“Can you watch me while I try and do that kick before you go?” Cory held the ball, his eyes full of hope and determination.
“Sure. But I’m not standing in the middle of the posts for you just yet.” Adam lined him up, whispered in his ear as he got himself ready and then stepped back.
Cory watched as the ball sailed close to the poles but skimmed the top of the net landing in the grass and bounced under the stands. His friends laughed, slapped each other’s shoulders and yelled derogatory remarks that made Cory blush in shame.
“Ignore them and try again. This time, don’t curve your foot so far to the left, keep your toes on point. You want to imagine a dotted line taking a lazy curve but your big toe has to lead the way. You can do it if you practice hard enough. Took me months of trying day and night to get the right angle and I still practice all the time to keep my eye in.” Adam turned to his friends. “You guys can cut the noise if you want a turn. Give your friend a little respect.” They huddled together and kept quiet, jostling to be first in line.
Cory placed the ball and took a step back, glancing at Adam for reassurance. Then he looked at the goal, down to the ball and up again before taking a steady breath. He stepped forward and kicked with a solid whack of his foot.
The scream from his friends as the ball slammed into the back of the net had Cory grinning. It was on the high side but that didn’t matter, it was in the goal. Adam slapped him on the shoulder. “Good job. See, if you know where you want the ball to go and you can imagine its trajectory, you’re halfway there. Keep practicing.” He nudged the boy to the back of the line. “Right, who’s next?”
By the time he got to his parents’ house, it was dark and the house was a sea of lights. His mother hated the dark when she was at home alone and he felt a twinge of regret staying so late with the kids, knowing she was expecting him. He parked his car and walked into the kitchen, not surprised to see her at the stove standing over a large pot of warming stew. The smell of onions, garlic and tomatoes made his stomach rumble.
“You’re late. Have a busy day?” She lifted the spoon and tested the gravy, nodded her satisfaction and turned down the stove. “I made your favorite. Did you want to eat here or take it home for later?”
“Reasonable day.” He sniffed the pot and smiled. One of the things he made the most of when he came home, was his mother’s cooking. “I think I’ll eat with you tonight and if you have plenty, I won’t say no to a take-out meal too. I stopped at the school to help some boys. Remember little Cory, Jake Woods’s kid? He was playing soccer with his friends and convinced me to show him how to kick. Time got away on us.”
“That was nice of you, Adam. Those poor kids are desperate to win a district championship but it hasn’t happened so far. Dad always hoped you’d lend a hand with the school team. Maybe you could see your way to…”
“Already been asked, Mom. I told them to talk to Coach Miller about me doing a one off coaching session. I don’t have time to commit to anything else because I don’t know when I’m going back.” He opened the fridge and took out a soda, popped off the top, throwing it in the bin. “Newcomer to town today. Dakota Moore has rented Galway Cottage for twelve months. Seems a very nice person, bubbly and friendly. She’s a half-sister to Mari Moore, you know the lady that bought the Lake Hotel.”
“Really? That’s interesting. We thought that old hotel would never sell with all the work it needs. Hope she has some good ideas. Was lovely in its day.” She picked up a glass of wine she had on the kitchen counter and placed it down at the kitchen table. From the fridge she took a bowl of the salad Adam ate on a daily basis despite the colder weather, and placed it down within his reach. “I wonder what your father knows about her.”
“Knowing you, you’ll have all the information you want out of her yourself by the end of the week.” He took a seat at the table, picked at a piece of red pepper from the top of the bowl and ate it, savoring the crunch. “How’s Dad today?”
“Cranky. He wants to come home. You know how much he hates being made to sit still.”
Adam took a sip of his drink to wash down the heat of the pepper. “I don’t blame him but considering he’s had major heart surgery he’s going to have to do as he’s told.”
“He understands he’s lucky to be alive but still, he’s not used to being so useless. His words, not mine. I’ll take him any way I can have him.” She sat opposite Adam. “I’m so lucky they got to him in time. I was terrified he was going to die.”
He reached out and took her hand, giving it a gentle squeeze. “I know. I can imagine how you must have felt. When you called me, I couldn’t get home fast enough. Every mile was agony wondering if I would make it in time.
