The End Zone

“Elliott, where’s Kaitlyn?” Aidan asked.

“Not coming until the second half.” He tugged on his longish, red beard. “Maybe not at all.”

“What’s up with that, man? I thought you guys were tight again.”

Elliott walked into Aidan’s kitchen and opened the refrigerator. “This all you have, Bud Light?”

“You’re supposed to bring your own beer, Elliott. Remember?” Aidan, a tall, slim young man, was laughing.

“Right, I think Kaitlyn’s bringing it.”

“If she comes,” Aidan said. It was Super Bowl Sunday. The Tennessee Titans, an unlikely Super Bowl team, were playing the New Orleans Saints, a heavy favorite. “Is Kaitlyn bringing the Rocky Road I asked you to get?”

The men walked back into Aidan’s living room. His three-room apartment in East Nashville wasn’t exactly spacious, but it wasn’t tiny either. “Listen, Aidan, if she comes, she’ll bring the beer and the ice cream, okay?” The National Anthem was playing and both men reflexively turned to face the 65-inch TV screen. When the Anthem was over, the men took seats on Aidan’s large wrap around leather couch. It was the most expensive piece of furniture Aidan owned.

“She still pushing the marriage thing?”

“What do you think? I don’t understand her. We were getting along great, no pressure. I moved into her condo three months ago and everything was fine. We even spent a weekend with her parents in Gulfport last month,” Elliott took a long swallow of beer and said, “I hope somebody brings something better than this.”

Aidan ignored him. He loved Bud Light. “Kaitlyn’s from Gulfport, right?”

“Yeah.”

Aidan pointed at Elliott’s Titans sweatshirt. “She put on a Saints sweatshirt this morning? Is that why you fought?”

“Her parents are Saints fans. I think Kaitlyn’s more of an agnostic in that area,” Elliott said. “This morning I told her I can’t think about marriage right now. I’ve got to focus on the Titans.”

“Of course. I’m sure she understood.”

Elliott looked at his friend. “You know, everything was fine until you got engaged.”

“So, it’s my fault you’re fighting with Kaitlyn?   

“Maybe,” Elliott said. “That’s when we moved in together. Then Pete got engaged. That didn’t help.”

“Well, he’s on his way over here with Sara. I’ll tell him he owes you an apology,” Aidan said. The three men had been best friends since the 6th grade. Aidan’s mom often referred to them as her triplets. He opened a bag of yellow corn chips and dumped them into a wooden bowl. “As I recall, Elliott, when you moved in with her, the deal was to try it out and see if it worked. If it did, you were going to get married.”

“Exactly,” Elliott said. “But we’re just three months in and already she wants to tie the knot. I don’t know if I’m ready man.”

The doorbell rang. Before Aidan could answer the door, it opened and Pete and Sara walked in. “Where’s Kaitlyn?” Sara asked. Pete removed his double extra-large Titan’s jacket and handed Aidan two six packs of Bud Lime, while Sara walked into the kitchen to put her coconut cake on the counter. She walked back in and said, “So, where is she?”

“She joined the army. She’s in basic training at Fort Campbell, Kentucky with Loretta,” Aidan said, laughing again. Loretta was his fiancé. She really was in the army, a First Lieutenant, stationed in South Korea.

“Elliott shook his head. “She’s coming later.” Under his breath, he added, “maybe.”

“Maybe? I hope you brought the Rocky Road,” Pete said. The game was starting. Living in Nashville, they were all Titans fans. Pete and Elliott had agreed to spend the day with Aidan to cheer him up, since Loretta was on assignment.

“Why later?” Sara asked.

“We had a fight this morning,” Elliott said. “I might be sleeping on Aidan’s couch for a couple of weeks.”

“No kidding, a real brawl, then. What did you fight about?” Pete asked, casting a sideways glance at Aidan. “I can’t believe how dumb you are, fighting with that little Irish redhead.”

Elliott stuck his hands in his pockets. “Bud Lime, Pete, how could you bring Bud Lime?”

“You fought about what kind of beer to bring, is that it?” Pete asked.

Elliott stood up and stretched. “She wants to get married, you know, like you and Sara, Aidan and Loretta.”

“Better do it then,” Pete said. “She fits in better than you do. She finds another guy, you’re out.” Elliott gave Pete a look that didn’t actually require a worded response.       

“Do you love her?” Sara asked. She took a step over to Pete and held his hand.

Elliott was staring at the TV now. The Saints had just returned the game’s opening kickoff for a touchdown. Not a good start. Without turning away from the tube, he said, “Yeah, I love her.”

“I’m not surprised she wants to get married,” Sara said. “Remember when we spent that weekend in Montreal just before Loretta’s deployment?”

