Sing Of A Tree In The Wild

The Deciding Factor

Dark-green and white jersey over maroon shorts.

Grace's football team is out.....

For blood.

The all-important match between Grace and Saint Gregory starts by eleven in the morning, which is thirty minutes from now. Remember what I said about Isaac not starting? Turns out he isn't. I'm starting, by the way, as an attacking midfielder; Coachie opted for a 4-5-1 formation in today's game. And please, don't ask if any member of the team has had any classes today.

I make my way to the dressing room to change into my kits; everyone else has changed. I just walked in and to my surprise, I see Elfrida standing, backing me. Almost immediately, she turns to me.

"Hey Dennis. I know you're surprised to see me here."

"Of....of course, I am! What would my guys say if they see you here?" I ask, tensing up in surprise. What is she doing here, really?

She approaches me. "They won't. I just got to school. I figured you were here, so I decided to wish you good luck." She places a hand on my shoulder. "Remember, impossible is nothing. You can be the deciding factor."

"Yeah...yeah. Thanks a lot. How are you going to watch the match? You've got classes to attend." I gaze at my neatly-arranged kits, waiting for her to leave so I can change comfortably. She shrugs her shoulders and looks down and around, thinking.

"I can watch the second half during break. Plus, I'm free after break. If all things go well, the game should end by one, right?"

"Yes, you're right. Come on, you've got a class! I don't want to be the reason you dodged Maths today." I look at the clock after that; it is almost time. And she has to leave. There's no way I'm dressing up in front of her!

"You don't have to worry, Dennis. I'm leaving now. You're evidently too shy to show me your six pack abs. Later!" With those words, she vanishes out of the dressing room, leaving me to contend with the creepy possibility of her possessing psychic powers.

Without further ado, I take off my training kit and flip into my beloved kits. In no time, I'm in the midst of my teammates, answering the recurring questions of "Where have you been?" and "What took you so long?" They are obviously unaware of my little surprise.

"Dennis!"

I look back to see an oncoming Isaac, smiling in an awkward way that revealed his set of teeth."How far? Sorry you aren't starting." I say.

"It's okay." He widens his eyes and rubs his chin with his thumb and index finger. "I saw you with her. I hope you didn't do anything sha...."

You've got to be kidding me.

How did he know?

I try to hit him playfully but he dodges, smiling. "Baba o! You are trying o!" He says as he walks past the touchline. Remind me to strangle him after Grace is done strangling Saint Gregory's team. After the whole handshakes and coin tosses, the game is underway. Trust me, I and my teammates can feel the immense pressure on our shoulders. We are playing in our school; defeat would be a huge embarrassment. However, we can only hope for the very best.

***************************************The game is already over.

I owe you a recap, don't I?

Here it goes:

At half-time, we were up by a goal, courtesy of the team's able captain, Chike. Thirty minutes into the second half, we had scored two more - Chike bagging a second while I scored a direct freekick. At that moment, we were home and dry.