Chapter 6 - The Sentence I Gave Marcus
Marcus was waiting beside the practice court when I arrived.
Perfect suit.
No tie.
Coffee in one hand.
Phone in the other.
He looked like a man expecting to repair a business misunderstanding.
I walked past him.
“Caleb.”
“Not here.”
He followed me into an empty video room.
I closed the door.
He set the coffee down.
“Nora showed you the listings.”
“You talked to Ethan three times.”
His jaw shifted.
“Okay.”
“That's your opening?”
“What do you want me to say?”
“The truth.”
“I told your kid his opinion matters.”
“You rehearsed opposite answers with him.”
Marcus stared at me.
“I gave him language.”
“For what?”
“A move he was scared of.”
“He doesn't want the move.”
“He doesn't know what he wants.”
“He's twelve.”
“Exactly.”
I stepped toward him.
“Do not finish that sentence.”
He stopped.
For a moment neither of us spoke.
Then Marcus rubbed his forehead.
“You called me eleven nights ago.”
“I know.”
“You said, ‘Get me out before I change my mind.’”
My anger stalled.
He saw it.
“You remember.”
I did.
Not the first call.
A second one.
After Nora and I had argued about whether I was ever emotionally present unless something needed fixing.
I drove away.
Marcus called.
I told him I was tired.
He asked whether I wanted him to explore a move.
I said yes.
Then:
Get me out before I change my mind.
I had meant the situation.
He had heard a city.
Maybe because I allowed him to.
“That did not give you permission to work my son.”
Marcus laughed once.
“Work him.”
“Yes.”
“Caleb, you built an entire career with me because I anticipate the thing you can't say.”
“My family is not my career.”
“Then stop managing it like one.”
The room went quiet.
He continued.
“You give Nora partial information because you don't want her reaction. You give the team partial information because you don't want them thinking you're unhappy. Then you give me both halves and expect me to make a clean decision appear.”
“You sent my wife houses.”
“Because someone had to make it real.”
“No one asked you to.”
“You did.”
“Not like that.”
Marcus shrugged.
“That's always the part with you.”
I stared.
He continued.
“You ask for outcomes and then audit the method after.”
That hurt because it was close enough to useful.
Not close enough to excuse him.
“What did you tell Nora?”
“That you were serious.”
“Was I?”
“At two in the morning? Yes.”
“At breakfast?”
“You didn't call.”
“What did you tell Ethan?”
“That his mother might like a fresh start.”
“She never said that.”
“She said she hated living under a microscope.”
“Those are different sentences.”
“Adults understand context.”
“Apparently you don't.”
Marcus's mouth tightened.
I stepped closer.
“You do not contact Ethan again.”
“Fine.”
“You do not send Nora houses.”
“Fine.”
“You do not speak for me to another team until I tell you exactly what I want.”
He stared.
“That one is harder.”
“Why?”
“Because calls have already been made.”
I felt my jaw lock.
“What calls?”
“Exploratory.”
“To whom?”
“Three teams.”
“You told them I requested out?”
“No.”
“What did you tell them?”
“That you were open to a move.”
“Was I?”
Marcus looked at me.
“You tell me.”
I hated the question.
Because two weeks ago I had been.
Maybe.
For one night.
Maybe for twenty minutes.
Enough for Marcus to build a future around it.
“You should've confirmed.”
“You should've called back the next morning.”
Neither of us moved.
Then he said:
“Dana knows.”
“The team president?”
“Yes.”
“She met with Nora yesterday.”
His expression changed.
He hadn't known that.
Good.
Finally something Marcus had not arranged.
I opened the door.
“I'm meeting Dana after practice.”
Marcus picked up his coffee.
“Then ask her why she hasn't shut any of this down.”
I stopped.
“What?”
He leaned against the table.
“You think I'm the only one getting calls?”
“She told Nora the team didn't ask me to leave.”
“They didn't.”
“Then what are you saying?”
Marcus looked at me.
“I'm saying one of those teams made an offer attractive enough that Dana called me back.”
I stared.
“You never told me.”
“I was waiting until after tonight's game.”
“Why?”
“Because I thought you'd go home.”
I said nothing.
May you like
Marcus gave me a tired look.
“And once you went home, I figured you'd change your mind again.”
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