Specky Magee and the Spirit of the Game

by Felice Arena

  ‘That’s nice cologne you’re wearing,’ she said to Danny.

  ‘You like it? You don’t think it stinks?’

  ‘No. It’s very manly.’

  Specky couldn’t believe what he was hearing.

  ‘Hey, I know this might make me sound like a total loser,’ Maria added. ‘But I asked my brother if I could tag along tonight ’cause I was hoping you were going to be here. I saw you play footy the other day and I thought you were really good.’

  ‘You did?’

  She nodded.

  Specky felt like a tennis umpire watching the conversation go back and forth. By the looks of it, the score was love all.

  ‘Yep,’ she smiled at Danny. ‘I try to catch every game you play.’

  ‘You do?’

  ‘Yeah. In fact, remember when you went out and played that awesome game in honour of your grandmother? Well, that inspired me to do my best at the national athletic championships. And I won everything I entered.’

  ‘You did?’ gulped Danny. They stopped talking for a moment and just looked at each other.

  ‘Danny, I know what everyone calls me behind my back,’ Maria said, finally looking away. ‘But I don’t care. It’s kind of a compliment. I’m never gonna be some stick-thin girl. This is the shape I need to be if I’m going to make it in running. You know what I mean?’

  Danny nodded. ‘Do you wanna go and get a drink, Maria?’ he said, suddenly grinning.

  They headed into the kitchen together while Specky watched in disbelief. Who would’ve thought? Danny and the Gladiator!

  ‘Did I just see…’ asked Robbo as he and Gobba returned with drinks in hand.

  ‘Was that Maria Testi… and Danny?’ asked Tiger Girl, bouncing back from the dance floor with Monique.

  ‘Yep!’ said Specky. Robbo and Gobba gave the girls their drinks. They downed them in seconds, their faces flushed from dancing.

  ‘Ben?’ Monique said.

  ‘Yes,’ beamed Gobba, as if he were a puppy about to receive a treat.

  ‘I did not notice before, but that thing on your lip… ’Ow do you say that in English?’

  ‘That’s a dirty big cold sore,’ stirred Robbo.

  Gobba jabbed his elbow into Robbo’s side. ‘It’s only a small one,’ he croaked.

  ‘Well, do not kiss anyone tonight,’ Monique continued. ‘They are very – ’ow do you say? Contagious?’

  Specky and Robbo tried hard not to laugh.

  ‘Yeah, right. I’ll try not to,’ replied Gobba, gutted. ‘I’m going to see the Great McCarthy.’

  ‘Hey, I gotta talk to you,’ Tiger Girl said in Specky’s ear as a dejected Gobba slunk away and Monique started dancing with one of Alice’s friends. ‘Can we go somewhere quieter?’

  ‘So, what’s up?’ Specky asked as he and Tiger Girl walked into his room, the music thumping from downstairs.

  ‘I just wanted to tell you who likes you, but I didn’t want to tell you in front of everyone –’

  ‘But I already know,’ said Specky, cutting Tiger Girl off.

  ‘You do?’

  ‘Yeah,’ said Specky. ‘It’s obvious.’

  ‘It is?’

  Specky nodded. ‘I’m flattered,’ he added. ‘But, I just really like Christina. Plus, it’d be kind of crazy for me to go out with Monique when she’s only going to be in the country for another couple of weeks anyway. And she’s not really my type.’

  ‘Monique?’ said Tiger Girl. ‘Who’s talking about Monique?’

  ‘I thought you were,’ said Specky. ‘You told me someone liked me, and then she came to see me train and play footy.’

  ‘Monique doesn’t like you.’

  ‘She doesn’t?’ said Specky, suddenly feeling incredibly embarrassed.

  ‘No,’ exclaimed Tiger Girl. ‘Monique likes Brian.’

  ‘Brian?’ repeated Specky.

  ‘Yeah. That’s why she turned up at the State training, you goose.’

  It took a moment for it all to sink in. Specky laughed nervously.

  ‘So, who did you mean, then?’

  Tiger Girl’s face flushed brightly and she turned away.

  ‘You?’ Specky said softly.

  Tiger Girl nodded.

  ‘You like me?’ Specky was stumped. He struggled to find the right words.

