Cameron Day Wise

A Story by CoachBrax

After twenty-two years of bitterness and anguish, two old friends meet each other once again and old wounds are rehashed.

“Last one, finish strong,” I yelled to my team as the final heat of the boys were finishing their last set of 200 meter runs. “Finish, finish, finish!”

We were preparing for the upcoming region championships in mid-April and had to be focused on the task at hand, every day at all times. As the team grew closer for our ritualistic, practice-ending team meeting to discuss the importance of hard work, as well as other principles, Darien Madsen, reigning triple jump state champion and boys’ team captain pointed and yelled, “Cameron Day Wise!”

Everyone in unison turned their heads, immediately gasping in unison. I turned my head also. A stir of emotions came over me: confusion, anger, and despair to name a few. The girls were flustered over the masculinity and handsomeness Cameron oozed from his pores. Females, I tell ya'. Both of the track teams got up and began to pester Cameron Day Wise. One of my premier female seniors even got a picture with him. I called Darien over so he could end practice on a good note, otherwise extra workouts would be added. His eyes shot out like a chicken when you cut them open thus, he took the group and led them outside to “break it off”, and it was just Cameron and I standing there.

Cameron Day Wise was a newly-retired NFL player. Ending with seventeen years in the NFL at age thirty-seven, he grew to stardom quickly and became one of the most well-known and legendary running backs of the modern era. He won Most Valuable Player in his third year in the league and the Superbowl the following year. Obviously he is no doubt a shoe-in for the prestigious NFL Hall of Fame in his first eligible year. The funny thing... is that I knew Cameron before fame called his name away. He was my best friend, a brother even. But we came to blows while he was a freshman in high school and I a sophomore.

He walked up to me saying, “Hey Johnathan Bexter! It has been a hell of a long time coming,” as he gave me a hug and sat down on the track. A look of sheer confusion crossed my face. The thought of "Why are you touching me? We haven't talked in a long time..." crossed my mind heavily yet I responded “Cameron Daven Day Wise, it has been quite some time,” as I sat down facing him.

“You still remember my middle name? After almost… twenty-two years,” he questioned.

“Of course! You were my…,” I began, but anger crept inside my sweltering throat. I decided to end my remark there. “What brings you back here to Randen, Georgia?”

Randen was our hometown. We grew up here. This is where track and field became my one true love, and it is where football became his.

“Mommy asked to come back after I announced my retirement last month. I'm even contemplating settling back here ya’ know,” he said. “What brought you back here, coaching for our old high school?”

I explained to him that after I graduated, I went to Belmont, majoring in Secondary Education. Now I am teaching both U.S. History and Economics. However, my old high school track coach at Beauregard High School wanted me to come and be an assistant coach for her before she retired. I decided to apply as a teacher to Beauregard while coaching because I figured my credentials were seen as more outstanding considering I went there in my earlier years. Ultimately, I got the job. The head coach retired that year and was now living with her sister in Virginia.

“Wow,” he exclaimed. “I never knew that.”

“Yeah, it may seem that way since you never called...,” I mumbled to myself.

Cameron looked up into my eyes. I instantly realized he heard what I said. My friends label me as very empathetic, nevertheless cutthroat. Hell, even my team says that. The "cutthroat" didn't care if he heard it or not.

“You’re really the reason I came back here Johnny. I wanted to come back and apologize.”

When he said the word “apologize”, it rocked my world a bit. Cameron rarely apologized for anything. He just chose to harbor in all his feelings and stop talking to people on whatever level they were on whether they were a friend, girlfriend, or acquaintance.

“Apologize my a*s!” I exclaimed. “It has been more than twenty years and now you want to apologize?!”

“Let us not forget that your comments were the reason that we fell out of touch in the first place,” he said in a slick, snarky tone.

