The Cub in the Water

REUNITED 'CAUSE IT FEELS SO GOOD

The thing about family, is that when you are lucky enough to have one that knows the true meaning of the word and realizes that it takes much more than blood to earn the right to call yourself that, you are set for a life full of love and peace. Full of light. Because family, real family, will do anything, and I mean anything to feel you close, and to love you so. There's no distance, there's no time, and there's no situation that will come between family.

It turns out the divorce agreed with everyone. My mom was somewhat content because she was getting the money she so eagerly fought for, and so perfectly thought she deserved.

For our weekends together, my dad had to pick me up Friday afternoon and return me on Sunday at the same exact hour. To prevent any kind of Helga disaster, he started functioning as a world-class delivery company. DHL or UPS were nothing compared to his skills. He picked up his talking little package sharply at six on Fridays evenings and returned her safe and sound at six o'clock sharp on Sunday afternoons.

We knew that when the time to get home was coming, we had to be prepared to make a run for it. The seconds-hand in my dad's watch approaching the final hour was just like Cinderella's chimes. Every second that passed, meant our beautiful white shiny chariot was about to turn into a pumpkin. We always did our best to be early. We didn't want to risk it.

Apart from the excitement combined with the nervousness right before he picked me up, and the stress that we both suffered from wanting to be strictly punctual with my mom, our weekends together were great. We did all sorts of things.

Sports have always been a big part of our lives, in this era, they were a big part of our weekends. Dad has always been a sport's geek – he used to play football and now he is a triathlon junkie – and has tried to pass on the torch to me for long as I can remember. I learned to kick a soccer ball before I learned to run without falling on my face. He enrolled me in a soccer team in the soccer school for the National University of Mexico when I was five years old. He made sure I attended all my practices and didn't' miss my matches because he assures that playing any kind of sport, gives you the discipline you need for life and all of its aspects. That is why most of our Saturday mornings were Pumitas time.

Aside from the soccer school, the National University had a professional team, the Pumas. My dad was a huge fan and for that reason, he took me to their games as locals every now and then. We went to the top of the stadium and cheered along with the big crowd who was always supporting the blue and gold-colored team. I've never been the quiet type of girl. Imagine a little seven-year-old screaming her lungs out cheering the official song, "Goya, goya, cachun cachun ra ra cachun cachun ra ra, gooooya Universidad!" I was without a doubt the coolest kid in all the university's surroundings.

At night, when we returned home for the day he turned on the Tv and searched the channels for any live games of any sport, and if there wasn't any he put on the sports channel. That became one of my favorite activities to do with my dad. I loved watching sports with him, and I still do. There is something about the dim lights at night, the entertainment of good match, and the company of my dad that soothes me. It makes me feel peaceful.

These kinds of activities marked my sports fan base for life. I'm still a big fan of the Pumas club. It also made me a huge soccer fan. I'm the type of person that gets super excited and prepared for the World Cup, with the jerseys from my favorite teams, the sticker collectible album, the proper video game experience, and of course with the right snacks to enjoy every game.

In baseball, of course, the answer is obvious, the Boston Red Sox are my team. Football? Well, I'm faithful to the best team in the whole world, the San Francisco 49ers. Is there any other? Thanks to my dad's insight on the sport, today I have a long-lasting tradition of watching every single Thursday, Sunday, and Monday football until the Super Bowl Sunday comes along.