Total pages in book: 102
Estimated words: 95393 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 477(@200wpm)___ 382(@250wpm)___ 318(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 95393 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 477(@200wpm)___ 382(@250wpm)___ 318(@300wpm)
“We’ll drop you off and then just text me when you’re ready,” Stone says. “Your own personal Uber driver.” I chuckle at his joke, getting into the car.
“How long before this day is over?” I ask softly as we drive toward Benji’s house.
“Just a few more hours to go,” he replies just as soft. “Tomorrow will be better.”
“Tomorrow will be better,” I repeat the words, “or it can be a whole lot worse.”
We pull up to the house, where cars are lined up and down the street. People walk in all dressed in black with their heads down. “Do you want me to come in with you?” All I can do is shake my head. “Okay, well, you let me know if you need me, and I’ll be right over.”
My hand reaches out to grab the door handle. “Thank you.” My voice is thick.
“No need to thank me.” He slaps my shoulder. “It’s what we do.”
I open the door, stepping out and closing it before anything else is said. Walking up the path, I spot a couple of the teammates with their wives, who just nod at me. Everyone is probably waiting until they can get the fuck out of here. Walking into the house, I have to zigzag through people. It’s jam-packed, people chatting with each other like we just didn’t bury Benji.
I look around before I step outside, seeing the kids running around. I spot Rain and Luna being chased by two older boys, who, from what I remember, are Koda’s nephews. They come to the games a couple of times a year. I pull out a chair and sit outside, my eyes on the girls, making sure they are all right. I don’t know how long we stay out here. All I know is they went from playing tag to hide-and-seek to racing to playing in the tree house. The sun is starting to go down, the sky turning a bright orange before it turns purple.
Eddie walks out, then pulls out the chair beside me. “The kids should be getting ready for bed.” I don’t know what to say to that. “Everyone is almost gone.”
“Do you need me to do anything?” I look over at him, and the anguish is written all over his face. He buried a son today, and he has to keep it together to help his daughter-in-law and grandkids.
“Nah,” he says, “caterers are clearing up as we speak.”
“Where is Koda?” I ask, not even sure why I’m asking. The last time I was here, she was telling me to get the fuck out.
“I think she went downstairs,” he replies. “She said she needed a minute.” He gets to his feet then. “Okay, kids, time for a bath.” He claps his hands together as the kids moan about not being tired. They follow him inside, and I get to my feet, pushing the chair under the table before heading inside.
The caterers are in the kitchen cleaning up, with some service people drying things. I’m about to take my phone out of my pocket and text Stone, but instead, my feet move toward the closed basement door.
Turning the handle and quietly closing the door behind me, I walk down the stairs. The lights are on, and as I get to the last step, I see her. Koda. This time, she’s sitting on the couch with her head back, looking at the ceiling. One hand is on her lap, the other on the armrest as she holds a glass with amber liquid inside. I don’t say anything to her, but she must sense she isn’t alone because she looks over at me. “I was—” I start to say but then stop when the tears pour down her face.
“Is everyone gone?” she asks, and I nod. “He had this big fanfare.” She laughs bitterly. “The headlines are all saying how horrible and tragic it is that he’s gone. Someone even wrote he had an aneurysm. Wait until they find out he died of a fucking overdose.” I look at her. “He was cheating on me,” she whispers, the words draining everything from my body. “I mean, I don’t know if you call it cheating since I don’t think it was really him.” My feet feel like they are superglued to the floor, as she brings the glass up to her mouth and takes a sip. “I kept sitting here trying to pinpoint the day it all started to change.” She looks at me, shaking her head.
“For the past two days, I’ve been racking my brain, wondering when it fucking changed, and I can’t for the life of me figure out the exact date. He started acting differently at first. It should have been my first clue. Falling asleep at the table, in the middle of the meal. Then he would be irritated at times. I thought it was his knee acting up and he was trying to pretend it was okay. Thought he was pushing himself too much at training. Told him that his body would heal on its own, and the more he pushed, the longer it would take.” The tears fall over her eyelids and she looks like she’s in another world as she tells me this story.