Page 62 of Game Plan
"No, but he should," Vera said. "He carries it around like a bag of stones. The rock kind," she added with a smile.
I grinned. "I figured that was the kind you meant." A bag of balls wouldn't be as heavy. Depending on whose they were and…
Penny looked back at us and gave us a funny look, but returned her attention to the game. She didn't seem interested, but sitting how she was ensured no one would take her hotdog.
The other two children, both older than Penny, sat in chairs with their noses to the window, obviously more interested in football than their sibling's antics.
"What do you think it would take to get him to talk about it?" I asked.
"Brute force, probably," Vera replied. I wasn't sure if she was joking or not. "He's stubborn as a bag of rocks too."
"I can see that," I said. Maybe if I wrote the article, he'd have to talk about his mother. I hatched a plan in the back of my mind, then tucked it away for after the game.
"Look, it's Conrad!" the oldest kid, a boy named Hamish, shouted.
"Hey, don't yell in my ear, you butt!" his sister, Gertie, said, almost as loud as him.
"Both of you quiet down," Vera said. "They'll hear you down on the field."
There wasn't much chance of that. The crowd spotted Hawk and went wild with cheers and chanting.
"I think they like him," Brody said. "Goodness only knows why." He grinned.
"Right?" Vera laughed. "If only they knew."
I smiled. I appreciated their joking, but as far as I was concerned, if the crowd knew him, they'd love him even more. Not that I was biased at all. No way.
I leaned forward and watched Hawk trot out onto the field, back straight, helmet in place.
"Do you ever worry he'll get hurt?" I asked without taking my eyes off him.
"All the time," Vera said, "but his head is also as hard as a bag of rocks. He gets bounced around a lot, but he's always okay in the end."
In spite of her words, I heard worry in her tone. I turned to see it on her face. She gave me a brief smile and we both looked back at the field.
The centre threw the ball. Hawk caught it effortlessly and threw it toward number 12. In spite of the opposition trying to grab the ball first, he caught it and tucked it under his elbow.
Number 12 ducked down and ran a few steps before slamming into a row of opposition players.
At that point, I lost sight of the ball. When I saw it again, it was in the arms of the other side and they were sprinting for the end zone.
They threw themselves over the line and the screen flashed with the word 'Touchdown!'
"Awww," Hamish groaned. "It's a tie."
"I'm sure the Humpbacks will come back," Vera said. To me, she said, "Hamish takes every game very seriously, even the preseason."
"Another pro ball player in the family?" I asked.
Vera looked horrified. "Oh god, I hope not," she said. "It's one thing when your cousin is out there. If it was one of my kids…"
"We won't stop him if that's what he wants," Brody said firmly, although he still seemed to be only half-listening.
"Of course not," Vera said. "But he does so well at anything physical, especially dance. I was hoping…" She sighed through her nose.
I glanced at Brody, wondering if he was the kind of man who thought boys shouldn't dance.
Brody looked regretful. "Yeah. Some boys at school… Damn shame, he really did love it."
