Chapter Twelve: Things Happen When They're Supposed To - Part Two

****Trev****

In all my travels with teams, friends and family one thing always held true: it never took long before you learned people’s quirks.  Like how Ryan didn’t want to sit next to the window on planes because it reminded him that only inches of metal were what kept him from plummeting to his death. Or learning that Coach White liked to pass time by doing crossword puzzles and whispered “yes” every time he successfully solved a clue.

It didn’t have to be a long trip either. Anything over thirty minutes and people start to get comfortable. Which was why I learned all kinds of interesting things about Pam on our hour and a half trip to ASU.

Like how she liked to remove her shoes and socks and put her feet up on the dash, curling and straightening her toes to the beat of the music. And if it wasn’t her toes moving it was some other part of her body because sitting still for more than a second seemed to be impossible for her.

There were other things besides bare feet and fidgeting that I learned about her during that trip, but the one that made me do a double take was her chattiness. With nothing else to do, she talked way more than normal. Which wasn’t a bad thing, it was just that before that trip I never would’ve put her name and the word chattiness in the same sentence.   

She started with telling me that I was acting suspicious and that it must mean that I had some surprise planned. It was completely laughable, since it was obvious that she was hiding things too and a debate followed about who was acting the most secretive.

Having no luck with prying surprises from me, she moved on to how Mom knew about us before we arrived at George’s. Providing evidence by pointing out that Mom greeted us, that I led her to sit between Mom and me and that I winked at Mom when we succeeded.

I worried for a second that she was upset about it, that she felt like I had betrayed her since we’d agreed not to tell anyone before. But her reassuring smile convinced me that she wasn’t and I let out a sigh of relief before revealing how it happened.

I told her about my talk with Mom in October, when I went home for Dad’s service. That Mom probably would’ve guessed who my guest was from that conversation. But it was my phone call to her a couple days before, when I recruited her to help make sure that introductions went smoothly, that she really learned the truth.    

When she asked me to tell her the embarrassing stories about my siblings, the ones I hinted at when we were at George’s, I was all too willing to share. Will’s first date was a disaster because he was running late and didn’t have time to look for his lost belt. Instead of changing his pants, which were too big, he risked wearing them and regretted it when they fell down around his ankles; right as he pushed his date’s chair in at a fancy restaurant.

George’s embarrassing story also involved his pants, but unlike Will’s, his stayed on. At least until he was forced to change them. In the months leading up to George and Charlotte’s fifth birthday, they begged for new bikes; ones that had removable training wheels. When Mom and Dad led them outside on their birthday and they saw the new, shiny bikes, George got so excited that he literally pissed his pants.


To say that Charlotte loved her favorite mirror would be an understatement. It was a handheld one that she carried around her room, talking to it like it was her boyfriend. But that wasn’t the most embarrassing part. The fact that she also used it to practice her kissing, was. I only knew about it because she left her door cracked open one day and I heard her making kissing noises. She had no idea I’d ever seen her until hours before, when I threatened to tell everyone.

My reward for sharing was Pam’s responses as she listened to each story. More than once it looked like she couldn’t decide if she should laugh or scold me and her facial expressions flip-flopped between disbelief, horror and amusement.

When I was finished, she mentioned how glad she was that her family didn’t go around sharing embarrassing stories or photos. I must have looked guilty because she started smacking my arm until I confessed the habit I picked up in the summer of skimming through photo albums in her parents’ family room.


I lost track of how many stories we told or how many Christmas songs we heard on the radio, but as the intro to one that I hated blasted through the speakers, I stopped thinking about Pam’s quirks and reached over to change it.


“Hey! I like that song!” The fact that she jokingly protested it kind of threw me for a loop. I’d changed the station in the middle of countless songs during the three and a half hours with no complaints from her. And as I looked over and saw her take her bare feet off the dashboard and sit up I wondered why she was finally protesting, and how in the world she could like such a corny Christmas song.

“Don’t tell me you like that song…” I half teased her and shuddered at the memories of having to sing it during the once traditional Hobble/Davila caroling adventures.

