Of course the workout wasn’t as intense as it would be on a normal day, mainly because of the interruption of the press, but that was okay, because it gave Mick an opportunity to take Nathan around and introduce him to everyone, and he even put him behind center and let him throw a few passes, which made Nathan nervous as hell. He looked so small behind Mick’s offensive line. But to Nathan’s credit he did okay, didn’t drop a pass, and even managed to hit a receiver or two. The kid had a pretty good arm and would probably get a decent scholarship provided he pulled his head out of his ass and concentrated more on football and less on socializing, which was Mick’s intention for the day.
After Nathan took a seat, Mick concentrated on his own drills, working with some of the new receivers. A couple were decent, one had serious attitude and some work to do if he had any hopes of making the team. But that was the coaches’ problem to deal with, and Mick didn’t envy the coaches’ job dealing with kids who came into the game with a sense of entitlement. But guys like that were also good for Nathan to see—the ones who played up the media like they owned them, fresh out of college with tons of attitude, thinking they could step into their first NFL game and be a star. Sure, there were some who could make it right out the gate, but they were rare. And Mick could already tell this kid wasn’t as good as he thought he was. A good safety jumping in front of the passes with a few key interceptions and this kid would get a dose of humility quickly.
After giving some interviews about his fitness, his overall plan for the year, and what he thought the team’s chances were—basically typical interview fodder—Mick showered up, and he and Nathan went to dinner.
“So, what did you think of it all?”
Nathan looked up from his plate where he’d been shoveling food in his mouth. “It was awesome. All the photographers and reporters there, working out with the team, plus the new guys from the college draft. It was so cool. I can’t wait to tell all the guys on my team about it.”
Mick had finished eating, so he pushed back his plate and picked up his glass of water, took a sip, then leaned back in his chair. “So, hanging with me has upped your cred with your teammates?”
Nathan grinned. “Definitely. As a freshman you’re pretty much dirt under everyone’s cleats, at least until you can prove yourself on the field. You dating my mom has gotten everyone’s attention.” Nathan cocked his head to the side, a worried look on his face. “You’re not dumping her or anything, are you?”
Mick’s lips lifted. “Uh, no. I’m not dumping your mom.”
Nathan blew out a breath. “Thank God. That would really screw with my popularity.”
Teenagers. Had Mick ever been so clueless? Obviously he had, or he wouldn’t have f**ked up his life so badly. “Yeah, I’d hate to mess with your popularity quotient.”
Nathan ducked his head and at least had the decency to look sheepish. Maybe he wasn’t as clueless after all.
After dessert they climbed into the SUV. Mick glanced at the clock in the car. Perfect timing.
“So where to now?” Nathan asked.
“We’re going to a meeting.”
Nathan half turned to face him. “No kidding? Like some team meeting or something?”
“No. This kind of meeting is personal to me, but I wanted you to come with me because I think you can get something out of it. I hope you don’t mind.”
“Hey, if it has something to do with you, I don’t mind at all.”
Mick pulled into the parking lot of the Presbyterian church, one of the places he’d found that was having an open meeting tonight where anyone could attend. He parked and got out. Nathan followed.
“Oh, man, are we going to church?”
“Not exactly.”
“Then what are we doing?”
Mick stopped and turned to Nathan. “Nathan, I need you to keep your mouth shut and just listen when we get inside, okay?”
Nathan backed up, clearly not used to hearing Mick talk to him that way. “Okay. Sure.”
They walked inside, and Mick found the meeting room downstairs. Mick signed in, shook a few hands, grabbed a cup of coffee and a soda for Nathan.
“Oh, man, this is an AA meeting, Mick.”
“Yes, it is.”
“Why did you bring me here?”
“What did I tell you outside?”
Nathan dropped his chin to his chest. “Yeah, okay.”
It was pretty crowded in there, which was good. A guy got up and went over the administrative portion of the meeting, then they all said the Serenity Prayer, which Mick had recited so many times over the past years he probably said it in his sleep.
“God, grant me the serenity to accept the things I cannot change, courage to change the things I can, and wisdom to know the difference.”
Saying the prayer always brought a wave of peace over Mick, gave him the strength to continue on with his fight against alcoholism, made him realize he could never go back and change the past, but he did have control over today, tomorrow, and every day after that. And he knew that so far today he hadn’t had a drink. He’d made it through another day.
People got up and started sharing stories. There were long-time alcoholics there who’d been through rough times. Some had regressed and started drinking time and time again, only to start fighting their demons and give it another try. Some had never touched alcohol after they gave it up. Others got up and shared success stories and received coins for milestones, which always made Mick smile.
When there was a lull he got up, which made Nathan’s eyes go wide. But this is what he’d brought Nathan here for. He wanted him to hear the story. So he got up in front of all these strangers—though he wasn’t a stranger to many of them—and told the same story he’d told Tara the other night. And he kept his gaze trained on Nathan, making sure Nathan heard every detail. Mick didn’t worry about spilling this information in front of all these people, because AA was anonymous and people didn’t share what they heard outside of the meeting room. Your secrets at AA were always safe.
When he was finished, when he’d stood up there and introduced himself as Michael, when he’d told them all he was an alcoholic, he hoped his message had gotten through. And maybe it had, because Nathan’s eyes had filled with tears. And he didn’t say a word when the meeting was over, when Mick visited with people there. No one asked for his autograph or talked football, because there Mick was just another struggling alcoholic trying day by day to fight his addiction. It’s why he liked coming to meetings, because he could be just another person there who was fighting his demons.