Whirlwind

epilogue

LIBBY

***

"Mum, when does Bentley come out?" Beau asks me from Jasper's other side.

He's decked from head to toe with Brighton and Hove Albion gear, wearing Bentley's number, and he's been cheering his butt off for the last ten minutes, even though nothing has really happened.

Today is one of the proudest moment of mine and Jasper's lives: Bentley has her first professional women's premier league matches.

After just one year at college, Bentley had got a call from one of the scouts at Brighton, saying they were interested in her for their U20s team. She'd agreed as long as she could attend university as well, so she transferred back to England, to the University of Sussex, doing sport science. They even agreed to fund it, saying that in her time before classes and after classes, she was to attend training sessions with both the U20s team and the Brighton ladies team.

Three months ago, she got pulled to one side by her coach saying the big squads had been looking at her, loving the way she played. When they asked if she wanted to accept the offer of being their Centre Midfield, she accepted wholeheartedly, and now she was debuting and starting in her first league match.

My daughter, my beautiful and talented daughter is starting at a professional football match, at the young age of twenty one. And in a Premier League club of all things... and I could not have been more proud.

"Soon! They're all gearing up to get on the pitch now." I reach around Jasper and ruffle his hair under his hat.

This game, which had been moved to the men's home ground The Amex, was to be a big one. The women usually play at Crawley Town's ground, but it had been flooded with the foul weather yesterday, and got moved here last week. It was supposedly fate that the men play their match tomorrow.

The atmosphere was unreal. Although the stands aren't necessarily filled as much as for the men's matches would be, there's still a sizeable crowd. Our stand is mostly full, and Jason and Beau are enjoying themselves immensely, and I have to laugh at what they look like.

Whilst I waited outside holding bags, Jasper took both our sons into the shop to buy some Brighton kit. Of course when they came out they had three whole bags full. We found a bathroom and decked ourselves up in all our supporters gear. Jasper had bought me a Ladies shirt, with Bentley's number, along with a warm grey hoodie which had the Brighton badge. He's got it two sizes too big for me, but I don't care. Jason and Beau have what look like away shirts, one is green and the other is plain black, and they're wearing them over their big jumpers I'd made them put on this morning. Beau also has a bobble hat, a flag and a foam finger, with Jason wielding a foam finger as well. Jasper is just wearing a men's shirt, and he's bought himself a hoodie to match mine. It's freezing today, so I'm grateful for the extra layers. I only hope that Bentley doesn't freeze while she's playing. There was snow on the ground when we left home this morning, but down in Brighton it was just cold.

Bentley had offered us tickets down near the players, but Jasper had said he wanted to be up in the crowds with everyone, experiencing the atmosphere. She sounded okay with it on the phone, but she said she'd make sure security would let us come down onto the pitch afterwards, or at least down to see her. Jess, her girlfriend, did accept the front row tickets, though, so she branched off from us about an hour ago when we got here.

Despite not needing to, both Jasper and I were nervous for her. She'd gone through a lot over the last year, and with being in America before that. And now with being scouted for the team and long training sessions, along with being in the public eye, the pressure could become too much. But through thick and thin we've had her back the whole time.