A Flame From The Past

28: A Perfect Moment

Luca had left late that night off to Oregon, for his big game. He asked me if I had wanted to go last night, before he had left. But I told him there would be many more games that I would go to, where I wouldn't have a stifled nose, and a disoriented look on my face.

The rut I had been stuck in had continued for all of last night and all of this afternoon. This rut had been draining all of the living energy and soul I had left in me, I was still puzzled by it all. Asking the necessary questions of why, how, why, how. I just set it aside for now, happier about further things that couldn't be grasped in the palm of your hand.

I was just happy to be done with work, Ray was ready to settle down and watch the many football games airing today. He sat by the TV, watching and waiting as I finished up some work. He wanted to see all of them, which meant we ended up taping the ones we couldn't get too.

"Why don't you go take a shower, and I'll let you know when the game comes on?" I asked him, trying to work with him as he sat on the couch, fixated on the moving screen before him. This game was all he talked about today, he made it a point to bring up Luca any chance he had.

"Carina, I'm going to miss everything: the interviews, them running out, the kick off. Do you know how long a shower takes?!" He exasperatedly and over exaggeratingly said, moving his arms in these large circles, even ones I couldn't follow. I gave up on trying to make him take a shower, as he promised me he would take one later.

"I'm sorry, we couldn't go to this one", I told him and he nodded his head, focusing on the tv, but it really does pay to listen. He kept his eyes stuck on the game, he was fixated by how the ball was thrown, how the teammates would swoop in and save the score. I saw it in his eyes. He was mesmerized by the game.

"You know Luca did ask if I would let him just take you", I played with him, as he stared back at me, his eyes peeled back into his skull. His mouth wide open, staring at me as if I was an unreal being.

"WHAT", he said, loudly, even though I was right next to him. He jumped up and his eyes finally focused on me rather than the TV he's been looking at for over an hour. Suddenly his special game didn't have all of his attention.

"Why didn't you say yes?" He asked, begging for an answer, as he followed me to the kitchen. He kept himself in range of the tv to the kitchen, just so he could see and hear the game.

"I'll tell you what when you're older, more responsible, more mature, and you don't look like a little cute chipmunk that someone wants to kidnap, I'll let you go on your own", I told him, his face turned to a widened frown as he sulked back to the couch. Defeated and sad by my refusal of his chance to view a game in person.

My phone from the other room sounded off, as I ran to pick it up, I was waiting on some court information to admit a new kid into my class, there was a whole process for this.

"Hello" I said, catching my breath, while my eyes focused on Ray, running back out of his room with his jersey Luca had gotten for him.

"How are you bella?"Luca said, as I imagined him now all suited up in his football gear, the same gear I had tried to take off that day in the tunnels.

"I'm feeling a bit achy, just a little cold", I told him, as I heard the commotion on the Tv, it seemed as if he was about to go on.

"Good luck. You'll do great, I'll be watching from home", I said, hoping he had known why I couldn't go. But that I had still cared, that I still wanted him to be the best he could be, that I still wanted to be with him through it all.

We said our goodbyes, and I handed off the phone to Ray.  He wanted to wish him good luck, he went on and on about each little thing to the point where when Luca had run out of the doors and onto the field they were still on the phone. They ended the call, as Ray shrieked.