Advantage Disadvantage
Yale R Jaffe
Smashwords Edition
Copyright 2008 Yale R Jaffe
Smashwords Edition, License Notes
This ebook is licensed for your personal enjoyment only. This ebook may not be re-sold or given away to other people. If you would like to share this book with another person, please purchase an additional copy for each person you share it with. If you’re reading this book and did not purchase it, or it was not purchased for your use only, then you should return to Smashwords.com and purchase your own copy. Thank you for respecting the hard work of this author.
Dedication
For Sue.
For Bryan and Jason.
In loving memory of Shirley and Aaron.
Acknowledgements
This book is entirely and completely a work of fiction. Any references within this novel to actual people in real or fictional places are coincidental and not intended to imply actual events or participation in such events. Descriptions of buildings, parks, schools and other places have been modified in fictional ways. Organizations, companies, and governmental agencies are fictional or attributed with fictional characteristics. The accuracy of all referenced locations has also been modified.
I want to thank a few of the many real people who supported me in the development of this book, which has truly been a project of much joy and satisfaction:
First, my wife Sue, who has occasionally questioned the sanity of my hobby of basketball officiating, nonetheless has been terrific in supporting the necessary commitments that refereeing demands of me.
Next, a sincere thank you goes out to my sons Bryan and Jason, who, over the years, patiently listened (and pretended to be interested) to my repetitious recanting of basketball experiences. They were essential to this book with their critical suggestions. They have given me so much pleasure, as they have grown into incredibly bright, engaging, and independent young men.
To my brother Austin, who I have always looked up to because of his brilliant mind – he is a trailblazer, a rock solid support system, and an inspiring friend; his encouragement for this project was predictably outstanding.
To Jason and Susie C., whose carefully crafted but honest critiques, made this better with each revision. They put in huge, unselfish efforts to assist with both significant and minor details. In doing so, they improved this novel tremendously.
To my lifelong friend, Lee, for providing direct inspiration for some of the anecdotes told within this novel, and for his words of encouragement during a long eight-hour car ride, which got this project moving. Everyone should be lucky enough to have an unconditional friend as Lee has been to me.
Finally, I want to acknowledge the thousands of basketball referees, coaches, players, and administrators whom I have had the privilege of being around in my own officiating career. Most of these people are pure in intention and heroic in action, unlike some of the people depicted herein.
Table of Contents
Chapter One. Cook County Lockup
Chapter Two. The Imari’s
Chapter Three. The Cousins
Chapter Four. Bobby G.’s NAU Connection
Chapter Five. Amateur Beginnings
Chapter Six. What a Battle!
Chapter Seven. The Legal Strategy
Chapter Eight. Fixing Jamal’s Game
Chapter Nine. The Whistle Blower
Chapter Ten. St. Marlin’s High School
Chapter Eleven. The Windy City Daily
Chapter Twelve. A Cub Reporter Is Born
Chapter Thirteen. St. Marlin’s Locker Room
Chapter Fourteen. The East End High School Coach
Chapter Fifteen. Summer Strategy
Chapter Sixteen. Star Gazing
Chapter Seventeen. Marriage on the Rocks
Chapter Eighteen. A Mother’s Concerns
Chapter Nineteen. Jamal’s Girlfriend
Chapter Twenty. The Booster’s Shot
Chapter Twenty-one. Bobby G.’s Plan
Chapter Twenty-two. Windy City Daily’s Board of Directors
Chapter Twenty-three. Love is in the Air(ball)
Chapter Twenty-four. Television News
Chapter Twenty-five. The Bridge
Chapter Twenty-six. O Captain My Captain
Chapter Twenty-seven. My Son’s Playing Time
Chapter Twenty-eight. In Search of a Bench Coach
Chapter Twenty-nine. The Referee’s Finest Season
Chapter Thirty. Big Deception, Higher Ranking
Chapter Thirty-one. The Regional System
Chapter Thirty-two. William Rechter’s Playoff Assignments
Chapter Thirty-three. Super (Sectional) Betting Action
Chapter Thirty-four. Pregame at the United Center
Chapter Thirty-five. It is Just A Game – A Super Sectional Game
Chapter Thirty-six. For Mutual Benefit
Chapter Thirty-seven. The Gem of South Chicago
Chapter Thirty-eight. Where Have You Been?