“It’s a perfectly good song.” She stated as if informing me of a proven fact and pointed out the windshield at the road as she continued to protest. “Shouldn’t you be concentrating on driving instead of changing the station in the middle of every song?” She playfully smacked my hand away from the channel button when I reached over to change it again and I shook it in the air, pretending that she hurt me.  

“I can do both.” I confidently told her and just to prove my point, I leaned forward, sticking my tongue out like it required a ton of effort and pushed the button again. She seemed less than impressed when I flashed her a triumphant grin and tried to hide a smile by pinching her lips together while shaking her head.


“I had no idea that you fidgeted this much when you drove.” She poked fun at me once she’d gained control over her lip muscles and peeked at the speedometer. “Or that you have such a lead foot.”

“I fidget?” It was ridiculous coming from her. “You haven’t sat still for two seconds since we left the city. And I thought you were the one that wanted to get there before the food got cold.”

“I do, but I’d also like to make it there…alive.” She turned her head and pointedly looked at me when she said the last word, both for emphasis and so she could see my response.

Not wanting to disappoint, I dropped my jaw, letting my mouth hang open in fake shock and slowly turned my head to look at her. “I am an excellent driver.” I informed her, exaggerating every syllable. “Besides, there’s no one on the road.” I looked back out and took both hands off the wheel, motioning out at the empty road.

Her hands frantically gestured for mine to grab the wheel again and she shook her head when I finally did. “That settles it! I’m driving back to Bridgeport.” Her hands then darted over to the radio, protectively covering it. “And I’m taking control of the radio.”

It was like telling a kid to not touch anything of the shiny, light-up toys in a toy store. She might as well of dared me to do it and I took it as if she had. I slowly lifted my hand off the wheel and moved my pointed finger closer to the radio. She doubled her efforts to keep it protected and scrunched her face up at me, challenging me with her eyes to find a way for my finger to penetrate her blockade.

But she forgot one important fact. The steering wheel had radio controls, and as I moved my finger towards it and circled around the area that contained them, her eyes got wide with the realization that she’d lost the battle and she jokingly moaned when I once again changed the song.


“Cheater.” She laughed and I smiled as I looked back at the clear road.

When her parents’ house finally came into view, I slowed the car down to give both of us time to look at it. To me it always felt like home away for home. But to Pam it was more than that, it really was home. And as I took the key out of the ignition and looked over her, I saw a deeper, more genuine look of recognition in her eyes.

She jumped out of the car, too excited to wait for me to walk around and open the door for her. “I always love the way this house looks at Christmas.” She whispered as we stood looking up at it.  She was right.  It was a beautiful house any time of the year but especially at Christmas when the railings were covered with garland and twinkling icicle lights hung from the eaves.

“The only thing missing is snow.” She said what I was thinking and as if Mother Nature heard her, it started to snow.

Small flakes at first, but they quickly changed to large, fluffy ones that stuck to everything, including us. “It looks like you got your wish.” I whispered and smirked down at her as I removed several flakes from her hair.  She smiled and closed her eyes as I gently pulled more from her head, allowing a couple to fall on her eyelashes.

She shivered when my thumbs wiped them away and reached up to grab both of my hands, lowering them as she opened her eyes. It was a moment that I hoped I would never forget. How the snow fell all around us as she tenderly stared into my eyes and gently squeezed my hands, reassuring me one last time before we turned to face the music.

“Together?” She asked, voicing again what I was thinking.


I smiled down at her and nodded. “Together.”

“Hello?” She yelled into the empty foyer after flinging open the front door.

“Pamela?” Her mom’s voice came from the family room and being the chicken shit that I was, I started hanging up our coats on the rack behind us while her parents came into the foyer. I knew that everything would change between her dad and me the second that I saw them, and I wanted another second or two before it happened.

“And you brought…” I didn’t wait for her mom to finish before I turned around to finally face the music. They definitely looked shocked, but instead of the disappointed version that I was expecting, they were at least smiling.

