“You have other men in your phone that start with the letterM?”
“The entire alphabet,” I said.
“I think that makes me jealous,” Maverick said.
“Like you got jealous over a dog?” I asked with a smile.
I had been holding that one in since it happened.
“That’s not cool to say,” Maverick said. “I wasn’t jealous. I was getting into game mode.”
“Not a chance. You were jealous.”
“The puppy was licking your neck.”
“So?”
“I…” Maverick sighed. “Why did you call me, sweetie?”
“Oh, someone is getting upset,” I said.
“I will hang up on you.”
“Go ahead. Then you’ll miss the big news.”
“Big news?”
“I got a gig.”
“Okay. What kind of gig?”
“I’m going to be taking pictures at a wedding.”
“Really?”
“Yeah. I just met with the bride-to-be and she hired me.”
“Are you quitting taking pictures of the team then?” Maverick asked. “Because I’ll miss you around here.”
“You’ll miss me?”
“Just like you miss me,” Maverick said.
“Can we just talk about me for a second?”
“Sure. I think that’s awesome, sweetie. You’ve wanted to do something like this for a while, right?”
“Yes.”
“And now you’re doing it. A wedding. That’s a big gig. That’s the biggest day in someone’s life. Those are pictures that will last forever. Those pictures will get passed down through generations.”
“So, no pressure on me, right?” I asked.
“None at all,” Maverick said. “I mean, you know, just don’t fuck it up.”
“Wow, thanks,” I said. “You’re not going to tell me how great I’m going to do with it?”
“I don’t know if you’re a good photographer or not.”