A Game of Inches – Part 13

Introduction:
One of the trainers came over and handed me a hat and a tee shirt, both signifying we were Superbowl Champions. I tossed my helmet to the side, placing the cap on my head, I threw the tee shirt over my shoulder. Even though I had been fortunate enough to win a National Championship in college, that moment was pale compared to this one.
The party on the field lasted for close to an hour, the team being awarded the trophy, Josh being named Superbowl MVP for his performance. Finally the entire team was huddled in the locker room behind closed doors, Coach Reed stepped up to address everyone.
“I can’t tell you guys how proud I am of you, I feel blessed to be standing in this room. I have been coaching for……… close to thirty years, this is the greatest night of my life. All year long, you guys played your hearts out, you never quit. You played hurt, you played sick, it didn’t matter. I love you guys, I will never forget this night…”, he said, choking up.
Several of the other coaches spoke briefly, then Coach Reed took control of the floor once more.
“Where the fuck is Stevens ?”, he said, scanning the crowd.
I was on his far right in the back, I slowly raised my hand.
“Son, I fined you fifteen hundred for missing bed check, you tossed a ball to a fan, that cost you five grand, then you get an celebration penalty, that’s another twenty five hundred. Just what the fuck were you thinking son ?”, he asked, an amused look on his face.
Everyone roared in laughter, then turned to me, obviously waiting on my response. I don’t know where it came from, I just blurted it out.
“I was just so excited Coach, I’m going to Disneyland.”, I stated.
The room exploded in laughter, everyone had seen the commercials a million times. He just waved his hand at me, shook his head, turned and walked off. Everyone moved towards their respective lockers to begin cleaning up for the press conference. I showered quickly, dressed then reported to the trainer, who put my finger in another splint, then wrapped my entire hand in a bandage. I took more pain medication and although my hand did hurt, I didn’t feel it near as badly as I should have. I was the second player up on the podium after Josh, I wanted to get back to the hotel quickly. I stepped up and pointed to the first man with his hand up.
“Brian, you had a three touchdown game, probably your best as a pro, can you tell us how you feel ?”, he asked.
“I’m not sure, it’s going to take some time for this to sink in.”, I answered.
“Brian, we noticed you left the game just before half, then returned in the second half. I see your hand bandaged now, can you tell us what happened ?”, another reporter asked.
“During the scramble for the fumble near the goal line, I injured my hand. It turned out to be two small broken bones, nothing serious, I was able to stay in the game.”, I replied.
“The option year of your contract is coming up, after the past two seasons, you’re going to be one of the most sought after free agents in football, are you already looking for a long term deal with your present team ?”, a man in the back row asked.
“Honestly, it’s never been brought up. I’ll leave that to my agent, right now it’s time to celebrate.”, I said, stepping off of the podium.
I moved quickly through the crowd to the second of two buses parked at the rear of the building, I knew it would leave first. After about a ten minute wait, the bus pulled out and made the short ride to our hotel. It was close to eleven o’clock at night when we pulled up, the place was packed with wall to wall fans celebrating our victory. I took my time getting off of the bus, then signed several autographs as I made my way into the lobby.
I quickly climbed into an open elevator, then made my way up to the sixth floor to see everyone. I exited the elevator and made my way towards Alexis’ room, stopping at Ashley’s room, the door was opened. I stuck my head in to see Ashley, Alexis and Jeff all sitting together.
“Briannnnnn….”, Alexis squealed, jumping into my arms.
Everyone ran to me at once, I was holding on to Alexis with my right hand, her lips were all over me. One by one each congratulated me on the win, both Alexis and Ashley had tears in their eyes. Ashley walked over to me, her arms wrapping around my neck, her lips in my ear.
“God, I so wish your father was here to see this. It would have been his ultimate dream come true.”, she whispered, between sobs.
“I know Ash, but he knows, he knows.”, I said softly, comforting her.
“How’s your hand ?”, she asked, stepping back, wiping her eyes.
“Two broken bones, the little finger. I’ll get a cast Tuesday or Wednesday.”, I replied.
“Does it hurt much ?”, she asked, softly touching my injured hand.
“No, not too bad.”, I responded.
We all sat together for a while, then went down to a large night club that was in the hotel itself. We sat there for a few hours, celebrating, until finally my hand got the best of me. I excused myself from the group telling everyone I needed some medication, then some rest. Alexis quickly offered to walk me back up, admitting she was tired herself. She gave me a quick kiss, then got off on her floor. I went up to my own room, undressed and went to bed. The next morning we were due back for a half day media day, I decided to skip it, taking a late flight back. I was due at the orthopedic doctor on Wednesday morning to have my hand set. I arrived back home about ten o’clock Monday night, I was exhausted. I stayed in bed all day Tuesday, the long season had taken its toll on me. Alexis flew back in Tuesday night late, I was already in bed by the time she got back to her place.
I had an appointment at the team orthopedic specialist Wednesday morning for ten o’clock, I arrived about twenty minutes early. The waiting room was rather crowded, I checked in with the nurse.
“May I see your Driver’s License and Insurance Card please ?’, she asked.
I handed her both of the cards she had asked for, she copied my license information, then checked the card the team had given me.
“You’re on the team ?”, she asked.
“Yes ma’am.”, I replied.
“Oh geez, you’re the dunk guy, number eighty nine.”, she shouted.
