Underneath It All

Chapter 3

"I'm so fucking nervous." I whispered as I knocked on the door. Johnny just chuckled as we waited.

"He's just a guy Nora."

"Well sometimes it's hard to remember that." I said and not even a moment later, the door opened. There he stood in all his beautiful glory.

"So glad you guys could come today, make yourselves at home." He said letting us in and immediately my breath was taken away.

This place was gorgeous. I mean not as gorgeous as him, but God it took second place.

"Wow this place is amazing." I couldn't believe how beautiful it all was, from the design to the interior decorating. And almost nothing had anything football related on the walls. You would never of known the best quarterback ever lived here.

"Thanks. It's pretty cool." He was so casual about everything it amazed me.

"Pretty cool, it's amazing!" I said again. I got to get a new word other than amazing, but when you're shocked, it's hard to be creative.

"It is, but it's all just stuff at the end of the day." True.

I quietly looked around as Johnny set everything up, from the cords to the microphones to the cameras. 

As Johnny helped Tom with his microphone, his shirt was lifted up slightly to put it through and I saw his perfect abs, well, the bottom half of them. Immediately I felt hot and thanked God I wasn't a man so it wouldn't be obvious.

"Are we all ready?" I asked, calming myself down and Johnny nodded, starting the camera up. We took a seat in his living room, well, I guess one of them. One big chair for me, one big chair for him. Much more casual feeling than at the last time we met.

"We're rolling." 

"Before we start, I again want to say thank you on behalf of City Of Greatness for agreeing to do this interview with us and thank you for taking your time for us today." Always the disclaimer had to come first.

"I am Nora Russo and today we have a special guest. He's been named the Golden Boy, the Comeback Kid and even the Greatest of all time, but the best name and the one he prefers the most is as simple as Tom Brady. Tom, thank you for taking the time with me today to talk again." I said to the camera and then to him.

"Of course. It was a pleasure talking to you last time, I'm sure it will be again this time as well."

"Our readers have wanted to know more about and frankly, I do too, we all do. So my first question has to be why there are no indicators of football in this house?" Immediately he laughed that amazing laugh again.

"Well, to be honest, I'm around football almost twenty four seven, so sometimes it's nice to get away from it all and just be in a seemingly normal environment. Though I do have a football room dedicated to everything I have from High School, to College to now and is also where I review footage for upcoming and past games."

"I see, that make a lot of sense. And do you feel like it's a relief to get away from football every now and then?" 

"Yes and no. Yes because we all need a break now and then, but no because I love it so much I always want to do it. It's kinda like I fight myself to have rest because I know it's good for me."

"But why do you feel the need to?"

"Well I don't want to get burnt out or not have a life outside of football. I do need basic human needs and that includes a life other than the field."

"Do you have a life other than the field?"

He sighed, this was the question it seemed.

"Sadly, not really. I have my family and friends, but it all seems connected back to football. Ive been in the game for over a decade now and its hard to think of the moments I've had outside of it all."

"Is that why you don't want to retire anytime soon? Because you feel like if you do it will be to a life of really nothing else?"

This wasn't a prewritten question, it was something that fired off my tongue just deep in conversation, I was curious for sure. He always has talking about not wanting to retire because he loves the game too much, but maybe for other reasons too.

As soon as I answered the question he looked at me intensely and I almost regretted asking it immediately. Maybe I offended him or made him angry?

"I'm so sorry you don't have to answer that." I said, now flustered with myself.

"No, that was actually really amazing. I never thought of it like that before. I think so, I think yes to your question." I smiled, I was so relieved he wasn't mad. But then it faded. Is it not sad that the answer to it was yes?

"I think everyone looks at you as this really great and famous quarterback but the question is what happens behind the scenes. Who is Tom Brady when he's not number twelve?"

"That's kinda the question I've been trying to answer myself for a long time."

Then it was silent. Where do you go from there? It went from talking to the greatest of all time, to talking to a man who has just realized he doesn't really have a life outside of it all.

"Who do you think I am when I'm not number twelve?" He asked and suddenly it was on me and now I was nervous as hell. But I took a deep breath and calmed down. 

"Well, I think you're a smart and strong person who has worked for everything he has, but so much so, that you haven't stopped working for one minute just to relax and see the world around you. I think you give a lot to the world of football, but not a lot to yourself and I think that's the struggle that a lot of celebrities have. How much do you give of yourself before you've given too much? But you have the right to make a life outside of it all. But that's just what I think."

He smiled, a genuine one, I knew.

"I think your thoughts are probably right."

I smiled back for a moment as we just looked at each other with some human understanding, but I heard Johnny make a noise and I looked at him as he gestured to wrap it up.

"It's been an absolute pleasure getting to talk to you again Tom. I hope we can do this again one day." I said shaking his hand for a little longer this time than the last. 

"Of course." He said back and Johnny made the sign that it was over.

"And we are clear from taping." He said. 

"The video should be up in about a week." I said as we started to walk out and he beamed.

"I absolutely can't wait Nora." 

We said our goodbyes and hopped in the car and I couldn't even believe what just happened.

What did just happen?

I'm still trying to figure that out.