We parked in the lot, mostly empty since we were among the first to arrive.We walked to field number three and I was able to settle on the sidelines while Arne ran over to his coach.She’d arrived early to set out cones for warm-ups before the game.She waved at me, and got Arne to help before letting him do some practice drills.I enjoyed sitting on a chair, watching my son have fun while we waited for the rest of the team to show up.
Families arrived.Most of the kids had moms bringing them to the games, but there were some fathers present as well.The other team settled in across the field by custom.A couple of the kids had been on Arne’s team last summer, and we waved greetings across the field of battle.
Tonya and Barney arrived just in time.Barney and Arne had met at school and decided they were destined to be BFFs because their names rhymed.I appreciated that Barney was a great kid, and I got along well with his mother.
Tonya was toting a cooler, so she was snack mom for tonight’s game.I helped her get everything ready and she dropped into a chair beside me with a sigh.
“Thanks, Mia.I swear, if someone started a catering business just to provide snacks for kids playing soccer, they’d make a fortune from me.”
“It would definitely save a lot of stress.”I glanced around at the parents and considered the dietary stuff that came up at school.“Can you imagine what kind of orders you’d get?Vegan, gluten-free, sugar-free, organic, peanut-free…”
She grinned at me.“But you could charge a premium for slicing organic gluten-free oranges into quarters and selling them to desperate moms like us.”
She had a point.“Go for it.I’ll tell everyone at school about your business.”
She shook her head.“No.It’s bad enough doing it once a month.I don’t have the patience.I’d end up telling someone to fuck off and that would be the end of the business.”
A whistle blew and the kids lined up for the game.There were a range of heights among the kids.Arne was tall, thanks to Erik, but Barney only came up to his shoulder.
Six-year-olds weren’t top athletes.Unless Arne was on the field, I didn’t pay much attention to the game.
“I hear Barney is going to hockey camp this summer.”
Tonya shrugged.“In August.Brody hopes he’s got an NHL star in the making.”
Barney tripped over the ball and fell on his butt.Maybe he was better on skates.“You don’t want him to go?”
“I’m not looking forward to being a hockey mom to two kids with different schedules.There’s going to be a lot of freezing at ice rinks all winter.Brody says he’ll do it, but when he travels or has work commitments, I know who’s going to be stuck getting up at the ass crack of dawn to take them.”Brody was Tonya’s husband and Barney’s dad.
Logistically, I could probably get Arne to a summer hockey camp, but a long-term hockey commitment wouldn’t be possible.Not when he only had me, and I had to work erratic shifts and help with Mom as well.“Barney’s excited enough that now Arne wants to go.”
Tonya shot me a glance.“You don’t sound very happy about the idea.”
I checked for Arne on the field, but he was still on the sidelines.“It’s expensive.And violent.”
“They don’t allow body contact at this age.”
I tapped my chest.“Health care worker here.I know what damage sports can do to a body.Soccer isn’t bad, but hockey is faster, involves sharp metal blades and rubber pucks, and is played on a very hard surface.”
Tonya lifted a hand.“And yet they love it.”
I slouched into my chair.“I can’t afford the equipment, and I don’t have the time to be a hockey mom when I’m raising him alone.”
Tonya quickly became serious.“Should I ask Barney to tone it down?”
I snorted.“Like that would work.I was just going to ask if the hockey camp was full.If it is, then the whole hockey issue is tabled for a while.”
Barney and Arne were on the field now, so Tonya and I cheered them on while they ran back and forth.Arne got a goal and I leapt to my feet, clapping and cheering.He was grinning ear to ear as they went back to the sidelines to let the next kids play.
Tonya opened the cooler to get the snacks ready since halftime was in about five minutes.
“I’m pretty sure the camps are all booked, but I can check.Or would you rather not know so you can tell him it’s too late without really lying?”
It was the easy way out, but I wanted to be honest with my son.“No, if there’s still the chance to sign up, I’ll deal with it.Maybe he’ll try it and decide he doesn’t like it.”
Tonya jerked her head at the field where Arne was back on and stripping the ball from another six-year-old.“Your choice, but I’d bet that a kid with that kind of coordination will love playing hockey.”
I huffed a breath.Tonya had a good point.Given half a chance, Arne would love just about any sport.