“Trev.” Coach finished her thought and shook his head as he slowly walked towards me. If it hadn’t been for his bewildered smile, I would’ve probably crapped in my pants; forever ending my teasing of my brothers and their pants issues.  But he was smiling, and after what felt like forever with him standing and staring at me, he took another step forward and hugged me.


It took my arms several seconds to come unglued from my sides and hug him back. It was a good start, but I still wasn’t convinced that he was okay with what me showing up with Pam meant. That wasn’t going to happen until I could sit down and hash it all out with him.

In my anxiousness with facing Pam’s parents, I’d forgotten about the other wildcard there, Tiff. Something that I remembered when Mrs. H. ushered us into the living room and I saw her sitting on the one of the couches.

But my anxiety quickly turned into slight amusement and relief when everyone else looked surprised at me being there, except Tiff who smiled and nodded. I didn’t even have to glance at Pam to know that she’d talked to her, just like I had told my Mom. But just in case I wondered, she squeezed my hand.

With introductions out of the way, her mom announced that dinner was ready. After an afternoon of eating Turkey and dressing, I was glad that she decided to serve a different kind of bird, fried chicken and I almost kissed her on the cheek when she pulled out sweet tea.

We sat around the table talking about what everyone had been up to. Tiff and Jenn’s boyfriends Stew and Brandon asked me a couple questions about the season. But in all the back and forth chatter, I couldn’t help but notice that Coach hadn’t said much to me since I’d walked in the door, and I worried more about it as each minute ticked by.


Which was why I almost shit my pants again when he called out to me as everyone started migrating back into the living room. “Hey Trev, let’s go talk in my office for a bit.” I must’ve done a horrible job at hiding my panic because Pam squeezed my hand and kissed my cheek before giving him a warning look as she went by.

I followed him into the office and took a seat. For all I knew, we were going to be there a while and I wasn’t sure that I wanted to stand for what I was sure he was about to say. Especially since he wasn’t making any move to sit in the chair next to me.

“You guys have a pretty decent shot at the Super Bowl this year.” He said as he looked up at the picture hanging behind his desk of my senior team. The one I’d admired when I first returned to campus and I wondered if he was wondering like I was about how much had changed since then.

I nodded, even though he wasn’t looking at me. “Someone used to tell me take it one game at a time and not look too far ahead.” I nervously repeated his words back to him and he chuckled.

“Sounds like a pretty smart guy.” He joked and I started to breath a little when he walked over to sit next to me. “How’s Ryan?” He asked, looking right at me, but with him that close, I looked down at the floor.

“He’s good. More confident. Probably since he’s gotten some game time this year.”

He nodded and sighed, letting several silent seconds pass before he finally cut to the chase.


“Are you going to tell me what’s wrong?”

It was such a loaded question and I sat there for a while trying to figure out how to answer what I figured had to be obvious. “I don’t want this…” I motioned back and forth between the wall that Pam was on the other side of and me, “…to change our relationship.”

He nodded and gave me a small smile. “But it will.” It wasn’t the answer I wanted to hear and my stomach dropped. “Look, Trev…Relationships change all the time.” I nodded but looked back down at the floor.

“If you’re worried about if I’m upset about you and Pamela…” my head jerked up at hearing him say one of the things I was worried about and knowing that I was about to get my answer, “I’m happy for both of you.”

It seemed too good to be true and I shook my head. “How can you be? If a guy like me wanted to date my daughter, I’d kick his ass out the door.”

He chuckled. “So you want me to kick your ass?”


I sighed and shook my head. “No, I want you to admit that you’re not happy that your daughter is with a recovering drunk who didn’t know his head from his ass for most of the years we’ve known each other.” He sat back and crossed his arms across his chest and I knew I was about to get a lecture.

“You think you’re the only person who’s messed up? We’ve all made mistakes, Trev. It’s what people do with second chances that defines them and you haven’t taken that for granted. So no, I’m not upset. In fact, I think you’re perfect for each other.”

