The Meeting

Mamma Said

Long gone were the days of a select fanbase attending the women's game, the underfunded grounds, and the lack of support for players.

Long gone.

Today was the third Saturday of the month, which meant it was Aoife day. The first Saturday was Finn day, the second Theo day, the fourth Leah and Alex day, but today was all about Aoife. It was to be expected that we would do something football related, but Aoife didn't expect that it would be this.

Flashback:

"Got the sweets!" Aoife shouted as she entered the living room, her England shirt proudly worn.
"There's something wrong with the broadcast." Leah sighed.
"What? Can you fix it?"
"I'm not sure, mate. It just keeps fuzzing, Grandma says hers is the same."
"They won't start the game until it's fixed, right?" Aoife said, her face dropping.
"They have to. They have to start the game at the scheduled time."

I couldn't speak. I would blow the entire thing.

"Okay. That's okay." Aoife sighed.
"Maybe one of the places closer to town will be showing it from a different broadcast. There's still a while until kick off, will we try that?"
"Are we allowed?"
"Yeah. Al, that okay with you?"

Nod and smile, Alex. Nod and smile.

By the time we arrived at Wembley, both of us were shocked that Aoife was still none the wiser, giving each other questioning glances as to why she hadn't yet clicked on. We swarmed through the crowds of people, getting closer and closer to the VIP entrance of the stadium.

"Oh, we're literally at the stadium. We may as well just go in, Aoifs? Watch it live?" Leah smiled, raising her eyebrows.
"What - no - don't kid me right now, can we? That's so not funny if it's a joke!" Aoife scoffed, preparing herself for let down.
"I don't know... I think we would be better finding somewhere quieter to watch it." I chirped in.
"Mum!" Aoife groaned.
"Will we take a vote?"
"Yes!"
"All those in favour of going in..."

All three hands went into the air, even mine.

"You're sneaky!" Aoife chuckled.
"You're silly, I can't believe you didn't realise." I chuckled back.
"It's really rude to keep secrets from me on Aoife day, you know. It's Aoife day. You know, the day that is all about me." Aoife grinned.
"You are so sassy." Leah chuckled.

— — — —

It was the final of the Arnold Clark cup, which had almost quadrupled in size since the years that Leah had played. England were clear favourites until that red card happened in the 59th minute, Leah and Aoife both shouting from the top of their lungs as they disagreed with the referee. The game went downhill from there, an equaliser coming soon after the card, and the winning goal from Germany coming just after the 80th minute. Aoife was upset by the loss but a few quick words from Leah turned her upset into something more useful - a lesson.

"All part of the game, you'll have these moments too. Moments when you wish, more than anything, that things had gone differently. That you hadn't picked up that card, that you hadn't made that pass, that you'd been in a different position, or that you'd trained that little bit harder. That's football, Aoifs. The best game in the world, but the biggest heartbreak."
"Will they be sad now?" Aoife gulped.
"For a little while, yeah. It'll sting. You know the best thing about stings though?"
"What?"
"They remind you to work extra hard next time to make sure it doesn't happen again. I had a sting once, and then we won the Euros." Leah smiled, her eyes showing her memories coming flooding back.
"What was your sting?"
"The 2019 World Cup, I thought if I'd been more developed, more vocal, if I'd shown my ability more. Would I have got minutes? Could I have been the difference? So when it came to the Euros, I left myself with no questions. I gave everything, every last part of me."
"Is that why you have 2022 tattooed on your shoulder?"
"No." Leah smiled, her face reddening slightly.
"Why then?"
"That's the year I met your Mum." Leah smiled, her eyes finding mine amongst the tender moment.
"You two are gross." Aoife rolled her eyes.