Chapter Thirty-nine. Information, Please
Chapter Forty. Presenting to the Board of Directors
Chapter One. Cook County Lockup
Sweat poured down Marcus Imari’s face the entire ride from O’Hare Airport to the Cook County lockup on Chicago’s south side. Stuffed into the back of a beat up squad car with tight handcuffs, he could not wipe off his face. He was embarrassed and scared about what was to happen. Cook County lockup was a god-awful place. Marcus grimaced in the back seat as the car returned from the airport into the city. His disposition became worse as his two “escorts” joked and laughed in the front seat. The only question they asked Marcus was whether he was ready to talk about his alleged crime. He found no comfort in their sarcastic conversation. His heart was racing. Marcus never experienced an arrest before. His hands were throbbing from the painfully tight handcuffs. He recognized the blighted neighborhood near 26th and California. They were taking him to be booked. The patrol car drove around to the back dock where several cops were unloading similarly bound, angry men and women. He saw the dedication plaque on the cornerstone, which read, “Established 1928”. Huge, foreboding cinder blocks stained with years of iodized rust created a gritty orange and red pattern on the building. This was no Club Med. Originally, the prisoners housed in the lone building were hardened criminals. This place saw the most rotten of Chicago’s bad apples. Built with locally mined limestone blocks, the prison was ominous. It regularly expanded to accommodate an ever-increasing number of multi-purpose “guests”. On the day Marcus arrived, the facility had a census of about 10,000 men and women.
Like all recently arrested people, Marcus entered the large staging room. A guard separated his hands from behind his back. One of the cuffs was immediately unlocked and hooked to an eyelet attached to one of many cement benches. Marcus sighed with temporary relief granted to his arms and wrists. A guard fixed an encoded band containing his name to his arm just above his wrist. The place was full of people in motion, cops escorting suspects to open bench posts or re-cuffing people on the way to the next station. Marcus listened to the clanging of metal constraints and he looked around in horror and shock. It was a horrible collection of people: drunks laughing and yelling, hookers jokingly trying to seduce the police officers, drug addicts screaming for relief and a few quiet introspective folks like Marcus. It smelled horrible, a combination of sweaty body odor and the consequences of perhaps several too many beers. The police worked the room with certain precision. Female officers grouped eight to ten women at a time and escorted them to their next station. Screaming rang in Marcus’ ears as wild out-of-control fools resisted the guards’ demands. Marcus was not sure if he wanted to move on to the unknown or stay where he was, except for the smell – that was the tiebreaker.
The primary role that Cook County Lockup had adopted over the years was to prepare newly arrested people for their first hearing in front of a judge. No regard for courteous manners could be found here, inmates and guards alike. They called Marcus’ name and he subserviently identified himself. The guards trusted no newcomers as they processed so many agitated citizens. He was unshackled from the cement bench and immediately guards locked his hands in front of him.
“Follow the blue line into the next room,” one of the guards ordered.
He obeyed quickly. Those who did not comply could expect a swift swat on the back of the knees with a nightstick. Marcus scanned the snaking human train along the blue marks on the floor. Several gigantic, surly guards watched the line edge forward. Each of these men could have played for a professional football team, and several of them towered over Marcus’ six-foot-three body. He looked up at the serious men hoping to find a semi-friendly face. They were huge, scary, and inhospitable. Guards cut no slack to anybody. It was clear who was in charge.
