Chapter 7: Soccer Team Redux

On Tuesday afternoon, Drew went to the high school and met Coach Watson there, who introduced her to Coach Aberman.

“Hello, Drew,” Aberman said. “Coach Watson showed me some video he took on his phone of your play last week. He also told me that you’re enrolled in an on-line charter school. Since it’s public, you can be part of a public high school team.”

“I was happy to hear that, Coach. I love soccer and I’ve been playing in community leagues for five years.”

“And what I saw of your play here was quite good. Why couldn’t you just enroll in school here, if I may ask?”

“Kinda legal reasons. Something to do with guardianship issues and my lawyer is working those out. Maybe I can enroll after those are settled.”

“Ah. I understand completely. Listen, after seeing Coach’s clips and talking to him, I don’t think that I need to assess your skills like we do in our late summer team tryouts. How about if I just put you into a scrimmage match after the warmups?”

“Sure, Coach.”

“I’m pushing this a bit because you need to get an athletic physical and I need to register you on the team before you can play.”

“Oh, a physical. Right. I had a sports physical last April for my community soccer league. I have a copy of it with my soccer papers. Will that work?”

“It has a medical history and physical exam report?”

“Yes ma’am. My last high school accepted it when I brought them a copy.”

“Good. I’ll need a copy. Ah, the stragglers are all here now so let me get everyone started with stretching and warmups. Just pick a spot and join. I’ll introduce you when we’re done.”

One of the girls, Melodie, the team captain, Drew learned, led the stretching and a three-lap run around the pitch. The girls returned to the sideline after the run and began introducing themselves. One of the girls came up to Drew.

“Hey Drew, hi. Marjorie, remember?”

Marjorie had been one of the other girls from the Thursday pick-up game. She was a sophomore, a midfielder.

“Yeah, hi. Where’d you disappear to after the game?”

“Had to get home. Hey girls, come meet Drew. She was a fireball on the pitch when she played with our impromptu gang on Thursday. Even got a lit goal—and she was playing D then!”

Everyone crowded around to introduce themselves as the coach called for their attention.

“You’ve all met Drew. She’s strong at D and has some good O skills too, according to Coach Watson, who saw her play. So instead of concentrating on drills today, I want to see how you girls can execute our game plan we worked on last week for the upcoming Palmyra game. Scrimmage, O starters on D starters, and backups in your regular sub slots. And, because she’s fast, I want Drew in as right wing-back. Allison, you’re better as a number 8, so take that position for now. Drew, we play a 5-3-2. The game plan mostly involves the O, so just defend and follow Susan’s lead—she’s the D captain and a center back. Hit it!”

After just forty minutes of play, Drew had established herself as a solid player. Nothing that the O tried on her side could get past her defense—she intercepted three passes; stalled the opposition’s offense four times, allowing other defenders to break up their attacks; and stripped the ball from the opposing winger twice, leading to a breakaway once, where Drew scored in a play eerily similar to the one she had executed on Thursday.

The coach blew her whistle, calling a halt to the scrimmage after that goal.

“Gather ‘round, girls!” When they all jogged over to her, she asked, “What happened to our O out there? Melodie?”

She was a striker in addition to being team captain.

“Um, Drew happened, Coach. She’s faster than anyone we’re ever played against.”

One of the other girls, April, raised her hand; she was a backup defensive fullback. Aberman pointed to her.

“Yeah, Drew came at me like a race car when she charged me—when she got that give-and-go back, I went to block her but suddenly she wasn’t there, she just nutmegged me, spun around and kept running for the goal. We had three-on-one on her and she still scored.”

Drew raised her hand. “I had great help, That was a super cross that Robin sent me after the give-and-go.”

The coach smiled at Drew. “You blew our offensive game plan to shreds, young lady.” Drew started to apologize but Aberman stopped her. “No, that was good. We’ve never faced a defender as fast as you are with the kind of reflexes you appear to have. I also saw you do three advanced dribbling moves, changing direction against an approaching opponent—the Ronaldo chop, a roulette, and a scissors move—that left the D player flat-footed each time. And you said that you play both full-back and wing-back?”

