Goooaaalll!!!
The crowd is going absolutely ballistic. All I hear is yelling and vuvuzelas playing. It’s a madhouse up in here!
That was one of the most amazing things I’ve ever seen in my life! He really is the Kid Messi! It’s definitely time for them to break out the celebration, that’s THE big goal! But as he’s running around he’s wagging his finger in my direction like “not yet.” Not yet? If not now then when?!?
I guess I can’t worry about that because the most important thing is that we’ve got the lead! We’ve got the lead! But oh wait, it’s not over, I still have to make another save! And even though I’ve made two in a row, I’m still nervous. Very nervous. More nervous than I’ve ever been before. More nervous than I was the first day of school when I first moved here. More nervous than when I was on the mound in the last inning of the baseball championship game. More nervous than when I was on the free
throw line with the basketball championship game on the line…well you get the point.
The crowd falls completely silent. You can hear a pin drop and I can hear my own heart beating loud and clear (and it feels like it’s in my throat now by the way). I think I sweat more when I’m nervous and it now feels like its 100 degrees which isn’t helping.
It’s up to me to preserve this win, the perfect season, and the championship.
Sahr steps up. He’s already scored on me once and made it look easy too. He has a look on his face like he knows he’s got this. I wish I felt that way. I look to Billie and Adrian in the background again hoping for more tips. We make eye contact. They both smile at me, that’s good! Then they both give me thumbs up. I smile and wait for a second, then another second, and another but there’s nothing else. That’s a letdown, I really need some help here!
I finally decide to look into the stands and see my dad. Of course he’s cool, calm, and collected (I’m none of those things). And then he points to his head.
Oh yeah dad he’s probably about to kick it at my face, thanks for that…I guess.
My dad continues and mouths the words “remember”.
Remember? Remember what? I motion (kinda frantically) that I don’t know what he’s trying to get me to remember. Still as cool and calm as ever, my dad makes a fist.
“Be strong. Be brave.” He mouths and then…it all hits me.
I flashback to my backyard…A ball flying right at my face! Uh-oh! First
I freeze, then I duck…
I flashback to the regular season when the same thing happened and I almost blew the perfect season. Now the perfect season AND the championship are on the line…
“Be brave. Be strong…Be brave. Be strong.” I hear my dad’s voice in my head over and over…
He’s right! When I was kickin’ it in the backyard with my dad he got me the first time kicking it right at me but the second time, I was more confident and I was prepared and I made the save. I did it then I can do it now!
Be brave. Be strong! Oh and feel it too! I feel a surge of confidence flowing through my body. Let’s do this!
The ref blows the whistle for the last time. Sahr starts to make his move. I’m repeating my new mantra over and over as Sahr gets closer and closer to the ball. I’ve blocked out everything else and I’m as ready as I’ll ever be. I take a step forward.
Sahr finally strikes the ball. We have good news and bad news. The good news is I guessed right and the ball is coming straight at me. The bad news is it’s coming straight at me…at like 100 miles per hour!
Ok Ronnie, be brave. Be strong. Don’t duck just block it! I lean back, turn my head and close my eyes (I’m brave but I’m not crazy). And just before I figure the ball is gonna reach my face, I feel it hit my hands and as soon as I do I push it away. Yes!
I open my eyes…but I don’t see the ball. I start looking around but still nothing. I look up and there it is, floating through the air. It’s spinning as it floats with a cloud that looks like a crow squawking right behind it. That’s pretty random, but it’s kinda mesmerizing actually…
The ball is finally starting to come down. It’s falling towards the goal. Wait, it’s falling towards the goal! I gotta save it…again! Sahr can’t touch it again but if it rolls on its own pass the goal line it counts. I pounce into action, hopefully it’s not too late. I keep my eye on the ball as it hits the ground and starts bouncing and then rolling ever closer to the goal line. I gotta dive for it!
I take one more step then I’m airborne. Everything goes into slow motion again as I sail (and by sail I mean flail like a duck with a busted wing) through the air towards the general vicinity of the ball. I’m almost to it but it’s almost at the line. This is gonna be close!
I stretch my arm out as far as it’ll go. I’m even stretching my fingers! I gotta stop it! I take a swipe as I crash to the ground with a thud. I have to close my eyes to brace for impact. After a second (or a minute, I can’t tell) I open my eyes…
Where’s the ball?!? That’s my first thought. No ball again? Is my second. Oh wait, I see it. It’s wobbling slowly sideways now towards the goal post. At least I tipped it. But did I tip it enough? I’m watching nervously and helplessly as it slowly rolls along. This is it! Will it hit the post or cross the line?
“Please hit the post! Please hit the post!” I’m screaming (on the inside).
Oh forget it. I can’t look! I close my eyes, hold my breath, and wait…and wait…and wait…
Doink!
The ball bounces off the goal post and back into the field of play! Am I really seeing this? Is this really happening? I’m in shock.
Thump!
Someone falls on top of me. And then another. It’s Billie and Adrian. I think they’re yelling but I’m still in shock and not exactly sure what’s going on. The next thing I know, I’m at the bottom of a huge dogpile. Being in a dogpile never gets old, but it never gets safer either (not that I’m complaining). The entire team is now on top of me. This is awesome (and by awesome I mean well…awesome)!
After a few more minutes I finally escape the pile but the celebration is still in full effect. Coach G tells me “great job” looking about as surprised we won as I do. I get more congrats, hi-fives and love from the rest of the team. I think this is the first time some of them have ever talked to me but I’m so happy right now that I’ll take it!
The next person I bump into is Rich…Uh-oh. He stares at me. I stare at him. Finally he hits me with a head nod.