The next stop was the fingerprint station. Conformity was the order of the venue, everyone was processed the same. Procedures required new prints for every man, women and juvenile who entered these doors. Marcus stepped up to the station and found an unsympathetic prison worker taking fingerprints. He yanked Marcus’ wrist forward and dipped one of his hands onto the black inkpad. Marcus felt a vice-like grip moving one hand towards the sponge. His fingertips plunged downward to ensure adequate transfer of ink. One by one, the guard grabbed his digits and forced them down onto marked positions on the fingerprint cardstock. The fingerprint technician pressed his entire palm and fingers firmly onto the cardboard. The same procedure followed for the other hand. Finally, the guard read his ID band and scribed his name above the print area on the card. Next, each prisoner submitted to a test for drugs with a non-invasive eye scan before removing the chains and handcuffs.
“Step up, boy,” the overly enthusiastic guard demanded of Marcus.
Marcus was not used to this kind of treatment. He had never been in trouble before and being treated this way brought fire to his eyes. As a grown black man, he was not used to answering to “boy”. But here – the guards were solidly in control. His heart was pounding with anxiety.
“Get up here, boy. Look into this machine and keep your eyes open,” he ordered.
The machines looked like the Department of Prisons had stolen them from the Department of Motor Vehicles. A bright light blasted toward his face as he peered into the huge tube with a binoculars-like port. Marcus’ cheekbones pressed against the cold metal casing of the machine. The sensation of the metal sent a chill down his spine. This device measured the dilation level of his eyes. Any positive result on this test removed the prisoner into a separate process designed to diagnose the presence of drugs. Some of these inmates shipped off to the maximum-security medical center where they were bound bedside to detoxify and suffer through severe withdrawal. Marcus’ eyes were bloodshot but not dilated. It was on to the next room.
The scary journey continued for those men checking in without positive drug identification. Sadistic guards removed the chains as Marcus crossed through a large wooden doorway; the putrid stink of mildew was wafting into his nose. The room accommodated 12 prisoners at a time. This place shocked one’s sense of civility. Each person lined up in open-door stalls, equipped with a metal table. Marcus gagged quietly as he tried to breathe clean air. He was standing in front of one of the stalls nervously. A person in an orange jump suit moved past each stall and dropped-off a laundry bag for each inmate. Apparently, he was a jail trustee.
One of the overgrown guards belted out orders to the men. “Take your fucking clothes off and put them in the bag. Hurry up scumbags – shoes, socks, underwear and everything. I want to see your birthday suits, now!”
Marcus understood that he had no options here. He stripped down to the bare bones. It was shower time. A couple guards holding high-powered hoses stood ready to spray the men clean.
“Boys, welcome to the Poor Man’s Polar Bear Club,” a jovial guard snickered. “Your initiation is about to begin.”
One of the arrestees in the room refused to strip down. They sprayed him first, forcing him to remove his wet underwear. One sadistic guard took pleasure as he clubbed him a couple times into submission. If the loss of freedom had not yet set in to anybody in here, this room was convincing. The guard operating the hose drilled Marcus with ice-cold water from head to toe. After the shower, guards with examination gloves conducted humiliating body cavity searches to limit the contraband smuggled into Cook County lockup. Intimidating guards seemed to take perverse pleasure in roughly performing these searches. Despite this precaution, once inside, inmates could find a thriving underground market for drugs, vanity items and even female hormones.
After he shut off the water, a guard with a digital camera snapped body shots of each prisoner from head to toe. He took six photos of Marcus’ body, the least of the twelve prisoners in the room. The guard with the camera called out each scar and tattoo found on each “guest”, which was then documented into each arrestee’s record and used for further analysis. For Marcus, only the scar on his knee required notice. Police analysts were developing some of their best gang reconnaissance using this tattoo documentation. Information gleaned from these reports developed into family trees and gang organization charts. After photographing the prisoners, they put on the prison-issued orange jumpsuits.
Already sentenced prisoners, from other jurisdictions, moved directly to the permanent cellblocks and assigned roommates. Those who waited for bail hearings or arraignments moved on to large cages rimmed with permanently mounted metal benches. Two guards monitored each cage. They mostly ignored the men until one of their attorneys showed up for a conference or a judge summoned a prisoner for a hearing. Guards sat across from each other playing cards or watching television until called to action. When a captive needed to exit the cage, one guard cautiously opened the cell door while the other stood back with firearms drawn.
