Post-Season Legacy

By Carol B. Easley

Cathy Winston, a forty-something mother of two children, hears a plea on television from a college athlete asking for help as he searches for his birth parents, and she faces the dilemma of revealing that she is the mother of the young man or keeping her secret. Through a series of flashbacks, Cathy recalls the first love of her life, the father of the young man, and her present love, her husband of nearly twenty years. The novel, set from the 1960s throughout the 1980s, is basically in two parts, but the entire story is resolved at the end with a touching outcome.

• Language: English
• Publisher: AuthorHouse
• Release date: Sep 19, 2007
• ISBN: 9781467827638

Carol B. Easley

Carol Easley lives on farm near Calhoun City, Mississippi, with her husband Richard. Their son Kyle lives nearby and works in the sweet potato industry. Their daughter Heather Head lives in Jackson, Mississippi, with her husband Keith and two children, Jake and Elizabeth. Carol, who graduated from Ole Miss, is a school librarian in Calhoun County and spends her spare time reading and attending sporting events.  

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© 2009 Carol B. Easley. All rights reserved.

No part of this book may be reproduced, stored in a retrieval system, or transmitted by any means without the written permission of the author.

First published by AuthorHouse 12/2/2009

ISBN: 978-1-4343-1704-9 (sc)

ISBN: 978-1-4678-2763-8 (ebk)

Library of Congress Control Number: 2007904117

Bloomington, Indiana

Contents

Dedication

Chapter 1

Chapter 2

Chapter 3

Chapter 4

Chapter 5

Chapter 6

Chapter 7

Chapter 8

Chapter 9

Chapter 10

Chapter 11

Chapter 12

Chapter 13

Chapter 14

Chapter 15

Chapter 16

Chapter 17

Chapter 18

Chapter 19

Chapter 20

Chapter 21

Chapter 22

Chapter 23

Chapter 24

Chapter 25

Dedication

I want to dedicate this book to all of my family and friends who encouraged me to write. Most of all, I dedicate this book to Richard, my husband of thirty-five years.

Thanks

I want to offer a special thanks to my

editor in chief Sandra Hamilton.

All characters and names in the book came from the imagination of the author.

All incidents are purely fictional.

Chapter 1

Voice from the Past

Chickasaw County, Mississippi

October 1989

T here was nothing in the autumn air to suggest to Cathy that this day was going to be a day that made a difference in the rest of her life. The warm, fall wind was blowing ever-so-slightly, but there was no reminder of the single decision from so many years ago that would change the lives of the woman and her family—not to mention the choice that she would make that would change the lives of members of two other families.

Forty-three-year-old Cathy Winston was washing a few pots and pans in her newly-decorated kitchen. The cooking island was full of fruits and vegetables to be prepared for dinner. The new kitchen was ideal for Cathy because she could do her kitchen work and keep an eye on her ten-year-old son. She could also easily watch television in the combination family room/kitchen while she worked. Her fifteen-year-old daughter was—as always—watching some sports program. SEC football is really big in the fall in Chickasaw County, Mississippi. The population is about evenly divided in their loyalties to Mississippi State and Ole Miss.

Cathy and her family gave their allegiance to the Ole Miss Rebels. Cathy had graduated from there twenty years ago, and her daughter Beth could hardly wait to get out of high school so she could be a coed at the University of Mississippi. Ten-year-old Bill did not know whether he wanted to go to college or not, but secretly Cathy hoped he would want to spend a couple of years at her alma mater. Cathy’s husband had not attended a senior college, but he had become a devoted Rebel fan. He was a farmer and did not get to go to many football games, but he loved attending basketball and baseball games at Ole Miss. Cathy and Beth went to most of the football games on the campus, but this week the Rebs were playing in Athens, Georgia, against the Georgia Bulldogs. Beth could hardly wait for the game to begin on television. Of course, she was taping the game with her VCR so she and her dad could watch it over and over next week when he got home after working in the fields.

Cathy said, Too bad your dad isn’t here to see the game, but all of the farmers really have to get busy with harvest season in October. Beth, what time does the game begin? asked Cathy as she turned toward the living area.

