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Truthfully, there isn’t a single thing that I desire more than to leave this room full of disturbingly satisfied people ready to take their cheques to the bank.
“Wait,” Mr. Cunningham chimes in once more. “There is one more thing. Ira has left a few additional assets that may come as a surprise.”
Everyone’s eyes shoot up from admiring their new treasures as they glance back toward the front of the room.
“Additional assets?” Dad narrows his eyes with curiosity. “What does that mean exactly?”
“Well, Mr. Matthews…” Mr. Cunningham pushes his glasses back up the bridge of his bulky nose. “It appears that Ira purchased a football team in England about two decades ago. Crawfield Football Club, to be exact. Were you aware of this?”
Crawfield.
I haven’t heard that in a while.
As much as Gramps was a true businessman at heart, he also had a profound, all-consuming love for one other thing in his life—soccer… I mean,football.
Some of my fondest memories with Gramps consist of watching football on his couch—in fact, it’s what we used to do every Saturday morning, from when I was old enough to sit through a game all the way up to the months before his passing.
Truthfully, I never did know what exactly I was watching. I was always more concerned with rating the players by their looks versus their actual skill level. I think Gramps knew that, too, deep down.
“You know, Delaney.” Gramps re-adjusted himself on the couch. “You should get yourself a guy who plays football.” His request caused his eyes to crinkle in a smile.
It wasn’t the first time Gramps had put his two cents in when it came to my love life. I shot him a playful glare in response. “Don’t you remember, Gramps? I did.”
“What?” He looked at me in surprise. “You never said.”
“Yes, I did, Gramps,” I protested. In his later years, Gramps wasn’t known to have the strongest memory. “We were datingfor a while, but then he got drafted into the NFL and moved to Wisconsin. Wisconsin. Do I look like someone who wants to live in Milwaukee? Especially during the winter?”
Gramps shook his head. “First of all, different football, darling, different football.” He chuckled. “Second of all, Delaney, it wouldn’t have mattered if you went to Wisconsin or the Moon…you bring sunshine with you anywhere you go.”
Gramps always had a way with words. He’d always been a real charmer—the only person in the world who could pick me up when I was down and put a smile on my face.
I settled in beside him, releasing a sigh. “Who are we even watching, anyway?” I asked, seeing a familiar group of players on the screen and a score of four-nil in favor of the other team.
It had only been 15 minutes.
“Not to be rude, Gramps, but they kind of suck.”
“Delaney!” Gramps scolded me, although I noticed the corners of his mouth lifting in a subtle smile. He could never be mad at me.
“Sorry, Gramps.” I raised my hands in defense. “But weren’t you the one that said always tell the truth, even if it hurts?”
“You always seem to have a point.” He grinned, sipping on his sweet tea before pointing the glass at the television screen. “This is Crawfield FC, darling, these are my boys.”
I assessed the players before a repressed memory came to mind. “You know, I dated someone once with the last name Crawfield.”
“Did you, now?” Gramps always tried his best to be as interested as possible in my stories—even if they were mostly about sappy romance and celebrity gossip.
“Yep, I think you met him, actually. He was my prom date, remember?”
Gramps nodded his head, pulling his eyes away from the screen and meeting mine. “How could I forget your prom? You looked beautiful.”
“I did, didn’t I?” I beamed, accepting his compliment.“But get this. He ran off with Caroline while I was on stage being crowned as prom queen! Can you believe it, Gramps? I was the queen, and he still ran off with a peasant.”
“Oh, Delaney…” Gramps seemed to have lost his way with my story as he placed his head into his hands. “I love you, my darling, but I have no idea what you’re talking about anymore.”
“That’s okay, Gramps.” I leaned against his shoulder, the way I’d done since the very first time we watched a match together over 20 years ago. “Not many people do.”
“That’ll change,” he reassured me, placing a tender hand on my cheek. “I know you’ll find someone, sunshine. But when you do…I have one condition.”