“Yes ma’am.”, I answered.
Within minutes I was signing just about every object imaginable in a doctor’s office. After about a ten to fifteen minute wait, I was called back for x rays. After taking several shots of my hand, I was led to one of the rooms to wait for the doctor. Several minutes later, an older grey haired doctor, walked into the room.
“Hello Brian, I’m Doctor Perry, it’s a pleasure to meet you. Congratulations on the win, you played very well.”, he told me shaking my hand.
“Thank you sir.”, I replied.
He took the x rays out of the envelop he was carrying, sticking them on the large viewing screen on the wall. He quickly showed me the two fractured sections of my hand, it was amazing a small fracture like that could hurt so much.
“The good news is that you won’t require any surgery. I will cast the hand, in six weeks or so, you will be good as new.”, he stated.
“Thanks Doc.”, I responded.
“Come with me.”, he asked.
I followed him to a large room, which in some ways looked like an operating room. He asked me to jump up on one of the tables that were in the center of the room, which I did.
“My cast tech will be here in a few minutes, she will set your hand. I want to see you back here in two weeks for x rays. Do you need anything for pain ?”, he asked.
“No, not really Doc.”
He left the room, wishing me well, closing the door behind him. About five minutes or so later, an extremely attractive young women, dressed in medical scrubs and a white lab coat came in the room.
“So, apparently I get to cast a celebrity today ?”, she asked, smiling, her teeth brilliant white.
“Nah, just a dumb football player.”, I laughed back.
For the next hours or so, she constructed a rigid cast on my hand, taking the time to read the x rays carefully, positioning my hand in just the right manner. After she was done, I went back to x ray to make sure everything was lined up perfectly, which it was. I checked in with the nurse on the way out and made an appointment for my next visit. Even though I needed groceries, I decided to wait until later when Alexis was available, I knew she needed to go as well. I went straight back to my complex, taking a nap until three in the afternoon. When I woke, I called Alexis at work, she was out of the office. She called me an hour or so later, I was watching TV.
“Hey, what are you doing ?”, she asked.
“Waiting for you to come home so you can take me to the grocery store.”, I answered.
“Oh you are ?”, she laughed.
“Yep.”
“So, I’m guessing you’re going to milk this hand thing for all it’s worth huh ?’, she laughed.
“You got it.”, I shot back.
“I’ll see you about five.”, she giggled, hanging up.
I got dressed and was ready when she knocked on the door. She had already changed from her work clothes into jeans, sneakers and a knit top. As always, she made you do a double take, it was inevitable. We took my car, it was larger, having a bigger trunk. We arrived at the grocery shortly after six, I grabbed a buggy, then turned to Alexis.
“You need a buggy too ?”, I asked.
“Nope, I just need a few things, I’ll throw them in yours.”, she answered.
We walked down the aisles, I was tossing thing in the basket, Alexis was just watching me. After several minutes, I just had to ask.
“What’s wrong ?”
“Uh, don’t you check prices on anything ?”, she asked.
“No, not really.”, I replied.
“Must be nice to have money.”, she laughed.
We went down one aisle, then up the next. We were on our fourth aisle, when the inevitable happened. The couple in front of us recognized me, stopping and asking for an autograph. Word quickly spread thru the store, at one point I had a half dozen people waiting. We finally were able to make our way to the check out line, then exit the store. Alexis helped me load the groceries in the trunk, then volunteered to drive home. I quickly tossed her the car keys, then opened the driver’s door for her.
“Such a gentleman.”, she said softly, winking at me as she got behind the wheel.
I walked around and got in on the passenger side, pushing the seat back as far as it could go. Alexis started up the car and we pulled out fo the lot heading back to our complex. She helped me carry all of the groceries up the steps to my unit, which I really appreciated, it was tough being one handed. She helped me put everything away, then took the few things she had gotten for herself back to her place. She returned a few minutes later, plopping down on the sofa.
“Man work was a killer today, I am way behind.”, she told me.
“I’m off for close to five months.”, I laughed.
“Oh yea, rub it in why don’t you ?”, she said, sarcastically.
“How about I take you out to dinner tonight, Madame. ?”, I asked.
“Oh you do know how to make points, don’t you ?”, she laughed.
We decided on a small quiet restaurant near our place, it was nothing fancy. We enjoyed a nice quiet meal, then went back to my place. Since I was due back at the practice facility the following morning and Alexis at PSA, we called it an early night.
The next morning I got up and reported to the practice facility for nine o’clock in the morning. We had to clean out lockers, return uniforms and sign out with the trainers. Due to the fact I was injured, I would not be able to due the latter. By nine thirty or so, almost everyone was in the building, the mood as upbeat as I had ever seen it. The staff had set up huge garbage cans in the center of the locker room, I was amazed at the items being tossed out. Brand new shoes, receiving gloves, game worn shoes, towels, practice gear. I finally had a great idea, which was not something that occurred often.
“Hey , hey everybody.”, I shouted.
“Anyone throwing out anything game worn, please take it out, autograph it and bring it to me. I will hold a raffle for my foundation, we need the help.”, I yelled.
