It was Friday Night High School Football and the score was home 20, visitors 21. Home team had the ball with
12 seconds on the clock. This would likely be the last play of the game and visitors were preparing to celebrate.
Almost no one noticed that the home team was shy one man. That was OK, but one man too many would bring
a penalty. No one was looking at the cheerleaders at this critical moment either, or they would have noticed
one cheerleader’s uniform was ill-fitting and appeared bulky and lumpy as if there were other clothing underneath. That, coupled with the fact that the cheerleader was wearing football cleats and appeared to be
wearing shoulder pads, would have certainly caused a stir had the game not been a “cliffhanger”.

Then several things happened almost simultaneously. As the quarterback began the count, the two
cheerleaders on either side of the big “cheerleader” stripped “her” of skirt and top as “she” moved toward the
field and a third cheerleader provided a helmet. The former “cheerleader” was now a boy (albeit a small boy) in
a home team uniform who stepped onto the field just on the “home team” side of the hash mark. He was legally
on the field, but he was yards away from the rest of the players. A split second later, the center “snapped” the
ball to the quarterback, who immediately passed it to the new player, who easily caught the ball and ran for a
touchdown as the dazed visitors began a halfhearted and completely futile attempt to pursue him. He was
small, but they may as well have tried to catch the wind. The score was now home 26, visitors 21. The play hadaken only 9 seconds. The visitors called “time out”. They were mad as hornets and calling for a penalty. The referees conferred, and could find no violation, and had the teams lined up for the extra point kick. The kicker redeemed himself for missing a field goal earlier in the game, but it was just icing on the cake, the game had already been won by the “cheerleader” who hopped into the play at the last second. The visitors, home team, and press all wanted to know who this mysterious player was. The team had been told to keep quiet, but it would be revealed pretty easily. Films of the game showed that the player’s number was “00”, and after looking at the roster and finding no “00”, someone would determine who was missing in the play. The visitors would take every avenue to void the results of the play, but the point was moot. No rules were broken. Legal action was considered. Someone was even asked whether cross-dressing was illegal; desperate times call for
desperate measures. The aggrieved team found, however, that a legal challenge would be expensive and,
most likely unsuccessful.

Immediately after his one job was completed, the extra point kicking, temporary cheerleader, Avery Parks, had
exited the field, showered (quickly), and was getting dressed when the other team members made it to the
locker room. He was, of course, congratulated on winning the game but he refused to accept congratulations
since it was a team effort and the coach had planned the trick play. It was easy for him to refuse
congratulations since he honestly didn’t feel he earned it. It felt strange since he had never been congratulated
for anything related to football. Even the guys who had sometimes subjected him to a bit of “good-natured”
hazing were sincere in their congratulations. That amazed him because he had never heard some of them say
a kind word to him, and he didn’t think such a thing was possible. He was only on the team due to pressure his
father put on the school and on Avery himself. Avery’s older brother, Jeff was a quarterback during his high
school years and had a stellar career which was now continuing in college, but Avery hated football and it
showed. He could catch amazingly well and easily outrun his bulky pursuers, but his small size almost
precluded him from playing at all due to safety issues. It was, however, his small stature enabling him to blend
in with the cheerleaders. That, combined with his catching ability, made the coach decide he was the right
person for the trick play. Avery was glad it worked out for his team’s sake, but mostly for his father’s sake, who
was in the hospital and had to listen to the game on the radio.

―――――――ʘ―――――――

John Parks was glad the team had won his younger son’s last game. He chuckled a little about the trick play
and wondered if his son had a chance to play at all. He felt kind of bad for the pressure he put on his son, but
had felt his son needed some way to “man up”. As much as he hated football, Avery played to please his dad. It
was Avery’s senior year, and both he and his dad knew there would be no college football for him. Avery was
nothing like his big brother; physically, mentally, and any other way with the exception that they were both boys. Avery was only 5’ 7” and weighed only 120 lbs. When his dad first started lobbying to get him on the
team, the coach thought he was joking, but John Parks was not one to let anything get in his way. With “his
son’s” game over, he laid back to relax and listen to the after game stats.

The radio was still playing. “Chuck Jeffreys is here with stats and commentary. What do you say, Chuck?”

“Dad?” Avery was here to visit.

“It was a close game right to the end, but everyone is wanting to know who is the mystery player number zero-
zero who ran that trick play to win the game.”

“Come in, son! How’d you do in the game?”

“We have the name of that player.”

“OK, I guess. I …”

“The name of the ‘mystery’ player who ran for the game-winning touchdown is Avery Parks! Avery is a senior.
He’s 5 ft. 7 in. and weighs in at only 120 lbs., but he has the stickiest fingers I’ve ever seen and he can run like
the wind.”