Marcus entered one of these holding cells. There were several inmates already sitting inside the cage on the benches. This was a terrible place to find one’s self. How could a loving husband and decent father end up in this Chicago hellhole?
Chapter Two. The Imari’s
Marcus Imari was born thirty-five years ago to an unwed teenage mother. Despite her own academic shortcomings, no one valued education more than this young mother did. She was determined to guide Marcus to become the first descendent in her African-American family’s history to attend college. Her perspective was nothing short of remarkable because she had zero understanding of any college experience. Instinctively, she presumed that Marcus’ quality of life would advance if he attended college. Living in the south side, Robert Taylor projects was dangerous and tough. Losing groceries or newly bought clothes to the building’s gangbangers was common. Marcus’ father dropped out of sight when he was a toddler so his Mom began working several jobs to make ends meet. She started out as an assistant at her church’s day care center so that she could be with her son as much as possible. She often worked evenings cleaning apartments in Chicago’s Gold Coast and Hyde Park areas, alternatively swapping babysitting duties with her neighbor across the hall. Perhaps working for upper-middle class white clients with college-bound offspring inspired her desire for Marcus to become educated.
Marcus’ inner city grade school was sub-standard. Half of the teachers could not substantiate their teaching credentials if the Chicago Board of Education bothered to enforce its own rules. With his mother’s guidance, Marcus was out of place in this poor classroom: he had an inspired lust for learning, and did not mind doing homework. His mom was usually one of the few parents who bothered showing up at school open houses or parent-teacher nights. Other than his daily trek to school and organized after-school activities, Marcus mostly stayed inside the apartment to avoid the harsh gang-tainted realities of the Chicago projects.
Marcus’ mother allowed him to play organized baseball and basketball. After a few futile years, Marcus completely lost interest in baseball, but he loved basketball. He was a decent player in his project’s peewee leagues, but never the best on his team. He did not excel until his first year of high school when a growth spurt propelled him to six-foot one-inch tall. Suddenly, he lost his baby fat and blossomed into a terrific high school athlete. In his sophomore year, he earned a spot on the school’s varsity squad. His mom demanded that he never permit his sport to get in the way of his college goals. When he was a high school junior, a few Midwestern colleges expressed interest. His height ultimately topped out at 6 foot 3 inches. One college coach asked to meet Marcus’ mother after a basketball game. These coveted home visits gave the coaches a chance to sell the family on the college’s merits and reassure them that they would meet the player’s off-court needs. This was a promising time, and the Imaris enthusiastically anticipated using basketball to fulfill Marcus’ educational destiny. The coach was not so concerned that his inner-city education was stereotypically sub-par. He promised tutors, study halls, and personal curriculum counseling to ensure Marcus’ collegiate success.
Disaster struck in his senior year when an out-of-control opponent crashed into Marcus tearing the ligaments and cartilage in one of his knees. At the time, the repair of an ACL meant the surgeon ripped open the knee and rebuilt it on a best effort basis. The operation was problematic for wealthy people using the finest doctors. For patrons of the Robert Taylor Clinic, the quality of care and the results were predicatively much worse. Arthroscopic surgery was on the drawing board, but not approved. Rehabilitation involved hard work and a low chance of recovering complete range of movement. After his surgery, the limping Marcus missed the rest of the season. More importantly, he could not regain his quickness and his college scholarship opportunities evaporated.
Graduating from high school was an anti-climatic event for Marcus and his mom. Overwhelmed with the disappointment of losing his “ticket” to college, he made plans to enroll in Burnham Junior College. He could live with his mom to save money and perhaps play for Burnham’s team. This was like trying to make lemonade out of a lemon. His mom was able to get Marcus a kitchen helper job at one of her housecleaning clients’ restaurant. He spent all summer working the dinner shift for low wages to save money for school. During the daytime, he was in the park trying to get his basketball legs back. He worked hard at both.