“Yes, Coach, stopper too in some formations my team used when we faced a team with a strong and balanced D and O. My speed out of the backfield gave our own O more attacking options.”

“I can see that. Your attack came on so fast that the D didn’t have much of a chance to organize an effective formation.”

Another girl raised her hand. “Drew, what was that crazy move you pulled to dribble around Marcie after your first steal?”

“Um, oh, you mean the roulette? I saw some clips of Real Madrid games from the early 2000s and this guy Zidane, a midfielder, had this cool dodging dribbling play. Using it, you can run past someone marking you as if she’s not even there. So I learned how to do it, both turning left or right.”

“Yeah, wow, you didn’t even slow down when you blew past her. Can you teach how to do that?”

Drew looked at Aberman who nodded. “Well, sure, I could, but you need to have very solid dribbling skills.”

Aberman nodded again, grinning now. “Girls, the Zidane roulette, also known as the Don-360 move, is a really advanced skill and I’d prefer if you get secure in your basics first. But if you want to spend your own time on this one, and Drew thinks you’re able to learn it, then have at it. Thanks, Drew. You certainly did showcase your abilities today, right, girls?”

They all cheered and Drew blushed. Damn, getting this acceptance is nice. A little like my old team, but those girls came from well-off families, so off the pitch I was always a pariah.

“Okay then, skills practice time,” the coach declared. “Captains, break down your groups into doing rondos now. Drew, go with Melodie’s group. The O could use to learn some better D skills.”

After practice, Aberman asked Drew if she could be at the school at 2:30 the next day.

“Bring your sports physical papers and birth certificate, or another proof of age...”

“Um, Coach, I only have a copy of my past middle school records for an age proof. The physical exam paper shows my age too.”

“That should work. We’ll get you set up in the school’s sports program.”

“Thanks, Coach!”

When Drew got back to her house, she told Connor about her practice session.

“I have to go in tomorrow to register for the sports participation,” she finished.

“Hmm. This might be almost the same as trying to register for the school itself, Drew. No guardian or parent. Let me call Wayne and see how to handle this, okay?”

“Good thought. Glad someone’s thinking.”

Connor called the lawyer’s office and he returned the call after an hour. Connor explained and then put Drew on the call.

“Connor was right in calling, Drew. Normally the school wants a parent or guardian to sign for them, but our state law has provided for children who are what the law terms ‘unaccompanied youth,’ those students who do not reside with a parent or legal guardian. I can email a document to you tomorrow morning which will formally certify that I can act in your behalf for you to join the school’s sports program.”

“Thanks so much, Wayne. Any other news?”

“Not yet. We’ve collected some of the items needed but still need at least two more weeks. I’ll let you know.”

On Wednesday afternoon, Drew got registered in the sports program without any fuss, thanks mostly to Gelb’s emailed document. Her medical record papers were accepted and copied and she was told that she was all set. Then she went off to practice.

The next two weeks went by with nothing of real importance happening. Drew continued practicing with the team; the coach was planning to have her play in games beginning in early November. They moved into the apartment in Mrs Neumann’s house and got it set up to their liking. Neumann’s chores were simple and easy for them; some light housekeeping and yard work were their main responsibilities. At church services, the teens met several kids who went to the school and struck up friendships. It was on the last Saturday of the month that the pastor called Connor with news.

“Connor, are you coming to worship with us tomorrow?” he asked on the call.

“We are, Pastor. You have some news?”

“I might. I’m waiting for one more phone call now. I’ll tell you what I’ve found at lunch then.”

“Sounds good; thanks.”

They couldn’t wait for Sunday.

After services were over, Connor and Drew went to the social hall for the light lunch which had been set up there and were talking to two of the older teens whom they had met several weeks earlier. They were quizzing their new acquaintances about the high school and the kinds of classes most kids took, when Pastor Richardson entered the room. He walked around the room, stopping at tables and chatting with the people there. Soon he approached Connor’s and Drew’s table.

“Hi there, Connor, Drew, Grace, and Stuart. Peace be with you all, this fine day of the Lord. May I ask how your week was?”

They all replied that their week was good.

