by Nancy Star
“Consider yourself warned,” the ref said. “Next time, I’m carding you.”
Annie had no idea what that meant, but it didn’t sound good. Still, she nodded as if she understood.
The ref blew his whistle. The game resumed.
A man next to Annie yelled out, “Shoot,” but the ref didn’t take notice.
“Fourteen is open,” Peggy Ann screamed. “Watch behind you. Get around her. Attack.”
The ref remained oblivious.
“Go, Charlotte!” Annie yelled. The ref met her eyes and flashed what she understood was a second warning.
A woman walked over to her. “Did he threaten to throw you off the field?”
Miraculously, Annie remembered her name. Mona. “Yes,” she said.
“Don’t worry about it,” Mona said. “He always harasses us. He thinks it makes him seem impartial. Which he isn’t. He hates our team.”
Several Asteroid parents suddenly cheered. Annie and Mona turned to see a girl running back from the goal, arms in the air, triumphant. It was Charlotte and she had just scored.
“What do you know,” Mona said. “You have a kid who can actually play.”
“They’re all good,” Annie said, even though she had no idea.
Another cheer erupted. Again Charlotte raised her arms as she jogged back to the center of the field.
The other team followed up each Asteroid goal with a goal of its own. With only minutes left, the score was tied.
An opponent booted the ball high and hard toward the Asteroids’ goal. An Asteroid defender moved into position to block it.
“Okay,” Mona said. “We’re fine. Nadine is like a brick wall. Nothing gets past her.”
But as Nadine’s head connected with the ball, an opponent’s elbow connected with her rib cage. Nadine careened. The header went wild. The crowd watched in silence as the ball bounced off Nadine’s head and soared into the Asteroids’ own goal.
Five short whistles signaled the game was over.
“Don’t say that again,” a voice bellowed.
Annie turned to see Roy, the plumber, standing nose to nose with Chip.
“I didn’t say she did it on purpose,” Chip said.
The two teams lined up to walk past each other, single file, for their handshakes.
“Hey,” a girl called out from the other team. She pointed at Nadine. “She spit on her hand before she touched me. I saw it. She spit on her hand.”
“You think that’s how you’re going to get to move up?” Roy shouted at his daughter when she came off the line. “You think you’re going to move up pulling that kind of crap?”
The rest of the parents quickly retrieved their kids and dispersed. Mona and her daughter followed Annie and Charlotte to the parking lot. Roy stormed past them to his truck.
“Bad enough you scored on yourself,” he yelled. “Then you go let someone see you spit on your hand?”
Nadine’s shoulders slumped so low Annie thought she might actually collapse and fall to the ground.
Roy saw her staring. “You have something you want to say to me?”
“Come on, Roy,” Mona said. “These things happen.”
“Thank you very much,” Roy said. “I didn’t know these things happen. Thank you for telling me.” He turned to Annie. “You got something you want to add?”
“Yes,” Annie said. “Your daughter played with a lot of heart.”
Roy clenched his jaw. He looked at Charlotte, and his face changed. “You’re the one who played her heart out. You did a great job out there.”
“Thanks,” Charlotte said. She took a step back and moved so she was hidden behind her mother.
“Get in the truck,” Roy told Nadine.
Nadine got in and slammed her door. Roy blasted out of the parking lot.
Annie and Charlotte got in their car. Annie was about to back out when she saw Gerri hustling over. Annie rolled down her window.
“Charlotte,” Gerri said. “You are unbelievable.”
“Thanks,” Charlotte said.
“You’re going to bring up the level of play for the whole team,” Gerri said. “We are so lucky to have you. But I want to be sure you feel like this is a team where you can grow as a player. So if you want to do some extra technical training, I’ll work with you.”
“Okay,” Charlotte said. “If you want me to.”
“Is it okay with Mom?” Gerri asked.
Extra training sounded good to Annie. “Sounds great,” Annie said. “Maybe you could give me a few pointers too,” she added. “In case Charlotte ever wants to practice with me.”