The junior college coach knew he was enrolling and invited him to walk-on tryouts. Marcus made the team, but he was definitely slower than the other guards were and not big enough to play forward. Six-foot-three players needed to be quick, even on the junior college circuit. Academically, he struggled. Without the bright lights and advantages of a Division I school, he was on his own without tutors and academic advisors. Despite his advanced raw intellectual capacity and above-average IQ, his weak primary school education had taken its toll. It was hard to keep up with the better-prepared students in his classes, and he had become a practice player landing ninth on the team’s depth chart. Marcus was put in games only after the outcomes had been determined, otherwise known as “garbage time”. He dreaded the day he had to tell his mom that their dream had ended. He dropped out of junior college and began looking for a job.
***
He walked around the tall buildings in Chicago trying to secure employment. With his high school certificate in hand, he was out of place in the bustling downtown Chicago area. He was imposing, but soft spoken. The Board of Trade was located at the base of LaSalle Street, in the heart of Chicago’s financial district. He wandered in to use the bathroom and followed the rope lines to the guard station. Before he could ask about public washrooms, he noticed a posting entitled, “Now Hiring”. The list below had several job descriptions. He did not know what most of these positions meant, but when the guard behind the desk offered to help him, Marcus said he was there to apply for a job. He called someone on the phone and after a couple minutes directed Marcus to an elevator bank taking him to the Human Resources Department.
He was so nervous he almost wet his pants. Sitting across from a person who reminded Marcus of his junior college teachers, he reviewed the openings: Mailroom and Security Guard. The HR recruiter liked Marcus’ gentle demeanor and was conscious of his large body frame. He offered Marcus a job as a security guard.
“Of course you’ll have to pass a background check. Then, we will send you to the county’s firearm training session. Assuming you pass this course, we will get you outfitted with a uniform and secure a firearm, handcuffs and other tools of your new trade. How does that sound young man?”
“Outstanding,” Marcus replied without hesitation. “When can I start?”
***
He quickly cleared the background check and easily passed the firearms training course. He worked the same guard desk where he first stumbled in looking for work. Marcus was the first contact that traders saw every morning as they entered the coliseum of commodity trading.
“How ‘bout them Sox?” he learned to say to the south side traders.
“This is the Cubbie’s year, right?” he said to the north side folks.
In the fall or winter he would ask, “When are we going to get a QB for ‘da Bears’?” or “Did you see how many points Michael scored yesterday?”
Many employees traded sports barbs with Marcus. He became so beloved that around Christmas time he had the most gifts and holiday tips of any employee at the Board. He occasionally had to break up heated disturbances by angry traders in the pits. He was big enough to split the combatants and he got along with everyone, so when he intervened, the temperature of the fight dropped right away. He enjoyed the attention and took his assignment seriously – turning away vagrants and unauthorized patrons. Members really came to like his friendly disposition.
One of the members of the Board of Trade was Jon Handelair. He was an entrepreneurial immigrant, originally from Holland, who found his way onto the Chicago Board of Trade. As a young man, Jon made a fortune trading wheat futures during President Nixon’s export embargo to the Soviet Union. He stopped trading futures contracts after he had accumulated substantial wealth, and was now working as an administrator at the Board of Trade. Mr. Handelair knew most members either from trading days or as a department director. He was certainly an executive, but he made it a point to know people by name. Exchanging hello’s before the day began was a normal ritual between Marcus and Mr. Handelair.
No matter the weather or economic conditions, Mr. Handelair greeted Marcus by saying, “It’s a beautiful day to trade today!”
And Marcus, paying homage to the ever optimistic hall of fame Cub player Ernie Banks, would respond, “Let’s play two today!” Both laughed and high-fived each other to start each day.
***
A few years later, the Board of Trade administration decided to sponsor a recreational basketball league at the Chicago Club to foster after-hours fun with member firms. Fighting to buy and sell wheat, corn and pork belly contracts daily was a high stress, physically challenging way to make a living. Many market participants were ex-athletes, or at the very least, had competitive personalities. It was no accident that most traders were under forty years old. Rigors of trading shortened most members’ careers. The purpose of the basketball league was to let the member firms blow-off steam and establish sportsmanship that might spill over onto the trading floor. Jon Handelair asked Marcus to play on the exchange’s staff team. Marcus was flattered to be included in an otherwise good-old-boys culture consisting of high-income traders and well-educated staff members. Marcus had a sense of his place on the team and in the league. Although he was easily the best player in the league, he decided to play half-speed just for fun and exercise. He purposely would not show off in front of the members or staff on the hard-court.
