This was worse than Jasper thought.
The team finished their prep, Coach Wallace talked them through their game plan and they had their usual team hug.
‘Play fair, play well and play as a team,’ he said, before adding, ‘And Jasper?’
Jasper said nothing. He was looking through the gap between Mugger and Noggin at Lil’s dad.
‘Jasper?’
Diego nudged Jasper’s foot with his boot.
‘Sorry?’
Coach Wallace spelt it out clearly. ‘No daydreaming.’
‘Yep. Right. Absolutely. No daydreaming.’
Some of the others giggled as they pulled away from the hug.
‘Go the Rovers!’ Lil started the cry that was taken up by the rest of the team as they began jogging on the spot ready for the ref to call for the pre-game handshake.
Jasper looked across at his dad just before the ref started the game. And there, as usual, was his big smile that made Jasper feel like he could do anything. Despite the fact that his family were on the brink of total ruin, it was good to see him there.
The game got off to a good start. Both the Rovers and the Vikings created a strong defence and even Tricky had a hard time losing his marker, but it didn’t take long for Nutmeg to gain possession of the ball and get a quick pass to Nippy, who’d seen a space open up in front of her.
Nippy dribbled the ball down the wing as fast as she could, until the opposition quickly swooped on her and she became cornered. She saw Lil about to break free into open space and, taking a chance, Nippy sent the ball directly in front of her. Lil spun away from her marker and burst forward to meet the pass. With a quick flick of the outside of her boot, she kicked the ball to a ready Mugger. Then, in a quick one-two, she took it back and drove a decisive and thundering kick into the back of the net.
It was a great play. It had precision, planning and superb teamwork.
The Rovers went crazy!
They instantly surrounded Lil and jostled her with excited hugs. She turned toward the sideline to spot her dad. She couldn’t see him at first, until her eyes landed on the car park.
He was on the phone and getting into his car.
‘Great goal, Lil!’ The goal had made Jasper forget about their dads as he was jostled in the hugs of the other players.
Lil had stopped jumping around and pulled away from the others.
Jasper looked to where she was staring and saw a fancy red car drive away.
‘Dad’s leaving,’ Lil said.
Jasper’s face erupted into a huge smile. So there wouldn’t be a fight after all. Lil’s dad was a big guy and if there had been a fight he knew it was his dad who would have got it.
But his smile was short-lived with what Lil said next.
‘He didn’t see the goal.’
She blinked a few times and pushed her hair out of her eyes before jogging back to the others.
Jasper saw his dad clapping and waving to him. He waved back. He was happy that his dad had seen the goal and that he wasn’t going to jail, but as he walked back to take his position on the field, he saw Lil’s disappointed face looking back at the car park and he wondered why something that felt so good a minute before now seemed so terrible.
JOHNNY SAYS:
Always play with confidence, despite the odds. Play as if you can still win – because you probably can! Soccer scores are often low, so one or two goals at the last minute can make all the difference.
Jasper had been avoiding Lil for days, but when she saw him on her way to school hiding behind a rubbish bin just as a council truck arrived to empty it, she decided she’d had enough.
‘Okay. Why are you avoiding me?’
Jasper jumped away from the rising bin and landed squarely up against a prickly hedge. As multiple thorns poked into his back, he knew he looked like a thief caught red-handed. No matter how hard he tried to get out of it, he was sprung.
But that didn’t stop him giving it a go.
‘I wasn’t avoiding you.’ He tried to pull himself away from the bush and felt the thorns snag at his shirt.
‘So what’s with the hat and glasses?’
A banana peel from the emptying bin flew into the air and landed smack on his dad’s large terry towelling sun hat.
‘Ummmm …’ He tried to work out how to explain the hat and the oversized sunglasses he’d borrowed from his mother’s dressing table.
The garbage truck had finished with the bin and slammed it to the ground before growling its way down the street.
Jasper paused, hoping his brain would kick in and finally understand that this was an emergency and it needed to be very smart, very quickly.
