The Football Game
Rodney walked out of his house into the cool October air. The leaves had turned from summer greens to autumn reds and golds. It was Saturday, the day the kids around the block were getting together to play football. Rodney knew where to be to get in on the game. He only had to walk out into his yard and he would be standing in one of the end zones. The playing field was a combination of all the backyards on the block that backed up to each other. None of the yards had fences so the combination of them all made a good-sized playing field, especially if you ignored the two big elm trees, one clothesline, and Spike the cocker spaniel's dog house.
His neighbor Ron came out the back door of his garage. He carried a football. He saw Rodney and faked a throw to get his attention. Then he pulled his arm back and let the football fly. It bounced and rolled right up to Rodney where he then scooped it up off the ground. The ball was pumped up hard, and the cold weather made it even harder. He tossed it back and felt the tight muscles in his arm pull on his elbow joint.
Rodney rubbed his elbow back to good health as the players began to appear. Tall, slow moving Bill came into sight. Aaron and Marcus, the twins, appeared. Frank walked up from between the houses. He was Ron's friend from the next block. Skinny Eric from three houses down walked out of his back door.
Ron moved out into the yard. "We gotta choose sides," he said. "Let's get going." He smacked the ball against his palm. "Let's play," he said. "We gotta choose sides. I'll pick for one team."
"Why you?" Eric said.
"My ball, Eric. Who wants to be the other captain?" Ron said.
"I do," Eric said. "Is this all the people we got."
"For now. Let's pick," Ron said.
"We need more guys," Eric said.
"Just pick," Ron said.
"I'll take Marcus," Eric said. "We'll need more guys."
"Shut up, Eric. I'll take Frank," Ron said.
"Bill," Eric said. Bill fell in behind Eric. Spike the dog looked on, interested only in the ball. He followed it with his eyes as it was tossed around the group.
"Rodney," Ron said. Ron felt obligated to choose his neighbor even though Rodney was a little younger than everybody else. Ron thought he was OK for a little kid.
"Aaron." Eric smiled. He felt his team had the definite edge with the athletic twins on his side. "We still need more guys."
"We don't have more guys," Marcus said, "We __."
"Hi Rodney." Everybody turned to see Robin standing out in the yard. She was Rodney's friend. "What are you guys doing?"
"We're playing football. Get lost." Eric said.
"Hi Robin," Rodney said. He blushed a bit.
"There's our player,"Ron said. "We'll take her."
"Sure," Eric said happily, seeing his advantage turn even more. Ron didn't care. He liked the unique shape of the team. "Take her," Eric said smiling.
"Want to play?" Ron said to Robin.
"I don't know," Robin said looking at Rodney. Rodney nodded a yes at her. "Well, all right." she said.
"We receive," Ron said. "Two hand touch. Four chances to score. No first downs."
The two teams walked to opposite ends of the field and Marcus kicked the ball off to the other team. The neighbor's clothesline was the end zone on one side and a big elm on the opposite side of Spike's doghouse was the other. There were no sidelines, or rather the sidelines were determined by how far the players wanted to range out of the open area that connected everybody's backyards and into the areas where the lawn furniture, picnic tables and bushes started getting in the way.
Ron scooped up the ball on its second bounce and took off down the field. Spike perked up when Ron sped past. Rodney and Robin ran to catch up to where Marcus tagged Ron.
Eric barked orders while Ron's team huddled to make plans. "Frank, you hike the ball to me," Ron said, "then block Marcus and and go out for a pass. Rodney get in Bill's way and get ready to catch the ball. Robin, stick by me.
The ball was hiked. Confusion came next, then running and grunting. Ron fell behind Robin. Frank took off down the field. Rodney ran around in a circle while Bill tried to follow. Eric charged in at Ron, his skinny arms flailing about. Ron sent the ball sailing and Frank caught it with a leap that left him laying straight out on the ground. Spike was so excited in the confusion he jumped up and yelped loudly. They scored two plays later. The battle was on.
Eric's team had their chance next. If he could have been quarterback and caught the pass he would have done it. Eric's first drive down the field ended with a pass that sailed right over Marcus's head.
"Our ball," Ron said. Marcus and Aaron were mumbling. "All right," Ron said when Frank, Rodney and Robin were back in the huddle, "this time it's all yours Robin. When the ball's hiked go over to my left. I'll toss you one. Frank you go over on the right and act like you're going out for a long bomb."
Nobody paid any attention to Robin. Aaron and Marcus were all over Frank. Eric rushed in to tag Ron, but when he did Ron tossed the ball over to Robin and leveled a huge block that put Eric on his backside. Robin held the ball in both hands and trekked right down past Spike. Aaron tagged her, and on the next play Ron ran past the clothesline into the end zone.