Within a matter of twenty minutes, I had dozens of game worn shoes, game worn gloves, a few jerseys, towels and wristbands, all autographed by the players that had worn them. Josh walked over handing me both the shoes and helmet he had worn in the Super Bowl, both autographed. It was extremely generous of him, the helmet would have to be paid for, it was team property. Several other players then stepped forward as well, handing me similar items. When the day was over, I had close to one hundred fifty items, all autographed by team members. I had one of the assistant trainers load all of the items in a van, then paid him to drive them to my complex the following day.
I arrived back at home around two o’clock, I carried all of my gear back up the steps to my unit. For the time being, I stored everything in the extra bedroom, I would put the signed gear for my foundation in there as well. I called Ms. Claire Simpson, who was the only full time employee of the foundation. She was a retired school teacher, I had met her when she was doing volunteer work at Children’s Hospital. I offered her the position, which really didn’t pay very much, she graciously accepted. She was basically responsible for handling the details for the foundation’s business, then running the paper work back and forth to the attorneys. I informed her of the items I had received, she suggested that we hold an auction inviting some of the players. With the sudden superstar status we all had, due to the Super Bowl victory, she felt we could make a very tidy sum. She promised to get the ball rolling, then call me back to finalize the details.
I was considering taking a short trip back home to unwind, get out of the city for a while. The only thing was, I hated to be away from Alexis, I knew she had just taken a week off herself, I doubted she could go again. She called me on her way home from work, telling me she had picked up some Chinese take out for dinner, I was to come down to her place. I took a shower, changed clothes, then made my way down to her unit. I let myself in, she was in the kitchen making two plates. I sat down on the sofa, she came in with my plate and drink. She went back to the kitchen, then returned with hers.
“So what’s on your calender for the next few months ?”, she asked.
I told her about the idea I had for the auction, then mentioned I would like to go home for maybe a week or two. I could sense from her reaction to the latter, it was a sensitive subject with her. In three weeks we were going to ber measured for our Super Bowl rings, so I had to be in town for that. On top of all that, my landlord was due back from Spain in four months, I would have to give up the condo.
“Well, do you think maybe before you go back home, we could spend a weekend together in Santa Monica ?”, she asked softly, with a smile.
“What’s in Santa Monica ?’, I asked, curiously.
“My mother.”, she replied, “I want you to meet her.”
I was taken a bit by surprise, this really came out of left field. Never had Alexis mentioned anything to me about her mother.
“Of course we can, I would love to meet your mother.”, I answered.
“Good, how about this weekend ?”, she laughed.
“That’s fine with me.”, I answered.
We made plans to leave Friday night after Alexis got off work, it was a little over two hours away. I was packed and ready to go by the time Alexis got home, she had taken care of all of the details. We took my car, she once again offering to drive.
The traffic was rather bad, the drive took almost three hours, before we were exiting the freeway to her mother’s house. Alexis navigated the streets like a pro, she was in her old hometown. She pointed out the local high school she had attended as a teenager, then several other familiar hang outs as we passed them. We finally pulled up to a neat, but really worn home, the white building badly in need of paint.
As we got out of the car, the older lady next door, who was watering her lawn, yelled over to Alexis.
“Alex, how are you darling ? It’s great to see you.”, she shouted.
Alexis motioned me over, making sure I followed her to the neighbor’s yard. The two women greeted each other with a warm hug, obviously it had been a while since they had seen each other.
“Miss Mabel, this is Brian Stevens, a friend of mine.”, she said, introducing me.
The older lady had a huge smile on her face as she looked me up and down, then finally extending her hand to me.
“I like your choice of friends Alexis, he is adorable. Big as hell too.”, she laughed.
“Thank you ma’am. It’s a pleasure to meet you.”, I told her.
“Oh, he’s polite too. Better keep him close darling, I gotta believe he’s in demand.”, she laughed, holding Alexis’ arm.
They talked for a few seconds, then we made our way back to her mother’s house, up to the front porch. Alexis knocked on the door, then opened it slowly, called out to her mother.
“Mai.”, she shouted.
I heard a scream from the back of the house, then rapid foot steps on the hard wood floors. Within seconds, a dark haired, short pretty woman, wearing an apron came running into the room wrapping her arms around Alexis. She was in tears, it was apparent she was overjoyed to see her only daughter.
“Anh yeu em”, the older woman kept saying.
Finally they broke their embrace, both of them wiping tears from their cheeks.
“Mom, I want you to meet Brian Stevens.”, she said softly, “Brian, this is my mother, Mai.”
“It’s very nice to meet you Mai, I have heard alot about you.”, I said, softly shaking the woman’s hand.
“Hello Brian, nice to meet you too.”, she answered, bowing slightly.
I told Alexis to stay with her mom, I went back to get the luggage. Even though she had told me we were going to stay at her mother’s house, I was unsure of the exact arrangements. The last thing I wanted to do was offend her mother the very first time we met. I made two trips to the car, I finally had all four bags stacked neatly in the front room. Alexis came back in the room, telling me to grab the bags and follow her. I did as I was told, going down a short hall to a room which was quite obviously Alexis’ when she was growing up. The room had wall to wall trophies, certificates, plaques and photos of Alexis playing ball. I placed the bags on the bed, noticing it was only a single, then leaned over and asked quietly.
“Where am I staying ?”
Alexis directed me down to the end of the hall, to another small bedroom, with a single bed as well. I set my bag down on the bed as well.
“I hope you don’t mind Brian, my mother is a bit old fashioned.”, she whispered softly.
