Ricky loved football as much as he hated homework.
"Who cares about homework, Grandma? I'm not gonna need school when I become a pro football player," Ricky said. He tossed his English notebook against his bedroom wall.
"I care, Ricky," Grandma Braun said, blowing on her glasses to clean them. "Someday football might not be an option anymore. Something might happen so you can't play. You need your education. Pick up your notebook. That's no way to act."
Ricky retrieved the notebook he had thrown. "Fine. I'll do my homework, but I gotta go to my game soon," he said. He sat at his desk to try to write a book report about a book he did not read.
He worked on it until it was time to go.
As Grandma Braun drove to the field, she gazed at Ricky for a long time. It seemed like she did not blink. Ricky tried to ignore her by looking out the passenger-side window.
Her brown eyes remained on Ricky. "I only want the best for you, honey."
To her, it seemed like Ricky had grown up so fast. One moment he was a baby in her arms, and the next moment he was a junior in high school. Ricky's grandparents raised him since the day he was born. Ricky's dad went to prison a month before he was born. They did not have contact with each other. His mother was invisible. She gave birth to Ricky and never wanted to see him again. When he was ten, his granddad died of a heart attack. Since then, Ricky and his grandma lived by themselves in an apartment in Wellsport.
"I'm not saying you can't be a superstar football player. You are fantastic. You need to remember that your education is also important. I don't want you to forget that," Grandma Braun said.
When they got to the field, Ricky slammed his door. His cleats clicked against the gravel as he walked to the trunk of the car. He grabbed his equipment - a helmet and shoulder pads - from the trunk. The trunk hatch made a loud thud as he closed it.
Ricky frowned. "See ya later," he said.
"By the way you are looking at me, you appear to be upset," Grandma Braun said. "That look better be erased from your face after the game."