Match

9: Let's Hang Out

 Jonah scrubs a kitchen counter, then collects all the extra crumbs to throw in the trash. He drifts off to the text Cole sent him earlier.

hey. great game btw. idk if this is weird to ask now, but do you wanna meet up at the field sometime?

Jonah responded back with: 'Sure. Lmk what day. I work mornings. Wbu'

Since then Cole hasn't replied. He's probably working too, he thinks.

Jenny hands his absentminded self a clean cloth.

"You look high as a kite, Jonah," she says.

Jonah blinks himself awake and takes the cloth. "Yeah, Jen. I totally took a long drag before work."

She shakes her head and smiles. "Mind telling me what's up? It's been so quiet this morning."

"Eh, tied my game Saturday."

"Oh? Are you trying to get a winning streak?"

Jonah wipes a dusty table surface. "We won our first and tied our second. So we broke that streak already."

"There's always a next time, right?"

"Yeah," he nods.

Jenny tosses some dirty utensils into a sink and flicks on the faucet. From a bedroom, Carol emerges holding a vacuum hose, which drags along behind her short self.

"Hoo boy I didn't even have to vacuum much in there," she says. "It was practically spotless."

"Where's Charlotte?" Jonah asks.

"She's upstairs fixing the beds. Speaking of, Jonah, if you're done dusting down here, can you go give her a hand?"

"On it." He flings the filthy cloth on a pile of others and runs up the stairs.

"Watch your step!" Carol hollers.

"Hey," Jenny nods at her and lowers her voice. "You see how happy Jonah's been this morning?"

Carol raises an eyebrow and looks up the stairs, then back to her.

"He's happy doing his job?"

Jenny snickers. "Probably. Or it could be something else. He told me it's because of his soccer games."

"Ahh," Carol waggles a finger as a metaphorical lightbulb goes off.

"Ah, to be young again," she sighs.

"You're only thirty five, hun." Carol nudges as she grabs the mop from behind. "Oh by the way - you missed a spot on the spoon there."

"Shoot, thank you!" She begins scrubbing the spoon clean.

———————————

Cole:

i work mornings too. wanna practice on wed evening?

Jonah:

Sure! C u @ 5ish on my practice field.

Humid air heats up the Canadian soil as days grow longer well into May. Cole pulls into the parking lot and parks his car. He steps out, slings his bag over his shoulder and takes a whiff of the mountainous scent gliding through the valley. It's pretty windy today, he thinks. He glances at the field in front of him and sees Jonah sitting down, sliding his shin guards on. He notices Cole then waves at him.

"Hey!"

Cole swallows. No turning back now.

He adjusts the bag strap so it sits comfortably on his shoulder, locks his car, and trots onto the field. Jonah smiles as he approaches.