“Not at all.”, I said, quickly kissing her lips.
We went back into the small living room where we sat down and I basically listened to the two women catch up on what was happening to each other. The whole time Alexis was talking to her mother, the older woman would keep moving her eyes toward me, then smile when I noticed her looking. My father always told me, one day a girl will take you home to meet her parents, earning their trust will be extremely difficult. It’s hard for parents to think any man is good enough for their daughter. After an hour or so, Alexis suggested we get ready for bed, it was getting late.
The following morning, I was up early for some reason, it was barely past five o’clock. As I laid in bed, I heard someone walking through the house, I thought Alexis might be up. I opened the door to my bedroom, then followed the noise to the kitchen. Alexis’ mother was already up and dressed, scurrying about the small room.
“Oh, good morning Mai, I thought Alexis was up.”, I said.
“No, she sleep late all the time. You want coffee ?”, she asked.
“Yes, please.”, I answered.
It was clear to see where Alexis got her looks from, her mother was very pretty. What surprised me was she still had a heavy Vietnamese dialect which was surprising considering she had been raised in the United States. She quickly poured me a cup of coffee, asking me to sit down at the small kitchen table. She handed me the cup, then went back to preparing what appeared to be a big meal, I wasn’t exactly sure. I was on my second cup of coffee when Alexis walked into the kitchen rubbing her eyes. She had a short robe on, tied at the waist with a tee shirt on underneath. I made sure I didn’t stare at her in front of her mother, I was on my best behavior.
“Morning Mom.”, Alexis said, kissing the woman on her cheek.
Her mother quickly got her to sit down across from me and poured another cup of coffee for her daughter. It was apparent, Alexis was the most important thing in Mai’s life, the older woman was on cloud nine.
She buzzed around the kitchen, the two of them talking non stop.
We drove into town around noon, I followed Alexis and her mother in and out of different shops, they were having a great time. We ate at a nice restaurant in town, then did some more shopping. Alexis bought her mother a few articles of clothing, even though the woman objected the entire time. I could tell though, Mai was proud of Alexis, her daughter was a very beautiful, successful business woman. We finally arrived back at her mother’s house around five that evening. As soon as I entered the door, the smell coming from the kitchen was incredible. Mai quickly ran into the kitchen, donning her apron, resuming her task.
About an hour later we sat down to an incredible dinner, it was absolutely the best asian food I had ever eaten. Mai was indeed a great cook, something I’m sure she had learned from her mother.
“You like ?”, she asked.
“Yes ma’am, very much.”, I answered.
“She, no wanted to learn to cook, she only wanted to play ball.”, Mai laughed, pointing to Alexis.
“Mom, I can cook…….a little.”, Alexis said, almost apologetically.
Her mother laughed, shaking her head at me as much as if to say, don’t pay any attention to her. Alexis helped her mother clean up the kitchen, then both of them rejoined me in the living room. They made plans to attend church the following morning, something I was not accustomed to. I was told sevices would be at nine in the morning, so once again, we went to bed relatively early.
I woke up the next morning about seven thirty, got dressed and was ready to go by eight o’clock, Alexis and her mom joined me about thirty minutes later, we took my car then drove a few miles to a very large church. Mai commented several times about how much she liked my car and that I was crazy to let Alexis drive it. All during the drive Alexis and her mother carried on their banter, it was something that I was not familiar with, growing up as I did. In fact, as hard as it was to admit, I was very jealous of the relationship they had, my mother had wanted no part of me. We parked in the large lot next to the church, then walked up the stairs finally sitting in the middle of the large facility.
Within minutes it was obvious, several people had recognized me, I saw several people whispering and pointing. After about an hour and five minute service, the pastor dismissed everyone, the crowd slowly made it’s way through the double doors. The pastor had situated himself at the door of the church, so he could greet the congregation as they exited the church. Both Alexis and I were following her mother through the doors, the pastor greeted her with a smile.
“Good morning Mai, how are you today ?”, he asked with a smile and a soft handshake.
“Father, do you remember my daughter Alexis ?”, she asked.
“Oh my, she was barely a teenager when I last saw her, what a beautiful young woman you have become.”, he told Alexis, shaking her hand as well.
“Thank you Father, this is my friend Brian Stevens, we are in town visiting my mother.”, she answered, introducing me.
The pastor looked up at me, he was a relatively short man, a bit over weight. He extended his hand to mine, then looked up at me.
“You’re not the Brian Stevens who plays for San Diego are you ?”, he asked.
“Yes sir, I am.”, I answered.
“Oh my goodness, what a pleasure it is to meet you. You had an incredible game in the Superbowl, I’m a huge fan.”, he responded.
“Thank you Father.”, I replied.
As we walked towards my car in the parking lot, I couldn’t help but notice Alexis’ mother, walking hand in hand with her daughter. Even though a few hours distanced them on a daily basis, they were very close. Before I could get in the car, several people came over asking for an autograph. Josh had told me once, I think it was on the first day of training camp, even though it can be tedious at times, people following you asking for an autograph or picture, one day they will stop. And as hard as it is to believe, you will miss the attention, so enjoy it now. I signed several articles including the church bulletin, which was a first for me.
