3rd & Long

Chapter 10: Hail Mary

10 years ago...

Nataly Casillas stared out the window of the bus as she listened to her favorite football news roundup. This was a special episode, her best friend Rafael Lopez would be getting mentioned for the segment they did on promising high school students to keep an eye on. Even though it was only sophomore year, Raf was garnering tons of hype as the premiere running back from their high school who had already gone on to break several of the school's records. Nat always knew her friend was destined for greatness, this was just his first recognition.

"I'm telling you, this Lopez kid has got it. In the past game he rushed over 300 yards and had two running touchdowns. If you're not paying attention to him, you are not paying attention to the future!" One of the anchors enthusiastically let out.

Nat had been to every game of the season so far and she was well aware of what her friend was capable of. As she counted down the minutes until she got home, she thought it would be a good idea to pay him a visit given how close he lived to her.

"Well now that's enough about Rafael Lopez, let's move on to our last high school highlight: Nick Bosa out of Florida. Now that's a monster defensive end in the making. His brother has just committed to Ohio and we've heard that the university has already reached out to Nick offering him a spot on the team when his time comes. Isn't that incredible?"

As the bus came to Nat's stop, she tucked away her headphones and turned off her phone. For as much as she liked football, she didn't think much of high school players on the other side of the country. Nat was a Cali girl through and through, as if the Lightning jersey she was wearing wasn't enough of an indication. Nat stepped off the bus and made her way to her house.

Inside, Nat knew by the suspicious quiet that her family was not home yet. She checked her phone and saw a text she missed:

Mami: Nat I had to go to the bank about one of my checks. Margie is picking up Sonia. If you want something to eat Ms. Lopez said she was making food.

And so Nat had another reason to go pay the Lopez household a visit. She set down her bag in her room and took off on foot to her friend's house. Thankfully, it was a cloudy day in Los Angeles, so Nat wouldn't have much of a problem. As she strolled down the sidewalk, her mouth began to water as she imagined the delicious meal Ms. Lopez was cooking up.

Maria Alicia Lopez was a humble and soft spoken woman. Originally from Sonora, Mexico, Maria came to the United States seeking a life of opportunity for her future family. Back in Mexico, she had gotten accepted to an outstanding university to go play basketball. Unfortunately, as the oldest child in her family, her parents forbade her from going off to school. So Maria stayed to watch after her younger siblings. It took a few years for the youngest children to become self-sufficient, but once they did, Maria took off for Los Angeles and never looked back.

Here in the States, she met a lovely man who she married and had 2 kids with. Rafael was the youngest of the two, and when Maria saw the spark in his eye after their first football match together, she was determined to give her son the future that was stolen from her. Maria worked multiple jobs: food service, housekeeping, odd jobs she would do for other recent arrivals. Whatever free time she did have, she dedicated to taking Rafael to practices across the area. Any sort of football camp or opportunity for individual practice, Maria jumped on, knowing her son would need all the help he could get to play the most popular sport in the country.

But the biggest effort Maria Alicia Lopez made for her son was in her cooking. She knew a growing boy needed a lot of food to get big and strong. So she mastered multiple recipes from her culture, each putting a heavy emphasis on meat, to ensure her son would gain all the muscle he would need. And her efforts had paid off. Rafael was one of the tallest 10th graders in his school and showed no sign of stopping. In fact, people began to think Maria was putting some sort of magic in her dishes because even his own best friend Nat was starting to get taller than the other girls. Whatever Maria was doing was working.