  ‘Look,’ she said. ‘I know we’re just friends. But ever since Monique arrived, she’s been getting all this attention from all the boys. It made me wonder, why doesn’t anyone like me? Who do I like? And, well, I thought of you. But I got the guilts, ’cause of, you know… everything.’

  Specky shuffled uncomfortably on the spot. This was turning out to be more intense than any football match he had ever played.

  ‘And then, because you said you liked me, I thought I’d say what I was thinking and –’

  ‘Whoa, hang on,’ stammered Specky. ‘I didn’t say I liked you. Not like that.’

  ‘Didn’t you?’ said Tiger Girl. ‘The other day at school you said there was someone that liked me – I thought that meant you.’

  ‘No!’ Specky said. ‘It’s Robbo! Robbo likes you.’

  ‘Robbo?’ she squealed.

  Specky nodded.

  ‘But I don’t like Robbo!’ There was a long pause. ‘What if, deep down, I’ve always liked you, Speck? Maybe I just haven’t admitted it to myself until now.’

  Suddenly Tiger Girl’s face dropped. Specky followed her stare to see Robbo standing in the doorway.

  Specky chased after him. Partly because as a mate he thought he owed it to Robbo to explain, but mainly because he didn’t know how to deal with Tiger Girl’s revelation.

  I’ll deal with that later, he thought as he thumped down the stairs, a few steps behind his best friend.

  ‘Robbo, wait!’ he shouted.

  Robbo brushed past Danny, who was charging up the stairs.

  ‘There you are,’ he said, panicked, blocking Specky’s way.

  ‘What’s wrong?’ asked Specky, seeing the horrified look on Danny’s face. ‘Did someone break something?’

  ‘You wish,’ said Danny, his voice cracking.

  ‘What then? What is it?’

  ‘Your dad’s back. He just pulled into the driveway.’

  Specky couldn’t remember breathing from the time it took his dad to burst through the front door, stop the music, shout out at the top of his lungs for Alice’s friends to leave at once, push them out one by one, warn the Great McCarthy never to see his daughter again, order Alice to stop her hysterical crying and go to her bedroom, and then collapse into his armchair.

  For the next few minutes there was complete don’t-move-if-you-know-what’s-good-for-you silence in the Magee household. Only then did it begin to dawn on Specky that in all the commotion, he hadn’t even wondered where his mother was. She hadn’t returned with his father and Brian.

  Specky gave Brian a questioning look, but Brian remained silent and gestured toward Specky’s dad.

  ‘Dad,’ Specky said softly, inching toward him. ‘Where’s Mum?’

  ‘She’s in hospital.’

  Specky’s chest tightened.

  ‘Wh-what?’ he stuttered. ‘Why? Is she okay? The baby?’

  Specky’s father explained in a tired voice that just as they had driven onto the freeway, Mrs Magee had started to get severe pain.

  ‘We thought the baby was coming early,’ he said, ‘so I rushed her to the nearest hospital.’

  ‘And?’ asked Specky as his dad stopped to take a deep breath.

  Mr Magee dropped his face into his hands.

  ‘Dad?’ pressed Specky, his heart racing. ‘Dad, is Mum okay?’

  Mr Magee raised his head and nodded. ‘Yes, thank God. And the baby is, too. It was just a false alarm.’

  Specky had never seen his dad so shaken up before. He could only imagine the ordeal his parents had gone through – and all the while, he and Alice were partying behind their backs. Specky was awash with guilt.

  ‘How lon
g is Mum in hospital for?’ whispered Alice, appearing at the bottom of the staircase.

  ‘Alice, I don’t want to talk to you right now,’ sighed Mr Magee, not looking at her. ‘Now all of you – go to bed.’

  ∗∗∗

  Specky was allowed to play footy for his school the following day. He had been prepared for his father to say that he and Alice were banished to their bedrooms for the entire weekend. But he hadn’t. At breakfast he was eerily calm as he sipped his coffee and read the morning paper.

  It was only later that Specky realised why he had been allowed to join his Booyong team-mates – his dad was feeling bad about not being able to get Brian home for the weekend.

  Mr Magee said it would be good for Brian to play some football that weekend, even if he couldn’t play for Rivergum. But before they jumped out of the car at the oval, his father turned to Specky. ‘When you get back from your game, after I’ve picked your mother up from the hospital, we’re going to have a serious talk with you and your sister.’

