Read Online The Contract by Derek Jeter, Paul Mantell - Free Book Online Page A

mattress.
    She came into the room and sat down on the side of the bed, patting Derek gently on the shoulder. “It’s okay to get frustrated, old man. None of us would ever make big changes in our lives if we didn’t get frustrated sometimes. We just have to turn that frustration into determination.”
    â€œBut it’s so . . .”
    â€œUnfair?”
    â€œYes! Why can’t Dad be the coach?”
    â€œDerek, you know the answer to that question. We’ve talked about it a hundred times. Your dad wants very much to be your coach. Don’t you think he feels bad about all of this?”
    â€œIf he were the coach, I’d be the shortstop for sure!”
    â€œIf he were the coach, he’d do whatever he thought was best for the team, and of course for you. But he’s working very hard right now . . .”
    â€œI know.”
    â€œ. . . teaching, and taking courses for his master’s degree . . .”
    â€œI know, but—”
    â€œDerek, remember the other night, when we talked about your life’s dream?”
    â€œUh-huh.”
    â€œWell, your dad has a life’s dream too—to help kids and teens get their lives back on track. I know he’s grateful and glad that you’ve got a dream, and that you’re following it. He knows you can’t go wrong shooting for your dream, as long as it’s a good one.”
    Derek stayed silent, taking it all in. He felt bad because he knew he’d been acting selfishly. He knew he had probably hurt his dad’s feelings by what he’d said about him not being the coach. He wished now that he’d never said that, but he knew it was too late to take it back.
    His mom must have been reading his mind, because she said, “It’s okay to feel however you feel, Derek. It’s what we say and do that counts. I know, and your dad knows, that you’re going to figure all this out in a good way. Just stick to your big dream, and you’ll find a way through all the little stuff.”
    After kissing him on the forehead, she left the room, to give him time and space to work things out. One thing was for sure—from here on in, he was going to make extra sure he acted in a way to make both his parents proud.
    He realized how proud he was of them, and how lucky he and Sharlee were. What was rule number one on the contract? “Family comes first.”
    His parents had met in Germany when they were both in the army, and they had fallen in love despite their different backgrounds. His father was raised by a single mother in Alabama, and he was determined to be the kind of father he never knew. Derek’s mother grew up in a close-knit New Jersey family, and together she and Derek’s father navigated a world that didn’t exactly welcome interracial couples.
    Derek’s problems suddenly didn’t seem that big.
    â€¢ • •
    â€œWe beat the Phillies 10–0!” Jeff whispered, loud enough for every kid in the back of the class to hear, but not quite loud enough to attract the attention of Ms. Wagner, who was explaining a math problem while writing on the blackboard.
    Jeff had worn his Yankees uniform shirt to school that day—number 13, Derek noticed, green with envy. “They had to call the mercy rule!”
    â€œWhat’s the mercy rule?” Gary asked, clueless.
    Derek tried to explain. “It’s when one team is beating the other so bad—”
    â€œTen runs or more,” Jeff interrupted.
    â€œSo badly that they call off the rest of the game so the losers don’t feel too crushed,” Derek finished.
    â€œDoesn’t sound too merciful to me,” Gary decided. “Besides, if you ask me, anyone who wastes their time on sports is already a loser.”
    â€œAw, what do you know?” Jeff waved him off. “How’d your team do, Derek? Did you win?”
    â€œNah. We should have, but we blew it. We had