Once dressed, she headed downstairs to the kitchen, drawn on by the savory scents of her mother?s cooking. As soon as she entered the room, her mother pressed a steaming cup of coffee in her hand, and gave her a kiss on the forehead.

?Good morning sweetheart.?

?Morning Mom.?

?Did you sleep well?? the older woman asked as she went back to preparing breakfast for her troop.

?Like a rock,? she replied, taking a long sip of coffee. ?Mm. This is good.?

She slid into her seat at the table, and immediately noticed the morning paper, which was opened to the employment page. Her mother had obviously been hard at work. Various teaching jobs were circled in bright red ink. With a silent sigh, she shook her head and put her cup down on the table, deciding to ignore the blatant hint until she?d woken up more.

Hodge?s mother frowned as she placed a plate of bacon and eggs before her daughter, noticing the ignored paper. Turning, she made her way back to the stove. ?I ran into Mrs. Culpepper today at the beauty parlor,? she mentioned in an offhand voice.

Hodge winced, then dug into her food. ?How?s she doing??

?As well as can be expected, given her age.?

?Mom! She?s hardly ancient.?

?No, but she?s getting close to retirement age. She?s going to need a good, dependable teacher to take her place when she leaves.?

Hodge shoved another forkful of eggs into her mouth, refusing to be baited. ?And I?m sure she?ll get one, when the time comes.?

Marion Hodges laid down her spatula and turned toward the table. ?Catherine, you?ve been home for almost a week now. I?m not trying to push you out of the nest or anything, but don?t you think it?s time you thought of your future??

?Mom, I am thinking about my future. Every minute of every day. Believe me.?

?Catherine?.?

?Mother, we?ve been having this argument every day since I?ve gotten home. I know you only want what?s best for me, but you have to realize that I want that too.?

?I know, honey, but basketball?.?

?Is what I want to do with my life, Mom. If I can.? Laying her knife and fork back down on the table, she faced her mother directly. ?Mom, Dylan Lambert herself came down to invite me to camp. She thinks I?m good and you know she was the best.?

?Yes she was the best and look what happened to her. She was injured and now??

?And now she?s a head coach. Besides that?s not going to happen to me.?

?Do you suppose the great and mighty Dylan Lambert had the same conversation with her mother??

?Mom?? Hodge whined and let her head drop to the table.

To her great relief her dad and bothers came charging into the kitchen in search of food. The need to feed her family soon distracted the elder woman from nitpicking at her daughter.

Matthew, third eldest at 14, sat down and nudged her with his elbow. ?What?s wrong sis??

Hodge jerked a thumb over her shoulder at her mother.

?Oh,? Matthew said, knowingly. He too had been the focus of his mother?s loving, but annoying attentions. ?Sorry.?

?S?okay.? She lifted her head and smiled at his. ?How?s it going Pee Wee??

?Not bad. I got an A on my Trig final, so I?m pretty pleased.?

?That?s great. It?s nice to have one math whiz in the family. I?ll hire you to be my accountant when I turn pro.?

?It?s a deal.? He scooted closer to his sister and whispered, ?So did you really meet Dylan Lambert??

?Yup.?

?Please tell me she?s really beautiful.?

?Oh little brother, you have no idea.?

Matthew?s cheeks reddened. ?Man. Think you can get me tickets to come see you play??

Hodge smiled at her brother?s simple and unquestioning acceptance of her dream. ?As close to the court as I can get ?em, Pee Wee.?

?Thanks, sis. You rock!?

Continued

Return to The Bard’s Corner

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Hodge stood in the driveway, bouncing the basketball and staring at the hoop but making no attempt to make a shot. It was clear she was deep in thought.

?Hey Kitty Cat.?

?Hey dad.?

She threw the ball to her father, who caught it easily.

?Don?t let your mother get to you Cat. She?s just doing what mothers do. She wants what?s best for you.?

?And if playing pro ball is best for me??

?Then she?ll give you grief every time she sees you, buy me season tickets to your games and point your picture out on magazine covers to everyone at the grocery store.? He passed the ball back to her.

Hodge laughed as she caught the ball. ?I don?t want to make her mad, Dad but geeze??

?I know sweetheart. She?s just fussing because that?s what good Catholic mothers do.?

?I thought they did guilt.?

?No, they leave that to the good Jewish mothers.? He laughed as he slapped the ball from her hands. ?Come on Miss Big Shot Basketball player, let?s see if you can still take your old man.?

?In my sleep, Dad!? she teased.

Later that evening, Hodge found herself in the living room, playing video games with her two youngest brothers, who were twins. The phone rang, and a moment later, her brother John entered the living room.

?Hey Cat Poop.?

?What? Can?t you see I?m busy here, slacker?? She groaned as a huge green dragon fried her warrior on the screen, much to the delight of her younger brothers who howled with laughter as they rolled around on the floor.

?Dylan Lambert is on the phone.?

?Yeah right!? Heaving herself off the floor, she walked over and grabbed the phone from him. ?That?s not even funny, John. I swear, if this is one of your dorky friends, I?m gonna twist your head till it pops off your runty little neck.?

He just shrugged as she put the phone to her ear.

?Cat Poop?? the silken voice on the other end of the phone asked.

Hodge pulled the phone away from her ear as if it had grown fangs. She stared at the receiver for a moment before putting it back to her ear. ?Coach Lambert??

?Last time I checked,? came the dry reply.

Hodge sighed. ?I did it again didn?t I.?

She decided that she liked Dylan?s laugh. Very much. Even when it was, as now, at her expense.

?It?s alright,? Dylan said finally. ?I can imagine what it?s like growing up with younger brothers.?

