It takes an awful lot of perseverance to be married to a football coach-just ask Mallory Lassiter. She signed up for marriage, but she didn't see the fine print, a pigskin invasion. Managing endless weeks with no weekend, the industry expectations for wives, disruptive family relocations for the next coaching job, and politics that bite. Mallory has to make a decision. Will she stick it out and be a coach's wife, or will she end the madness? Mallory's path meets with that of several women who walk in similar shoes. Her close friend Shelley opts to stay behind with her extended family support when her coach husband Brian makes the next move, but does the distance between them grow beyond geography? Didi stood by her man while raising their five children, but has she cheated herself by enduring his cheating? Ellen the veteran has played the game well at the cost of hiding serious skeletons in the closet. Tough love vs. tender hearts in this life-like glimpse into these game-changing relationships.
Seasoned Wives
A novel inspired by real lives of college and professional football coaches' wivesBy Marilynn H. RisoniUniverse, Inc.
Copyright © 2011 Marilynn H. Rison
All right reserved.ISBN: 978-1-4620-3860-2Contents
Prologue....................................................ixChapter 1 In the Heat of the Game...........................1Chapter 2 Flags on the Field................................6Chapter 3 Third-Down Conversion.............................17Chapter 4 Wives' Trip.......................................27Chapter 5 Offensive Strategy................................46Chapter 6 Trick Plays.......................................55Chapter 7 Zone Defense......................................63Chapter 8 Pass or Throw.....................................70Chapter 9 Play By Play Analogy..............................79Chapter 10 Game's a Shutout.................................90Chapter 11 It's a Pigskin Life..............................102Chapter 12 Straight up the Middle...........................113Chapter 13 Adjustments on the Field.........................122Chapter 14 Personal Foul....................................129Chapter 15 Game in Overtime.................................135Chapter 16 Team Player......................................144Chapter 17 New Score in the Second Half.....................151Chapter 18 Repainting the Field.............................162Chapter 19 Dancing in the End Zone..........................172Epilogue....................................................181
Chapter One
In the Heat of the Game
"Fourth down with 22 seconds left in this game. Ball's on the 20," the announcer panted. "Coach Nickerson has called a time out, and the Washington Gladiators are deciding whether or not to go for it. A field goal would win the game by one."
"Mom I'm hungry." Mallory Lassiter looked unsurprised at her wide-eyed seven-year-old daughter Meredith seated in front of her in the noisy football stadium as she opened her backpack and removed a leather glove to reach for a tuna sandwich. She smiled slightly at her child's simple statement and obvious expectation of a simple solution.
The announcer's voice burst in again. "Looks like they're goin' for it! Folks it looks like the Gladiators are going for it!"
"Lassiter you idiot!" yelled a large man decked in the University's scarlet red from four rows behind them.
"Oh please." Mallory sighed dismissively as she helped Meredith unwrap the sandwich and take half.
"Yoah an idiot! My daddy's not an idiot, yoah an idiot!"
Mallory instantly noted the soft R's in the indignant retort of her four-year-old Alexi. "Shh, honey, we don't yell at people when they say nasty things at football games," Mallory leaned in to admonish her little one as she pressed away Alexi's small pointing finger. "Here, want some popcorn?" Distracting her child with food was not a habit she wanted to promote, but sometimes—she told herself—you have to use desperate measures, especially when dealing with a feisty four-year-old.
"Remember what Mommy said about being offensive coordinator and that Daddy has to plan ways to score when our team has the ball.
And sometimes people in the stands may not always agree with his decisions?" Mallory said as she pulled out another snack.
Mallory could see Meredith's little brain churning. "Yes, and you told Aunt Shelley, how would the mechanics and surgeons like it if a bunch of people off the street walked into their work and tried to tell them how to do it, huh Mom?" Meredith said, nodding. Biting her bottom lip, Mallory looked at her longtime friend Shelley Sutherland seated next to her, who was even less successful in hiding her amusement.
Mallory knew Shelley even before their husbands wound up coaching together in Washington. They had been friends since college. Shelley nudged Mallory and nodded toward Alexi, who stood donned her in a purple sweatshirt and red knit scarf and glared in the loud man's direction.
The fearless tot then flipped around her twisty braids and said with severe honesty, "I don't like him Mommy, he's a juck." She then plopped down next to her sister as she accepted the popcorn. Mallory heard a few other snickers nearby.
"Nope, take it back folks, they're lining up for the field goal," shouted the announcer.
Meredith fixed her large brown eyes on her little sister for a full second. Then she looked up at her mom and shook her head with the wisdom of 47 years instead of seven. "She's a trip," said Meredith.
"The kick is good!" The crowd erupted as the Glads pulled it out kicking the thirty-yard field goal for a 28-27 victory. The fans cheered as the players leaped at each other on the sidelines before they lined up to offer their palms to the opposing team. The band played a wild, popular music pattern, and people danced and clapped in the stands.
Mallory spotted Claire Nickerson, the wife of Head Coach Manuel Nickerson, and Cynthia Richards, the Defensive Backs Coach Todd Richards' wife, sitting a few rows down. They waved and climbed up the stands to chat.
"Well, we won another tight one, but three in a row is three in a row." Cynthia removed the team-colored baseball cap from her head.
"Of course we still have the rest of the season to go," said Claire. "Everybody's slapping us on the back right now ..." She laughed and let the sentence trail. They all knew exactly what she meant. Mallory very much liked Claire, an intelligent and down-to-earth woman. She and Manuel had been married many years and had raised two sons.
"At least Todd will be in a good mood this week," Cynthia said.
Mallory just nodded. Thank goodness Chase had never been one of those coaches who went in the tank for a week after losing a game.
"Are you ladies waiting for the guys?" Shelley asked. The wives sometimes went down near the fence to greet, meet, and congratulate people after the game.
Claire smiled and crinkled her small nose. "Just long enough to hug a few players and say hello to some parents. Then I'm scooting on out of here."
"I'm staying. Todd is usually pretty quick to come out," Cynthia said.
"Well I know you said you're staying today Mallory," Shelley said. "I need to get Connor to his friend's birthday party, so I'm going to head out."
"Okay. I'll see you all later then. I'm going to take my time," Mallory said. The other women said their goodbyes and headed for their destinations. Mallory stayed seated with the girls while they finished sipping juice boxes. She wanted to let the stands thin out a little more before moving.
Most stadiums were prohibitive about bringing your own food inside, but Mallory and a few of the other wives with younger kids always packed a few snacks in the bottom of their bags. The people inspecting at the gate usually didn't dig all the way to the bottom.
She knew it would take Chase awhile. He would talk to players, other coaches, and sometimes the media. Then he would take his shower, which was usually lengthy, and then greet some parents and recruits.
Mallory and the girls still had a twenty-minute wait when they got down to the locker area, but thank goodness for the sunshine with the crisp temperatures of Central Washington. Mallory also gratefully noted the good mood of the girls who were playing some made-up game that involved hopping on one foot and tagging each other.
She noticed Manuel still on the field talking to a reporter....
