Chapter 245

July 11, 2018 (Wednesday)

Dear Ms. Diary,

The LA girls at home scattered among our two people-carriers and Celeste and Meka drove us to the practice pitch where we would meet the rest of the team. Since we got to the pitch at 6:46, Jim stayed at the Palecek house, and Kalina would drive him home when she left for work. It is frustrating and saddening that he’s become less mobile. Brett, Civ, and Mare were there when we arrived, as were some of the girls, including Dakota and Kanda, the latter pulling me aside.

“If the invitation still stands, we’ve got permission to spend next Thursday with you girls and to stay over.”

“Great!”

“One of the selling points, one that Dakota thought of, was that no one would have to drive us to the practice pitch on Friday.”

I pulled Dakota into a one-armed hug and said, “Good thinking!”

“Thanks.”

“What time do you want to come over? And do you want us to pick you up?”

Kanda replied, “Whenever you think best and yes, if you don’t mind.”

“We can manage that. It might have been simpler to bring you home from the game on Wednesday and have you stay over that night, but that’s a day that our parents have set aside just for family. We have a big feed and stuff, so it wouldn’t work.”

“That’s fine,” responded Dakota. “We’re happy just getting to spend a day ... or so at the ... famous Williams compound.”

“Why do you consider it ‘famous?’”

“Seamus said that it’s amazing, particularly the ... pool complex.”

“Oh! Do either or both of you swim a lot?”

“I wouldn’t say a lot,” replied Kanda, “but it’s one of the things we do frequently when we’re at Dakota’s house, as she’s near one of the city pools.”

“Can you swim ... and well?”

“Yes. We’ve taken a few swimming courses at that pool.”

“Would you be interested in taking the lifesaving and first-aid courses Seamus will be teaching us? If so, we could arrange to have him join us for that. Oh, wait, maybe just the lifesaving course. Doing both would use up most of the day.”

Kanda asked, “Would I have to let him rescue me?”

“Maybe.”

Dakota barked a laugh, then added, “Kanda would love having his arms around her in any way she could get that to happen.”

“Kota!”

“Beth and the girls won’t think poorly of you because you think Seamus is hot. Hell! I’ll bet the whole team thinks he’s hot!”

I helped by responding, “He is that!”

Also helping defray Kanda’s concern about anyone thinking she had the hots for Seamus was three cars pulling up and disgorging five more team members. Our drivers and Coach got everyone organized and split into the two vehicles and we were off for St. Lucia at 7:02.

I rode in the Sprinter with Coach and a few of the staff, as well as teammates. Heather and I discussed a play she had devised.

“That seems like it could work. I’ll watch for the possibility.”

The parameters for Heather’s play did not come up in Krypton’s time on the pitch at St. Lucia, but we got her a goal, anyway. In fact, we managed better than that.

“Gather ‘round!”

Once we were quiet, Coach started with, “The Krypton front line were mean to that poor left back today.”

There was much snickering, some laughing, and a bit of outright guffawing, as Coach’s comment was an understatement.

Once the response to her first sentence died down, Coach added, “And you didn’t let up on her.” She held a hand up to negate a second outbreak of laughter, then said, “And I blame that chief meanie, Beth Williams. With malice aforethought, Beth obviously targeted her once Heather blew that girl’s doors off on her first goal. While I don’t know all of Beth’s signals, I know the one for ‘streak,’ and I’m surprised that her fist didn’t close permanently she gave that sign to Heather so often.”

She could not prevent the next outpouring of laughter, and she did not try.

When we settled the second time, Coach said, “Despite that Heather became, after Rhee, the go-to forward last year, this year she’s on a line with three superb players and has taken a place in the supporting cast, goals-wise, to them. This game provided an excellent reminder that, in particular situations, Heather is difficult to stop. I’d like to take this opportunity to thank you, Heather, for finding comfort in the role that has been more of a provider than of a scorer this year, but with you still turning on the gas, literally, when the right situation comes around. Congratulations for your first hat-trick this year.”

Heather choked up, but managed a subdued, “Thanks, Coach.”

Lana, standing to her right, pulled her into a one-armed hug as Cera took the floor to give out attagirls, her first honoree being Heather. The other goal-scorers ... Civ, Rathi, and me ... received attagirls, as did the assisters of the five assisted Krypton goals: Rhee and me (two each) and Abby. She honored others with significant plays, including Zahira for an incredible recovery after a misstep and eventual stop of their right wing.