The official scorekeeper for the Board of Trade league was Jon’s daughter, Elizabeth. Although Hyde Park was close to the projects where Marcus grew up, Elizabeth Handelair did not attend any of the local Chicago Public Schools. She was bright, and more importantly her family was rich. She attended the University Of Chicago Laboratory High School where she developed an idealistic attitude along with her privileged classmates. Elizabeth fit in well with the elite Hyde Park crowd, but was not completely comfortable with her social status. She volunteered in a program sponsored by the mayor’s literacy program to help inner city kids develop reading skills. She felt good about her volunteer participation and it caused her to reevaluate her family’s materialist dispositions. Her conservative parents travelled with the south side “in crowd”. They watched Elizabeth evolve from her inherited spoiled affluence to a socially conscious young woman.
Upon graduation, her friends made plans to attend largely conservative, Midwestern schools such as the state universities of Illinois, Iowa, and Indiana, or private institutions including Northwestern, Chicago, and DePaul. Elizabeth had other ideas. She chose to attend Haverford Liberal Arts College near Philadelphia over her second choice, the University of Wisconsin (otherwise known as the Berkley of the Midwest). Her Haverford peers were similar to her in many respects. They had wealthy parents, well-prepared academic training at excellent high schools, and an introduction to living well. These students did not want for much. The difference between Elizabeth and her new classmates was that she arrived on campus with her father’s middle class values: hard work, academic study, and a clannish dedication to his family.
Haverford cemented her drift toward liberal approaches to life. She thought that some of her father’s values were understandable, but ideals of the past generation. During college, not only did she evolve with her political and social philosophies, she blossomed into a beautiful woman. She was tall, and her natural blond hair color was consistent with her genetic Dutch tendencies. Elizabeth also had access to family money. However, she neither wanted to become a “trust fund baby” nor was she prepared to lower her standard of living.
After college graduation festivities ended, Elizabeth came home for the summer to her family’s spacious penthouse to plan her future. She had great options for the fall: DePaul Law School or Northwestern MBA or a two-year stint in South America working for the Peace Corps. Helping her Dad with the basketball league and other temporary jobs gave her something to do for the summer while she sorted out her fall choices.
Elizabeth became the scorekeeper for the Board of Trade Basketball League. Participants in games usually ended up at a funky, downtown Chicago watering hole called The Bar Double R after each game. The staff team led by Marcus Imari lost the first three league games to the members, and Elizabeth could not help but razz Marcus one night at the bar.
“At least your team is very consistent this year” she teased. “Maybe you could beat my little brother’s team!”
Elizabeth surprised Marcus with her opening salvo for this conversation. She normally ignored him – instead seeking the company of the young, white and up-and-coming traders. He found her beauty quite appealing, but perhaps out of reach for a college dropout.
“We could beat any of the teams in the league if we really want to,” Marcus replied. “We found the secret.”
“What about the undefeated “Trader Carl’s” team? They beat you last week like a drum. I’m serious, you might not win a game this year,” Elizabeth paused. “Alright, what is the secret?”
“We need to charge up on barbeque ribs from Tropical Hut. It is a smokehouse on Stoney Island. That’s our secret plan,” he laughed.
Elizabeth persisted. “What a great plan – load up right before a game and be slower than you are already! I really think that you probably are not going to win a game this year. Let’s make a bet on your next game against Trader Carl’s team. How about this - if you lose to them, you have to bring me Tropical Hut Ribs?”
“And if we win?”
“Marcus, you don’t have a chance of that. However, if you win, I will bring you lunch from Manny’s Deli. OK?”