It sounded ludacris to me and I looked over at him like he was crazy. Until he asked me the one question that I hadn’t counted on. “Do you love her?”

The directness of it made me hesitate only a second before I admitted to him want I hadn’t to her. “Yes.”  

He smiled and shrugged. “That’s all I need to know. We can sit here and argue until the cows come home about if you, I or anybody else thinks that you deserve her. The truth is, you don’t, just like I don’t deserve Nicole. But that doesn’t stop them from loving us, faults and all, and I’m not going to look a gift horse in the mouth. I suggest you do the same.” He stood up and walked to the door, stopping to put his hand on my shoulder.

“Just love her, and we’ll be good.” He squeezed my shoulder and tried to walk away but I put my hand over his to stop him. I stood up and hugged him, mostly from the relief I felt but also because he was the closest thing that I had to a dad and I wanted to let him know how much i appreciated him.


He chuckled and patted me on the back. “Let’s go into the living room. I’m sure Pamela’s about to blow a casket waiting for us.”

It’d been a long day of traveling for most and it wasn’t long after Coach and I joined everyone else in the living room that people started heading upstairs, including Pam and me. I made a detour to the car to get our luggage and to check that her present was still safely hidden in the trunk before making my way up to her room.

It was only my second time in it, the first being when she hid me from Tiff that summer, and I hadn’t taken the time to look around much then. It suited her; the pops of turquoise, her favorite color and the pictures of butterflies and football momentos hanging on the walls all hinting at the woman she’d grow up to be.

I put our bags on a bench at the end of the bed and noticed the pair of matching flannel pajamas. “What are these?” I pointed down to them as she came out of her closet.

“Oh…” She smiled and crossed the room. “Those are pajamas for tomorrow. Mom buys them every year.” The fact that one was my size meant that she’d at least had to tell it to her mom. She answered without me having to ask it.


“And no, I didn’t tell her that you were the one coming home with me, but I did have to tell her your size. So she probably at least maybe guessed.”

They looked really comfy and I had no problem following her in changing into them. She was looking out the window at the still falling snow when I finished and I came up behind her, putting my arms around her and resting my chin on her shoulder.  

“Did you and Dad have a nice talk?” It was the first time she’d ever specifically asked about one of our conversations, but I didn’t mind.

“Yeah. I tried to convince him to be upset with me.” She whirled around and looked at me like I was crazy.

“Why would you do that?!”

“Because I needed him to tell me that he wasn’t.” Her eyes softened and her hand raised up to stroke my cheek.

“And he did.” She whispered and I nodded.

I’d gotten it in my head that I needed to wait for a big moment to tell her how I felt, that it needed to be this amazing declaration. But Pam had it right when she told my family that things happen when they’re supposed to, and the moment to tell her was then.

I leaned back enough to look down at her, thumb stroking her cheek and finally said it. “I love you.”

Her eyes almost disappeared from her smile. “I love you too.” She breathed against my lips and kissed me. I could’ve died and gone to heaven at that point, but I was glad that I didn’t since I would’ve missed her beaming smile.


“Best Christmas present, ever.”  She happily sighed and I laughed as I lifted her off the ground and took her to bed.

The sun was barely shining through the windows when I woke up. My family always liked to give me a hard time about being the first one up on Christmas morning, but I couldn’t help it. It was by far my favorite holiday. Not because I liked getting things, but because I liked watching other people open their presents.

I had a special one still hidden in the car and as I imagined her response, I turned to look at her. Her lips were slightly parted and she was smiling like she had the morning before when she’d been dreaming of Christmas at her parents.

I chuckled and fought the urge to count her freckles again, but couldn’t keep from slowly kissing each of them instead.

She sighed and her eyelids fluttered open. “Merry Christmas.” She whispered and yawned.

“Merry Christmas.” I said squeezing her and moved my kisses to her neck.

“What time is it?” She tried to turn away to look at the clock but I tightened my hold on her.

“Early.” I mumbled into her neck and kept kissing her.