The pre-game show is on now, but they won’t kick off for about fifteen minutes, announced Beth. Are you going to sit down and watch the game with me?

Oh, I’m busy in the kitchen, but I can see the screen easily from here. I’ll just keep working. I can also see your little brother climbing in the trees outside. I’ll keep up with the game in here. If things get too exciting, you’ll hear me yelling, ‘Hotty Toddy!’

Oh, Mom, why don’t you quit working and sit down during the whole game?

I just can’t with supper to get ready before your dad gets here. I’ll keep you company in a while. Who will win according to the sportscasters?

Everybody believes Georgia will beat us, but I think Ole Miss will win, said the confident Beth. Her mom only smiled because Beth was hardly ever wrong in her sports predictions. She really knew her sports, and Cathy encouraged Beth’s interest in that field.

As Cathy continued to work during the next hour, they watched a very exciting football game. Ole Miss jumped out to a 14-0 lead. Georgia played hard, but Ole Miss managed to keep them out of the end zone during the first half. By the end of the half, Ole Miss had scored again, and Georgia had kicked two field goals. The score was 21-6, and the starting quarterback for Georgia injured his knee. The game looked bleak for the Bulldogs. Beth and Cathy sipped Pepsi during the halftime activities. Cathy checked to see if Bill still had all of his arms, legs, fingers, and toes. He loved to climb trees, and Cathy was scared that he would fall and break another bone. He had already broken an arm in a fall, and he broke his leg when his bicycle did not make the slant on the makeshift ramp Bill had worked an entire day constructing.

Well, sit back for the second half, said Beth.

Okay. This game’s too good to miss. I can finish the meal after the game, said Cathy. As the second half got underway, Georgia’s starting quarterback did not go back on the field. Another young man became the quarterback for the Bulldogs and managed to score and scare the Rebels so that the Rebels had to get tough on defense. Ole Miss held on to win by a score of 28-23. Beth and Cathy celebrated by jumping up and down and shouting, Way to go, Rebels.

Beth picked up a magazine and settled in her favorite chair as announcers began the post-game show on TV. Cathy got up to work in the kitchen. Bill had come inside for a snack, and as he sat at the counter and talked about playing in the trees, Cathy seemed to hear a voice from the past. Where’s that voice coming from? she asked herself with a furrow in her brow. She was turning toward the living room when she stopped in her tracks. Her look of concern went unnoticed by both of her children as she stood immobilized by the voice.

As her eyes turned to the television and away from Bill’s chatter, she noticed that a Georgia Bulldog was being interviewed after representatives from the winning team had been questioned. The sophomore quarterback who almost led the Bulldogs to victory was on the screen. He seemed to be more than self-confident. Today, kids would say that he’s got an attitude.

She stopped thinking and listened to him speak.

Yes. I wanted the ball one more time. I know I could have scored, answered the young man dressed in a white uniform with the number ten on his chest.

Thank you, and good luck the rest of the year, said the announcer.

The player reached for the microphone and said, Thank you. If you don’t mind, there’s something I would like to say to the people who are watching today. As lots of Georgia fans know, I’m adopted. My father Jim Mayfield is a cardio-vascular surgeon, and my mother Jan is a computer programmer. They brought me up telling me that I am adopted, but now they are encouraging me to find out who my biological parents are. There’s a problem: my adoption records are sealed. I cannot find anything about my parents. I only know that I was born on December 23, 1969, in Atlanta. I was born in Fulton County Hospital and was immediately adopted. We can’t get any information, but we think my mother was unmarried. My adoptive parents never met her but were told that she was an educated professional woman. They don’t know anything about my father. I am curious about my heritage. I would like to know where I get my love of sports and my ability to play football. I also want to know if there are any health problems that I may face. I just have lots of questions. As he turned to face the camera, he became bigger than life in Cathy’s living room and ended the interview with a plea: If anyone has any information on my birth, please contact the athletic department at the University of Georgia. Thank you, he said smiling with a crinkle around his eyes as he handed the microphone back to the taller sportscaster.

