Chapter 719 - D
Tuck and Forest finally came walking in right on time. There were cheers all around, even from locals that were just here for dinner and not his party. Of course Tuck hugged me tightly, thanking me over and over for the celebration party. I got a quick hug from Forest also.
“I can’t believe all these guys you invited,” Tuck said as he shook hands with some and hugged others, such as Wes, Jake, Chase, Caleb, Dave and even Auggie, even though he had no idea who the hell Auggie was other than he was as tall as Dave, which probably made him believe he was another basketball player. There were more cheers when Larry and Gary, the twins from this season’s team showed up. Of course I got picked up and hugged by Gary, then passed over to Larry in mid-air before my feet touched the ground again. Dylan got the same treatment. Were they glad to see Dylan for sure. Tuck got hugs from them also, excited to see them again. I introduced Cal to Tuck and Forest. I introduced Will as my first lieutenant, our VP of Operations to Tuck also, saying he might have met him along the line, but I wasn’t sure. “Hey, Will, you must be great people if Josh thinks enough of you to put you in a VP spot like that. You two must really be tight, which is quite an honor and trust. It’s a pleasure to meet you. You have to come to the games next year so I can get to know you better also,” Tuck told him. Will seemed excited at the moment, until he shook hands with Forest, instead of hugging him. I know that had to hurt, me getting hugged by Forest and Will only being able to shake his hand in front of Tuck. Even Cal noticed it, somewhat feeling Will’s pain. Will was a trooper and played it well.
Taylor showed up and got the royal hugs from Tuck also, Tuck calling him brother, which I was happy to hear. I spent as much time talking to Taylor, Forest and Tuck as possible, although Tuck was talking to everyone. When I wasn’t with them, Will and Cal were trying to occupy my time. Everyone seemed to be enjoying themselves. Many of the games we had last season, including the championship game, were replayed with some embellishment. At one point I told some of the guys, that even though I was there at that game, I didn’t remember half of the great plays they claimed to have. They told me I had to live it in order to understand. I told them I thought half of what they claimed to have done was wishful thinking and bullshit. That just promoted more drinking, which was great. About an hour into the party, I thought I, being the best man at Tuck’s wedding and host of the Uni bachelor party, should probably say something. Eric found me a microphone and turned on the PA system.
“Attention all you well-wishers. Can I have your attention. That means you too, Larry and Gary,” I said, getting laughs from the crowd that knew Larry and Gary all too well. “Needless to say, these last couple of years have been crazy wonderful years concerning basketball here at Uni. Now Coach Tuck was team captain last year, but this year he was our Coach. His leadership led us to two, count them, two national NAACP championships. Of course, he had the help of Coach Forest this year which he sorely needed,” I continued. Someone yelled out, ‘and you too, Josh’. I chuckled. “I was just the team cheerleader, that’s all,” I claimed. Tuck yelled out that wasn’t true and that I was and still am invaluable. I waved him off. “Anyway, he’s about to embark on another major milestone this weekend, marrying the love of his life, Millie, whom we all know and can’t help but love ourselves. Lucky asshole,” I said, getting a lot of laughs. “Anyway I’m so glad that all of you showed up tonight to wish him well as he ties the knot finally and changes that bachelor life of his forever. Now, if anyone of you would like to say a few words on his behalf or just roast the SOB, you are more than welcome to this mic. I’m sure there are a few stories out there than can be told to embarrass Tuck, with the exception of mine, because mine are too personal and would embarrass him to the point he might call off the wedding, so I can’t do it. I’m sure Larry and Gary have a few words to say,” I announced, then handed to the mic to Larry and Gary who told several embarrassing stories. Tuck shook his head many times with sheer embarrassment, but they ended their roast with saying they appreciated and learned from Tuck’s leadership, and they wouldn’t have traded a moment they experienced for anything else. I could tell Tuck was really touched.
Taylor told a few stories about working with Tuck in the frat dragging me into some of them, mocking him for always wearing crazy assed colored boxers when studying at night in the frat, ,then running up and down the hallways to visit other rooms. Of course he included me in that because I would wear them sometime if I had to go visit another room at the frat. There were a lot of cheers and whistles over that. Taylor told the group he wasn’t always the thoughtful, congenial person he was today. Taylor said he thought it had something to do with his previous girlfriend a real shrew. Then Taylor said Tuck mat his match when he took me as his little brother. He didn’t know what I did to change all that, but I worked my magic on him and turned him into one fantastic leader. Tuck shook his head saying it was true. Taylor wished him the best ever, telling Tuck he was a true brother ana a fantastic leader, wishing him all the happiness in the world.
Forest took the mic next, telling a few comical stories about Tuck, but at the end of his talk, said, ”Did you ever wonder what it was that Tuck and Josh talk about the last few seconds of the game when they communicate with each other by phone or in person on national TV, and then all hell breaks loose and we win the game handily? I think the two of them ought to tell us just what it is they say to one another. Tuck and I both cracked up. He looked at me and I looked at him. Then we both said it was a state secret, and it worked so we didn’t want to jynx it. We got razzed like crazy for that response, but we held firm.
Wes spoke about Tuck’s leadership at the frat and thanked him for his contributions to the fraternity, saying he had some mighty big shoes to fill behind Tuck and Taylor. Taylor patted him on the back saying he’d be better than the both of them. Wes had some nice things to say about Tuck I didn’t even know about.
After everyone said their piece, Tuck finally spoke. He said, other than Millie, the best thing that ever happened in his life, and it was equal to Millie in his mind, was meeting and befriending me. “Guys, it was the craziest thing meeting Josh that I ever experienced. It was rush week and he and Eric came to check us out, both being athletes. I was being my obnoxious cocky self at the time and mistakenly called him ‘boy’. He snaps back at me like he was pissed, and I’ll never forget this as long as I live. He said, ‘boy, you call me boy!? With a bucket of balls and a yard of dick, you call me BOY!’ I about shit myself then addressed him as SIR,” Tuck said, telling the story of how we first met. The whole group cracking up. “With the balls that boy had, I had to make him my little brother. He’s more like a real brother to me than anyone could ever be, even if I had a real brother. I learned from him about life. I did find out he has no bucked of balls and no yard of dick, but that was beside the point. What he did have was a heart bigger than himself and his love was infectious. Taylor was right. I wasn’t always a nice guy which has been pointed out to me many times, thank you very much. I wasn’t. Josh tamed me and taught me leadership, how to love my brothers and benefit from their successes, not just mine. Hell, I guess I was even homophobic at the time and didn’t even realize it. Well, that got changed in a heartbeat when Josh came out to me. I couldn’t care less about that stuff anymore. It’s the character that matters, he taught me. I got that loud and clear and that will never change. The second greatest love of my life, and I don’t mind telling the world, and even Millie knows it and recognizes it, is Josh. He will be my best friend for life, if he can stand me that long,” Tuck said. The crowd cheered, then Tuck picked me up and hugged me even kissed me in front of all those guys getting all kinds of cheers. I whispered I loved him too. He had tears in his eyes.
While we had been making speeches and roasting Tuck, I noticed Clay showed up with a cameraman and was taking shots of the speakers and crowd, presumably going to do a piece on the late night news tonight about Coach Tuck’s wedding plans for this weekend.