“Coffee.” She commanded and I laughed. I jumped out of bed and she buried herself even further into the covers as I walked over to her side.


“Let’s go, Miss Sunshine.” I joked as I pulled on her arm and she stuck her tongue out at me. “Alright then.” I shrugged and dropped her hand. “I guess I’ll just have to drink your share of the coffee…” She jumped out and tackled me.

We made our way downstairs and could smell the coffee. I was kind of surprised to see everyone already awake and in the kitchen. If it had been my family, we would’ve dived into the presents, but everyone seemed happy, talking, drinking coffee and eating homemade cinnamon rolls and I had to admit, it was a nice change.

But eventually, people’s curiosity got the better of them and we wandered into the living room. Presents were distributed and I was surprised when Mrs. H. plopped one in my lap and the tag said it was from her and Coach. It was a tea maker and I wondered if between knowing my pajama size and Pam’s suggestion for a gift, she was really all that surprised to see me.

It was perfect and I had just enough time to thank both of them before Pam went over to the tree and grabbed another present. The first thing I noticed was how much tape she used to wrap it and I joked if there was something top secret inside.

That made everyone laugh and she rolled her eyes. I had to remind myself that her dad was sitting several feet away and focused instead on the wrapped box. I shook it a little and looked over at her. She shrugged and I went back to trying to find a way to open it.


“Good luck, Trev.” Her dad joked and everyone laughed. But I didn’t even look up, because I was determined to find that one tiny section that she hadn’t taped.

I finally found one small centimeter of a fold and started ripping the paper to shreds. The box was pretty ordinary and didn’t give away what was inside but it wasn’t taped as well as the wrapping paper and was easy to open.

There were two things inside. On top was a pair of gloves and I chuckled as I pulled them out.

“Still worried about my hands…” I smiled and glanced over at her.

She nodded, grinned and pointed back at the box. I looked back inside and felt my smile melt away as I saw what had been hiding underneath them. A framed picture of my dad, her dad and me.

Our smiling faces stared back at me and I almost choked on my words as I looked back up at her. “How…”

She scooted closer and took the box away as I pulled out the frame. “I remembered seeing it in a box of pictures that dad keeps in his office and asked Dad if I could give it to you.” I shook my head and looked down at it again. I had pictures of me and Dad and me and her dad, but not one of the three of us together.

I looked up at her and didn’t care that her dad or mom was watching. I gave her a kiss that took her by surprise and made the room go silent for a second or two.

“Thank you.” I whispered and she smiled at me.


I gently paced both of them on the sofa table and remembered that I hadn’t gotten her present out of the car.

“I’ll be back.” She looked confused as I jumped up off the couch and I ran outside, barefoot into the snow and opened up the trunk.

I made it back inside with record speed, both because my feet were about to freeze off and because I couldn’t wait to see her open my present and shivered a little as I placed the box in her lap.

She shook her head at me as I sat down and jokingly narrowed her eyes at me. “Maybe I should’ve gotten you socks too…” I chuckled and she looked down at the big box in her lap.

She shook it like I’d done with mine, looking at me to see if it was safe. I shrugged and she scrunched her mouth, thinking about it for a second before she started ripping the paper off and yanked the tape off the top of the box..


She gasped when she saw what was inside and put the box down on the ground before pulling out the leather bag from it. “Is this…”

I nodded and smiled as she turned it around, inspecting it from every angle to make sure she’d identified it correctly.

Her mom had bought the bag for her dad during his first years as a coach. Pam had discovered it one day in college while looking through older things in the attic and decided to use it for her new job in Bridgeport. It hadn’t been in the greatest shape when she started using it, and had gotten in such bad shape that she’d had to stop using it that year.

“I took it somewhere and they cleaned and fixed it.” She put it down on the floor and lunged at me, almost knocking me off the couch.

“I love you.” She whispered in my ear, pulled back to look into my eyes and gently kissed me.

“Best Christmas present, ever.” I whispered as it ended.


She smiled and nodded. “Best Christmas present, ever.”