Maisie 'Baby' Bronze

24. Flowers

"Yeah" I nod shaking her hand.

"Good player and your mum too" She smiles

"Thanks" I smile back and walk off, into the embrace of Lia.

"Maisie Bronze doesn't settle for a draw does she?" She laughs at me

"Nope" I laugh, "I'm gonna go see my mum, are your parents here?"

"Yeah, let's go" we walk over towards the stands, debriefing the match. "I'll see you in a minute" she says, as she goes over to her seemingly parents.

"Baby Bronzey" I hear someone shout and I turn my head.

"Oh fucking hell" I widen my eyes as I see the whole senior team cheering for me in the stands. I feel my face go bright red with embarrassment as everyone turns around to look at them, including my teammates.

"Surprise" mum says, as I reach her, and pulls me in for a hug. We stay hugging for a moment too, before she whispers in my ear, "I'm so bloody proud of you Maisie."

"Could of warned me about this crowd" I laugh.

"Wouldn't of been a surprise then ay?" Leah says, pulling me into a hug. I eventually make my way around everyone, hugging them and thanking them.

I look back over to mum and notice her talking to some other lady. I nod with my head over towards mum at Keira and ask, "who's that?"

"Dunno" she shrugs, "let's find out"

I walk towards mum, Keira next to me, on the other side of the barrier. I stand leaning on the barrier, next to mum, waiting for a break in their conversation.

"Hey mum" I say, smiling.

"Oh hi, Maisie this is Maria, Maria this is my daughter Maisie" mum introduces me.

"Nice to meet you" I smile, confused.

"Maisie, this is my cousin" mum adds, and then suddenly it clicks.

"Ohhhhhhh, sorry, you're Lia's mum?"

"Yeah, this is very funny that we're meeting this way" Maria smiles at me.

"Football must really run in the blood" I tap my left chest, over the England badge sat proudly on my shirt.

"Funny how neither of them even played for Portugal" mum laughs.

"Well you didn't exactly set the best example, mum" I prod her.

"Wait so how did Lia not know about mum, surely you would of told her you were related?" I ask, confused as to how Lia didn't know bearing in mind how famous Mum is.

"She did" Maria laughs, "I think she just didn't want to embarrass you or maybe she just didn't realise"

Now thinking back, I realise I should of know earlier. Her lack of fangirling over me, unlike some of the other girls, and her immediately knowing I was Portuguese but trying to cover it up, I really was blind.

"Hey" I hear Lia say as she jogs up to us, "Maisie have you been hit by the rememising yet, just wait till they start" she laughs

"I don't even want to know" I shake my head, "if your mum's anything like mine, they'll start randomly speaking Portuguese in a minute"

"Ah good idea, then you won't be able to understand us" mum says, "Eles são irritantes"

" I know exactly what you're saying" I laugh

"Go on then"

"They're so annoying" I smirk

"What can we say, we only speak facts" mum smirks back at me, knowing full well I would know what she was saying, especially when mum had roped me into Portuguese classes from the age of 6.