The Quarterback

The October air was cold and crisp and the sun was shining. My mom, brother and I stood along the fence line at my 10 year old brother’s football game. We never sat in the bleachers, we preferred to follow the action up and down the field. Fans cheered loudly for their teams, “Go Titans, let’s win this one!”

Two short tweets of the whistle and the coin flipped over and over glinting in the bright October sun. The opposing team won the toss and chose to receive the ball.  The game was on! Excitement filled the air as both teams jockeyed into position. “Get the quarterback!” shouted several fans.  “Get the quarterback!”

Mom’s eyes squinted and her brows furrowed.  She thrust her arms to the side, palms facing upward as she turned to Chip and I, “Why do they want the quarter back?!!!” she cried.

Confused, I asked her, “What?”

“Why do they want the quarter back?!!!”she repeated, visibly agitated.

I looked at Chip and saw that he was just as confused as I was.  I couldn’t imagine why she was upset when fans were simply cheering on the defence.  Sacking the quarterback is always a goal of the defensive line. As we continued staring at Mom whose face still registered consternation and bewilderment, her arms pumping up and down at her sides, realization dawned on both of us as we turned to her,  “The player, not the coin!”