My Blue Eyes (19 page)

     We wound up losing our first two games of the College World Series and came home empty handed.  I didn't attend the series due to messing up my knee once again.  I officially announced my retirement from ever playing competitive baseball again.  The doctor advised me against playing anymore.  He said if I wanted to ever walk normal again, I needed to minimize the risk of tearing my knee as much as possible.
     The summer leading up to my senior year was horrible.  Most of my time was either spent rehabbing my knee or spending countless hours in summer school.  If I wanted to graduate by the end of my senior year, a full schedule was required.
     The only good thing about having a summer free of baseball was the amount of time I got to spend with Amy and my friends.  I cannot even remember the last time I wasn't playing ball during the summer.  We spent a good month at her parent’s house in Andalusia.  I became very close with her parents, and was officially part of the family.  I even started to take a liking to her twin brothers, which I never thought would ever be possible.  They ended up being a couple cool little pricks.
     Matt got engaged to Carly over the summer.  There were plenty of people back home who were shocked with this news, especially his ex, Lisa.  She was trying to reconnect with him over the summer and Matt shot her down.  He was the first guy in history to ever turn Lisa away.  What could he do?  He was madly in love with Carly.  They set the date for next summer.  They joked their graduation present for each other was them getting married.
     I think Amy was a little bit jealous of Carly.  To be honest, the thought of proposing to her had crossed my mind.  I wasn't in any hurry.  We had a good thing going, plus I knew I had some unfinished business to take care of back home.
     Mary had been keeping in contact with Troy’s wife Sharon.  Troy would tell me from time to time what they talked about.  After a while, I told him I didn't want to know anymore.  I had moved on and from what I understood, she had too.  The last thing he told me was that Mary would be graduating from college this coming spring and there was a chance she was moving back on her own.  I was proud of her for that.  I knew before I could take that next step with Amy, I would need to talk to her.  Not to get back with her, but to know she was comfortable in her life.  The last time I saw her, the door was open for a reunion.  I didn't need her approval, but knew she needed to hear my plans from me.
     Fall semester of my senior year went by in the blink of an eye.  Being able to concentrate on my academics made a big difference in my GPA.  It was amazing how much easier school was when you were committed to only that.  For the spring semester, I decided to do my student teaching in Andalusia with Amy.  
     Matt and Carly decided to rent an apartment together before the spring semester.  So instead of living in the dorm on my own, I spent the semester staying with Amy at her parent’s house.  Not to mention the commute from Andalusia to Tuscaloosa would be impossible.    
     Amy and I both were student teaching at the same elementary school.  She was with a third grade class and I was with the physical education program.  Rumor had it that the head baseball coach at the high school was getting ready to retire.  I was able to volunteer with the high school program and even became the junior varsity coach when he unexpectedly resigned over some personal issues.  It was awesome being the man in charge of a team.  This would definitely take time away from Amy, but she understood.
     I made quite the name for myself coaching JV.  I had my players playing in top form and we were annihilating the other JV squads.  It was tough maintaining a full squad when several of my players kept getting promoted to varsity.  I think by the time the season ended, I had a team full of freshman who had never played before.  I whipped them into shape and we continued our domination.  I figured if the coach retired, I would surely be first in line to replace him.  By the end of the season, I was having more fun coaching than I ever did when I played.  I enjoyed molding these kids into something special.  This is exactly what I wanted to do with my life.
  
