The Fifteenth Year

October: Part 7

Saturday, October 30, 2004

Dear Friend,

Jason's birthday is right around the corner. I don't have a clue what to get him. I was considering baking him some cookies, but I know he wants to stay in shape for football (and might I say, he's doing a great job). I was talking to Chloe and Tessa this morning, and Tessa said, "I know the perfect gift. You should tell him the truth."

"For his birthday?! I don't want to scare him away, Tess. The party is going to be at his house."

"Well," Chloe suggested, "how about a new football? One of those really cool kind that cost a lot of money. He'll like that."

I shook my head. "Jason's not impressed by money." The one thing that might hurt Lydia in her gift giving. "I don't know. Don't you think a football is kind of predictable? Someone else might get him that."

"Well, why don't you see?" Chloe asked.

"Wait," Tessa said dramatically, drawing out the word. The wheels in her head were turning.

"What?" I asked, hoping for brilliance.

"There's a home game in San Fran tomorrow. And you're going. You're going to get Kevan Barlow's autograph."

"Tessa, are you crazy? So many things about that won't work."

"I'm not talking about getting tickets to the Niner's game, dummy. Pay for parking and then sneak around the building to the locker room exits or wait by the bus and catch them."

"Too much security. And how in the world would I get there? I can't ask anyone in my family or his to take me. They'd want to know why and this would look too desperate and obvious."

"Doesn't one of Renee's brothers have a car?"

Tessa and I dove for the phone. She insisted she be the one who called. They're best friends, after all. Tessa knows the best way to get through to her. Twenty long minutes later, Tessa hung up with a smile. 

"It's settled. You're getting up early. You're hitching a ride with Ryan to San Francisco. He was already heading out there for a Halloween bash with his friends."

"Halloween party in San Fran? Aren't those for getting loaded?"

"Naturally."

"Tessa, I'm not riding home with him if he's drunk."

"No, no, no. It's cool. Renee's dad said if you got him an autograph too, he'd be more than happy to give you a ride home."

I gave her a sidelong glance. "So if I get dropped off at the stadium by Ryan, get an autograph for Mr. Roberts and Jason's football is signed, I'll get a ride home? At a reasonable hour on a school night?"

"It's a one o'clock game. You'll totally make it back early. Even with traffic."

"This is crazy. What are my chances? I'm totally walking away empty-handed. There's so much security there. They'll never let me get an autograph. Much less two."

She smiled devilishly. "Ah. But this is where I come in."

Sunday, October 31, 2004

Dear Friend,

After my friends left yesterday, the first thing I did was use some of the leftover allowance to buy Jason a decent brand of pigskin. Jason is having a few friends at the party and I'm praying none of them gets him a football. I bought him the best football they had at the sporting goods store. I hope he likes it.

Ryan Roberts (Renee's 22-year-old brother) picked me up at about 9am and we drove in some heavy traffic to San Francisco.

"So how in the world do you plan to land an autograph?" he chuckled on the drive there. "You really optimistic or do you have a connection?"