Naked Hero - The Journey Away

to have mentioned this, Jim? I mean... Oh fuck! You realise that Lewis thinks they’re just having a friendly knock up. Scott’s out there assessing the lad, and he’s not getting a true picture. You had better get this sorted out PDQ Jim.”
    “Aye, all right! You distract Scott for a minute, while I go and have a word with Lewis.”
    “Distract him? What, shall I sing Dixie or something?” joked Mike, aware as he was of Scott’s Southern heritage.
    “Just go and introduce yourself!” snapped Jim, in no mood for frivolity. “Tell him how chuffed you are that he’s helping us out. Butter him up! I’m sure you can come up with something.”
    “All right – I’ll go and do some arse licking... Best of luck with Lewis!”
    They entered the court together, Jim calling out at the first break in play. “Can I have a quick word, Lewis?”
    He got a scowl of mild annoyance which didn’t bode well. Jim feared that his boy was still seriously hacked off with him and that an untimely scene was about to be made . But instead of a tongue lashing he got a question in response. “It can’t be time already! Surely we don’t have to go yet?”
    “Can you just come over here for a minute, please?” Jim persisted.
    Lewis could hear the strain in his coach’s voice, and reluctantly headed towards him. He too was worried about an unfortunate scene – Jim kicking off and embarrassing him in front of Scott - who for some odd reason was being hijacked by Mike.
    “Come on, Jim ,” Lewis said quietly on reaching his coach. “So I had a wee tantrum yesterday. It’s not that big a deal, surely.”
    “Never mind that!” blurted Jim just as quiet. “Has he said anything to you?”
    “Scott! No... Well, not much. Why do you ask?”
    “Then what’s happening here?”
    “What does it look like? We’re playing some points. I was watching him for a while and he invited me to have a knockabout. Do you not realise what this means to me? It’s Scott Taylor for heaven’s sake, and he asked me to play with him. Me! Here! In front of anyone who cares to stop and gawp! Now can I get back out there? He’s probably only got the court till ten... then we move on.”
    “He’ll be moving on with us,” growled Jim. “That’s what I was trying to tell you last night. Scott’s agreed to help out with your preparations over the next few days.”
    Lewis stared at him in disbelief. “You are kidding me!”
    “No. Now don’t show me up. Just act like you knew.”
    “When was this sorted out?”
    “Yesterday, after your match - I had a word with him once you left the court.”
    Lewis’s jaw dropped whilst his mind did a few summersaults. “He was at the match? Are you telling me he saw that?”
    “Aye, he was there.”
    “Bloody hell!” Lewis exclaimed, not overly happy. It was hardly the performance he would have chosen for his idol to witness. Then pushed by one of those flips going on in his mind a penny finally dropped. “Hold on a minute! It was him, wasn’t it? He was the other one who shouted out. What’s going on, Jim? How the hell did you get someone like Scott Taylor to work with me?”
    “Questions later, Lewis. He’s coming over, so keep it cool... Ah, Scott! So you found him then!”
    “He found me,” replied the American as he joined them, Mike grinning wildly at his side. “I was getting some practice in before having to face him, but got caught short.”
    Still in a daze, Lewis stood to the side totally tongue-tied. None of it seemed real to him. He was the kid again, dumbstruck in the presence of his idol. He couldn’t comprehend how this had come about. Just to have been on court with Scott Taylor was a dream fulfilled, to have his acceptance was a massive boast to his battered ego – but to work him, that didn’t seem possible.
    “We should go over to our court now,” said Jim. “I can see Mario waiting for us. Lewis, will you go on ahead and start knocking up with him? I want a word with Scott. We’ll be there in a minute.”
    “Sure, Jim,” replied Lewis. Then as he was walking off he turned to Scott Taylor, unable to contain the beaming smile that spread across his face. “Thanks for yesterday... And thanks even more for today. I don’t understand why - but thanks anyway.” With that he trotted off to join Mario, with Mike Crawford trailing behind - the trainer whistling merrily to himself and it had a distinctly Confederate sound.
    “He didn’t know, did he, Jim?” asked