The Cock Crowed Three Times...

The past four years I've been the equivalent of a parked car for pigeons. Despite my commitment to seeing these guys succeed, most of them take one big shit on me once it's time to fly away from the nest.

One of the things that stood out to me about Flash was the fact that few people, other than his girlfriend (Boobee) and child, would consistently show up to cheer him on during road games when we'd traveled back to his old stomping grounds. At one game, we were literally three blocks away from his neighborhood and he had a cheering section of five people: Boobee, baby, brother, dad, and dad's girlfriend. That was one of two games his father attended in the two years that he played here.

Former teachers or coaches never came out. There wasn't a mentor in the stands. Friends weren't there either. I often wondered how such a seemingly good-hearted, talented, social individual had such a small fanbase back home. I was determined to stay connected with him beyond his stint with me. The second to last time I saw him we had a very moving exchange.

(Mid-March)
Me: Where the hell have you been since the season ended? I rarely see you around campus. Your mid-term grades look good, though. (2 Bs, 1 C, and 1 unreported grade)
Flash: Yeh Coach. I'm bustin ass! Gotta leave here on a good note.
Me: So have you heard back from any schools? Did you get in anywhere?
Flash: I've gotten into my top choice. That's all that matters to me!
Me: You did?!?!?
Flash: Yeh man. All thanks to you. I know you're feeling good about gettin me to this point.
Me: (feeling so happy) Nah man. It was all you. I just kept pushing. I never did any of the work. You did it.
Flash: Yeh. It feels good! I ain't even gonna front. That coach really wants me. I can't wait.

A week later the Dean of Students informed me that Flash contacted her to withdraw from school. This was in early April. He was failing all of his classes. A month later he moved out of his apartment and didn't clean it out despite several pleas on my part for him to do so even though he knew the landlord was harassing me about it. He also bailed with his uniform (valued at $100) and refuses to return it.