‘The sun … it hurts my eyes and I don’t want them getting old before their time.’
Lil gave Jasper a look that told him the last few seconds of brain activity had been a total waste of time. Then her face softened.
‘I thought we were friends.’
Jasper suddenly imagined himself with a giant sign above his head that said
‘LOSER’
in bright, flashing neon.
His decision to stay away from Lil out of loyalty for his dad had seemed like the right thing to do, but now, seeing Lil’s sad face, he wasn’t so sure.
He took off the banana peel, the hat and the glasses and decided to tell Lil the truth.
‘My dad quit his job because he said your dad wasn’t letting him spend enough time with his family, which has made my grandad really angry because he thinks it’s more important to have a job than actually like it, so they’re not talking anymore and we may be facing living on the street and possibly starvation and everything was going just fine until my mum said you were pretty and smart and it all started going downhill from there.’
It spilled out as one giant avalanche of words collapsing everywhere and hopefully, Jasper thought, making some kind of sense.
‘So that’s why you didn’t want my dad coming to the game?’ she asked quietly. Then she scowled. ‘Why didn’t you just tell me?’
‘Ah … because … it was just …’ Come on, brain! Just this once do what you’re supposed to do.
But it was no good. Jasper’s brain had conked out completely.
‘At least that explains who my dad was talking about,’ Lil worked out.
‘Your dad talked about my dad?’
‘He said he’d lost the best employee he was ever likely to have. And that he seemed like a really nice guy, only now he’d never know.’
‘Your dad said that about my dad?’
‘Yeah, and if you get yourself out of those bushes and stop questioning everything I say, we can try to figure out a way to sort out this mess.’
Jasper looked around and realised he was still stuck in the hedge like an oversized Christmas tree ornament. He grimaced and carefully plucked himself out.
‘Friends?’ Lil asked quietly.
‘Friends,’ Jasper answered.
‘And no acting weird around me anymore?’
Jasper blushed. ‘Promise.’
‘And no more hiding behind bins?’
Jasper shuffled his shoe in the dirt and looked down at the banana peel he still had in his hands. ‘No bins.’
‘Good. Now here’s my plan.’
Lil picked the thorns from his shirt as she plotted what they should do next.
‘As my dad says, when you have problems, you have to face them head on.’
‘There isn’t an easier way?’ Jasper knew by Lil’s determined look that the answer was no.
‘Life is like a game of soccer. Even if there are differences of opinion, you have to face your opponents together and without fear.’
It was true. Nannu had said it often enough. But there was one problem.
‘And if there is fear?’ Jasper asked nervously.
‘Pretend.’ Lil had this smile that made Jasper realise she wasn’t going to be talked out of her plan.
‘We can sort out our dads later. First, you an
d I need to work out a way to get your dad and grandad talking again. Here’s what we’ll do.’
As Jasper and Lil made their way towards their schools, Lil’s arms propellered around her wildly as she got more and more excited about her plan. Jasper walked carefully beside her, still feeling the effects of the thorns with each step. He tried to look as excited as Lil. He really wanted her plan to work, but he couldn’t get rid of the feeling crawling around in the pit of his stomach that told him things were about to get very ugly.
JOHNNY SAYS:
Players lose games for their teams every day by ‘losing it’ and getting sent off. It disrupts everyone’s focus, throws out the set team plays you’ve been practising for weeks, and upsets the rhythm of the game. Staying relaxed under pressure is the sign of a top player, particularly in the heat of a football game – these are the true leaders, who can have a positive effect on the whole team.
It had been over a week since Nannu had walked out of the house. He’d kept up his soccer training with Jasper but hadn’t come inside or spoken to Jasper’s dad. He even refused to come inside for dinner, and made his own meals on his portable stove in the flat. Hopefully, with Lil’s plan, that was all about to change.
‘Are you sure he got it?’ Lil stood on the back steps of Jasper’s house and looked down at the flat. She was wearing a dress and had a white napkin draped over her arm.
