The Safety Pin Affair

t w e n t y-o n e - you're awfully confident today

"And I'll keep saying it 'till my wife believes me. Anyway, what I'm trying to say is it's your senior year – make the most of it. But have your priorities in the right places while doing so," he explained, raising an eyebrow at me. I nodded my head at his advice and let out a frustrated, deep breath.

"Wrestling is my number two priority, I think," I said. "After family. Then girls, friends and school fill the rest of the spots."

"Then make it seem like it's number two," he gripped my shoulder, shaking me a bit as he looked straight into my eyes. A second later, he started chuckling and he glanced away from me. "Then again, having women in your life is hazardous, but we need 'em."

I laughed too and it got quiet between us, so I took that as my cue to end the conversation and leave. But Coach started talking again before I could interject.

"I met my wife when I was twenty-one, and we got engaged after six months, married after almost two years together. Of course, my parents weren't too happy about how fast it was all happening, and my friends had bets on how long we would actually last. At that age, you're not really looking for commitment, but I knew she was the one I wanted to spend my life with. Thirty-six years later, there's not a day that goes by where I don't thank her for coming into my life," his voice dipped off at the end, softening a bit as a warm smile came to his face. It was contagious and it made me grin too. "Now I'm not telling you about my love life to bore you, I'm trying to help you out. So... you really like this girl, huh?"

My eyes dropped down to the floor as I stared at my feet, and at the thought of Victoria, a grin inched its way across my lips. I felt my face get hot from the idea of talking about her to Coach, but I sucked it up.

With another sigh, I laughed uneasily and nodded my head. "Yeah. I've liked her for awhile now," I admitted, lifting my head and looking back up at him.

He stared at me for a second and then smiled, grabbing onto my shoulder again. "It's a great feeling, isn't it?"

"Wonderful," I rolled my eyes jokingly. "You have no idea who I'm dealing with." He laughed again, shaking his head.

"Well, if you feel this way about her, go for it. You're gonna regret it if you don't just man up and tell her how you feel," he explained.

"I know. It's hard though," I groaned. "She's a stubborn bull, Coach."

"You're one of the top wrestlers in the northeast, I think you've handled worse men than her," he chuckled, making me laugh too in agreement. "I want your head in the right place because with states in two months, we can't risk anything. So go for it and clear your mind by telling her how you feel. But, be careful. And I say that because when you're in love, you're just stupid."

"When you're in love, you're just stupid," I repeated as I slowly nodded. "Wise words from Coach Brown."

"I am a man of wise words," he joked, slapping me on the back. "Alright, I'll let you go. I already took up enough of your time – get home for dinner and get some rest for tomorrow."

"Thanks, Coach. It means a lot, what you told me," I smiled gratefully.

"No problem, Josh. That's what I'm here for," he smiled back. "I'll see you tomorrow."

"See ya," I nodded, then spun on my heel and walked downstairs to the empty locker room.

Once I changed out of my singlet and into shorts and a t-shirt, I left the school and saw how dark it was outside. I lit up my phone and the time read 6:38. I should have been home by now, but it doesn't really matter. Giovanni would be the most worried about me anyway.