Touchdown Dream Read online

  Touchdown Dream

  By Steve Starr

  Touchdown Dream

  Trilogy Christian Publishers A Wholly Owned Subsidiary of Trinity Broadcasting Network

  2442 Michelle Drive Tustin, CA 92780

  Copyright © 2022 by Steve Starr

  All Scripture quotations are taken from the New King James Version®. Copyright © 1982 by Thomas Nelson. Used by permission. All rights reserved.

  No part of this book may be reproduced, stored in a retrieval system, or transmitted by any means without written permission from the author. All rights reserved. Printed in the USA.

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  Cover design by: Kristy Swank

  For information about special discounts for bulk purchases, please contact Trilogy Christian Publishing.

  Trilogy Disclaimer: The views and content expressed in this book are those of the author and may not necessarily reflect the views and doctrine of Trilogy Christian Publishing or the Trinity Broadcasting Network.

  Manufactured in the United States of America

  10 9 8 7 6 5 4 3 2 1

  Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data is available.

  ISBN: 979-8-88738-103-9

  E-ISBN: 979-8-88738-104-6

  Dedication

  This book is dedicated to:

  My mom, who taught me the love of reading.

  My amazing wife, Tammy, who encouraged me and showed me what God’s love truly looked like.

  God, for speaking to this farm boy and patiently waiting for his eyes to open.

  Chapter 1

  “Nine, eight”—the quarterback spins away from the linebacker. “Seven, six”—he heaves the ball down the field. “Five, four, three”—Isaac leaps, stretching his hand up as high as he possibly can. He feels the ball reach his palm as he stretches his leg as far as he can to get his toe to the turf and then somersaults out of bounds as the clock expires. “Oomph,” Isaac exclaimed as he fell to his bedroom floor. “Not again!” his older brother yells in his direction of the dark room. “Sorry, Jacob,” Isaac said sheepishly. “Come on, not that dream again,” grumbled Isaac’s younger brother Joshua. “Yes, that dream again,” replied Isaac. The three brothers shared their tiny eleven-by-eleven bedroom in their family’s small farmhouse in rural Iowa. “Please be quiet. I have to work in the morning,” Jacob said frustratingly. Isaac replied, “I said I was sorry. I don’t plan on having that dream over and over again.” Sixteen-year-old Joshua asked, “How many years have you been having that same dream?” Isaac crawled back into bed and thought and said, “Well, it started when I was eleven, and I am eighteen now, so for seven years, at least once per month, I have had that same exact dream. I just wish I knew how it ended or what it meant. Did I score? Did we win? Why me?” Jacob interjected, “Why don’t you pray silently about it so I can go back to sleep? Maybe God will finally give you an answer.” “I have prayed about it over and over again and still no answer,” Isaac replied as he settled back into the top bunk of the bed he shared with his younger brother. The thoughts of the strange dream were still rolling around in his head. He prayed to himself, God, what does this mean? Why me? Is this something that is going to happen someday? This isn’t my high school team, so what team do I play for? God, I have so many questions. I can’t imagine that this will ever happen. My career as an Ankeny Centennial Jaguar is over. College does not look like an option. There is no way my parents could ever pay for college for me. They can barely keep all of us fed and a roof over our heads. God, if You are in this, please give me some answers. If this is not about You, please take these dreams away from me. Please stop the torment. You know I dream of more for my life than working in a factory for thirty years. Please let me see what You have planned for me. Isaac stared up at the dark ceiling hoping for an answer, but it did not come. Eventually, he slipped back off to sleep.

  “Isaac! Isaac! You are going to be late for school!” Isaac left his peaceful slumber after hearing his mom’s voice. Oh, crap! What time is it? Isaac thought to himself as he shook out the cobwebs. As he jumped down from his bed, he picked up a shirt off of the end of his chair in the corner and smelled it to make sure it was not too bad. That will work, he thought to himself and smiled. Now, where are my shoes?