We made our way back to Alexis’ mother’s home, changed clothes and were trying to decide on what to get for lunch. Mai suggested fried chicken from the fast food chain just down the road, it didn’t matter to me. I got up to get my keys, but Mai grabbed me by the arm then told me to stay, Alexis could go get the food. I could tell her request surprised Alexis as much as it did me.
“Mom, what are you up to ?”, Alexis asked.
“Nothing, you go. I talk to Brian.”, she requested, waving her hand towards the door.
I handed Alexis some money, she reluctantly headed thru the front door, looking over her shoulder. The car had no sooner left the drive, when her mother made her inrtentions known.
“Brian, you like Alexis very much, yes ?”, she asked, taking my hand in hers.
“Yes ma’am, I do.”, I answered.
“I know she like you too, she talk about you all the time. She tell me how wonderful you are, make her feel special all the time. For a long time she was very different, not very happy. She try to hide from me, but I know, not hard to see when your child in pain. But since she meet you, everything different.”, she started.
“Something happen to her at school, she not think I know, I find out from teacher. Man hurt her very bad, but she no tell me. She very sad all the time, only study and play ball. But now you give me daughter back, I thank you.”, she ended.
“She’s a very special lady, Miss Mai. She means the world to me.”, I answered.
“Did you tell her that, tell her you love her ?’”, she asked, squeezing my hand.
“No, not yet.”, I confessed, “I am afraid that maybe she doesn’t feel the same way, or that maybe she thinks I am moving too fast.”, I replied.
“You tell her very soon, yes ?”, she inquired.
“Yes ma’am I will.”, I promised.
We were still talking as Alexis pulled back into the driveway, her mother got up and went back to her chair. I got up, opened the door for Alexis as she brought the food inside. She looked over at her mother, then back at me.
“What have you two been up to ?”, she asked.
“Nothing, just talk.”, replied Mai, “Bring food into kitchen.”
We followed Mai to the kitchen, the subject was closed for now. We spent several more hours with her mother, finally packing up and heading back home around three o’clock in the afternoon. We were barely on the freeway when Alexis began her interrogation.
“Ok, spill it buddy. What was that all about ?”, she asked.
“All what ?”, I asked, trying to be nonchalant.
“You know what. What did my mother tell you ?”, she demanded.
“Oh, she just wanted to be sure I was treating you right.”, I answered.
“Bullshit, tell me the truth.”, she laughed.
“I am telling you the truth, she was just curious about us. Moms are like that.”, I argued.
“Uh huh.”, she said, I knew she wasn’t buying it.
We were back at the complex, shortly before seven o’clock, I took the luggage upstairs then went to my place to unpack. Several minutes later, Alexis knocked on the door, then walked in.
“Hey, I had a message on my machine from Jessica, she lost your number. She wants to talk to you.”, she told me, handing me the number on a small piece of paper.
I dialed the number without thinking about the time change, I could tell I woke Jessica up.
“Hello.”, she replied, still half asleep.
“Jess, this is Brian Stevens, I’m so sorry, I forgot about the time difference.”, I apologized.
“Oh Brian, it’s ok, I’m glad you called. I wanted to give you the heads up, I will be coming back in about three months. I wanted to give you enough time to find a place.”, she informed me.
“Oh, ok. Thanks Jess, I will start looking right away. I will let you know when I find something, I will try to time my move with yours if that’s ok ?”, I answered.
“That would be great Brian, thanks so much.”, she replied, hanging up.
I closed my phone and tossed it on the sofa, then dropped into the chair behind me.
“Well, I have to find a place to stay, she is coming back in about ninety days.”, I told Alexis.
“Oh really, I thought she would be gone a lot longer.”, she answered.
“I’ll call Cindy tomorrow, see if she knows any real estate people she can hook me up with.”, I said.
I could see Alexis was uneasy about something, I wasn’t sure exactly what it was. I was guessing it might be that we wouldn’t be so close together anymore, this was an ideal situation. She sat down on the sofa next to me, it was like she was trying to think of something to say.
“What’s wrong Alexis ?”, I asked.
“Uh…nothing, I just figured it would still be awhile before she came back.”, she replied.
“Well, I knew it was coming, it’s no big deal. I have the time now to start looking around.”, I offered.
“You uh….want another condo, an apartment, maybe a house ?”, she inquired.
“I’m not positive, but I think I might like a house.”, I told her.
We watched a bit of TV, then around nine o’clock, Alexis told me she was tired, she kissed me goodnight and went home to bed. I was sort of surprised, I was hoping we would sleep together, it had been quite a while since I had held her close. I tried not to appear too disappointed, although I’m not sure I succeeded.
The following morning, I woke up about nine o’clock, showered and dressed. I called Cindy Taylor over at PSA, asking if she knew of a realtor, I could use to find a new home. She told me she had a very good friend in the business, she would call her and give her my number. I thanked her and hung up. It was strange, this being a Monday and I had no place to go. It was less than thirty minutes later when my cell phone rang.
“Mr. Stevens, this is Amanda Mansfield, I’m with ERT Realty, Cindy Taylor asked me to give you a call. How can I help you ?”, she asked.
I explained to her my situation, then listened as she went over several options. She was with one of the largest realtors in southern Californa, she had hundreds of properties listed, as well as access to thousands more. We arranged to meet at her office at two o’clock to set some parameters for the search.
