CHAPTER 6
By the time Andrew got done showering, eating, and doing all his homework, it was late. With a big yawn, he pushed back his chair and stretched his arms and back.
There was a knock at the door.
“Come in,” Andrew said.
His dad opened the door. “Is your homework done?” he asked. He had calmed down quite a bit.
“Yeah,” Andrew said. “Just finished. I didn’t realize how tough that math assignment was going to be. I think I went through ten pencils.”
Dad laughed and sat down on the bed. “I’m sorry for getting so angry,” Dad said. “But first of all, you need to let me know when you’ll be late for supper.”
“I know,” Andrew said. “I should have called.”
Dad nodded. “Second, if your homework is tough, we need to work on it,” he said. “And that means you come straight home after practice so we can do that.”
Andrew picked at the corner of his math textbook.
“What are you not saying, son?” Dad asked.
Andrew pushed the book away and faced his father. “I need to work on my speed, Dad,” Andrew said. “Marcus jogged to and from school every day. He worked hard to get fast so he could be a great receiver. I want to do the same thing.”
Dad smiled. “I’m glad you look up to your brother,” he said. “He’s a hard worker and a great athlete. I’m glad that you want to do the hard work to be great at football.”
Andrew glanced at the wall. It was covered with posters of great receivers: Jerry Rice, Randy Moss, Steve Largent.
“But you’re young, Andrew,” Dad went on. “You need to focus on academics, not athletics. If you can do both, like your brother, that’s great. But if it comes down to a conflict between the two, you already know what I’m going to decide.”
Dad got up and headed to the door. He glanced at his watch.
“Now, it’s late,” he said. “You need to get some sleep.”
“Especially if I plan to get up early to jog to school tomorrow,” Andrew said.
Dad laughed. “That’s right,” he said. “Good night.”
Andrew leaned back in his chair after his dad left the room. He knew he couldn’t change his dad’s mind. If Andrew wanted to have time to practice and get his speed up, he’d have to find a way to get every bit of homework done too.