Flightless
Sometimes it just feels better to give in.
"What are you, like six-three?" I asked Jordan after our hug, noticing my 5'6" frame only came to mid-bicep on him.
"Close, six-four actually. How'd you know?" Jordan looked a little impressed, as did Max and Lucy who were watching our exchange with smiles.
I chuckled a little, my mind bringing up the exact reason for a brief second. "I figured you were about the same height as Nally." Taking in their confusion, I explained further, "He's a lock in my rugby team back home."
"You play?" Max questioned.
I shook my head while answering in the negative. "I did a little when I was younger, mostly backyard stuff though. Then I partially dislocated my knee three times in just over two years. Screwed it up pretty bad, but not enough for surgery or anything. But now I am, or I guess was, part of the management for a senior guys club team. They should actually be just about to play."
That was going to be the thing I missed the most about home, aside from my family of course. Rugby had been part of my life for as long as I could remember, Saturday afternoons spent on the sidelines since I was a baby. It started with making mud pies with the other kids and having to be thrown in the showers to clean off, progressed to actually watching while my dad played for various teams, and then when he became involved in management helping him out.
Officially being recognised as part of the management team a few years ago, my role on game days was to keep the water bottles filled, take care of the ice socks (a rugby sock filled with crushed ice moulds a lot better to the body than the traditional plastic bag of cubes), make up the Powerade for after match energy and hydration, and help the guys out if they needed tape, new shorts or socks. Then during games I sat on the bench, taking down statistics of who scored when, substitutions and injuries. Plus there was always the 'motivational' support - aka yelling at them when they messed up, or cheering for a good play. Occasionally I had to film the games for analysis, which was my most hated job. Watching the game through a tiny screen, zooming in and out to follow the ball and trying to keep my comments to a quiet minimum was frustrating, to say the least.
It was my life on Saturdays from early April to late August, from noon 'til whenever I ended up back home. A few of the team, who'd been around almost as long as I had, felt almost like family and were always extending invitations to join them out on the town to celebrate or commiserate after club speeches were over.
"That's so cool," Lucy grinned. "Well, not the part about your knee, but just being involved."
Jordan deemed it time to go shower, seeing as his family were waiting to go out for late drinks. The room had emptied out quite a bit, most of the players missing in action, presumably in the same area Jordan had just vacated to.
Fighting back a yawn, I watched as Max raised his hand to hit the two re-dressed teammates standing closest to him, interrupting their conversation. "TK, Flower, have you guys met Rayne yet?"
The one with what appeared to be a permanent smile, who I recognised to be the goalie, was the first to speak. "Bonsoir mademoiselle. Je suis Marc-Andre," he bowed a little towards me.
"French? Well in that case Bonsoir monsieur. Comment ca va?"
"Tres bien, merci. Et tu?" he replied quickly, an air of excitement lighting his features, though i'm sure my accent and hesitation was a giveaway that I was nowhere near practiced in French. My teacher had always insisted I had a perfect French accent, and seeing as she was actually from France, you'd think she'd know, but i always felt awkward speaking the foreign tongue. It was more than likely this guy was French-Canadian though, and I was pretty sure they spoke it a little differently.
"Tired as hell actually, but what can ya do?" I joked.
"Wait a minute, you speak French?" Lucy asked, looking at me with wide eyes while interrupting the small burst of laughter from the men beside us. She glanced between Flower and myself a few times before settling her gaze back on me. A few new bodies, draped only in low-slung towels were glancing in our direction, one set feeling a little more intensely concentrated than the rest.
Blushing madly at the attention focused squarely on me I shrugged a little as I looked down to the floor, hoping these people would lose interest but knowing it was in vain.
"Don't get too excited, that's pretty much all I remember from high school. I hope it wasn't too off - it's been awhile. Hey, would you prefer I greeted them with a typical New Zealand greeting?" Seeing them all nod with interest I took a breath and prepared to be laughed at once again. "Kia ora bro!" I spoke using my best 'cheeky Maori homie' accent, deepening my voice and smiling wide as I did the little head tilt and eyebrow raise that customarily went with the greeting. If I was doing it, I might as well do it properly, I figured.
"Haha that's cool," TK laughed along with the rest of them before introducing himself as Tyler.
Letting another yawn out, not having the energy to bother trying to keep it in, I looked over to Lucy as if to say I'd be passing out soon if we didn't leave in the near future.
"Okay, lets get you to a bed. Tell Max bye for me?" she asked of Marc.
