"Then we ran bleachers until we puked."
"That was Rake," Neely mumbled.
"You count the years until you get a varsity jersey, then you're a hero, an idol, a cocky bastard because in this town you can do no wrong. You win and win and you're the king of your own little world, then poof, it's gone. You play your last game and everybody cries. You can't believe it's over. Then another team comes right behind you and you're forgotten."
"It was so long ago."
"Fifteen years, pal. When I was in college, I would come home for the holidays and stay away from this place. I wouldn't even drive by the school. Never saw Rake, didn't want to. Then one night in the summertime, right before I went back to college, just a month or so before they fired him, I bought a six-pack and climbed up here and replayed all the games.Stayed for hours. I could see us out there scoring at will, kicking ass every game. It was wonderful. Then it hurt like hell because it was over, our glory days gone in a flash."
"Did you hate Rake that night?"
"No, I loved him then."
"It changed every day."
"For most of us."
"Does it hurt now?"
"Not anymore. After I got married, we bought season tickets, joined the booster club, the usual stuff that everybody else does. Over time, I forgot about being a hero and became just another fan."
"You come to all the games?"
Paul pointed down to the left. "Sure. The bank owns a whole block of seats."
"You need a whole block with your family."
"Mona is very fertile."
"Evidently.How does she look?"