‘I poked it under his door with a stick to make sure it wouldn’t blow away.’
Jasper was wearing a suit and also had a white napkin on his arm. It had been a long time since he’d worn the suit and he must have been much shorter when he did. It rose high above his ankles and squeezed around his arms and legs like a python, threatening to cut off his circulation any minute.
They both watched the door of Nannu’s flat, hoping it would open any second.
‘Do you think he’ll come?’ Lil asked, suddenly feeling nervous.
‘Hope so.’ Jasper knew Nannu could be stubborn, but how could he resist their invitation?
Dear Nannu
You are invited to a magnificent dinner in the dining
room of the Zammit home at 6 p.m. tonight.
Your hosts will be Liliana and Jasper.
Dress: Smart casual
We hope to see you there.
From Jasper and Lil
It was then that the door to the flat opened.
‘He’s coming.’ Lil hitched up her skirt and ran down to the flat.
Nannu buttoned up his jacket.
‘Do I look smart casual enough?’ He glanced at his dusty shoes and rubbed them one by one against the back of each trouser leg.
Jasper had rarely seen Nannu in a suit. He had a whiff of aftershave about him and had even managed to calm down his wispy curls. ‘You look great.’
Lil was happy the first part of her plan was working. ‘Without a doubt, you’re the best looking man for miles.’
Nannu blushed. ‘I haven’t worn this suit since …’ He looked away. ‘Well, for a long time.’
‘I bet you look better in it now than you ever did.’ Lil held out her arm. ‘Ready for dinner, sir?’
‘On one condition.’ Nannu suddenly looked serious and bent down to whisper to Lil. ‘Jasper hasn’t done any of the cooking, has he? He’s a great talent on the soccer field but putting him in the kitchen is just plain dangerous for my health.’
‘Don’t worry, Nannu,’ Jasper assured him with a crooked smile. ‘Mum did most of it. Lil and I only helped.’
Nannu ran his hand over his carefully combed hair. ‘What are we waiting for?’
Inside, the table was laid out with polished silver, their best tablecloth, a small vase of flowers and even candles.
‘Welcome to your magnificent dinner.’ Jasper’s mum kissed Nannu on the forehead and pulled out a chair.
Lil laid a serviette across his lap and Jasper offered him his favourite fizzy bitter orange drink.
‘Are you sure you’re not preparing me for some bad news?’
‘We just wanted to make a fuss over you, that’s all,’ Lil smiled.
Jasper’s dad walked in the front door. ‘Hello all!’ He’d been out buying the newspaper.
Jasper and Lil looked nervously at each other. If they were going to make this work, the next few moments were crucial.
Jasper’s dad had his nose buried in the paper when he walked into the kitchen and as soon as he looked up, his smile nose-dived. ‘Hello, Pop.’
Nannu turned away slightly and looked like he’d sucked on a lemon. ‘Son.’
And that was it. Nothing more. Neither of them said anything else.
It looked like their plan was going to need a little help. Lil gave Jasper a nod. Now was a good time to bring out the food.
‘Dinner is served,’ Lil announced grandly.
She and Jasper began bringing out the dishes. Ravioli, lasagne, home-made pastizzis and even Nannu’s favourite recipe from Malta, rabbit stew.
They all sat down at the table, and pretty soon, led by Lil, Jasper and his mum, the atmosphere softened and everyone started talking. The rabbit stew was a big hit with Nannu and Jasper’s dad agreed with him, only they didn’t say it to each other but to Lil and Jasper instead.
Jasper gave Lil a relieved smile. It looked like her plan was going to work.
Until what happened next.
Jasper’s dad held up his glass. ‘To a magnificent meal.’
Everyone clinked their glasses over the last remaining morsels of dinner.
Everyone except Nannu.
‘All this food is very nice, but where’s it going to come from when the money runs out?’
Jasper’s dad put down his glass and tried to stay calm.
