“Really?What’s he been in?”
“Mostly blink-and-you-miss-it parts, but he’s here to shoot a series.After the Fall.”
Tonya’s forehead creased.“Oh yeah, I’ve heard of the books.Maybe it’s his big break.”
“Maybe.”
She opened her chair and set it down beside mine before dropping into it.“So what’s the story here?Do we hate him?”
I flashed a smile at her.“Not hate.Just cautious.”
“Ah, like that.Damn, it’s sometimes easier if they’re just straight assholes.At least then you know what to expect.”
Coach blew his whistle and Erik walked over to where Tonya and I were sitting.I’d brought along another folding chair for him.
He sat down beside me.“Arne’s excited.”
I nodded.“He likes playing.”
Erik leaned forward to look at Tonya.“Hi there, I’m Erik, Arne’s dad.”
Tonya shook his hand.“I’m Tonya, Mia’s friend.”
“You have a kid playing?”
“Yes.Barney.He and Arne are friends.”
“Nice to meet you.”Erik leaned back and silence fell.
I couldn’t talk to Tonya the way I normally would with Erik there, and I had no idea what these two people could talk about together.
Tonya took control.“Mia says you’re an actor?”
Erik smiled.“I’m in town to shootAfter the Fall.”
Tonya looked impressed.“Wow.How long are you in BC?”
“Six weeks, depending.”
“Who else is in it?”
Erik’s lips pinched for a moment, since Tonya not knowing meant she wasn’t a fan of the show.But once he started listing his costars and the directors and she seemed impressed, he was happy again.He’d have talked longer, but the first game started.
It was the usual mess of six-year-olds playing.There were competitive leagues for kids who showed promise, but those took time and money that I didn’t have.Arne so far enjoyed the games and did pretty well but hadn’t expressed any desire to focus more on soccer.
He’s excited about hockey, said a little voice in my head and I ignored it.
The game was tied 3-3 at the half when the kids came off and swarmed around for snacks.Tonya was a pro at this, and she helped me get everyone something to eat and a drink.Erik stepped back and talked to a couple of the dads, the ones who weren’t hands-on with their kids’ snacking.Gender stereotypes were strong with my ex.
Once the feeding frenzy had calmed, I gathered empty juice boxes from the kids.Arne ran over to his dad.
“Dad, did you see my goal?”
“I sure did.I used to play, and I was thinking, if you tried a more man-on-man defense…”
I drew in a long breath.Erik could certainly offer any advice he wanted to his son, but to drop in for half a game and think it was the right time and place to coach from the sidelines?I could go over and mediate, but decided no.If Erik was going to show up once in a blue moon, I didn’t need to share what I’d learned from attending every soccer game possible.
Arne creased his forehead in the way that meant he was thinking hard as he listened to his dad.“Um, should we talk to Coach?Mommy says I should listen to her when we’re playing.”