Two Steps Back by Belle Payton

out.”
    â€œMarcy, look who’s coming,” said Candace, gesturing down the block.
    Alex looked too. Ava was coming toward them at a race-walk pace, followed close behind by their dad. Alex held in a gasp.
    â€œWell, well, well,” said Marcy. “It seems we might just have an angle after all.”
    Coach shook hands with Marcy and the rest of her crew. “I understand you need a statement,” he said with a wry smile.
    â€œCoach Sackett!” said Marcy, in a breathy voice. “How nice of you to join us! Yes, we would be delighted if Alexandra could conduct a quick interview with you on your thoughts about Tom being a musician.”
    Marcy’s whole demeanor had transformed. Suddenly she was all smiles and seemed a little abashed to be in Coach’s presence, as though he were a movie star or something. Sometimes Alex forgot that her dad had this effect on people.
    â€œSure,” said Coach. “Where would you like us to stand?”
    â€œWait!” said Alex.
    Everyone turned.
    â€œI need to get Tom’s permission,” she said. “After all, this is his story.”
    â€œYou’re right, Alex,” said Coach. “Go ask him.”
    Of course Tommy was fine with it. “Heck yeah,” he said. “This piece of yours has been the best free publicity anyone could ask for!”
    By this time Tommy, Harley, and Jackson had joined the rest of the group outside the café. Their well-wishers moved over to the interview area to watch.
    The cameraman gave the signal, and Alex stood side by side with her father. She beamed into the camera, once again feeling electrified and euphoric as soon as the little red light went on.
    â€œWe’re rolling,” said the cameraman.
    â€œSo, Coach Sackett, I mean, Dad,” said Alex, “how do you feel about your son pursuing his artistic dream?”
    â€œI’m proud of him. Truly, deeply happy that he’s become the person that he is.” Coach was also very relaxed in front of the camera. This didn’t surprise Alex, of course, as he’d been mobbed by the press ever since he’d accepted the position of coach of the Tigers, and he’d done dozens upon dozens of interviews.
    â€œAnd what if one day soon, your son chooses music over football? How will you feel then?” It was a question Alex had been longing to ask her father for some time now. How weird that she was finally asking it of him here, in front of a crowd and with a camera rolling.
    Everyone waited to hear what Coach would say.
    Coach considered the question. “I’ve said this to my children many times: Sports don’t matter. And yet, they matter a great deal. That’s a paradox we live with.” He beckoned to Tommy with a finger, and Tommy wove his way through the little crowd until he was standing before the camera alongside Alex and their father. Ava stepped into the frame as well, and Coach put an arm around Tommy’s shoulder. “I have chosen to pursue a path where sports matter a great deal. But my one hope for my children, besides good health, is that they choose to pursue a path that leads to a rich and satisfying life. Not just the life of the body, or even the life of the mind, but the life of the heart. And if Tom’s heart tells him that music is what matters most to him, I will support him, gladly, and with all my heart.”
    Alex, who had been holding the microphone for her father, nodded. Out of the corner of her eye, she saw Marcy pump the air with her fist. She supposed that meant that Coach had come through with what Marcy wanted.
    â€œThanks, Coach,” said Alex, and with her eyes she told him just how much she meant it.
    â€œThat’s a wrap!” shouted Marcy, and everyone clapped and cheered.

    After the news crew left and Tom, Harley, and Jackson went off to sign CDs for people, Ava found herself alone with Alex. Ava could see the gratitude in her