John looked at the radio, then back at his son with open mouth and wide eyes. “‘OK, you guess?’ You won the
game!”

“H’s not a big kid, but did you see that boy run?”

“Yes, Dad, I finally got to make one play in the last game.”

“This game could still wind up in court, but the losing team has little …”

John clicked the radio off. “The trick play! You were the mystery player! Aw, son, that’s great. I guess you’re a
hero, now?”

“Yeah, kinda. At least I contributed something just before the end of the season.”

“That’s super. Your name will always be linked to that great play. I’m proud of you, Babe.”

“Thanks, Dad.” ’Babe?’ He hasn’t called me that since … never! Maybe the cancer had gotten to his brain. I
wonder how old he thinks I am!

“I know you don’t really like football, but you’ve done a pretty good job anyway. Did I say I’m proud? I’ll say it
again. I’m proud of you, especially with that play tonight. You’ll be going to college in the fall, and you will never
have to play football again. I’m just glad you got that trick play under your belt before retiring. If you didn’t have
a stellar career, you made up for it with that one play. Good job, Honey!”

“Well, he remembered the football game, but now he’s calling me ‘Honey’!”

“Thanks, Dad. You were supposed to get some news today from the doctor?”

“Yeah. Don’t worry about that. I’ll be fine. Where’s your mom?”

“She’s parking the car. She’ll be right up.”

Avery’s mom came into the room, kissed her husband, sat down, and asked, “You told him the news?”

Avery could see that his dad was trying to get her to stop talking, to no avail, of course. “No, Katie, I wasn’t

going to say anything!”

“He’s a big boy.” She turned to Avery, “He has six months.”

“Oh, wow. That’s good, huh dad?”

Katie was shocked, but John just smiled. “Yeah, sweetie, that’s very good.” He turned to his wife. “Avery I had
talked about this before. I told him if the doctor gives a person a time limit that’s the first time they’ve ever had a
guarantee like that.”

“Oh, I see.” My mom relaxed a little. “Well, that’s one way to look at it.”

“I’ve got my house in order. I’ve got plenty of insurance and my will is all in order... I’m ready for my exit. Avery
came through tonight at the game.”

“That’s was pretty amazing.” Katie looked at her son. “Just in case he didn’t tell you, your dad is proud of you.”

“I told him! Years from now, they’ll talk about Avery Parks and the trick play that won the game. Be sure to tell

coach I said, ‘Thank you.’.”

“I will, Dad. I hope I can be as cool as you are if I’m ever told I have six months to live.”

“Well, the secret is, be ready. I’ve talked to God, told him I’m on my way. Of course, he already knows. I can
picture Him on His Throne glancing at his watch every now and then. With my life insurance, your mom won’t
have to work and you’ll be on your way to college.”

“Avery, I hope you realize how blessed we that your dad handled his affairs so well. Some men hardly bother
with insurance and many don’t even have a will.”

“I realize that. Dad, you really did a good job.”

“Thanks, Honey.”

‘Honey’again! Something is wrong!

“John, you’re sure you won’t take chemotherapy?”

“I’m sure. I’ve had enough pain without having to go through weeks of nausea. I guess the next step is to
contact Hospice.”

“Dad, I can’t believe you’re talking so calmly about this!”

“Death is a part of life. I could complain about having only fifty years, but it would do no good, and I don’t think I
should waste any of the limited time I have left complaining.”

Avery sat and let his parents talk as he retreated into what he called his “room”. It was named so because if he
were at home, he would go to his room and think. For the times he couldn’t go to his bedroom, he went to his
‘room’. A ‘virtual room’ was one name for it. He could shut out everything at will, and just think. He thought
about how unusual the night had been; first, making the winning touchdown at the game, pleasing his father.
Second, he finally learned what the result of his father’s long illness would be. Avery hid his feelings, and his
dad’s attitude helped. He realized that his father was braver than Avery had ever imagined. Putting himself in
his dad’s place, he saw himself crying pitifully and begging God for more time. But, to someone only fifteen
years old, that felt like it had to be a very long time in the future. He realized that the only time he didn’t feel out
of place during the game was when he was surrounded by the cheerleaders waiting for the trick play. He was
surrounded by friends; engulfed in their love. They were glad to participate when they were told about the play,
but they were really happy when the coach chose Avery for the “part” because he almost seemed to be one of
them. He had a sweet temperament rarely found in a boy, and they loved him; not sexual or romantic love, but
the love of one girl for another. Yes, Avery secretly identified himself as one of the girls and enjoyed the
closeness and warmth of sisterhood. His closest friend, Anna, knew and understood. That is, she understood
partially. Avery found in her a friend and a confidant. She was a rare find, and he treasured her. He trusted her
with his innermost thoughts and feelings save that tiny secret compartment that he found himself unable to
share for reasons that even he didn’t fully understand. That compartment was not only locked, he wouldn’t
acknowledge its existence to anyone; even to himself. This room was sometimes acknowledged, sometimes
denied.