     As my last semester in college was winding down, there were some big decisions I was going to have to make.  It never became clearer until a conversation Amy’s dad had with me one evening.  
     He was planning on throwing a big party for us down at their beach house and wanted me to accompany him on a trip down there to drop off all the supplies.  Her mom and some of her friends would then make the trip down to set everything up later.
     I knew this conversation was going to come up and he didn't disappoint.
     “Darrel, you mind if I ask you a personal question?” he said.
     “Sure Mr. Middleton.”
     “What are your plans with Amy?  I mean, I know you gave her some sort of….promise ring right?  What exactly did that mean?”
     It was kind of embarrassing talking to him about this, “It meant that I promised I would always be there for her.  It wasn't necessarily a promise ring, but more of a commitment ring.”
     “So what does that mean?”
     “It means that I want to be with her for however long she wants to be with me.”
     “So basically, it’s a pre-engagement ring?”
     I laughed, “If you want to call it that.”
     “Well, what would you call it then Darrel?”
     This was way too much for me.  He was dead serious.  “It was to show her that I am committed to her and only her.  These are some serious questions Mr. Middleton.”
     “I’m sorry Darrel.  By the way, you have got to stop calling me Mr. Middleton.  Please start calling me Dave from here on out.  You've been part of the family long enough haven’t you?”
     I chuckled, “I suppose.”
     “Honestly though, Darrel.  I guess what I am getting at is, you don’t need to ask for my blessing on proposing to Amy if you wish.  I don’t even know if that’s on your mind or not.  What I do know is how happy you have made her.  She lights up every time you walk into the room.  Did you know that?”
     Now I was definitely embarrassed, “I always assumed she was happy with me.”
     “Happy!  My God boy, she’s more than just happy.  That girl is absolutely crazy for you.  Like I told you a while back, any guy that makes my daughter that happy is alright with me.  No pressure, but I would be honored to call you my son-in-law.”
     “Well thank you mister, I mean Dave.” 
     We ended up spending the night at their beach house.  It was cool just being the two of us.  I learned a lot about him I didn't know.  It also made me kind of sad.  I should have been enjoying time with my own Dad, but like my mom, he was taken way too early.  Dave asked a lot of questions about my dad.  I beamed with pride when I talked about him.  I really missed him that night.  I missed my mom too.  Who knows where life would have taken me if they were still around to steer me in the right direction.  I knew they would be happy with the choices I made.  I knew they would be happy with Amy too.
     As I lied there in bed that night, I did a lot of thinking.  I knew I wanted to be with Amy.  I would be crazy not to.  She was everything anyone could ask for.  Hot as hell, a heart of gold and fully committed to me.  I thought about how I would tell Mary or when I would even get the opportunity to tell her.  I wondered how I would feel when, and if, I ever see her.  It had been so long since the last time we spoke, she was almost just a memory.  From everything I knew about her, she was doing well.  It wasn't long before I started thinking about Amy again.  That right there was proof enough.  I was more in love with her than I ever thought imaginable.  I missed her.  We had spent so much time together the past year, we were already practically married.  The only thing left for me to do was make it official.
 
Chapter 44

     It was May 10, 1997 and I was graduating from college.  The ceremony was to take place at 10:00 AM and was expected to last for a good four hours.  Afterwards, we were all hopping into our vehicles and driving down to the beach house.
     I was getting ready to go pick up Amy and then drive to the school when I received a call.
     “Darrel,” the voice said.  “This is Coach Bradley.  How have you been?”
     I was shocked, “Coach, I’m great.  How are you?”
     “Congratulations on graduating today.  I’m sorry everything didn't turn out like we had hoped.  I heard you are quite the coach though.  Good job with the JV team.”
     Coach had called me after my last injury and we talked for hours.  I felt like he was the only one who understood my pain. 
     “Thanks coach.  Well…I’m graduating, so baseball was good to me in that way.”
     “Yes indeed Darrel.  Well listen.  The reason I called you was to invite you to my retirement party next Saturday.  I know its short notice, but it would mean a lot to me if you were there.”
     “Are you serious?  You’re not old enough to retire.”
     “Well, it’s not that I’m officially retiring.  I’m just retiring from being the baseball coach.  I accepted the job to become the athletic director here.”
     “Congratulations, I guess.  I wouldn't miss it for the world.”
     “Great Darrel.  It’s going to be at the school at 1:00 PM and then we are all going to head to the VFW.  I can’t wait to see you.”
     I was shocked at the news.  Part of me thought the reason he wanted me there was to offer me the head coach position.  I didn't want to tell him over the phone I had accepted a job at the elementary school I did my student teaching at.  I was also offered and accepted the head coach position with the baseball team.  It made me smile that he thought of calling me to invite me to his retirement party.  It was going to be nice seeing him again. 

     I did need to get back so I could visit my parents’ graves.  I had kept my dad’s promise by not coming home until I graduated.  A tear rolled down my eye thinking about the conversation we had on our way down to Tuscaloosa.  He knew what he was doing that day.  I became the first Watson to ever graduate from college, and I owed it all to my mom and dad.
     I picked up Amy and we arrived at the gymnasium for the graduation ceremony.  It was jam packed due to the large graduating class.  I looked for her parents and couldn't find them.  Troy had called me a week earlier and told me they were unable to make it due to their work schedules.  It was disappointing not having him there.  I continued to scour the crowd for her parents with no luck.  I asked Amy where they would be sitting and she said she didn't know.  She had a little conniving smile about her today, and I knew she was up to something. She wouldn’t let on though.
     We took our assigned seats, and now it was just a waiting game for our names to get called.  Every time they announced a graduate’s name, certain sections in the crowd would cheer.  Some people had loud cheers and others just a whimper of a clap.  I figured I would have at least Amy’s parents clapping for me.  Matt’s parents were supposed to come down too.  If I was lucky, they would also add to my applause.  I felt sorry for the kids who didn't have anyone there for them, so I clapped for everyone.

