Boot(s)

11- Boots

Bobby O'Callahan

It was one of the harder days I had been through, and I looked like absolute shit. I felt like it, too. Doing this charity, I thought it would be good for me. "A healthy way to heal," Jessie said. Pop, when he was right in the head, thought so too. But whenever I had these events or these press conferences, or frankly, whenever anyone even brought it up, all I could think about was Boots.

Had he grown his tattoo collection? Had he gotten his GED? Had his attitude finally gotten better? Did he have a wife? A kid? Would he ever see this money I'm collecting? Was he even alive?

I was 25 and in my third year of the NBA. I had finished all four years at Georgia Tech and had my whole career ahead of me. But still, so much of my mental capacity was dedicated to him. Thinking about him, crying about him, loving him. Him who was everywhere and nowhere. He was like God, but worse, because at least I knew God loved me back.

"Tell me, Bobby, why'd you choose Hope for Heroes?"

The question had gotten filtered into the part of my brain that said "not worthy of listening" so I didn't even hear the reporter the first time she asked. One of the guys next to me, a Celtic, kicked my foot under the table to get my attention. Miraculously, when I asked to hear the question again, everyone laughed. Jeannie, the reporter who I had asked, blushed. The momentary panic faded. I could work these angles like Play-Doh.

I started to lay it on thick. "Well, I'm so glad you asked, Jeannie." I was so not glad she asked. "I think for myself, Hope for Heroes is a charity that focuses on a group that often gets marginalized and overlooked, even in charitable circles. The people who give everything to protect our country and our children deserve to be looked after properly when they come home. That's why I've partnered with Hope for Heroes and the VA. You know, my best friend—"

I didn't know where this was coming from. I had planned to leave my answer as generic as possible. It was this stupid day, this stupid charity I chose, that had my brain firing in a hundred different locations. I swallowed, pushing Boots to the furthest location I could find. "My best friend, her husband is in the Navy, and I've seen first-hand how hard it can be for her family. I just want to make sure that when these men and women come home, they're looked after. Their families... Their loved ones... I want to make sure they're looked after."

The Celtic sitting next to me put an awkward hand on my shoulder. I couldn't even look at him. I prayed the camera had panned away from my face by now. My throat was growing tighter. I got up from my seat and excused myself. Eyes and camera shutters and flashes followed me all the way out the door. I could already see the headlines: Bobby O'Callahan Cries at Press Conference: Baller or Bawler?