Yet, tonight his dad called him “Babe” and “Honey”. It’s almost as if he knew ... no, that’s not possible!

“Ready, Avery?”

Silence. Avery’s parents were accustomed to his mental absence. His mom touched his shoulder and he

jumped a bit.

“Penny for your thoughts.”

“They’re not worth it.” This had become the customary dialog after one of Avery’s trips to his ‘room’.

“Tell your dad ‘bye’. We’re going.”

“Bye, Dad. Love you.” Avery hugged his dad long and lovingly. He had hugged his dad many times, but things
were different, now. Any hug, word, or gesture between them could be the last. Tears began to form in his
eyes.

Still holding onto Avery, he spoke to his wife, ”Katie, let me talk with Avery a minute.” Katie went into the hall
and closed the door. John held Avery even closer, “I’ve talked with your mom about what I’m going to say now.
I think you should also talk with her on the subject. You know I was proud of your brother and the things he did
for the team. But he was a natural. He had the size and strength. Not everyone can do what he’s done. You
were too small to even play, but look what you’ve done! I’m just as proud of you. You probably shouldn’t have
been able to even do a lot of the things you’ve done, and I’m just as proud of you as I am of Jeff.” He lowered
his voice to a whisper, “Avery, there’s a song by ‘Fleetwood Mac’. It’s called, ‘Go Your Own Way’. I’m on my
way out in less than six months.” He kissed Avery on the cheek, then whispered, “Go your own way, my
beautiful daughter.” He then hugged Avery tighter and longer. This hug was different somehow, but Avery
couldn’t quite understand how or why. He released Avery, then kissed him on the cheek once more and
whispered, “My beautiful daughter Go your own way, and start today”. After that Avery saw a tear in his dad’s
eye. The look he gave Avery was also different. It was as though he was looking at Avery for the first time.
Avery stood and looked at his father, puzzled. His father just smiled through his tears and waved.

Avery managed a forced smile in return as he looked back once more at his dad and thought, “Will I ever see
my dad again?” He dismissed the thought and consoled himself, “He’s got six months.”

As Avery’s mom drove home, she asked him, “Can you tell me what your father talked to you about?”

“He mentioned the song ‘Go Your Own Way’. He told me he wants me to do that.”

“That’s all?”

“I think he’s losing it, Mom. He called me his ‘beautiful daughter’.”

“So, you don’t have any idea why he would say something like that?”

“No!”

“Avery, one thing about you that I’m proud about is that you are a terrible liar!”

“I am? You’re proud?”

“You are, and I think that’s because you hate to lie. That says a lot about your character. Avery, I’ve watched
you. You don’t lie often, but when you do, I can tell, and I can see after you’ve told a lie that you are miserable.
Being caught in a lie makes you even more miserable. That makes me proud.”

“That’s weird!”

“Not really. Think about it this way. There are people who it seems would rather lie than tell the truth. Telling a
lie doesn’t bother a person like that and even being caught in a lie is no big deal as they see it. Having a child
like that would be a nightmare, and such a child would not be headed for a very successful life. Now, since you
hate to lie, and you wouldn’t want to be caught in a lie, let’s just start over with my question. Your dad called
you, ‘my beautiful daughter’. My question is, ‘Do you have any idea why he would say something like that?’”

“He said he talked with you about it!”

“He did. So you have anyidea what your dad meant when he called you ‘my beautiful daughter’.”

“Do we have to talk about this?”

“Not immediately, but it’s easy to see that you know what the issue is, and we need to talk about it pretty soon
because this is not going to get resolved if we just ignore it. If it continues unresolved, it will almost certainly
cause big problems for you in the future.”

Avery put his head down and didn’t speak for several seconds.

Finally, his mom said, “Avery?” Then she looked at him. He still had his head down, and a tear fell on his jeans.
“Oh, Avery, I know it’s hard to talk about this, but I’m not going to be mad, criticize you, or ridicule you. I’m your
mom and I love you more than you can understand. You won’t understand my unconditional love until you have
kids of your own. I know you’re tired after the game and after hearing the news about your dad. In the morning,
let’s try to talk, OK? I won’t ask any more questions tonight.”

“OK.”

Avery put his head back and closed his eyes. They rode home in silence, and both went to bed. Neither could
sleep very well because of the terrible loss they would soon experience and the important, but stressful
conversation they would have the next morning. The body insists on getting some sleep, however, and they
rested just enough to make it through the next day. Tomorrow would be one of those “I remember where I was
when” days, and it would be a turning point in Avery’s life, as well as for the family.