Sensing an opportunity but being nervous about crossing an unspoken, invisible line, Marcus debated about his response Throwing caution to the wind and ignoring the fact that she was Caucasian and the daughter of one his bosses, he replied, “That’s not enough, given how good Trader Carl’s team seems to be. They are undefeated. How about this - if we lose, Tropical Hut Ribs are ok. But if we win, you must promise to go out on a date with me.”
Marcus stunned Elizabeth by his counteroffer; this was a test of her idealism. She was not really inclined to date a black man, but she was so sure of the cocky Trader Carl’s team against the staff’s ragtag squad. It may have been the wine cooler talking but she replied, “You’re on, Marcus Imari. By the way, I like ribs with mild sauce!”
***
Marcus reminded her of the bet the next few times he saw her at the gym. The staff team continued to lose games because Marcus had not yet showed his complete skill set. He anxiously anticipated the upcoming game against Trader Carl’s team. If somehow his team won, he would have a date with a fine woman, albeit someone way out of his social and educational range. Before the game, Marcus asked his team to gather round for a meeting.
“Fellas, I want you to know something about this game. I made a bet with one of the boss’ daughters that we would win. “
“Are you crazy, Imari?” broke in one of his teammates. “We haven’t won a game yet, and you think we can beat the best team in the league?”
“I’m just asking you to try hard tonight. I’m going to play tougher than you’ve seen so far, and I might hog the ball a little – because I’m not going, we are not going to lose tonight.”
No one took offense at Marcus’ instructions. Most of them suspected that so far he was playing at half speed anyway. They left the locker room fired up, ready to contribute to their first team win.
“Elizabeth, the bet’s on right?” he reiterated as he went by the scorer’s table.
“Remember, mild sauce, please,” she shot back with a smile.
The game started with a couple of missed jump shots. After snagging one of many defensive rebounds, Marcus dribbled the ball “coast to coast” and dunked the ball for an inspiring score. His teammates marveled at the range of his skills unseen until that night. They were reluctant to shoot in the first half, and it was all Marcus. He swatted Trader Carl’s shots away on defense and put in layup after layup in his own basket. As the game wore on, he was double and triple teamed which allowed his fellow teammates to have open, uncontested shots. The staff team’s first win shocked everybody, especially Elizabeth. She knew she had to face the date arrangements at The Bar Double R that night after the league games ended.
“How’s Saturday night?” Marcus asked Elizabeth.
“I don’t, don’t know” She stuttered as she anticipated her father’s objection to her going on a date with a black man.
“You can’t skate on this bet. No reneging allowed. I will pick you up Saturday night. You’ll have fun and I promise to get you home safely.”
Thinking she would satisfy the bet as quickly as possible, she said, “OK, OK. Let’s go early. How about 5:00. Pick me up in Hyde Park”.
“I can’t wait,” he replied.
***
Music was blasting from the windows of the car as Marcus drove south to pick up his date. Maniacally he changed stations, honking at stopped cars not immediately recognizing the green light ahead of him, and checking his watch persistently. He turned off the radio a few blocks away and practiced aloud, “Good evening, Elizabeth, you look fine tonight!”
“Hi Elizabeth. You look beautiful tonight!”
“Hi, you look nice! That is it. I’ll keep it simple.”
Elizabeth was waiting under the protective awning leading into her father’s Hyde Park condominium. Marcus pulled up in his modest five years old, four cylinders Ford Maverick. He got out of the car thinking he should call up to the condominium to pick up his date, but immediately saw Elizabeth waiting by the sidewalk. She had pulled her hair back and she was wearing makeup – she looked beautiful in the late afternoon sun. Marcus opened the car door for her and off they went.
“I’m so used to seeing you in basketball shorts and t-shirts. You look very nice tonight dressed-up,” she said to break the silence.
Marcus was so nervous he forgot his practiced opening line and blurted out, “You smell good, too”. Her lilac perfume was distinctive, but so much for his practice greetings.
“So, where are we going to eat?” she asked.
“I want to take you to get ribs at the Hut, but before we go I need to make a quick stop. I hope that you don’t mind.”