down. My hair flat against my forehead. “Right Now!”

Without a word Jimmy led the way up the bleacher-steps all the way to Sally who sat up from behind her friends with great red-faced embarrassment.

“Oh!” she said and giggled. Her friends giggled.

“Whose is it?” Jimmy asked in a tired voice. Mine or Leonardo's?

Sally rolled her eyes. “Ever heard of a Blood-Test? she said in an R U Kidding Me? kind of voice.

“You can have it,” Jimmy said.

He turned around and walked down the steps.

He looked very defeated.

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