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The next , Sanchez and I were at Cal State Fullerton&039;s defunct football field The school had spentnara on football altogether a year later I sensed a conspiracy

Still, the bleachers werestadiu The pain was relentless and disheartening I was accustoh kinks of pain But this was no kink This was a pain that encoistered in , and that perhaps I should stop doing stadiums

I didn&039;t stop

I was deter how to live and deal with the pain Football was in e, but he was too sht

Sanchez followed me as ended our way up and down the narrow concrete stairways between the bleachers We had been doing this steadily now for thirty-two minutes I was soaked to the bone Sanchez had aaround his shirt collar

The et ti for air Sanchez pulled up next to , I was pleased to hear, even louder

"You need a respirator?" I asked

"You need a towel?"

We both had our hands on our hips, both wheezing I had done perhaps tenalarreat view of Cal State Fullerton&039;s sports complex I could see the baseball field, built by Kevin Costner, an alumnus of Cal State Fullerton and a hell of a fan and athlete in his own right Baseball was this little-known university&039;s pride and joy, having won three national championships

Baseball wasn&039;t a bad sport

It just wasn&039;t football

I told Sanchez about Dick Peterson and his daughters For now, I left news about my uy?" asked Sanchez when he finally found his wind "Dick who&039;s-this"

"That would ry than ever"

"You think he could have killed his own daughter?"

I shrugged "Anyone who terrifies the youngest one to the point she loses control of her bladderBut he didn&039;t kill her He ith his wife; they were eating dinner together at the ti to do?"

"Talk with the older daughter Confirm my suspicions"

"And then what?"

The pain indid not subside It was a constant force A reminder of what I had lost But I decided to view it as oal It was the only thing standing in ht it hat I most wanted So

"I will convince him to stop his nefarious ways," I said

"Nefarious," said Sanchez "Shit You&039;ve been reading too much"

We walked down the bleachers I could have used a handrail, to be honest

Sanchez said, "You sure this is all worth it?"

"Yes"

"You&039;re in pain"

"I thought I could hide the pain"

"No one&039;s that good of an actor"

We reached the clay track that surrounded the football field We were co

"Why is all this shit you&039;re putting yourself through worth it?"

Thewas still and cool Steam rose from our bodies In the distance, on another field, I could see the university&039;s soccer tea left unfinished," I said

"Maybe sos are ht about that, and had no answer

29

After the stadiuht to 24 Hour Fitness and soaked in their Jacuzzi for half an hour Noas inwas down to a dull throb I could alh ton Beach, it&039;s inland and in a tough area I fit in nicely here I grew up in Inglewood, the only white kid in an all black neighborhood, as was h It wasn&039;t until I was in high school that I was no longer the only white student There were five white students at East Inglewood High

Anyway, I&039;hborhoods Plus the rent&039;s cheaper here

I sat down inof donuts An NFL fullback weighed anywhere froht I still had to gain another ten pounds Ideally the weight is added on as muscle and not fat Well, I had plenty of le day Except when I was sick, which is different Your body deserves to rest when sick

There were five donuts in the bag I just couldn&039;t bring allon of wholejohn I was beginning to notice a rank smell from within etting worse and I was sure so had died in my office

I opened a

The last thing I wanted to do was disgorge all the precious fat calories I had just consumed I inhaled some fresh air My office was on the third floor of a professional building filled with accountants and insurance agents and even a used bookstore that I often perused

When I was sure I would not launchlot below, I turned back into my office, determined to find the source of the stink

Maybe a possu to be a bitch if that were so

I sniffed away until I found