  Isaac stumbled into the kitchen of their small farmhouse on forty acres that had been built by his great grandparents and passed down through the Kramer family, and now it was their turn to call this little house their home. The small farm was too small to provide much more than extra work for them. Isaac looked around and saw his mom at the kitchen counter cleaning up after packing lunch for the four of her children that were still in school. Isaac was a senior; Hannah was a junior; Joshua a sophomore, and Priscilla was in seventh grade. His mom, Ruth, was praying to herself, God, time sure flies, doesn’t it? I remember when all of these children were in elementary school. Now they are teenagers and preparing to go out in the world. With Jacob graduating last year, it is really hitting me the impact they have had on our lives. You have truly blessed us with five wonderful children. It is much more than we could have imagined. Thank You. Please continue to protect them… Her prayer was cut short with the arrival of her tardy son. “Well, why are you running late again?” “I had that dream again and fell out of bed—again!” replied Isaac. “Mom, why does this keep happening?” His mom looked up to see the frustrated look on his face. “I don’t know why this dream keeps coming to you, but I know that God has something wonderful in store for you.” Isaac looked back at her. “I don’t know. I am graduating in two months. College is not an option, so that means I will end up at Cargill like Jacob or have to go to Des Moines to find a job in construction or something,” lamented Isaac. “Do not limit what God can do! He has provided for us through thick and thin. We are blessed beyond measure. I was just standing here thanking Him for blessing us with five wonderful kids. Please know that his plans will work out on His timing. I know you dreamed of studying engineering at Iowa State. That can still happen. God can make a way when there is no way.” “Okay, okay, I need to get to school before I am late,” Isaac said in a hurry. He knew that once his mom got on a roll, she could share encouragement for hours, and he did not have hours to spare right now. Ruth smiled and said, “I love you, Son. I just get excited at what God can do in your life. I just hope you will get excited about it someday.” Isaac glanced at the clock on the small microwave and jumped up. “Todd will be here any second to pick me up. I gotta go.” Isaac grabbed his backpack and headed out into the crisp March morning. He watched the steam from his breath float in the air as he waited for Todd to arrive. I cannot wait for warmer weather. This seems like a very long winter. I am so tired of cold, Isaac said to himself as he looked up to the cloudy, dreary sky above him.

  Chapter 2

  Another mild March evening in Southern California, so Ren Carter slept with his window open. “Nine, eight”—Ren feels the linebacker’s grip on his jersey slip away as he spins to the right. “Seven, six”—he glances down the field. There he is, he thinks to himself as he heaves the ball as far as he can. “Five, four, three”—he watches the receiver leap up and stretch his hand up. As the ball reaches his palm, he stretches for the turf and then somersaults out of bounds as the clock expires. Ren woke up with a jolt. “Not that dream again! I wish I could finish it and see what happened. Not even sure what team I was playing for. The colors look like USC, but the helmets did not look like theirs. It definitely was not my blue and gold Santa Monica Vikings uniform.” Ren lay there in his king-size bed, thinking about the records he had set in his high school career. Now, it could have all been for nothing. All because of a little joyriding with some friends. Sure, they had had a few beers, but he had been fine. He had not killed anyone. There had been no reason for the police to get all up in his business about a few slightly damaged cars. It had to be a factory defect in his Mustang that had allowed it to spin out in that corner. What a piece of crap that car was. Brand new and could not slide into a corner at seventy? I will never own one of those again. So glad my dad ordered me a new Camaro. Now that is a car that can run. As soon as my dad pulls some strings, I will get my license back, and I can cruise the pier again, he said to himself. He glanced over at his sleek computer desk on the other side of his spacious bedroom. He saw the letters from three colleges rescinding their offers of a scholarship. Who cares? I am too good to play for them anyway. I will find a much better school that will appreciate me and give me what I am due, he thought to himself. Ren got up and walked downstairs to their kitchen to get a drink. Looks like Dad did not come home again tonight, he thought to himself. It felt lonely in this big house all by himself. Ever since his mom left when he was eight, it has been just him and his dad in this 6,000-square-foot house in Santa Monica. Over the years, the number of times he saw his dad got less and less each year. What is it with that darn dream? he kept asking himself. I am tired of waking up for nothing. Seven years is a long time to have the same dream every freaking month. Ren crawled back into bed and fell back to sleep. Two hours later, he was awakened by his driver knocking on the front door. “Argh, I don’t want to go to school today! Two months and I am done with high school.” Ren walked to the window and yelled down that he would be there in a minute. Then he walked to his large walk-in closet and pulled a freshly
laundered shirt off of a hanger and a pair of new jeans out of his dresser drawer. It stinks to have to be driven to school. I can’t wait to get my license back, Ren thought to himself.