Elliott nodded. “Well, that Sunday morning, while you guys were sleeping it off, Loretta and I had breakfast with Kaitlyn. We were talking weddings and Kaitlyn said something like she doubted she’d even be around for our weddings.”

Why would she say that?” Pete asked.

Sara rolled her eyes. “She wasn’t sure this guy had the maturity to make a commitment, I guess.”  

“Do you?” Pete asked, again glancing at Aidan.

Elliott shook his head and tugged his beard again. “I can’t handle this. The Titans are gonna let the Saints blow the game wide open before the half.”

“We’re talking about your love life and you’re worried about the Titans.” Aidan said. “Typical. I wonder which one matters more.”

“Tough call,” Elliott said. “Kaitlyn’s already dreading the offseason with me if they lose.”

“Here’s an idea,” Aidan said, “if the Titans win, you get engaged. If they lose, you break up with Kaitlyn and let her find an adult.”

“Do they have to win or just beat the spread?” Pete asked.

“Y’all are idiots,” Sara said. Petite, but sturdy, she twisted the cap off a bottle of Bud Lime and took a healthy swig. Mariota, the Titans quarterback, threw a long pass to Walker, the tight end, who caught it and ran the ball down to the Saints three yard line.

“Yes! Elliott shouted.

“Does that ‘yes’ mean you’ll do it? Marry Kaitlyn if the Titans win?” Aidan asked. He took a handful of salted peanuts.

Elliott was about to say something when the doorbell rang. It was Kaitlyn. Aidan took the package she was carrying and looked inside. “She’s really pissed at you man. She brought a twelve pack of Bud Ice.”

Elliott walked over to Kaitlyn and tried to kiss her. She turned to make sure he only got her cheek. “Uh-oh, the cheek kiss, never a good sign,” Pete said. Sara punched his arm.

“Did you at least bring Aidan’s Rocky Road?” Elliott asked. He turned to Aidan who pulled the ice cream out of the bag and nodded.

Elliott walked into the kitchen with Aidan. “Titans have to win the game outright,” he said. “Status quo if they lose, even if they beat the spread.” Just then the Titans settled for a field goal, tightening the Saints lead to four. 

The five friends sat and watched the game, eating wings and pizza and enjoying Budweiser’s different beers. Aidan got a call from Loretta, which brightened his spirits. He went into his bedroom to tell her what was at stake in the game. She laughed and said, “I hope the Titans lose. It would probably be the best thing that could happen to Kaitlyn.”

In the fourth quarter, with only 29 seconds left to play, the Saints were up 23-17. A commercial came on and Aidan and Elliott went to the kitchen to make coffee and cut the cake. “Do me a favor, Elliott. If you decide to break up with her, don’t do it here.”

“I didn’t say I was going to break up with her. I’m just not getting married.”

The Titans tried a screen pass that went nowhere. Elliott stood now and exhorted his team to score, unlikely as it was. He was so nervous about what was happening on the field that momentarily, he forgot his worries about his future with Kaitlyn. What he hadn’t told Aidan was that Kaitlyn had given him a deadline. He had one week to make up his mind. “We’ve been dating for two years now. We’re both 30 and we have good jobs,” she said. “You say you love me. Either we marry or we move on.”

“You’re right, I do love you, but I don’t like deadlines. You want to move on? Do it.” With that, he picked up his jacket and headed for the door. He opened it and turned to face Kaitlyn. “I’ll see you at Aidan’s. Get some beer, something imported. And don’t forget the Rocky Road.”  

With seventeen seconds left to play, Mariota took the snap from his own 49 yard line. He found no one open downfield so he took off running. He eluded several tacklers. He got a timely block and kept going, right into the end zone. The Titans lined up for a game winning extra point and Succop drilled it through the uprights.  The Titans had won the Super Bowl.   

The five friends celebrated, whooping and hollering. Even Kaitlyn, who had been quiet during the game, stood and joined the celebration. Aidan caught Elliott’s eye. He winked and nodded toward Kaitlyn. When she showed up at Aidan’s apartment, in spite of his nasty remark about moving on, he knew she had won. He took a deep breath, called for silence and said, “Kaitlyn, will you marry me?” The room got very quiet.  

Kaitlyn smiled and removed her sweatshirt. Underneath was a T-shirt with the inscription, “Saints Fan for Life.” She smiled and said, “You sure you want to do that?”

Elliott didn’t say anything right away. He stared at the Saints shirt in disbelief. Then he picked up Sara’s half-empty can of Bud Lime and drank until it was empty. Slowly, he put the can down. He tapped Pete’s shoulder and said, “You’re right. She is too good for me.”  Kaitlyn and Elliott kissed. On the lips this time.