She ended with, “The final attagirl goes to a girl who has worked tirelessly to better her defensive skills, despite already being the possessor of what may be the team’s best set of offensive skills. Today, those new talents came to the fore late in the half when she harried their right back mercilessly, not letting her get past her and, very importantly, not letting her move toward the middle of their D and any help her teammates could provide. After what seemed like minutes, but was probably only 15 or 20 seconds, she snatched the ball away, dribbled twice toward the goal and from what seemed a nearly impossible angle, curled a right-footer that their goalie simply watched sail over her head hoping it wouldn’t curl enough. Unfortunately for that goalie, it curled enough and snuck into the right-top corner. Civ, that was probably the single prettiest shot I’ve seen while being an assistant to Coach on two teams. Congrats!”

When Civ figuratively curled into herself, Coach quickly responded, “Civ, while I greatly appreciate the humility you express about your skills, you’re going to have to learn to express it in not quite such an embarrassed fashion.”

The locker room erupted in laughter, although those near her either patted Civ on the back or gave her a one-armed hug. And then Civ pulled a tour de force out of her ... hat.

“Thanks, Cera, but I was so embarrassed that I couldn’t let her get rid of the ball. She took it from me!”

Another laughter eruption followed, during which I stepped over to her and one-armed her fully into me.

I whispered to her, “That was a great tack to take. It wouldn’t work with anyone who doesn’t know you well, but it was perfect for here.”

After the game ended 10-2, Lana announced, “Attagirl to Mila for stopping the PK. I think I screamed myself hoarse for that!”

We did not experience another eruption of laughter, but there was a lot of chuckling going on.

“Attagirls also go to Haven, Lissa, and Tonda for that incredible double give-and-go that resulted in Haven moving the ball from just their side of midfield into the goal on a counter. Rache got video of that in case any of you want to watch some poetry in motion.” Lana waited for the subsequent chuckling, then continued, “The front line then hogged the rest of the Argon goals, one each. Attagirls to Lissa for both her assists for goals scored by Padme and Mia and attagirls to those goal-scorers.” After she detailed some other excellent plays, Lana finished with, “I’m told that over the past two years Tonda has gone to school on Rhee on how to play the center striker position. She emulated her even more today with a stunning, cobra-fast strip of their left center back and lightning-like strike into the goal on her next step! That was superb, Tonda!”

Coach spent a few minutes updating us on team information, mostly some of Brett’s stats, beginning with, “Since we played a non-league team today, I’ll talk about season totals rather than league totals. First, it will be no surprise to anyone that Beth and Lissa lead in assists, with 40 and 29, respectively. However, I want to make a point about the next in line. Does anyone want to guess?”

I kept my mouth shut and my hand down, as I knew the answer, so Coach called on Lissa, “Is it Rhee?”

“It is, with 14. However, the more-important point is that the next three players each have ten ... and are the other three Krypton forwards. I want to stress this point, that forwards do have other tasks, although, in my experience, they have a tendency to be prima donnas.” She looked around, then continued with, “While I’ve never seen a four-girl front line before, I’ve also never seen a front line average eleven assists per player, and that is the true power of the Krypton front line. That front line has four more assists than does Beth and has assisted just over 40 percent of Krypton’s goals!”

The room experienced stunned silence.

She waited a few counts, then asked, “Now, does anyone want to take a stab at who is seventh, with eight assists?”

Lissa asked, “She’s not one of the Argon forwards. Is she?”

“She’s not.”

“She must be Dakota, then.”

Coach gazed at Lissa for a few seconds, then said, “It’s good to hear you know your lineup. Hands up, now. Who here on last year’s team would have guessed in the first half of that season that Dakota would have eight each goals and assists at this point this year?” No one said anything, so she added, “That’s what I thought.” She looked straight at a red-faced Dakota, “I hadn’t realized that you had 16 points, despite that I knew you had upped your game greatly. I’m very thankful to whomever lit the fire under your butt, because we’ll need everything you’ve got next year.”

Dakota’s face exploded in fire shortly before she ducked her head. After about 15 seconds, she picked her head back up, her face still red.

“Coach, thanks for the compliment. I owe, first, Rathi, Haven, and Kanda for encouraging me last year and Andy and Seamus for teaching me so much about playing midfield this year. Andy has been particularly helpful, as she’s spent a lot of time with me teaching me how to read the pitch better and showed me some tricks on the defending part of the midfield game.”