“I think it’s better if I stick to practicing with my coach,” Charlotte said. “My mom doesn’t play sports,” she explained to Gerri. “That’s why she’s wearing a suit.”
Annie laughed. “I’m in a suit because I have to go into the city for a meeting.”
“If you’re interested,” Gerri told Annie, “you should come play on my other team. I coach a moms’ team too. It’s very low key. We just play for fun. You want to play with us?”
“That sounds great,” Annie said. “Count me in.”
“You can’t,” Charlotte said. “You have to work. You don’t have time.”
Annie checked her watch. “Wow. You know what? I’m late. We have to go. But I’ll call you,” she told Gerri. “I want to talk to you about that team.”
“What a bad idea,” Charlotte muttered as they drove off.
Annie decided to ignore the comment.
When they got to Trissy’s house, Trissy came running out to greet them dressed in her usual uniform of starched white shirt, pressed khakis, and fine leather driving shoes.
“How was the game?” she asked.
“Good,” Charlotte said. She accepted her aunt’s crushing hug and then began scratching the back of her neck.
Trissy sniffed the air around Charlotte’s head. “What is that smell? I know that smell.”
“Thank you so much for letting Charlotte come over,” Annie said.
“Hey, it’s a total treat for me. The boys are never here. And that includes Hank.” Trissy turned to Charlotte. “Can you do me a favor? Go in the kitchen, look for a big platter of cupcakes and bring it out here so your mom can have one.”
“Okay,” Charlotte said, and ran inside.
“Thanks but I can’t have a cupcake right now,” Annie said. “I have to go.”
“Before you go,” Trissy said, coming closer. “I just spoke to Hank. He said Tim isn’t in Atlanta. He’s at a conference in the city. I don’t know if you want to talk about it or not, but if something’s wrong with you and Tim, I’m here for you.”
“Nothing’s wrong,” Annie said. “Except maybe Hank. Could Hank be wrong?”
“Are you kidding?” Trissy laughed. “Wrong is Hank’s middle name.”
That made Annie feel a little better. “Tim definitely told me he’s in Atlanta,” she said. “I don’t think he would lie to me.”
Charlotte came out with the platter of cupcakes.
“Forget I said anything,” Trissy told her. “I’m sure Hank doesn’t know what he’s talking about, as usual. Just go get your work done. Charlotte and I are going to have a cupcake party.” She sniffed the air again. “That smell is so familiar.”
“Maybe it’s the smell of soccer,” Annie said.
“Could be,” Trissy said, satisfied with the answer.
Annie kissed Charlotte good-bye and walked to her car.
“I think what you smell is lice shampoo,” Charlotte said as they stepped inside the house.
Annie quickly drove off before Trissy had a change of heart.
Sixteen
POWER POINTERS—August 15th!!! News of the Day
Attention new players: All Power Pointers News of the Day bulletins begin with a review of the previous week’s practice and game! Please regard these reviews as the important learning tools they are!!
By today, all new players as well as all old playe
rs should have reviewed, and/or learned for the first time, the Winslow West Philosophy Regarding Mistakes.
Mistakes are a welcome and important part of the learning process!! They are not something to be feared or avoided!!
However, since the point of mistakes is to learn from them, there is absolutely no excuse whatsoever for making the same mistake twice.
I suggest everyone memorize this simple yet crucial concept: New mistakes—a sign of aggressive play. Repeated mistakes—not tolerated!!
Scrimmage Review: I’m sure we are all in agreement that our scrimmage Sunday was not played to our best ability!! While we did dominate the field, we can take no pride in either the score or in the aftermath, namely our opponents’ crying like little children!! Had they had any skills at all, the game would have had a different outcome indeed!!! Especially disappointing was to see some of our players execute crosses and tackles in a sloppy fashion.
