“Speaking of the devil. Whit is he daein?” Rory asks, pointing to the pitch. Looking down, I see Alex jumping up and down, looking at the stadium in our general direction.
“Quick, I need everyone’s help,” I say, hurrying to the front of the box. “We need to jump up and down while screaming so he can find us.” Crowding behind me, we all let loose.
Alex scans his head back and forth until he settles on me. I blow him a kiss that he catches, placing it on his heart. He then kisses his two fingers, pointing them right at me before patting his heart again.
It’s one of our signals that he swears has to happen before every game so they’ll win. It’s been all over the news in England, I’m told. I don’t pay attention to the crowd as they strain to see who he’s pointing at, they’ve watched him do it all month. When the grin lights up his face before turning to jog back inside the locker rooms, the crowd erupts in cheers. His mother wipes away tears when she pulls me into her arms for a hug.
“Thank the good Lord ye showed up that day! I dinnae know whit he would dae withoot ye.” She tells me that often, usually after Alex sweeps through the kitchen of her house where we’re enjoying tea, planting a kiss on me before joining his brothers outside.
“I’m so glad you could be here to see him play. I know you must be so proud of him,” I say, wiping my own tears away.
“Sweet lassie, we’re proud of all of our children,” his dad says. “But for today, we get tae be extra proud of Alasdair.” I watch as his siblings nod their agreement. It strikes me how totally unselfish they were raised. I swear at that moment that our children will be raised just like them.
I don’t know how Aiden turned out so caring, but I never want to force our kids to fight for attention like Sienna and I always have. I make a mental note to call her as soon as I get home. From what I’ve heard, she has been traveling to Scotland a lot lately to see a certain sheep farmer.
“There is just enough time for everyone to get something to eat before they come back out if you’d like,” I tell everyone. “They will come to the seats to take our order. Please get anything you like. Alex was very concerned that everyone be comfortable.” Excited murmurs work through my guests as they discuss what to get.
“Hey guys. Are we too late to join the party?” I hear a familiar voice say from the box entrance. Spinning, I see Grayson and a very excited Teddy. Grayson wraps me in a hug before adding, “I called Alex a couple of nights ago about extra tickets when Izzy told me if I didn’t bring Teddy, she would never get a moment's peace. So if she goes into early labor and I’m here, y’all are my witnesses she said to come,” he says with a scowl, pointing at everyone.
After the food is delivered, everyone finds their seats to wait for the opening ceremonies. I never have to wonder when the team walks out, the crowd lets us know. I sit at the front of the box with Alex’s parents on one side of me. Rory sits between me and Teddy, who for once, isn’t even trying to hit on her.
We all stand for the national anthem, I’ve even learned the words to “God Save The Queen” although I do still mumble “My Country Tis of Thee” under my breath most times. Soon all of the formalities are over.
The teams line up in their positions with Alex starting as forward. He’s been shifting between midfielder and forward throughout the tournament, so I’m always surprised where he lines up. I guess this time, they need his aggression on the front line.
“Did anyone else place a wager on this?” Colin asks behind me.
“Aye, on England, of course,” Robert adds.
“What point spread?” Marcus asks. “I have England with a one-point spread.”
“I did a two point, but I also bet on Alex for the final goal, so hopefully he stays in,” Grayson reports. The discussion continues as I listen in astonishment as I find out everyone has bet on England to win. I would have been stunned if they had bet on Brazil, but it would have been an equally good wager.
“There’s a pool at home.” George looks over at Robert. “Did ye bet in the pool too, Rob?”
“Of course,” he answers.
“I played a few pounds on the one at the kirk,” Alex’s mom states. We all stare at her in disbelief. “Whit, I’m naw allowed tae have a little fun? It’s for the kirk!” She rolls her eyes.
“Great. I’m so happy Preacher can add to the corruption of the locals.” Rory winks at me. I think she led to the corruption of the preacher, which is the more likely problem. From the stories Alex told me, he never stood a chance. I squeeze Christie’s hand in solidarity. I’m not sure that the Church of Scotland endorses gambling, but I don’t think it will wipe out the tiny presbytery completely.
When the teams reach halftime, there is still no score. Alex has had a few opportunities, but the Brazilian defense has managed to shut him down every time. I take a short break to wander to the bathroom with the other women.
“Are ye okay?” Finlay asks while we’re waiting outside for everyone to finish before returning to our seats. “This is the third time ye’ve taken a break tae use the bog. Ye’re feeling okay? Ye look a little puffy. I’m sure it’s just the heat,” she’s quick to add.
“I’m fine. I guess I’m just nervous, or maybe I need to lay off the water. I can’t think the salt on the crisps are doing me any good either.” I laugh.
“Ladies,” Robert says behind us, making us both jump. “George sent me tae get ye. They’re coming back oot on the pitch. Is everyone here?” He looks around before holding his arm out to me. Taking it, he pulls me in close, whispering, “Ignore her. I think it looks fantastic on ye.” He winks at me when my mouth goes slack. Of course, Alex told Robert.
“Thank you,” I whisper back, squeezing his arm. We take our seats just in time to see Alex jog out of the tunnel as if he hasn’t been playing for a solid forty-five minutes. It’s like he has an unending supply of energy.
I smile, thinking of how he expends that extra energy after every game. It’s why he slides on his knees after a goal. He wants me to remember to be ready for him. A couple of times when he has a home game, we barely make it past the stadium gates before he finds a quiet alley, pulling me on top of him.
“You're smiling like the Cheshire cat. Are you thinking of Alex letting off some steam later?” Maggie laughs when I turn red.
“You know that was a good ladies’ night topic,” Dia adds, joining Maggie. I try to get back to visit several times a year. We always have ladies’ night when I do. Even though I go out with my Manchester friends, those nights with my old college friends will always remain special to me. It’s where we all realized we had fallen in love. We’ve planned weddings, announced pregnancies and cried on each other’s shoulders when things went wrong. Through the years, those four women have become my real sisters.
At the end of regulation time, the score is tied with one each. Alex assisted with a corner kick, but Brazil answered by sneaking a ball past the defense. The referee adds fifteen minutes to the play so the teams continue to fight on.