‘Sometimes there are more important things than simply having an income.’
‘Not when you have a family.’ Nannu sniffed. ‘You’d be better off trading in those fancy ideas for a job to support your family.’
‘More ravioli?’ Jasper sprang from his chair and lifted the dish up between the two men, but his dad carefully pushed it away.
‘Don’t do it again, Pop,’ he said.
Jasper only just saved the ravioli from sliding to the floor.
Nannu squinted until his eyes were almost shut. ‘Don’t do what?’
‘You know exactly what.’ Jasper’s dad said it quietly, but it was like the first rumblings of thunder, warning you that a storm’s about to hit.
Jasper looked at the two men eyeing each other off. Something had obviously happened in their past that Jasper didn’t know about.
‘No.’ Nannu was getting fired up. ‘Why don’t you say it out loud?’
Jasper was getting nervous. Whatever this thing was between them, neither of them looked like they were going to back down.
‘Because you know what I want to say.’
‘Humph. There’s nothing to say,’ Nannu answered stubbornly.
Jasper’s dad stood up straight, with a purposeful look in his eyes that frightened Jasper. Lil gave him a brief smile that seemed to say ‘this wasn’t part of the plan’.
‘Actually, there is. The last soccer game I played. Do you remember that?’
Jasper’s head shot round to face his dad. He’d played soccer? His dad wasn’t even interested in soccer, except for the Rovers. And he’d definitely never mentioned that he’d played.
‘Mmm,’ Nannu growled.
‘I wasn’t ready to play. The doctor said my knee was too weak, that after the fall I’d been working it too hard, but you thought you knew better. And you know what? I was only playing because you wanted me to. All I ended up doing was making my knee worse.’
Nannu looked like someone had just punched him in the stomach.
‘But I thought that was just you …’
‘Being lazy. Yeah, I know, you told me.’
Dad lazy? Jasper frowned in shock. You could call his dad a lot of things, like a bad dresser, a hopeless dancer and a menace to society when he sang, but y
ou could never call him lazy.
‘I just wish you’d listened more to what I wanted,’ Jasper’s dad said softly.
Jasper’s grandad slowly stood up, pushed his chair in and walked towards the door. ‘Thanks for the dinner, kids.’
And that was it. Not only had Jasper and Lil’s plan failed, it had made everything far worse than it ever had been.
JOHNNY SAYS:
Don’t be distracted if other players try to put you off your game. It’s ungentlemanly conduct and the referee should pull them up on it – but the best way to shut them up is to outplay them!
‘I’m sorry about your dad and grandad.’
Lil laced up her boots on the sideline as she and Jasper got ready for their third game of the season.
‘Yeah. Me too. Your plan was good. It would have worked if they weren’t both so stubborn.’
Jasper tried to smile but it came out more like he’d just stepped in dog poo.
His family were in big trouble. Not only were they in danger of being kicked out of their house, his nannu and dad seemed further away from talking to each other than ever. To make things worse, he’d overheard his parents talking in whispers in the lounge room after he’d gone to bed. He’d quietly opened his door and listened. They said a lot of things, but mostly how they were going to have to make a lot of changes now that money was so tight. Then his mum added, ‘No matter how bad things get, the most important thing is that Jasper is not to worry.’
His dad agreed.
Jasper had closed the door, crept back to bed and lay awake for hours, worrying.
‘It’ll be okay.’ Lil put every ounce of encouragement into her smile.
Jasper finished lacing his boot. He looked up.
‘And what if it’s not?’
Normally Lil had an answer for everything but, seeing Jasper’s sad face, she suddenly didn’t know what to say.
‘You two going to play the whole game from the sidelines?’
Coach Wallace stood above them waiting for an answer.
Jasper looked up at the fields around him. There were kids, coaches, managers and parents everywhere. All getting ready for the games that were about to start. For the first time in his life, Jasper didn’t want to play. With all that was happening, he felt he wouldn’t have cared if he ever played again.
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