Remember: Winning comes down to touches on the ball!! No doubt, someday each of you will meet a competitor who has touched the ball more often than you have. Indeed, someday you may meet a player who sleeps with the ball. When you meet that player, will you be ready? Are you ready now?
Complaint Department:
Several players have recently expressed surprise that playing in August means playing in the heat. Let me remind you that complaints about the heat do not help us play better, nor do they make the temperature cooler!!
As for the players who complain of stinging because of sunscreen in their eyes, this is what sweatbands are for!!!
Please note that as of today the Complaint Department is Officially Closed!!!!
Special Notice for Great Play at last week’s Scrimmage goes to:
Shelby—Congratulations!!! Your eight shots on goal were mind-blowing!!!
Evelyn—I am pleased to report that our opponents’ coach asked to see your playing card to verify your birth date. This is a high compliment, indeed!!!!!!!
Bobbi—There are not many goalkeepers who are willing to play on after sacrificing a tooth for a win, let alone two teeth! We were all as disappointed as you that the ref insisted you leave the field simply because of a few drops of blood on the ground. We trust your dentist will do a fine repair job and look forward to seeing you at practice on Monday, mouth guard on, please!!!
Jolie—A special thank-you for stepping in as substitute goalkeeper at such short notice. We are all very happy to hear that you have agreed to join Bobbi at the Friday afternoon specialized goalkeeper training class!!!
Dinah—Congratulations on your third yellow card of the summer!
Mud Alert: I have recently noticed that many players seem to have forgotten that muddy cleats are a sign of disrespect! To be sure that all Power players learn good soccer hygiene, as of today I am requiring all cleats to be cleaned immediately after every practice and polished before every game! To ensure that this new practice is strictly observed, I will begin holding Random Soccer Cleat Inspections immediately!! Anyone who does not comply will have ample opportunity to polish her cleats during the next game, which she will be spending on the bench!
Please note: The Winslow West Soccer-Plex Store will soon have a large inventory of soccer cleats, each one personally approved by me! Having a spare pair of cleats will make complying with our hygiene program much easier.
If you have any questions regarding the Winslow West Soccer-Plex Store, please speak to our Store Manager, Vicki West!!!
Tournament Update: Our next tournament is the Twin Oaks Labor Day Tournament! Please have all girls on the field by 6:30 a.m. on game day. Also, please plan on all girls’ remaining available at the park all day, on all three days, since additional game opportunities do occasionally arise!
Parents, good news! This one is only a three-hour drive away!
Gwen—On behalf of the entire team, please do not forget to take your Dramamine!!!!
Remember, I am not available for discussion on game weekends or tournament weekends at any time.
Good Luck to One and All from Winslow West!!
Seventeen
You’re late,” Sondra snapped when the elevator doors opened.
“I’m sorry. Eight minutes. I know,” Annie said. “My daughter’s soccer game ran late. Traffic was awful. The elevator stopped on every floor. I’m so sorry.”
“I just want to make sure we understand each other,” Sondra said as she led Annie to the conference room. “My job is on the line here. And I need my job. It is not something I do to keep busy.”
“Of course it isn’t,” Annie said.
“And tomorrow morning, at nine o’clock, I need to stand at the head of this table and present a winning deck or I am gone. Can your brain handle that after a hard day watching soccer?”
Annie closed her eyes for a moment, to focus. Okay, Sondra was both insane and mean-spirited. But she was also Annie’s only client. Annie took a deep breath and smiled. “The presentation will be brilliant. Ready to begin?”
“I cannot believe it’s come to this,” Sondra grumbled. “Working on a Sunday.”
“We are a formidable team,” Annie said. “Super A. Elite. The best.”
“Huh?” Sondra wasn’t really listening. She pushed a thick pile of papers across the table. “Here. I made a few notes while I was waiting.”
Annie looked at the top page. It was covered with illegible scribble.
“You know what the problem is, don’t you?” Sondra asked.
Annie had no idea. She waited to hear.