To begin, Cameron and I were the best of friends for about two years before the infamous moment it all came crashing down. We met when I was in middle school and we were both on the track team at the time. After that, we clicked straightaway. As time went along, we always exchanged blows, me more than him. He often got outraged at my words and I got irritated with his behavior. But when I was trying to offer critique on his running technique and that he could go to better colleges than he wanted based on his skillset, I got the complete opposite reaction I was expecting. Didn't know a macho man could be so sensitive.

He became very infuriated with me. He stopped answering my texts and my calls, and we eventually grew apart beyond repair. When he transferred to Beauregard in my junior year, we walked past each other in the hallways as if we never experienced each other’s company. It broke my heart every day, then after a while I began to numb the pain internally.

I bothered not to bicker with him, even though he's the main person that knows I do not take disrespectful from no soul, whether you are my friend or my mother. However, instead of exploding in anger, I was exploding in sadness. “Where were you, Cameron,” I asked, while tears began to stream down my face.

“What do you mean,” he replied.

“Where were you, Cameron Day Wise? When I graduated and was valedictorian, I saw your mom in the crowd and she congratulated me after. Where were you every birthday I spent without you, my so-called "brother"?”

He sat there and thought for a minute. He retorted back to me, “Well, where were you during my whole career?”

“Don’t try that petty s**t with me. You're not stupid and neither am I. I watched you every Sunday afternoon, every game. I tried to call you and congratulate, give advice, or just even talk to you. You can ask your mom or dad, both of them can vouch for me.”

He looked me in the eyes and began to look around. He was trying to put a wall up to hide his emotions. He always did that back when we were friends. I didn't want to put him on the spot, hence I let him do what he was comfortable with.

“Dad, let’s go!” I heard from around the corner.

I turned around and shouted, “Montreal Bexter, don't rush me! We will get to the movies soon enough.” I looked back at Cameron and he was silent as a library on their best day of operation.

I saw Montreal squint in our direction and started sprinting our way. When he came over and saw Cameron, a look of shock came over him.

“Cameron Day Wise, I am such a huge fan! You are my favorite player. Can I have your autograph, man,” he requested.

I am guessing Cameron knew I did not want my son bothering him, but he just gave me a look and answered, “Sure,” as he took some paper from his back pocket and signed it.

“Mr. Wise, how do you know my dad? He talks about you all the time, I choose not to believe him though. You are too famous for him,” he said, chuckling.

Cameron eyed me and answered, “He's my best friend. You may see me around more often matter of fact. So we can get to know each other Montreal” When Cameron finished speaking, I turned toward Montreal and told him, “Now go and wait in the car.” He then sped off as he finally listened to me.

Cameron stared blankly into my face and inquired, “You have a kid?”

“Yeah,” I answered. “When I was twenty-three and graduated college, I had a girlfriend named Jordan Micah Presley. When we were going steady, proposed to her I did. We ended up having a son a couple months later--Montreal Brighton Bexter. Consequently, I started a professional career in track and field and I had to give it up; I had a son to take care of now. When he turned six, he and his mom got in a bad car accident. He lived... and she died. That was almost ten years ago and I’m still a single father. We both miss her so much. Sometimes I hate getting up in the morning because I know she's not there anymore, next to me when I wake up. He puts his emotion into the track, and he became one of my captains. He's the favorite to win the 400 meter state title at only fifteen years old. He went to talk to her grave the day the day they released proposed state rankings.

You missed the most joyous and challenging moments in my life because of one stupid comment I made. I prayed every day questioning what made you betray me, and still I had to make peace with it. You have to forgive me, like damn! Stop running away from your own problems.”

I could feel my son getting impatient. I took a spare key from my wallet and threw it towards Mr. Wise as he caught it. “Try to lock it up when you leave,” I said, picking up the last set of blocks to put back in the equipment shed. As I walked away with my heart crumbling in my chest, I heard him weeping and sobbing as I left him sitting on the track. It was the first and only time I ever heard or seen the mighty Cameron Day Wise cry. At that moment, with his emotions bare and raw, I developed a gut feeling he would not only stay but stop running away from himself. Maybe he was a changed person now after twenty-two years.