I was early for my appointment, fortunately so was Ms. Mansfiled. She was an middle aged woman, impeccably dressed, extremely professional. She was the type of person who could definitely make you feel you were out of your league.
“Come in Mr. Stevens, it’s a pleasure to meet you.”, she said, shaking my hand.
“Call me Brian, please.”, I asked.
“Very well Brian, I’m Amanda.”, she answered, sitting behind her desk.
She grabbed a huge folder from the right side of her desk, opening it and laying out several smaller folders. She explained to me that she had several directions in which we could go, condo, high end apartment, or single residence. She quickly showed me on the map which were the more desireable sections of town. I was quickly overwhelmed as I knew I would be.
“So do you have any idea on exactly what price range we are working with ?”, she asked.
“I never really thought about it.”, I answered.
“Well that’s going to be the key, when you know that, I can target an area.”, she replied.
“I thought a lot about it, I think I would prefer a house, rather than a condo or apartment.”, I offered.
“Alright, that eliminates a lot of leg work.”, she responded, pushing several folders aside.
She grabbed several different folders then grabbed her keys asking me to follow her. We went out to her vehicle, a beautiful Escalade, then pulled out of the parking lot. During the next few hours, I looked at homes in Escondido, La Mesa, Pacific Beach and Oceanside. While the homes were absolutely mind boggling, so were the prices. Everything I looked at was over 3 million dollars, one exceeded four. I had no idea I was going to spend that kind of money, it was eye opening. We got back to her office around six thirty, she promised we would see more properties in a few days.
I was home watching TV when Alexis called me, it was around seven thirty. Once agin, she sounded strange, like something was bothering her, she was not her usual self. She told me she was tired, she was planning to go to bed early. What could I say, I wished her a good night’s sleep, then hung up. I was worried, something was bothering her, I made up my mind the next time we were together, I would question her about it.
Most of the following week was dull, Alexis was very busy at work, she was getting home late in the evening. On Thursday, a representative for the company who would make our Super Bowl rings, met with us, measuring the entire team and staff. We would receive our rings in three months at a special event. I got home Thursday evening, I noticed Alexis’ car was in her spot. I stopped by her unit and knocked on the door. She answered the door quickly, kissed me and let me in.
When she came back and sat down on the sofa, I was determined to get to the bottom of this.
“Alexis, please tell me what is bothering you. I promise I will do anything I can to help.”, I pleaded.
She looked over at me with a weak smile, she put her hands together, then lowered her eys to her lap.
“You’re going to think I’m stupid.”, she said softly.
“Alexis, I would never think you’re stupid, you know better than that.”, I answered.
“Well, I wanted to……I don’t know how to ask you this. I mean, I do….I’m just not sure it’s the right thing to do.”, she stammered.
“Ask me anything, I don’t mind.”, I told her.
“You have to move….in a few months. I was …….wondering, if maybe…..you wanted to…..move in with me ?”, she finally asked.
“All this is about you wanting me to move in here with you ?”, I laughed.
“Please don’t make fun of me, I’m serious.”, she told me.
“I’m not making fun of you Alexis, I just thought it was something worse. I was afraid of what might be bothering you, I never imagined you would ask me to move in with you.”, I told her.
“Soooooo ?”, she asked.
“Of course, I will move in with you. I think about you every day, every night, I can’t imagine anything I would like more.”, I answered.
She jumped up and crossed the room quickly hugging me and kissing my cheek. I could see she was genuinely relieved, I’m not sure why but she was. Since I owned very little other than my clothes, it wouldn’t be that big of a deal to move. Several trips back and forth, it was a done deal.
“Well, I have been looking at houses all day. If I were to buy a house, would you move in with me ?”, I laughed.
“Uh…I don’t know.”, she said, biting her lip.
“Wait now, why not ?”, I asked, pretending to be hurt.
“Depends on what your intentions are.”, she came back, a slight smile on her face.
“Well what are your intentions now, since you’re asking me to move in here ?”, I shot back.
“My intentions are purely sexual.”, she giggled.
“Oh I see. Well we have different intentions then, it may not work.”, I told her.
Just that quickly the smile was gone, a serious look on her face. I could see I had her puzzled, which is exactly where I wanted her.
“So you don’t want to move in with me ?”, she asked.
“No, I want to move in with you more than anything.”, I told her.
“Then what’s the problem ?”, she inquired.
“The problem is …….. I love you.”, I said, softly.
I could see my words hit her like a bowling ball in the chest. Her eyes blinked rapidly several times, watering up quickly. Her mouth was slightly open, for a few seconds, she was at a loss for words.
“What did you say ?”, she asked, her eyes wide and bright.
“I said, I love you. I have for quite a while now.”, I stated.
She leaned over and gently pressed her lips to mine in a long , soft sensual kiss. When she was done, she pulled her lips back, just inches from mine, looked into my eyes and whispered.
“I love you too Brian.”
I pulled her close to me again, once again kissing her deeply. She was an unbelievable women, I felt so lucky to be in her arms. She pulled away from me again, this time whispering in my ear.
“I want you sleep in your arms tonight, it makes me feel so safe.”
“I’ll be right back.”, I answered.
I walked down to my unit, grabbed some clean clothes, threw them in a bag with some personal items, then walked back to Alexis’ place.
By the time I arrived, I heard the water in the shower running. Alexis walked out of the bathroom door with just a towel wrapped around her body. She lifted her hand, summoning me over with just one finger.