?It?s a handful,? Hodge agreed.

?Listen, the reason I called was that I?m going to be in Boston on Thursday to attend a dinner. I was wondering if you might be able to take a run up there and meet with me for lunch on Friday. There are a couple of things I need to discuss with you.?

Hodge felt her grin trying to encompass her entire face. One triumphant fist pumped in the air. When she spoke, she tried her best to modulate her tone into one of casual interest. ?Sure, I can do that.?

?Do you know where Morrissey?s is??

?I sure do! I love that place!?

?Alright, how about if we meet at 2pm, then. My flight doesn?t leave till seven.?

?I?ll be there.?

?I?ll see you then. Goodbye, Catherine.?

?Bye, Coach.?

Hodge hung up the phone, grinning like a fool.

It was twenty minutes to two when Hodge found herself in front of the mirrored glass windows of Morrissey?s, a trendy restaurant in the heart of Boston. Catching her reflection, she stopped briefly to make sure her appearance was up to par. Dark, crisply pressed slacks and a mint polo were formal enough for Morrissey?s, but relaxed enough that she could feel comfortable. Her shoulder length hair, normally pulled back in a tight braid, hung loose and shining in the bright spring sun.

Opening the door, Hodge stepped into the cool, dim interior and then into a short line of customers waiting to be seated. The restaurant was crowded with business types enjoying a late lunch and some last minute schmoozing. Conversation was muted; a soothing hive drone interspersed with the pleasant sound of silver ringing on china.

As she waited in line, she resisted the urge to look around like some gawking fan searching for a glimpse of her favorite star. A moment later, she found herself before a tall podium. A well-dressed and attractive blonde woman was staring down at her, her smile polite. ?May I help you??

?Yes. I?m meeting Pallas Lambert here today.?

The hostess? expression froze as her eyes narrowed. ?And you are??

?Catherine Hodges, Ma?am.?

A more genuine smile appeared. ?Ms. Lambert is already seated. If you?ll follow me??

Hodge followed the hostess through the restaurant, past the central grouping of tables, and toward a darker, more intimate area, where small, sheltered booths ran along the far wall. Hodge wondered at the intimacy of the setting, then realized that the placement was more to hide Dylan?s celebrity from prying eyes than anything else.

The hostess stepped out of the way to reveal Dylan seated at the table, a cell phone up to her ear. She wore a royal blue silk top whose sleeves were rolled to the elbows, revealing corded forearms and thick, supple wrists. Like Hodge, her hair was down, spilling past her shoulder blades and shining blue in the muted, overhead lighting. Hodge felt her body instinctively respond, and she shifted on her feet, caught between a rock and a hard place.

Alright, Catherine, settle down. Just because she?s an absolute knockout doesn?t mean you can?t treat her like any other person. Right? Right. Nothing to it. Now if my heart would only stop beating like a freight train going uphill, I might have this thing licked!

Dylan smiled at Hodge and gestured for her to sit down. Hodge slid into the booth and immediately picked up the menu to avoid staring at the woman across the table. She?d seen this menu many times before, and knew exactly what she wanted to order. Morrissey?s had excellent food, though it was a bit pricey. Still, the money from the part time job she?d carried all through college would easily cover this unexpected expense. Besides, she?d been craving a thick, juicy Morrissey?s steak for a week now, and damned if she wasn?t going to take care of that craving.

Dylan finally managed to get her troublesome agent off the phone by promising him a meeting with the Nike people within the next week. She folded the phone, slipped it into her vest pocket, and rubbed at her throbbing temples. Headaches bloomed every time she talked to Manny. She wondered, for perhaps the thousandth time, why she didn?t just fire the bastard and be done with it.

Pushing those thoughts from her mind, she summoned up a smile, which she gave to the young woman seated across from her. ?Thanks for coming.?

Hodge returned the smile. ?Thank you for asking me.?

The waiter appeared, as if by magic, and with a bow of her head, Hodge gave Dylan the honor of ordering first. As she listened to the selection, her face fell. Dylan was ordering from what Hodge and her friends liked to call the ?crunchy sticks and bark? section of the menu.

Great. She?s a vegetarian.

Her stomach cried bitter tears as all thoughts of a nice slab of beef went swirling down the drain.

Catching Hodge?s woebegone expression, Dylan couldn?t help but grin. ?It?s alright,? she said softly after she?d finished ordering. ?Get what you like.?

?But?.?

?Believe me, you won?t offend me. I?m the only vegetarian I know, and if I took exception to people eating animal products, I?d be dining alone for the rest of my life.? She chuckled. ?Really, it?s fine.?

Something in Dylan?s eyes convinced Hodge, and her stomach leapt for joy.

After the waiter left, Dylan folded her hands in front of her, and fixed her dinner companion with a penetrating stare. ?As you probably know, the Badgers have several picks in the upcoming draft. Aside from the number one, we?ve got another first round, two seconds, and a third.?

Hodge nodded. She?d heard about the flurry of deal making during the off-season. The Badgers were well positioned to pick up some outstanding talent.

?I?d like you for number one.?

If she hadn?t been sitting, Hodge would have likely collapsed to the ground in an undignified heap. While even a blind man would have noticed the interest in her as a player, never in her wildest fantasies had she ever imagined she would be the first person selected in the draft. At most, given the multitude of excellent prospects this year, including a 6? 7? center who people were already comparing to Dylan, she hoped to go somewhere in the late first, early second round.

Dylan was obviously still talking, but Hodge couldn?t hear her for the buzzing in her ears. When the coach stopped talking and fixed her with that piercing gaze again, Hodge all but slapped herself out of her stupor.