  This made Specky extremely nervous. He knew he wasn’t out of the woods yet.

  When Specky and Brian got to the change rooms, they were surrounded by their mates, who wanted to know all the details of the previous night.

  ‘Man, I’ve never seen anyone that mad before,’ said Danny.

  ‘Yeah, the way he got stuck into your sister and the Great McCarthy, and… well, I was packing it,’ added Gobba.

  ‘Oi! Magee!’

  It was Screamer.

  ‘Heard you had a big night last night,’ he said, grinning so smugly that he looked almost like his old self. ‘And about you and Tiger Girl, too! Does that mean you’ve dumped Christina?’

  ‘What? Nah. And who told you anyway?’

  Screamer looked back over his shoulder at Robbo, who was in the middle of stretching.

  I better talk to him before this gets out of hand, Specky thought.

  ‘Hey, there’s Monique,’ announced Gobba.

  Specky’s team-mates all turned in unison. Tiger Girl was nowhere to be seen.

  ‘Hey, I heard she has the hots for Brian,’ said Screamer.

  ‘What?’ said Brian.

  ‘Oh, yeah. I forgot to mention that,’ added Specky.

  ‘So much for our bet,’ groaned Gobba, disappointed. ‘There’s no way she’s gonna wanna kiss any of us now.’

  ‘Who cares,’ shrugged Danny. He was smiling at someone on the sidelines. It was Maria Testi who had just arrived to watch the game.

  Specky jogged over to Robbo. ‘Hi,’ he said.

  ‘Hey.’

  ‘Look, about last night,’ started Specky. ‘I just wanted you to know that there’s nothing going on with me and Tiger Girl. I don’t like her that way and that –’

  ‘It’s cool. She’s just not into me. It’s no big deal. It’s fine.’

  ‘So… it’s all good between you and me?’

  Robbo nodded.

  ‘Great,’ said Specky, even though he knew that Robbo wasn’t going to admit to him that his pride had taken a beating.

  A few minutes later, Specky and his team-mates were called in to a huddle around Coach Pate.

  ‘Right, settle down, boys,’ she said, once they were all gathered.

  ‘I have a few announcements before I talk about today’s match. We have a last-minute inclusion in the team – Brian Edwards will be playing for us today.’

  Everyone broke into applause.

  ‘On ya, Brian.’

  ‘Nice one, mate!’

  ‘I also want to thank many of you for wishing me a happy birthday today. It’s my thirtieth, for those of you who are wondering and –’

  ‘Happy Birthday to you…’ Gobba led the whole team in an impromptu and very loud rendition of ‘Happy Birthday’. ‘… Happy Birthday, Coach Pa-ate. Happy Birthday to you.’

  Coach Pate blushed. ‘Well, thank you so much,’ she said once the cheers subsided.

  ‘Just one more thing before we get started on today’s game,’ she continued. ‘My partner, Nick, and I…’ Coach Pate smiled at her boyfriend, who was standing a few metres off to one side. ‘… are engaged to be married.’

  Everyone erupted into whoops and whistles. Especially the parents on the sidelines.

  ‘What a great birthday and engagement gift it would be if you won today,’ Coach Pate said over the noise.

  ‘That’s it!’ said Brian, turning to Specky.

  ‘What’s it?’

  ‘I’ve just worked out what I can say to get a full team to play for Rivergum.’

  Specky and Brian raced into the house, on a high from winning their match. The two had dominated the game from the very first bounce, and the opposition had no chance against them and their Booyong High team-mates.

  But Specky’s elation was short-lived. When he reached the kitchen he discovered his dad, Alice and his mother in the midst of a very serious conversation. This was obviously the talk Specky’s father had mentioned earlier.

  ‘Sit down, Simon,’ Mr Magee ordered. ‘Brian, if you wouldn’t mind leaving us alone for a while?’

  Brian nodded and left the room. Specky hugged his mother.

  ‘I’m glad you’re okay,’ he whispered into her ear, before pulling up a chair.

  ‘Right,’ started Mr Magee in a firm voice. ‘Your mother and I have expressed our disappointment to Alice and talked about what the consequences are for her, and for you.’

