"Charlie, how on earth did you make this throw?" - the film clip showed me side-stepping a defensive end and keeping my eyes downfield on one of our fastest receivers - RJ Sowards. RJ was well covered and I threw it in the one place RJ could make the catch away from the defender. It was a magical moment of precision.
I was caught off guard by the question and responded - "Coach - I just got lucky I guess."
With that Coach Austin clicked "off" on the remote control and TV and asked me to have a seat across from his desk.
"Charlie - that wasn't luck. You had an incredible training camp. No one here at the beginning, including myself, expected you to make this football team. You've impressed me with your accuracy, toughness and ability to make plays."
I didn't expect to hear any of those things come from Coach Austin's mouth. He had berated me many times in practice. He got noticeably angry when I made a poor decision or threw the ball to the wrong receiver. It was awkward delight to hear him pay me some hard earned compliments. Then came the highest words of praise:
"Charlie - you made the team."
I was awestruck! I had worked many years and torn myself to shreds asking myself questions like, "Am I good enough?" and "Can I compete?" and "What if I fail?" - all those questions of self doubt - and fear - were gone! Wiped out with 5 simple words. "Charlie - you made the team."
I was so excited! Ecstatic! Who should I tell first? Josh would be really excited for me. So would Paul. Heck - my whole family would. But all I could think about was a beautiful brunette who caught me completely off guard at a team social a few days earlier.
On Wednesday, June 8, 2005, I was at David Cynnamon's house attending a Toronto Argonauts team party. It was weird - I was attending a party for a team that won the CFL Grey Cup (comparable to the USA's Super Bowl) a year earlier. Heck, at that point in time, I was nervous because there was a chance, a very real chance, that I would be packing my bags in a few days and heading home. What was I doing at a party like this?
The house was beautiful. Marble stone and a swimming pool sparkled as the sun was slowly going down. I was walking past a server offering hors dourves with one of the team video managers. Raising my eyes towards the swimming pool - I stopped. There on the other side of the swimming pool was a cherubic blonde haired smiling face, "she seems nice" I thought. Then my eyes drifted to someone standing next to her - and I had a moment of absolute bewilderment.
Slowly, I began to come to my senses and focus more and more on this gorgeous woman. She was wearing a fitting yellow top and a flowing white skirt - perfect for the summer time. Her auburn brown hair dropped just past her shoulders and as I stared further, I felt a small clump of air get caught in my throat.
"Charlie, what are you looking at?"
Then my buddy looked over and immediately understood. We chose to walk over towards them.
As we moved closer to the 2 ladies, my heart rate started to increase. I could feel myself becoming tense and nervous. "What was I going to say to them? Who would I speak to first? How should I introduce myself? What will they be thinking?"
And then there we were. The moment of truth.
I looked at the blonde first. She was cordial and smiled as we introduced ourselves. I said, "Hi, my name's Charlie" and glanced at the mystery woman standing next to her. She glanced back.
Her eyes were sparkling green and vibrant. Her lips were full and tender. She looked like an angel. Or a goddess. Or a temptress. Or a Cosmopolitan magazine model. Oh heck, how can I really describe her? She was different. Beautifully different. Different than anyone I'd ever seen and she instantly, with that glance, made me feel anxious to learn everything about her.
The blonde extended her hand, "Hi, my name's Candace and this is Danielle." My eyes moved from Candace's smiling face immediately to the mystery woman. "Danielle" - I thought. I like the sound of that name. Danielle smiled as we made longer eye contact. I just stood there - gawking.
After a few awkward seconds Candace began to speak and the tension was broken. I looked back at Candace and listened to her make small talk. Then my friend chirped in. Then I chirped in. Then Danielle chirped in. Next thing you know, we're all talking and learning new things about one another. We stood and talked for over 10 minutes.
Socially, I was there and smiling. My mind, however, was in another atmosphere. "Danielle" - I repeated the name over and over. I felt like a kid in a candy store. All the elation and excitement of the moment was overwhelming. Her eyes were mesmerizing. She made me feel like I had to know more of her.
I was Pepe Lepeu!
When the 10 minutes of small talk was over, Danielle and Candace left the scene. They headed over to the dance floor and set their sights on the other 300+ people at the party. The night went on.
It was weird. After that moment and that discussion, Pepe Lepeu never really left me. I found myself wanting to know more and more of the mysterious Danielle.
"What does she like? What's her favorite food? What are her ambitions? Does she work? What keeps her interest? What gives her a sense of feeling vibrant and alive?" - I thought to myself.
Then, the questions switched.....
"Did she think I was attractive? Did she notice me choking up with nervousness when we spoke? Did I look and act like a complete and utter idiot? What was her impression of me?"
7 o'clock went by. More people to mingle with.
8 o'clock gone. Talked with a few players about practice tomorrow.
9 o'clock. Crap! The party is nearing the end.
For those 3 hours, all I wanted to do was get to know Danielle better. I didn't care about the swimsuit girl sitting on the desert table with the chocolate covered strawberries served fresh off her body. LOL. I didn't care about how incredible the Grey Cup rings were. I didn't care about riding in the back of J Fred's hot and humid car on the way back from the party. All I cared about was Danielle.... and more focused... learning about Danielle's thought's and desires.
9:30 - Time to buck up Charlie. Walk over to her and ask her to go for a walk with you. If you don't, you'll regret it the rest of your life.
9:31 p.m. - You chicken crap! Just go ask her to go for a little walk with you! What's the harm in that?
9:34 p.m. - Oh my gosh. That was close. You almost spilled that cranberry juice all over your shirt. What's the matter with you?!
Finally, my chance came. Danielle was standing with friends over at a drink table. She was not focused on a conversation with another person and I had a chance to to touch her on the elbow and say,"Do you want to go for a walk?"
Gratefully, she accepted.
We moved away from the backyard, away from the people at the party, away from the swimming pool and approached the street.
I don't know who was more nervous because when we were about to walk thru the neighborhood, Danielle somehow managed to drop a shining diamond bracelet. After 4 or 5 steps of solitude, she was in a panic. "My diamond bracelet - I lost it!"
Ah heck. Just my luck. She's not interested. She's found the perfect escape.
I did the same thing any natural human being would do at that time, I put my eyes to the ground and looked all over for a bracelet. We retread our footsteps. For 5 minutes we looked for that stinkin' bracelet. Danielle would fidget and whisper, "I can't believe I lost my bracelet."
Those 5 minutes of looking for that bracelet were dreadful to me. All I wanted to do was get Danielle away from all the distractions so I could talk - one on one - with her. When Danielle reached down and said, "Ah, here it is." Instantly, I felt a strong sense of relief.
That night, that walk, that moment in time. I can remember it vividly. It was the best moment of my life.
The rest is history.....