It may not be much but it’s still the nicest thing he’s said or done towards me all season. And again, I’m so happy I’ll take it! Oh wait, he’s about to say something. Uh-oh…
“You finally learned something from watching me, so now you’re a real goalie too.” He says and I don’t even know what to say to that…
“A real CHAMPIONSHIP goalie to you.” Billie states emphatically coming up behind me with Adrian.
Got ‘em! Rich looks at all three of us funny but doesn’t say anything (what can he say right?) and walks away. My dad totally called that one. And I’m glad Billie and Adrian were here to have my back.
“We really are the champs!” Adrian says and we go right back into party mode! While we’re celebrating, I turn to Adrian. I have an important question to ask him.
“So when you said you got me, was this your plan all along?”
“Look.” He starts then pauses to think. “I just said we got you, I didn’t say when or how…and eventually we did get you.” He says and we all breakout laughing.
Now I have another question, the most important question to ask Billie and Adrian…
“Yo! They’re bringing out the trophy!” Adrian says before I can get my question out.
He points and Billie and I turn around and see a huge golden trophy. An all gold cup is more like it. It’s shinning bright in the sun as it makes its way towards the team at midfield. They hand it to Coach G and he immediately hands it to me. I’m shocked, I get to hold it first? I
look at it, holding it by its handles. Our team name is already on it engraved right in the middle of the cup. Wow this is cool!
Everyone is motioning for me to hoist the cup up over my head and show it to the crowd. This is my moment! The hard work, the not giving up, even all the time kickin’ it in the backyard and working on shootout kicks, it all paid off and lead to this moment.
But this isn’t just about me. My dad helped me out big time, and of course Billie and Adrian saved me more than once.
This is our moment! I wave Billie and Adrian over to me. All three of us come together and with Billie on my right and Adrian to my left, we take a hold of the cup and raise it up to the sky. The crowd gives us the biggest ovation yet! It’s like we’ve won the real World Cup!
“You think this is real gold?” Adrian asks jokingly as we’re still holding the cup. Billie and I laugh. “Aren’t you glad I dragged you into this?” Adrian then asks.
“If by dragged you mean tricked?” I quickly reply…But it did work out I gotta give him that so I hit him a smile and a “Yeah.”
Oh, and the partying continues on!
We each get our own individual mini-championship cups and take some pics. And while I’m loving every minute of this, I’m particularly happy when I finally get to see my fam.
“You had me so nervous I almost fainted!” My mom tells me and then proceeds to hug me so tight that I nearly pass out.
Thankfully she releases me and I can catch my breath. It’s still embarrassing but you know what? Today I’m actually cool with it. It’s the only way my mom knows how to congratulate me so can I really be mad? Nah! And even my little brother gives me an enthusiastic high-five. And last but not least, there’s my dad. Still cool and calm.
We just stand there having a whole conversation without saying a word. All of his advice, him keeping me focused even when I didn’t want to, and all the times we kicked it in the backyard, he always knew it was for the best. And now I finally know it too.
“Strong and brave.” He says making a fist.
“Strong and brave.” I reply making a fist too.
We fist bump.
“Thanks dad.”
“For what? You did all of the hard work.”
There’s so much I can thank him for but I know that he already knows, so I keep it simple.
“For always believing in me.”
He smiles and puts his hand on my shoulder.
“Always Ronnie.”
I have the best family of all-time.
Out of nowhere Billie and Adrian come running up to me. They both have serious looks on their faces.
“Are you ready?” They ask in unison.
“Ready for what?” I reply confused.
“To do it?” Billie says.
“Do what?” I reply even more confused now.
“The celebration. Duh!”
Oh yeah! That was the second question I was gonna ask them earlier but we got caught up then I totally forgot. And now that we’re officially champs it’s definitely the best time to do it.
“Yup!” I answer beaming.
We stand in a circle (well a triangle since its only three of us) looking at each other.
“Let’s do it.” Adrian says and gives Billie two daps and then crosses his arms and taps them two times across his chest. I wait my turn nervously. It’s easy but I could easily mess it up with my iffy coordination skills.
Billie turns to me, it’s my turn, I got this. I put my right hand out, she slaps it two times and I cross my arms and tap twice. I did it. Nice!
“Panthers baby!” Billie calls out and we all laugh.
“Oh and one more thing.” Adrian starts and he and Billie turn politely to my parents. “We’re having a championship celebration at Funplex and we were wondering if young Ronnie could join us?” He asks in his most polite voice.
Young Ronnie? I almost laugh out loud. And then I turn to my parents and await their answer. I did just get the game winning save so they gotta let me go right?
My dad pauses like he’s thinking. But what is there to think about? I hope he’s just messing with me.
“Of course.” He says finally with a sly smile (yeah he was totally messing with me).
Billie, Adrian, and I are so excited we hit the Black Panther celebration again (and I do it perfectly again) and our traditional secret handshake too for good measure. And once more time, the party is on!
Finally, I take a second to just look around. The sun is shining bright, there’s a huge crowd still cheering in the stands, I’m holding a championship trophy and I have my family and my best friends next to me. All I can think is one thing…
New. Best. Day. Ever.
Three weeks later…
Kickin’ it with dad, it’s one of my most favorite things to do.
“Keep your eyes on the ball.” He says.
“You gotta feel it!” He tells me.
“Anticipate.” He explains.
“Kick it!”
THE END
Thank you for checkin’ out Kickin’ It With Dad! If you enjoyed the book, checkout the previous adventures of Ronnie, his dad and his friends in Shootin’ Hoops With Dad and the first book in the series, Playin’ Catch With Dad today!
And you can find more information online at withdadbooks.com and facebook.com/withdadbooks
Kickin' It With Dad Page 11