“Come wash my back.”, she urged softly.
I tossed the bag on the sofa then followed her into the bathroom, stripping and climbing into the shower with her. As she stood facing the hot streaming water, I moved behind her wrapping my arms around her. I leaned down kissing her neck as she tilted her head away from my lips. She placed the large bar of soap in my hand, it didn’t take me long to get the hint. I softly rubbed her body, lathering it up with the bar of soap, my hand gliding over her wet body. She turned around facing me, taking the bar of soap from my hands. Then with a tender touch, she applied the soap to my entire body, paying special attention to my cock, which was now erect in the palm of her hand. The lubrication created by the soap was wonderful, I could already feel an orgasm approaching. I leaned down and pressed my lips to hers, my tongue quickly sliding into her mouth. I slid my hand between her legs, my finger easing up inside of her.
“Mmmmmmmm.”, she moaned softly, my finger stroking her clit.
I pulled my lips from hers, then very slowly, I began kissing down her body, until I was on my knees. I pushed her back gently until her back was against the wall of the shower, her legs thrust slightly forward. I eased my tongue between the folds of her pussy, I could already taste her thick fluids flowing into my mouth. She reached down with both hands, coming to rest on the back of my head. The feeling was incredible, the hot steamy water soaking my head, running between her legs as my tongue greedily lapped at her pussy. I took both of my hands, extending my fingers, then softly runing all ten, up and down the front of her thighs as lightly as possible. It took just seconds before she let go, her mind no longer having control over her body.
“Oh Goddddddddddddddddd………………………”, she moaned, her body shaking in ecstasy.
She held my head tightly as her hips bucked against my mouth, her pussy flooding my mouth with her liquids. She rode wave after wave of pleasure, until finally she was bent over me, my head in both of her hands.
“Oh God, wait a second…..”, she panted, pushing my mouth from between her legs.
I stood up slowly in front of her, she leaned back once again on the wall of the shower. I wrapped my arms around her waist, pulling her to me , gently kissing her lips. She reached behind her turning off the water, then the shower head. She reached over the door and grabbed the large white towel, then began to dry me off.
Soon we were in her large bed, her bodies entwined, our mouths pressed together, her hand stroking my cock. She pushed me down hard on the bed, straddling me quickly, guiding my cock to her pussy with her right hand. She lowered herself on me with one quick thrust, her eyes closing in pleasure as she felt me deep inside her womb. She leaned over me, her hands supporting her weight on the mattress.
“God, I love you Brian.”, she whispered.
“I love you too.”, I replied.
“I never thought I would ever trust a man as completely as I trust you. You’re the first thing on my mind when I wake up, the last thing before I fall asleep. Please don’t ever let this end, I’m not sure I could go back to the woman I was before we met.”, she asked.
“I will never leave you Alexis, that I promise.”, I answered.
She kissed me deeply again, her tongue prying my lips apart, exploring my mouth. She began to move her hips back and forth, my cock sliding easily in and out of her warm, wet pussy. I could sense she was approaching another orgasm, I was doing my best to hold off on my own, my cock aching for release. I closed my eyes tightly, fighting off the urge, as my hand grabbed her hips firmly. She lifted her mouth from my lips, her eyes riveted to mine.
“I’m gonna cum again.”, she whispered, “All over your hard cock.”
“Let it go baby.”, I coaxed.
She moved back and forth a few more times, then became very rigid, her second orgasm erupting from deep inside of her. Her eyes never left mine as waves of passion flowed through her body, it was almost as if I looked into her soul for several moments. She finally collapsed on my chest, panting for breath, her body still shaking. I held her gently, kissing her neck as I rubbed her back gently. She finally recovered, slowly lifting herself off of me, rolling to my left.
She moved up next to me, lowering her lips to mine for another long sensual kiss, her tongue brushing my lips. She then pulled away, her mouth inches from mine.
“I want to do something special for you, it’s just…well I have never….”, she began.
“Baby, it’s ok, relax.”, I whispered.
“It’s just , I feel so inadequate. I want to do a better job of making you feel good……I want to do for you what you do for me.”, she said softly.
“You do, Alexis.”, I answered.
She smiled weakly, then slowly moved down my body, her hand wrapping around my rock hard cock. I felt her tongue, softly swirling around the head of my cock, her warm breath on my thighs. She ran her tongue up and down my cock, her hand gently massaging my balls. She took me deep into her mouth, her tongue constantly caressing my shaft, as her mouth moved up and down slowly. I reached down and ran my fingers through her long silky black hair, gently showing my gratitude. I knew I was on the verge of cumming, I wanted to warn Alexis.
“Baby, watch it, I’m gonna cum…”, I warned.
She moved her mouth off off my cock, her tongue licking the head gently, as her hand pumped me up and down. I looked down as the first load of cum erupted from my cock, coating Alexis’ tongue and lips. She continued to flick her tongue over the head of my cock as four more jets of cum were deposited all over her mouth. The sensation was absolutely incredible, as was the visual sight of this gorgeous woman with my cum all over her lips. She continued to pump my shaft, milking what was left of my cum all over her fist. I fell back exhausted, my cock still throbbing in her soft hand. She moved back up to me, laying her head on my chest, her hand still softly stroking my shrinking cock.
