The Backup Quarterback

Chapter 1 - July 4

Jonas came to hang with me, while I was sweating over the barbecue, cooking for my family's July 4 barbecue. We had tons of people out there by the pool, and I was cooking for everyone, which I love to do. People love to have me cook. There's something about eating food prepared by a big, fat guy that really makes people feel good. They feel like they're eating well, they are, and some of them eat more than they ordinarily would.

My sister had told me that Jonas was coming to the party. I remembered him from three years earlier. He was the surprisingly talented freshman backup quarterback, and I was the guy who blocked for him. He only came in when we were way ahead...or way behind. He was the backup, after all, but we knew that he would be good. I was the biggest lineman the school had ever had. I was 6'3", 240 lbs., most of it muscle, but I was never trim or ripped. Nobody expected that from a lineman. I was happy to meet their expectations for what a lineman was supposed to look like. Oh, did I mention I was good, too? All-State. Recruited to the university. Coach told me to report ar 280 lbs. I was happy to oblige. Tore my Achilles in camp. Had surgery. End of athletic career Sat on my butt and got fat. Got more interested in education than football. Life is good.

But enough about me. Jonas was in the midst of a stunning high school career. He took over as starting quarterback his sophomore year, 6'0", 175 lbs. He was a generational star. The team had its first wining season in years when he was a sophomore, even went to the playoffs. Nobody could believe it. And it was mostly Jonas. The athleticism. The arm. The quickness. The commanding personality. The charisma. And yes, the abs. Junior year was even better. Nobody could stop talking about the team built around Jonas, now 6'1", 185 lbs. Nobody could believe our town had somebody that talented hand hard-working. And yes, still abs, if some catty bitch said they were "less defined." He was magnetic. They won all but one regular season game. They went to the state championship. Tough loss. But best season ever for our town.

Star quarterback isn't who you think of when you ask yourself, "Who would Ellen be dating?" She's cute and all, and she's fun, but she's not the cheerleader type. She's funky, and she has an unusual taste in guy. Well, not unusual to me, because guys in our family are big, but she doesn't usually go for a guy built like Jonas. Or so high profile. But here we were. She said it was just casual. I didn''t think it was odd that Jonah wanted to come and reestablish a relationship with Ellen's brother. I was happy about it. I remembered him as a good kid. And I was proud of what he had achieved. Ellen could do much worse.

Jonas and I chatted about the previous year''s success and the hope for a state championship this year. Jonas made a point of saying that he was enjoying some time off before two-a-days start August 1.

As we chatted, he helped me cook. He saw that i had a burger going for myself, and he made one for himself, too. He must've seen that I had several patties on mine, even though I made singles for everyone else. He put two on his, with extra cheese. We talked and we cooked and we ate. Not necessarily in that order. I made myself another burger, and then Jonah followed in my wake.It wasn't the first burger of the night for either of us. Not the second for me, if I'm honest.

It's a pool party. Most guys aren't wearing shirts. It's hot as the blazes. I'm wearing a 5X t-shirt, drenched in sweat. Jonas asks me why I don't take my shirt off. I say, "fuck it," and rip it off. Jonas stares. He clearly wanted to see it. Now, he sees it, in all of its soft, saggy, hairy, bulbous glory. The loook on his face may be awe. I'm not sure. We keep cooking, and talking, and eating. No, not necessarily in that order.

I can't help but notice that nobody would claim that Jonas has abs at this point. It's mid-summer. He's not at playing weight. It's expected. No big deal. He's still magnetic. Forceful. Talented. Athletic. He could still be quick.

He keeps looking at my body in amazement. He doesn't say anything about tit or try to touch it, but I can tell that he wants to. Ellen comes by from time to time, and he gives her a kiss, and she says she's glad we are hanging out. She remarks to Jonas about how good my burgers are, and he agrees.

When she walked away, Jonas told me that Ellen talks about me a lot, that she thinks we're a lot alike, that she thinks we will be friends. I do like him. And we are having fun. And he does seem to like my burgers.

Suddenly, he says, "I'm getting so fat hanging out with Ellen. And now you." He seems like he's been dying to say that to me. I notice that he's getting excited. He calms himself.

I don't want him to be uncomfortable, so I say, "I did notice that you have a little belly on you. Coach gonna let you keep it?

"Well, at spring training, I weighed 190, and he said I could come in at that weight. I might have to lose five pounds or so?

"It may be a bt more than that," I retort. I just can't help myself. And maybe he needs to know. And I'm not really surprised that a guy would put on weight when he's dating my sister. She cooks. Like Mom. And she's used to the men eating well.

I skied how much he thought he weighed, and he said maybe 207. That's not right. I asked if he really wanted to know. He did. I told him where the scale was in the bathroom. It's the stand-up really accurate kind, where you move the weights over.

A few minutes later, he came out, holding a Berler and laughing. "Well, I'm bigger than I thought. 212 lbs. i'be put on twelve pounds in just over a month. I can lose that much in a month, don't you think?

I wondered if he would do it. It can be done, but who really wants to do that?

Maybe the star quarterback.

Even if he is dating Ellen.

We're done cooking. THe party isn''t dying down, but people are done with burgers. They're eating ice cream if they're eating. Most are drinking. Jonas and I grab some ice cream and sit down near the cooling barbecue. Jonas grabs a roll at his gut and says, "I guess this has to go."

He pauses.

"After tonight."

He pauses.

"I can't wait to be done playing high school football."

To be continued...