  Chapter 3

  Isaac heard Todd’s car long before he pulled into their driveway. It hadn’t had a functioning muffler for over six months. Todd’s pride and joy slid into their gravel driveway with a cloud of dust. Isaac coughed as he waited for it to clear so he could see the door handle. “Hey, what’s new?” Isaac asked as he got into Todd’s 1990 Chevy Camaro IROC-Z. His car was a combination of a blue fender, red hood, yellow door, and the rest of it was just primer. Isaac looked around at the interior of his car and thought to himself that this car had been through a lot in thirty years, but Todd loved this car. Todd replied, “Nothing much. Dude, you look like you are dragging! Up all night dreaming about Joni?” Todd asked with a smile. “No, I had the dream again. Fell out of bed again,” Isaac replied. “Seriously? Dude, you have got to stop sleeping on the top bunk. That has got to hurt to fall that far. Hey, maybe it is one of those prophecies. You know, like they talked about in our youth group. Maybe, God is telling you that you had better learn how to catch a football,” Todd said as he was laughing out loud. “You are so funny. At least I did not sit on the bench all season,” Isaac retorted. “I only went out for football to keep my old man happy. I would much rather have been working on my car instead of busting my butt to not even play,” Todd replied. “Well, it is over now. Doesn’t look like either of us will have to worry about suiting up anytime soon,” Isaac said with a frown. “Well, maybe for me, but looks like God may have another plan for you,” Todd answered. “Doesn’t look like college will be an option for me. Once we graduate, I will be stuck at Cargill with Jacob working ten-hour days,” Isaac said as he looked out the filthy window of Todd’s beloved car.

  “Hey, watch this,” Todd said as he slammed the accelerator to the floor. His multicolored Camaro bucked, then snorted, then took off down the road, quickly climbing to 80 mph. “I have a little fine-tuning to do yet, but I got the new injectors installed, and it makes a big difference. Gotta love this 5.0L. I would love to drop an old 400 cubic inch bad boy in it someday.” Todd mentioned with pride. “At least you have a car,” Isaac said sadly. “Things still tough at home?” Todd asked. “Yes, ever since my dad lost his job when the box factory closed down, it has been tough. He said he has an interview at Casey’s headquarters in Ankeny. Hopefully, that will come through. Otherwise, it has been down to our crops and what Jacob can make at Cargill. So college for me does not look like an option any time soon,” Isaac said as he continued to stare out the window. “Well, we are seniors. This is our year. Gotta enjoy it because, after this, we are adults,” Todd said as he grinned. They pulled into the school parking lot and parked next to Becky Johnson’s new gloss black Camaro. Todd stared at it as they got out of his rusty car. “Someday, I will have me a new one, and I will trick it out. Nothing will touch it,” Todd said as he stared back at his Camaro next to Becky’s. “Earth to Todd, earth to Todd.” “Dude, we need to go; just heard the first bell,” Isaac called back to his friend. “I know, I know. Just dreaming of the day I will have one of those beauties,” Todd replied.

  As they got to the main door of their two-story brick school, Mr. Clemons was waiting on them to enter. “Gentlemen, cutting it a little close again today.” “Sorry, sir, we got stuck in traffic,” Todd replied to him. “Good one, Mr. Summers. We have so much traffic here. I can see how that could happen. Perhaps you should plan better next time,” Mr. Clemons cautioned him. “Get to your classroom before the third bell.” “Yes, sir,” Isaac replied as he hustled down the hall toward his English class.