Thank you, Todd Mayfield. We hope we have helped you today. You are a young man with a great future in football. See you in three weeks on NBC when you play the University of Florida, uttered the sportscaster as he waved at the young man leaving the scene.

Hey, Mom, he’s going to be gooooooood, said Beth. Mom? Are you watching?

Yes–yes, I am. That’s quite a story from him. Did he say his name is Todd Mayfield?

Yup. I watched the whole interview, and the announcers predict he will be the next superstar in the SEC. He’s really cute too. Maybe I should go to the University of Georgia and be a Bulldog. Grrrrr.

I don’t think so, said her mom who managed to smile at Beth. Cathy got busy in the kitchen. She felt her hands and knees shaking. Her hands were trembling also, so hard that, as she sliced a ripe tomato, she slightly cut the tip of her ring finger on her left hand. She ran cold water over the cut and wrapped a paper towel around the finger. She hurriedly finished the meal, told Beth to watch out for Bill while she took a shower, and went into her bedroom. She grabbed a housecoat off the end of the bed and put it on as she took off her clothes. As she entered her bathroom, which was an extension of the bedroom, she locked the door, took a small, bronze-colored key from the drawer of the vanity, and pulled a flat metal file box from the back of her walk-in closet from beneath a stack of folded clothes. As she brushed a bit of dust from the edge of the box, Cathy realized that she had not opened it for nearly twenty years. With the paper towel still wrapped loosely on her finger, she took the key and slowly turned the lock. She looked inside and pulled out, one-by-one, a navy monogrammed jacket, a Sigma Nu fraternity pin, a ring with the letters SEC in large script on the top, several old newspaper clippings, and a legal document. One tiny drop of blood from her finger escaped the makeshift bandage and fused to the smiling face on one of the newspaper clippings.

Chapter 2

Recollections

December 1968

O f all the weekends, why did I ever choose to work this one? There’s hardly anyone left on campus—mostly just a few foreign students, thought Cathy Conley as she hung her tan suede jacket carefully on the coat rack behind the lobby desk in the dorm where she worked.

As Cathy tidied the newspapers and other paraphernalia on the large counter which separated the office from the traffic area going to the elevator, she thought, All of the other students left early for Christmas vacation and the Liberty Bowl in Memphis. What’s the big deal about a football game anyway? Everyone doesn’t have to like football. I just know Auburn is expected to beat us by a few points, thought Cathy as she completed the tasks that made the counter nice and neat.

Mary Beth, one of the students left on campus, entered the lobby of the dorm and with a wave of her hand said, Hi, Cathy!

Hello, Mary Beth. I’m surprised to see you still on campus. Why haven’t you left for Belzoni yet?

Jeff won’t be through with classes until tomorrow. I’m just waiting around until he’s ready to leave so I can take him to the airport to catch his flight to Virginia. A couple of his grad classes had to change their schedules and meet late today, said the pretty strawberry blonde as she unbuttoned her heavy coat and pulled a scarf from her neck.

Doesn’t the campus seem lonely and deserted? asked Cathy.

Yes, but I’m enjoying being by myself for a change. These last two days have given me time to think about mine and Jeff’s relationship. I really don’t know whether I love him or not.

Cathy wondered what there was to think about. Jeff was a very intelligent and good-looking guy who had plans to become a doctor. What girl wouldn’t love to be in love with him? When Cathy voiced her thoughts, Mary Beth just laughed and said, That’s what many people think, but there’s more to love than having a sizable bank account and good looks.

Cathy laughed, What else is there?

Oh, there’s being in harmony. I can’t explain it, but Jeff and I just don’t have that harmony that many couples have. I don’t think we’ll be seeing as much of each other next semester. Say, I’ll put in a good word for you since you are unattached.

A lotta good that will do. I’ve never even been close to being in love. Say, this conversation’s too deep. Who do you think will win the game?

Mary Beth didn’t have to ask, What game? Everyone was talking about Ole Miss’s opportunity to beat Auburn in the Liberty Bowl. She replied, I really don’t think we have a chance since Whittle got hurt. The quarterback is so important in the SEC, and ours is sitting at Oxford-Lafayette County Hospital with a broken leg. Can you believe he broke his leg in practice? He wasn’t even being hit hard.

