John Grisham - 2007 - Playing for Pizza.pdf - fuyuhoshikim

Give me some time stateside to assess the damage."
The damage. Rick tried to sit up but nothing cooperated. Every
bone and muscle from the waist up was damaged. If Collins hadn't
missed the block, Rick wouldn't have been crushed. Linemen, love
'em and hate 'em. He wanted linemen! "How much do the linemen
make?"
"Nothing. The linemen are Italians and they play because they
love football."
The agents must starve to death over there, Rick thought to
himself. He breathed deeply and tried to remember the last player
he knew who played just for the love of the game. "Twenty
thousand," Rick mumbled.
"Which is twenty more than you're currently making," Arnie
reminded him, rather cruelly.
"Thanks, Arnie. I can always count on you." "Look, kid, take a year
off. Go see Europe. Give me some time."
"How good is the football?"
"Who cares? You'll be the star. All of the quarterbacks are
Americans, but they're small-college types who didn't get near the
draft. The Panthers are thrilled that you're even considering the
deal."
Someone was thrilled to get him. What a pleasant idea. But what
would he tell his family and friends ? What friends? He had heard
from exactly two old buddies in the past week.
After a pause, Arnie cleared his throat and said, "There's
something else."
>From the tone, it could not be good. "I'm listening." "What time
did you leave the hospital today?"
"I don't remember. Maybe around nine."
"Well, you must've passed him in the hallway."
"Who?"
"An investigator. Your cheerleader friend is back, Rick, quite pregnant, and now she's got lawyers, some real
sleazeballs who want to make some noise, get their mugs in the paper. They're calling here with all sorts of
demands." "Which cheerleader?" Rick asked as new waves of pain swept through his shoulders and neck.
"Tiffany something or other." "There's no way, Arnie. She slept with half the Browns. Why is she coming after
me?" "Did you sleep with her?" "Of course, but it was my turn. If she's gonna have a million dollar baby, why
is she accusing me?" An excellent question from the lowest-paid member of the team. Arnie had made the
same point when arguing with Tiffany's lawyers. "Is it possible that you might be the daddy?" "Absolutely not.
I was careful. You had to be."
"Well, she can't go public until she serves you with the papers, and if she can't find you, then she can't serve
you." Rick knew all this. He'd been served before. "I'll hide in Florida for a while. They can't find me down
there." "Don't bet on it. These lawyers are pretty aggressive. They want some publicity. There are ways to
track people." A pause, then the clincher. "But, pal, they can't serve you in Italy." "I've never been to Italy."
"Then it's time to go." "Let me sleep on it." "Sure." Rick dozed off quickly and slept hard for ten minutes when
a nightmare jolted him from his nap. Credit cards leave a trail. Gas stations, motels, truck stops--every place
was connected to a vast web of electronic information that zipped around the world in a split second, and