"It was really nice meeting you guys," I waved a little as we made our exit.
"Close, six-four actually. How'd you know?" Jordan looked a little impressed, as did Max and Lucy who were watching our exchange with smiles.
I chuckled a little, my mind bringing up the exact reason for a brief second. "I figured you were about the same height as Nally." Taking in their confusion, I explained further, "He's a lock in my rugby team back home."
"You play?" Max questioned.
I shook my head while answering in the negative. "I did a little when I was younger, mostly backyard stuff though. Then I partially dislocated my knee three times in just over two years. Screwed it up pretty bad, but not enough for surgery or anything. But now I am, or I guess was, part of the management for a senior guys club team. They should actually be just about to play."
That was going to be the thing I missed the most about home, aside from my family of course. Rugby had been part of my life for as long as I could remember, Saturday afternoons spent on the sidelines since I was a baby. It started with making mud pies with the other kids and having to be thrown in the showers to clean off, progressed to actually watching while my dad played for various teams, and then when he became involved in management helping him out.
Officially being recognised as part of the management team a few years ago, my role on game days was to keep the water bottles filled, take care of the ice socks (a rugby sock filled with crushed ice moulds a lot better to the body than the traditional plastic bag of cubes), make up the Powerade for after match energy and hydration, and help the guys out if they needed tape, new shorts or socks. Then during games I sat on the bench, taking down statistics of who scored when, substitutions and injuries. Plus there was always the 'motivational' support - aka yelling at them when they messed up, or cheering for a good play. Occasionally I had to film the games for analysis, which was my most hated job. Watching the game through a tiny screen, zooming in and out to follow the ball and trying to keep my comments to a quiet minimum was frustrating, to say the least.
It was my life on Saturdays from early April to late August, from noon 'til whenever I ended up back home. A few of the team, who'd been around almost as long as I had, felt almost like family and were always extending invitations to join them out on the town to celebrate or commiserate after club speeches were over.
"That's so cool," Lucy grinned. "Well, not the part about your knee, but just being involved."
Jordan deemed it time to go shower, seeing as his family were waiting to go out for late drinks. The room had emptied out quite a bit, most of the players missing in action, presumably in the same area Jordan had just vacated to.
Fighting back a yawn, I watched as Max raised his hand to hit the two re-dressed teammates standing closest to him, interrupting their conversation. "TK, Flower, have you guys met Rayne yet?"
The one with what appeared to be a permanent smile, who I recognised to be the goalie, was the first to speak. "Bonsoir mademoiselle. Je suis Marc-Andre," he bowed a little towards me.
"French? Well in that case Bonsoir monsieur. Comment ca va?"
"Tres bien, merci. Et tu?" he replied quickly, an air of excitement lighting his features, though i'm sure my accent and hesitation was a giveaway that I was nowhere near practiced in French. My teacher had always insisted I had a perfect French accent, and seeing as she was actually from France, you'd think she'd know, but i always felt awkward speaking the foreign tongue. It was more than likely this guy was French-Canadian though, and I was pretty sure they spoke it a little differently.
"Tired as hell actually, but what can ya do?" I joked.
"Wait a minute, you speak French?" Lucy asked, looking at me with wide eyes while interrupting the small burst of laughter from the men beside us. She glanced between Flower and myself a few times before settling her gaze back on me. A few new bodies, draped only in low-slung towels were glancing in our direction, one set feeling a little more intensely concentrated than the rest.
Blushing madly at the attention focused squarely on me I shrugged a little as I looked down to the floor, hoping these people would lose interest but knowing it was in vain.
"Don't get too excited, that's pretty much all I remember from high school. I hope it wasn't too off - it's been awhile. Hey, would you prefer I greeted them with a typical New Zealand greeting?" Seeing them all nod with interest I took a breath and prepared to be laughed at once again. "Kia ora bro!" I spoke using my best 'cheeky Maori homie' accent, deepening my voice and smiling wide as I did the little head tilt and eyebrow raise that customarily went with the greeting. If I was doing it, I might as well do it properly, I figured.
"Haha that's cool," TK laughed along with the rest of them before introducing himself as Tyler.
Letting another yawn out, not having the energy to bother trying to keep it in, I looked over to Lucy as if to say I'd be passing out soon if we didn't leave in the near future.
"Okay, lets get you to a bed. Tell Max bye for me?" she asked of Marc.
"It was really nice meeting you guys," I waved a little as we made our exit.
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1/16/13