  Chapter 4

  Ren climbed into the back seat of the Audi Q7, and the driver put the SUV in gear and pulled away from the curb. Ren pulled out his new cell phone and called Kyle, his best friend. “What’s up? Yeah, heading to school now. My driver is taking his sweet time getting there,” Ren said as he looked up front to see his driver look in the rearview mirror with a frown. “Hey, what is going on this weekend? I gotta get out a SaMo. I need to get away and have a great time this weekend. My old man ain’t around anyway, so no reason to sit around the pool all weekend. Let’s go up the coast,” Ren pleaded with Kyle. “Cool, let’s head out right after school on Friday. We can hit an In-N-Out and get on the road. Talk to ya then.” As Ren finished his call, they arrived at his school. Fourteen more months. Then I get my trust fund, and I am out of here. Time to live my own life where I make the rules, Ren thought to himself as he got out of the car and slammed the door. Kim came running up to him as he walked up the steps. “Hey, did you hear about Mike? He got busted last night. They pulled him over on the 405, and he had a trunk full of meth. They are saying he was running it for some nasty dudes out of Mexico.” “Are you kidding me? What was he thinking? His dad has more money than God. What is he doing that crap for?” Ren exclaimed. “His dad shut him off when he lost his scholarship offers. Told him he was on his own,” Kim replied. “Seriously? Glad my old man did not do that! I just need to make it to when my trust fund pays out, and I am golden,” Ren told her. “When do you get it?” Kim asked. “When I successfully complete at least one year of college, which is less than fourteen months from now. Then I make my own rules,” Ren replied. “Are you leaving town, heading east?” she asked. “Heck no, you know that the West Coast is the best coast. Ain’t leaving Cali for nothing. I am staying here,” Ren told her. As Ren passed through the metal detectors at the front door of his ultra-modern high school, Mr. Nixon called to him. Ren followed Mr. Nixon to the vice principal’s office. “Come in, Mr. Carter,” Vice Principal Johnson called out to him. Ren hated when they called him that. Mr. Carter was his father, not him. “Glad to see you in school this morning. I still need the Return to School form signed by your father. I have let it slide these last few days, but I need that form by Monday.” “I left it for him on the kitchen counter. I did not see him last night but will have him sign it this weekend and bring it in,” Ren replied. “Make sure you do. After your last episode, we need to make sure that everything is in your file,” Mr. Johnson said sternly. “I get it. By the way, that was not my fault. It was the piece of crap car I had. Factory defects! Trying to get my dad to sue them for putting out such a faulty car,” Ren said defensively. “I am sure it was. You had better get to class,” replied the vice principal as he showed him the door.

  As Ren headed to class, he saw Coach Givens standing in the doorway to the library. “Hey, Coach, any word from Cal? Are they going to stand by their offer?” Ren asked expectantly. “No, nothing yet. I wouldn’t expect too much. You can always start out in a JUCO program and reapply in a couple of years,” Coach replied. “JUCO? Heck no! No one with an arm like mine would be playing in no JUCO program. I threw for over 4,100 yards last year. That is more than Derek Carr did his senior year, and he is starting in the NFL,” Ren exclaimed. “Yes, but Derek had a clean record and was a good Christian boy,” Coach replied. “Christian? That looks good on a T-shirt, but it is fake. Makes a good PR image, but it ain’t nothing. Talent is what matters. So I had a little fender bender. I have talent, and I got us to the state title game this year, didn’t I?” Ren replied. “Yes, you have talent. God-given talent. Derek being a Christian is not fake. I got to meet him when he played at Fresno State. He is real. And your ‘little fender bender’ put four people in the hospital and did tens of thousands in damage to a bunch of cars. Ren, you are a special kid. You have more talent than 99 percent of the kids that come through this school. You need to learn to make better decisions, or you will be in for a lot of turmoil in your life,” Coach Givens reminded him. “Well, I am late for class,” Ren said as he left the coach standing there. The nerve of that guy! Without me, he would have had nothing this year. He owes me more respect than that. Besides, all Christians are fake. Mom was a Christian, and look at what she did, Ren thought to himself as he headed off to class. Two more months. Two more months. Just two more months and they can all kiss it ‘cause I am outa here.