“God baby, that was incredible.”, I whispered.
I spent every waking minute I could with Alexis over the next few weeks. It seemed every day, I fell deeper and deeper into love with this gorgeous creature. We would get up every morning at five o’clock, drive to the gym for a hour and a half workout together, then stop for coffee on the way home. She would then shower and change, leaving for work around eight thirty in the morning. I spent the day running errands, looking for a new house or working for the foundation. Alexis had just left for work on Friday morning when my cell phone rang, it was from ERT realty.
“Hi Brian, this is Amanda from ERT, how are you today ?”, she asked.
“I’m fine Amanda and you ?”
“Doing well, look I have a really great opportunity that just came up, if you’re interested. One of the huge banks I work with has a property they are willing to do a short sale on. I’m getting first crack because they owe me a favor. They are going to list it in three days, unless I can close it.”, she stated.
“Have you seen it yet.”, I asked.
“No, I haven’t but it’s in Rancho Sante Fe, which is very exclusive. From what I was told, it has a few very minor repairs that are needed, but it’s at least five hundred thousand under the market price.”, she added.
“Ok, let’s go look at it.”, I replied.
“Great, I will meet you at my office in an hour. If you like this we need to jump on it.”, she urged.
I met Amanda at her office, we then drove out to the property. As soon as we arrived in the area there was no doubt this was high end living. I was totally blown away as we pulled up to the huge tile circular driveway in front of the home. It was a Spanish influenced designed, the walls being a light cream colored stucco, with the orange slate tile roof. The front drive was lined with huge palm trees, the landscaping was impeccable. We got out and walked to the huge double doored entrance, Amanda had a key ready.
As we walked from room to room it the huge home, it just kept getting better and better. The house had six bedrooms and six bathrooms, a total of over seven thousand square feet. It was set on a 1.5 acre lot that included a huge swimming pool with a waterfall, a large spa, a five hundred bottle climate controlled wine cellar and a gourmet kitchen with restaurant rated appliances. In addition the backyard had a sunken circular seating area and a firepit that faced the ocean. The entire back of the home was glass windows that looked out to the ocean. The climate control unit in the wine cellar needed to be replaced as well as one of the three central air conditioners. The spa pump was bad as well, but other than that the property was immaculate.
“How much Amanda ?”, I asked.
She opened her folder, scanning the paper work carefully, a smile crossing her face.
“The bank has 2.4 million in it, they are asking 1.9 million as is.”, she replied.
“What do you think ?”, I inquired.
“I think it’s a steal. The average cost in this area is three million plus. You will make at least five to six hundred thousand the day you sign the papers.”, she answered.
“Well, I like it alot, but I would like Alexis to see it.”, I told her.
“Brian, you can’t wait, I can’t be sure they didn’t leak this property to anyone else, lets at least put in an offer, see what they say. As long as I make an offer, you have the house under contract, they can’t sell it out from under you.”, she urged.
I looked around one final time, I couldn’t pass this up. Never in my wildest dreams growing up did I ever imagine I would live in a home like this.
“Let’s do it.”, I responded.
As drove back to Amanda’s office, she called her contact at the bank, she wanted to leave no stone unturned. Of course the commission she was going to earn was substantial, somewhere close to six figures if I figured right.
“Tracey, this is Amanda from ERT. My client and I just looked at the property in Rancho Sante Fe, you called me this morning about. We will be making an offer as soon as we get back to my office.”, she stated.
She listened to the other party for several minutes then laughed quietly into the phone.
“Trust me, he’s good for it.”, she said hanging up.
We arrived back at her office and based completely on her advice, I made an offer of 1.75 million cash. As I was told, by offering cash, I would cut down delays on financing, a ton of paperwork, inticing the bank to act quickly. I could always go back and mortgage the property once I owned it, if I chose to do so. Amanda assured me, she would call me as soon as she heard anything back from the bank.
I decided to drive over to PSA and tell Alexis the good news, it was still fairly early in the morning. I was greeted warmly at PSA, then shown up to Alexis’ office. She was wrapping up a meeting, her secretary brought me a soft drink while I waited. I had no sooner leaned back in the large chair when my cell phone rang.
“Brian, it’s Amanda. They countered with 1.85 million, it’s their bottom line, I suggest you take it.”, she urged.
Just about that time, Alexis came walking into the office, a stack of manilla folders in her hand. I could tell from the smile on her face, she was delighted to see me.
“Ok Amanda, do it.”, I said, hanging up.
“What’s going on baby ?’, she asked, kissing me softly on the lips.
“Well I guess I just bought a house.”, I laughed.
“Oh my God, you’re serious. When did you see it ?”, she replied, excitement in her voice.
“This morning. Amanda called me right after you left. I just came from there.”, I answered.
I explained exactly what had happened to Alexis, then described the house in exact detail as I had remembered it. I could tell by her reactions, she was extremely excited.
“That’s wonderful honey, I am so happy for you.”, she giggled, hugging me tight.
“Happy for us baby, you’re going to be there with me.”, I answered.
She pulled back gently, her face a few inches from mine. I could see the tears forming in her eyes, I was not really sure why. It took her a moment to respond, but she finally did, even though she was extremely emotional.
“I can’t believe all this is happening, it’s like a fairy tale. I keep thinking I am going to wake up and this is all a dream.”, she whispered.

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