The competition waged on. Eric and his team finally scored with a long winding run by Marcus that fooled his opponents and made Spike jump and yank on his chain. The fall sun moved across the sky.
"Hey, men. What's up? throw me the ball," a voice said from off to the side. Everyone looked over and standing with his girlfriend Bonnie was Ron's brother, Dennis. "Throw it," he said. "Here. Come on." Ron threw the ball reluctantly.
Dennis scooped it up and walked out in the yard with Bonnie beside him. They were older than everybody else, big as adults, but still with kid faces. "We want to get in on a couple plays." Dennis said.
"Come on Dennis. We're playing a game," Ron said.
"Shut up. Just a couple of plays," Dennis said. "Bonnie play on Eric's side. I'll go on the other." Bonnie shrugged and smiled. Everybody reluctantly did what Dennis said. "I'm the quarterback," he said. "Line up."
Ron snapped the ball and Frank went out for a pass. Ron blocked. Rodney and Robin just stood still.
Dennis waved his hand like he wanted to throw a long pass. He waited for everybody to get way down the field. Then he pulled his arm back and let the ball sail right into Bonnie's arms.
Interception, interception," Dennis yelled, laughing. "Run Bonnie. Run. You intercepted. Run."
Bonnie tucked the ball under her arm and started running back down the field. She kind of loped along with Dennis laughing and waving her on.
"Tag her. Get her. Stop her," Ron yelled. Eric and his teammates stood dumb. Bonnie loped right toward Rodney and Robin. Rodney squared off to tag her, instinctively holding his arms out and shuffling his feet. She was bigger than Rodney, and he feared getting trampled by her. When she tried to run by him he closed his eyes and stuck his hands out in her direction. He felt her fuzzy sweater come in contact with his hands and felt her weight travel up his arms like a big wave. He pulled back his hands. His teammates ran up the field.
"That was some tag there, Rodney," Dennis said. "You could have let her score, you know." He laughed as he put his arm around Bonnie and they walked away down the yard.
"Our ball, our ball," Eric yelled running up the field.
"That didn't count," Ron said.
"It counted. It counted," He replied. "Bill...Marcus, Aaron, get up here. Marcus, Bill, Aaron... Aaron." Aaron was standing over by Spike's doghouse.
"I can't Aaron said. "I fell down."
"So?" Eric said.
I slipped," he replied. "On.... I gotta go home." He ran between two houses and was out of sight.
"Oh crud," Eric said.
"Yeah, no kidding," Robin said.
"What do we do now?" Bill said. "The teams aren't even anymore."
"It's getting dark," Ron said. "Maybe we should call it quits."
"No, no." Eric said. "We need a chance to catch up."
"Frank spoke. "Well then, let's make Rodney the full time quarterback on both teams. That will be fair. Let's get this over with."
"Me?" Rodney looked at Frank.
"Why not?" Frank said.
"That'll work." Bill said. Everyone agreed except Eric.
The sun dipped below the big elms. They only had a few plays more before night would drop down on them. Since nobody could agree on what the score was, they decided whoever scored one more time would win, and that proved to be difficult. Rodney couldn't pass very well, so there were a lot of short handoffs and runs. Nobody could score, but the game went on.
"It's gettin' dark. I have to go," Ron said. Rodney had to go too. "It's gettin' too dark to see the ball."
"Nobody has scored yet," Eric said. The air was cooling. Spike was in his doghouse.
"It don't matter, Eric," Bill said.
"I have to go, too" Frank said.
"A few more plays." Eric demanded. "And it's our ball. Come on Rodney. Get ready to quarterback." Rodney didn't want to say no, but he knew he should be home by now too.
"OK," Ron said. "Fine, let's play."
The ball was hiked to Rodney. Rodney dropped back to pass. Eric ran around out in an open area with his arms flailing. Nobody was covering him. Frank was near Marcus. Robin stood motionless. Ron held back a bit. Rodney slung the ball at Eric. Eric caught the ball and took off down the field trying to sneak past Ron. Instead of trying to tag Eric, which is what everybody expected him to do, Ron reached out with both hands and grabbed Eric's tee-shirt firmly at the collar. A long tearing sound made everybody stop and turn. Spike lifted his head and looked in the direction of the sound. Eric lay flat on his back. Ron stood next to him with Eric's shirt grasped firmly in his hand. The only thing Eric wore from the waist up was a little bit of collar that dangled on his neck.
"Ooops!" Ron said.
"You jerk," Eric jumped up screaming. He grabbed the shirt out of Ron's hand. "You idiot." Ron smiled slyly as Eric ran off into the dim evening light. Robin and Rodney stood gaping. Bill grinned. They all watched as Eric's pale skinny body disappeared around the corner of a house.
"Game's over, I guess," Ron said. Time had officially expired on the fall football game