“Except for a pop quiz in history on Friday,” Grace complained. “I think I did okay, though.”

Robertson smiled. “I’m sure you did. But Grace and Stuart, I have to talk to Drew and Connor for a bit now...”

“That’s okay, Pastor,” Stuart interrupted. “They told us that they were gonna talk to you after lunch. We need to get going anyway. We liked your sermon, by the way. Probably we’ll be here next week. So goodby.”

“Bye, Pastor,” Grace said.

“The blessings of our Lord Jesus be on both of you, and be safe.”

“Thanks, Pastor,” they both chimed, waved, said, “Bye, Drew and Connor,” and left.

Drew and Connor waved back.

“May I join you now?” Robertson asked when they were alone.

“Sure. We’re ready,” Connor replied.

The pastor took a few sheets of paper out of his pocket as he sat down.

“Connor, we’ve managed to trace much of your family back to your great-grandfather and the good news is that you do have a second cousin in the area—in fact, right here in the borough.”

“I do? Who?”

“I’ll come to that. First, it isn’t who I think you expected, since you were searching for Martins. Second, let me go over your relatives, as best as my contacts were able to piece together in such a short time.”

“Okay.”

“Your great grandfather Christoph had two children that we know of, a son and a daughter. The son was your grandfather Hans and the daughter, your great aunt, was named Hannah. They’re both deceased; your grandfather died in the Vietnam War just before your father was born and his wife, your grandmother, remarried about five years later. That’s when she moved with her son, your father, to Massachusetts. She passed away, my sources learned, when your dad was nineteen. We couldn’t find any record of her husband, but since your father’s name wasn’t changed, it appears that he never adopted his stepson. That’s the history of your dad’s side, as best as my sources can reconstruct it.”

“Wow...” Connor sighed.

“Christoph’s daughter Hannah had three children, two sons and a daughter. The oldest, Matthew, is deceased; he died about ten years ago, and never married. The middle son, Jacob, moved away to somewhere on the west coast when he was young. He became estranged from the family for some reason and my sources don’t have any further info about him. The daughter, Eva, married one Frantz Ritter. He grew up in Lancaster and went to med school at Penn, then did a residency at Penn State University’s medical school at the Hershey Medical Center and then stayed on as a faculty member. Dr Ritter is also an attending physician with the Hershey Medical Center. Finally, they have a daughter, Jennifer, who’s a freshman in the high school here, and an older and a younger son. Your second cousins. They now live just outside of Elizabethtown, to the south.”

Connor sat back with a sigh. “Oh wow. I never knew any of that. Jeez. I wonder if this changes my status.”

“Not automatically, it doesn’t—I mean, the Ritters wouldn’t automatically be eligible to become your guardian. Those relatives would typically be a grandparent, an aunt, or uncle. But they’d have a clear path to doing so if they chose. Would you like to meet them? I’m sure your existence would be just as much a surprise to them as it was to you.”

“I don’t want them to feel any obligation, though...” Connor mused.

“Of course. Do you want to think about this?”

“Yeah. Drew?” Connor asked.

“It’s your call. You were looking for a second cousin here and found one. What did you plan then?” she retorted.

“Gee, honey ... you know? Somehow I had the image of an adult guy kinda like my dad, I guess, and he could guide me.”

“Connor, that’s why I mentioned to you that who we found wasn’t who I thought you expected,” Robertson commented.

“So I have a cousin who’s my age—um, I mean, same grade as me. So strange...”

Connor sat with a far-away look.

After close to a minute of silence, Drew said, “Pastor, yeah, let’s think about this. It must be a shock, Connor’s world view needs realigning.”

“That was a very astute observation, Drew,” Robertson told her. “Why don’t the two of you digest this info and when you’re ready, let me know. If you want, I can arrange a meeting or simply let them know of your existence and let them take the initiative to make contact. Okay?”

Connor looked back at him. “Yeah. I need time to think. Thanks awfully much for finding this stuff out, Pastor. I need to wrap my head around this new reality.”

“Absolutely, son. God’s blessings on you both. Call me when you can and enjoy the day.”

He rose and laid a hand on a shoulder of each of them and walked out.