     They finally got to the education majors.  Amy and I stood up and waited in line.  The PE majors were the first to go.  I slowly made my way to the stage and walked up a step each time a name was announced.  It was finally my turn as I waited patiently for the school president to announce my name.
     “Darrel Watson.”  All of a sudden a huge roar came from one section of the crowd.  I looked up at the section and saw my entire family standing on their feet clapping, hooting and hollering.  My eyes immediately filled with tears as I stared at them, feeling lost in the emotion of them all being here for my special day.  I turned around to look at the line of graduates searching for Amy.  Our eyes connected and she placed her hand over her mouth as she tried to hold in her emotions.  She smiled at me with so much love, I wanted to run over to her right then.  I mouthed the words ‘thank you & I love you’.  She smiled and placed her hand over her heart and nodded her head. 
     I went and accepted my diploma, took a seat and stared up at them.  They were all beaming with pride from my accomplishment, especially Troy.  If I didn't know any better, he had tears in his eyes too.
     After all the graduates were announced, I gathered with my family.  Amy’s family was there too as I tried to introduce them to everyone.  I was still shocked they all came down.  Each and every one of them gave me a hug and congratulated me.  It had been years since I had seen most of them.  Troy was the only one I kept in contact with while I was at school.
     Amy’s parents had secretly invited all of them down for the ceremony.  They also rented a couple houses close to theirs on the beach for them to stay in for the next three days.  I was still overcome with emotion.  I couldn't thank them enough for doing this for me.  I hadn't felt this kind of love since my parents died, and I would be forever grateful to them.
  
     By the time everything was done, it was a little after 2:00 PM.  The ceremony was a shorter than anticipated.  We all jumped in our cars and made the five hour trip to the beach house.  Amy’s parents had arranged for each of my siblings to have a car for their family and we headed out.
     We arrived just before 7:00 PM, and by the time every one checked in and got situated, it was close to 9:00 PM.  We changed clothes and I wore a pair of khaki shorts with a white V-neck t-shirt.  Amy looked stunning.  She wore a thin white cotton dress that was about four inches above her knees and accentuated every bit of her body.  She looked amazing.
     Her parent’s friends had everything ready when we all arrived to the party.  There were a couple of different bon-fires spread out on the beach in front of their house.  White strings of Christmas lights were tastefully placed cordoning off the area of the gathering.  Chairs were spread out around the fires and everywhere else.  It looked magical.  A light breeze was blowing off the ocean and the waves added the perfect ambiance for the night.  The spread of food was magnificent.  Professional waiters walked around the beach offering people appetizers and drinks.  I felt like I was living in a movie.
     
My family all gathered around a fire away from the main crowed and we talked about the old times.  It was nice conversing with all of them again.  I was getting a little tipsy from the alcohol as I kept telling them over and over how happy I was they were there.  A couple of my brothers gave a sarcastic comment about it being a free vacation, so of course they were there.  My brother Brian was telling a story about me when we were younger.  I think it was the time when they convinced me I was adopted.  I was only half-heartedly listening.  Instead, I was watching Amy.
     She looked so stunning tonight.  Her thin white dress was doing a slow dance next to her body as it moved with the breeze from the ocean.  I couldn't help but stare at her.  The white lights would reflect off her tanned, toned thighs.  Her curly blonde hair would blow in front of her eyes, and she would reach up and tuck it behind her ears.  She would catch me looking from time to time and direct her attention towards me.  She would mouth the words ‘I love you,’ and I would smile every time, never taking my stare away from her beauty.  At one point, she stopped talking to her guest and just returned my long stare.  She stood there with one arm stretched across her body gently holding her elbow, as she kept her drink close to her lips.  She would smile, take a drink and then smile again.  Her eyes glistening from the moonlight as I just took it all in.  I was so in love with her.  Everything about her brought me peace in my life.  She was my world.