“The problem is—Who works on Sundays?”
Annie assumed this was a rhetorical question.
“Hello?” Sondra asked. “Are you still here?”
Annie assumed wrong. “Policemen,” she said. “Nurses. Doctors. Bus drivers. Athletes. Newscasters.” She tried to think of more.
“Wrong,” Sondra said. “Losers. Losers work on Sundays. How did I get here? I met with you a full week ago and a week later we still have nothing.”
“Let’s start out by talking about our mission,” Annie said.
“When you got up from this table last week, didn’t you notice the folder was empty? I mean one minute it’s an inch thick and the next minute it’s got nothing in it. You didn’t notice that?”
Annie was surprised it had taken this long for the missing papers to become her fault. She pushed on. “I see three major missions. The Corporate Mission, the Upper Management Mission, and the Mission of the Employee.”
“You want to know what my mission is?” Sondra asked.
“Your mission is my number one concern.”
“My mission,” Sondra said, “is to show up at the H-ROC meeting with the best deck anyone has ever created.”
“We can do that,” Annie said.
“My mission is to bring Ralph to his knees with awe.”
“Easily done,” Annie promised. “We will awe Ralph.”
“But most important of all, my mission is to never ever work on a Sunday again. Do you think we can manage all that?”
“We can satisfy every one of your personal missions,” Annie said. “As well as the missions of your core audiences. Let’s talk about those audiences.”
“It’s Sunday,” Sondra said.
“Let’s start with Upper Management.”
“I can’t believe I’m here on a Sunday,” Sondra said.
“We want to be sure our message is saturating through the entire chain of command,” Annie said.
“None of those assholes ever worked a goddamn Sunday in their lives.”
Annie needed to shift Sondra’s attention. “Okay,” she said. “Game time.”
“What?”
“We’re going to divide the presentation into halves. At halftime, we’ll stop and examine our game. We’ll look at we’ve accomplished and what we have left to do.”
“What are you talking about?” Sondra asked.
“Who’s the decision maker in the room tomorrow?” Annie countered.
Sondr
a didn’t need to think about that one. “Ralph.”
“Right,” Annie said. “So we’re going to construct the presentation for a Ralph brain. I guarantee you, Ralph thinks in halves.”
“I don’t get it,” Sondra said, but at least now she was listening.
“In our first half we’ll push hard on the Corporate and Upper Management Missions,” Annie said. “In the second half we’ll attack the Mission of the Employees. You will win the meeting tomorrow. We just have to get everyone’s end visions aligned. Do you have a copy of your organizational chart?”
“Goddamn Sunday,” Sondra muttered one last time, but she went and got it.
It was nearly two in the morning when Sondra finally said, “We are done,” and, even more surprisingly, “This is good. You know,” she admitted, “you’re actually better than I thought you’d be.”
Annie decided to take that as a compliment. “Thanks,” she said. “I guess that means we’ll continue with the next project.”
Sondra began gathering the material that had sprawled out across the table. “Sure. I’d love to work with you again.”
“Great,” Annie said.
They headed toward the elevator. Annie pressed the button. The doors opened. Annie got in.
“But I don’t make those decisions,” Sondra said.
“Pardon me?” The doors began to close. Annie pushed the Open button and held it. “You don’t make those decisions?”
Sondra laughed. “Not anymore.”
The elevator door began to ding.
“Who does?” Annie asked.
“Ralph. It’s all Ralph all the time around here now. If Ralph likes you, you’re in. If Ralph doesn’t like you . . .”
The buzzer became a siren.
“I have to go get my bag,” Sondra said. “You’d better let go of that door or security is going to come up with their guns drawn.”
Annie let go. The doors closed. The elevator began its descent.
Ralph. Her future was in the hands of Ralph, whom she’d never met.
Annie closed her eyes, just for a second, but in that second she drifted off. She woke with a start as the doors closed and the elevator began its climb again.