Cathy was wondering, Well, don’t we have more than one quarterback on a team? Why can’t someone else play the position just as well?

"Cathy, you silly girl, don’t you know anything about football? Where did you go to high school?"

You know very well that I went to little, bitty ole Houlka. We didn’t even have a football team; we only had baseball and basketball. I’ve only seen a couple of football games, and I didn’t know what was going on then.

If you’re going to be a coed here at the great U of M in these 1960’s, I suggest you learn about football. It rules the campus in the fall. Surely you know that we were the SEC champions last year. What did you do in Houlka on Friday nights if you had no football games to attend? asked Mary Beth.

I didn’t do much of anything. Some classmates went to Houston or Bruce to games on Friday, and our basketball season began pretty early. I never had a great social life anyway. Mostly, I read.

I’ll bet you make really good grades now. I’m studying my fanny off just to make B’s and C’s.

I do okay, but I really do spend lots of time studying. I think I’ll bone up on football over the Christmas holidays. When we come back in January, you’ll see a person who knows the game of football as well as I know about baseball and basketball.

Mary Beth challenged her by saying: Go ahead and learn. You may meet Mr. All-American right here at Ole Miss. You need to know how to carry on a conversation with him.

Cathy said, Sure. Now I’ve got to file these papers for Mrs. Purcell. See you after Christmas, Mary Beth.

Her friend said as she left, Bye. Have a good vacation and get ready for exams. Oh, yes, study hard on that football assignment too.

Cathy laughed, Right!!

Chapter 3

Learning the Game

Houston, MS, Library

M rs. Coleman, the librarian, looked up from her perch behind the checkout desk as Cathy entered the quiet library. Oh, Cathy, I haven’t seen you since you went to Ole Miss. Are you enjoying college? Are your classes hard? Is it much different from junior college? She was full of questions for one of her favorite readers.

Cathy had a slight smile as she answered, Very different and very difficult. But I have a few classes I really enjoy. I didn’t know how dumb I was until I went to college.

You are not dumb. Could I help you find a book? Are you looking for something for a report for a class, or are you looking for enjoyment reading for the Christmas break? Most college kids don’t read much over the Christmas break because they have to go back for semester exams.

Well, it’s sort of an assignment and sort of enjoyment. I want a book about football. I want to know rules and what the game is all about. Cathy leaned on the tall desk and watched Mrs. Coleman’s expression as she realized Cathy was not looking for schoolwork material.

Mrs. Coleman laughed, "I guess if you go to Ole Miss, you must know about football. Will they win the Liberty Bowl? What do you think?"

Everyone thinks we don’t have a chance because our quarterback broke his leg in practice. I think we should have someone who could play just as well.

Mrs. Coleman said, My son played football at Houston High School, and I know the game doesn’t go well when one of the starters can’t play. I have this book with rules and diagrams, but it seems so elementary. Mrs. Coleman had moved into the nonfiction shelves and picked up a narrow, gray book and thumbed through its pages while nodding her head up and down.

Elementary. That’s what I need. Thanks a lot. I’ll have the book turned in before I go back for exams. Cathy, with her dark hair flying around her face, waved at the librarian as she left the brick structure located on a busy street in the small town.

Conley Farmhouse

Chickasaw County, MS

The Conley house stood square and tall right in the middle of the family farm. It was freshly painted white, and the shiny black shutters on either side of tall windows matched the roof exactly. Inside and out, the sparse furnishings were spotless and in their places. Al Conley was a man who needed very few frills on his farm that had begun as his father’s farm over fifty years earlier.

Cathy and her father sat around an oak kitchen table. The gingham tablecloth had become a football field as Al Conley used coins to explain the positions of a football team as Cathy had her first football lesson after she had skimmed through the book she had gotten from the library.

Cathy said with a grin, Oh, I see. The quarter is the really important guy, and our quarter has a broken leg. Can’t we replace him with two dimes and a nickel?

Cathy’s father enjoyed the joke and slapped his leg