  ‘But I –’

  ‘Simon, don’t interrupt your father.’

  Specky glanced over at Alice to see that her eyes were red and bloodshot – she’d obviously been crying.

  ‘The fact that you went along with this suggests to us that you should be willing to take responsibility for it, too.’

  ‘But, I told her it was a bad idea, and –’

  ‘Simon!’ snapped Mr Magee. ‘What has upset us most in all of this is that you allowed alcohol to be brought into this house. Under-age drinking is a serious offence. How incredibly foolish and irresponsible it was of both of you. So, you and your sister are going to pay for it, heavily.’

  Here it comes, thought Specky, dreading what his dad was about to say.

  ‘For the next month there will be no television, no playing computer games, no going out with friends or friends coming here, no telephone calls, no internet except for homework, no online messaging, and no mobile phones, which means no texting.’

  Specky was in shock. His whole life was erased – just like that.

  ‘And as for your football…’

  Specky’s stomach sank. ‘Please, not my footy.’

  ‘You will be allowed to continue to play, but only because Alice begged us to let you and because she said she’d give up her privileges for an extra month.’

  Specky couldn’t believe his sister had done that for him. But there was a bigger shock to come.

  ‘You should also know, Simon, that we have forbidden Alice from seeing Dieter. He’s told us that it was all his idea and we don’t believe that your sister needs that sort of bad influence in her life.’

  Later, Specky went up to Alice’s room to thank her. ‘Can I come in?’ he asked, tapping at the door.

  ‘S’pose,’ she mumbled, lying on the bed, her face buried in her pillow.

  ‘I’m sorry that you’re not allowed to see Dieter anymore.’ Specky waited for a response, but nothing came. ‘And thanks for convincing Mum and Dad to let me play footy,’ he added. ‘But I was just wondering… um… why?’

  Alice just sniffed.

  ‘Okay, another time, I s’pose,’ said Specky, turning to leave.

  ‘Because…’ replied Alice, sitting up and hugging the pillow close to her chest. Specky could see her eyes were still red and puffy. It was obvious she had been sobbing on and off all day. ‘Because I couldn’t let you take the blame. I was stupid. And… and I want to see you play AFL one day.’

  What? thought Specky. Did I just hear her right? Is this my sister? The same sister who couldn�
�t care less about football or me playing it?

  ‘You do?’ he said.

  ‘Yeah.’ Alice nodded. ‘I know I give you heaps, but I couldn’t let Dad and Mum stop you from playing for the state. That wouldn’t have been fair. And I wouldn’t have been able to live with myself. You’re good, Si, and you deserve to play.’

  Specky was speechless. His sister had never said anything like that before.

  ‘Um, well… thanks,’ he croaked. ‘I’m sorry this turned out like it did.’

  ‘I suppose I’ll get over it eventually. I’m tough.’

  Specky nodded. ‘Yeah, you are.’

  ∗∗∗

  For the first half of the week, school was business as usual. Specky paid attention in class, did his homework and went to school and State footy training. But when it came to his social life it was a different story.

  Tiger Girl seemed to be doing her best to avoid him. Danny had started spending lunch-times with Maria, and Monique hung out with Brian whenever she could, which Brian didn’t seem to mind at all.

  ‘Hey, legend!’ called the Great McCarthy, running up alongside Specky during Thursday morning recess.

  ‘How’s your sister doing?’ he asked.

  ‘She’s pretty down in the dumps,’ replied Specky.

  ‘Yeah, well, it’s no fun for me, either. I can’t believe your olds won’t let us see each other. It’s like they’ve taken out a restraining order or something. I tried talking to Alice this morning at her locker and she freaked. She was scared someone would see us and it would get back to your folks. I knew she shouldn’t have had that party! I warned her this might happen.’

  ‘You did?’ Specky was confused. ‘But you told Mum and Dad –’

  ‘I know! I know! I told your folks that I thought of the idea – but that was just so they’d go easier on Alice, and I think they have. I didn’t think it would mean we couldn’t see each other, though. That sucks. I wanted to try out my DJ equipment, but I didn’t care either way. I told Alice to forget about it and we’d just do something together. But she’s pretty determined, your sister. When she has something in mind, there’s no stopping her.’