BurningMonkey
TheMan In TheMirror
- Joined
- Jan 21, 2014
- Posts
- 4,861
Henry “Buster” Martin sat at his desk reviewed the reports of his coaches. As the athletic director at Wilshire College, he was responsible for making sure the program ran well, things went smoothly, and the college had winning seasons. Not an easy job, but one that he took seriously and consequently put in more hours at than might be strictly necessary.
This year was different for him, however; this year his daughter Tiffany was an incoming freshman. He didn’t know how he felt about that, and was still undecided on how he should handle it, what he should do, if anything.
He hadn’t seen her or spoken to her in ten years, not since he and her mother had divorced. Mom and daughter had moved to a different city, and the split had been rancorous enough that they’d broken off all contact except for the support checks he sent dutifully every month. Consequently he knew practically nothing about her, except that he’d caught her name on the list of new admissions. Her address had confirmed it; it was the same that he’d been mailing his checks to all these years.
He leaned back and ran his hand through his short salt-and-pepper hair. He had a daughter he knew practically nothing about, and she was attending his college. Did she know anything about him? Had Gloria ever told her anything about him, other than that he was an asshole (he was quite sure that had been part of any conversation!) and they were well rid of him? He didn’t know.
Should he try to contact her, introduce himself, try to make some kind of relationship? It seemed wrong that his own daughter was here and he not to make any overtures, but the thought of it scared him somewhat. What if she hated him, poisoned by Gloria’s invective? What if she was shocked that she even had a father at all, since he’d been out of her life for so long? What if Gloria had remarried and she thought of her step-father as “dad” and didn’t want to form any kind of link to her biological father?
So as usual he postponed making any decision or taking any action in that direction. He was busy, after all…it was late September, the sports seasons were well under way, and he had some problems with the La Crosse team and intramural programs that he needed to deal with. The football team was doing okay, thank God—nothing brought the administration and alumni down on his neck like a losing football season.
He had to start recruiting for the annual Halloween party, too, which was coming up in a few short weeks. He had to step very carefully, there; enlisting girls to distribute “favors” to the gathered alumni and boosters was dangerous and could easily backfire if he didn’t find just the right sort of girl. His program and his career could go up in flames in a heartbeat. But the annual party had provided his department with generous contributions from the participants for several years, money he used to improve his facilities and equipment.
Besides, he was well in it now—ending the tradition could make some very powerful people very angry, with the result he could find himself on the street shopping around for another job. And he liked his job.
Sighing, he heaved his 200+ frame out of his chair and gathered up his jacket. Still in pretty good shape for a guy in your 40’s, he thought, but each year his body got more tired, the aches and pains more pronounced and numerous, the trips to the gym fewer and fewer with longer recovery times in between…
He shrugged on his jacket and walked out of his office to meet with the La Crosse coach. Some changes needed to happen, there…
This year was different for him, however; this year his daughter Tiffany was an incoming freshman. He didn’t know how he felt about that, and was still undecided on how he should handle it, what he should do, if anything.
He hadn’t seen her or spoken to her in ten years, not since he and her mother had divorced. Mom and daughter had moved to a different city, and the split had been rancorous enough that they’d broken off all contact except for the support checks he sent dutifully every month. Consequently he knew practically nothing about her, except that he’d caught her name on the list of new admissions. Her address had confirmed it; it was the same that he’d been mailing his checks to all these years.
He leaned back and ran his hand through his short salt-and-pepper hair. He had a daughter he knew practically nothing about, and she was attending his college. Did she know anything about him? Had Gloria ever told her anything about him, other than that he was an asshole (he was quite sure that had been part of any conversation!) and they were well rid of him? He didn’t know.
Should he try to contact her, introduce himself, try to make some kind of relationship? It seemed wrong that his own daughter was here and he not to make any overtures, but the thought of it scared him somewhat. What if she hated him, poisoned by Gloria’s invective? What if she was shocked that she even had a father at all, since he’d been out of her life for so long? What if Gloria had remarried and she thought of her step-father as “dad” and didn’t want to form any kind of link to her biological father?
So as usual he postponed making any decision or taking any action in that direction. He was busy, after all…it was late September, the sports seasons were well under way, and he had some problems with the La Crosse team and intramural programs that he needed to deal with. The football team was doing okay, thank God—nothing brought the administration and alumni down on his neck like a losing football season.
He had to start recruiting for the annual Halloween party, too, which was coming up in a few short weeks. He had to step very carefully, there; enlisting girls to distribute “favors” to the gathered alumni and boosters was dangerous and could easily backfire if he didn’t find just the right sort of girl. His program and his career could go up in flames in a heartbeat. But the annual party had provided his department with generous contributions from the participants for several years, money he used to improve his facilities and equipment.
Besides, he was well in it now—ending the tradition could make some very powerful people very angry, with the result he could find himself on the street shopping around for another job. And he liked his job.
Sighing, he heaved his 200+ frame out of his chair and gathered up his jacket. Still in pretty good shape for a guy in your 40’s, he thought, but each year his body got more tired, the aches and pains more pronounced and numerous, the trips to the gym fewer and fewer with longer recovery times in between…
He shrugged on his jacket and walked out of his office to meet with the La Crosse coach. Some changes needed to happen, there…