Soccer Women Ch. 21

[Author's Note: It is now over a year and a half since I first started typing this story. I want to do a full post-mortem after this story has had some time to be out there. However, I must give a very special thank you to Gaius Petronius. Gaius was an early critic, not of the story, but of the writing. The criticism was always constructive. Then he proposed to take on the task of Editor. It was always done as a fan of the underlying story. Helpful suggestions were offered but never pushed. He taught me that while this was my story, there were fans of it out there and I had to consider them as well. The Soccer Girls part of this trilogy would have been very different without his advice and counsel and looking back, it would not have been as good. If you enjoyed that portion you have him to thank as much as myself. However, he does not share the blame if you did not like it. The story was still mine.

Since I have taken back the editing duties, I think I have been much better at it because of his work and input. As I get ready to do the final editing of the final chapter, I just want to publicly thank him. Not surprisingly, I loved my story, but I know it was better because of his help. So, thank you Gaius for the care you gave my baby.]

In April, what had been rumored did in fact come true. The Girls Varsity Soccer Coach at Katie's school was retiring and Katie would be the new Varsity Coach. Not that Katie was unhappy with the way the team was run, but she definitely had her own ideas and she was ready to put them into place. The next time Katie and Melanie spoke with Jo and Margaret, Katie got to give them her good news. She also laid out a plan for the four of them to get together in July. Since they had been in California in January, Katie was thinking about someplace in the Pocono Mountains in Pennsylvania. Jo and Margaret could fly to the Napoli's house, leave Maisie for a week and Carol and Jen could come to watch Joe and Jamie. The Poconos would be about the middle between Katie and Melanie's house and where Jo's parents lived.

Katie was a little disappointed that Jo and Margaret did not seem very excited about the idea, but she thought once the plans were set, they would come around. When the call was over, Margaret said to Jo, "You're gonna have to tell her. She can't start spending money on reservations."

"I know. I know. Not yet though."

Aside from the calls the four of them shared, Katie and Jo would have their own calls. But these were just about coaching soccer. They loved talking about it and bouncing ideas off each other. Ever the Forward, Katie would be trying to figure out how to break down defenses. And ever the Defender, Jo would be trying to figure out ways to stop different offensive plays.

They always kept these just about coaching. But when Katie started trying to talk about the idea of a summer get-together, Jo knew that she had some news she was holding back. And she would have to tell Katie and Melanie soon. But she was not ready to do it. While it was happy news, it would mean some disappointment as the summer get-together could not happen this year.

Jo continued to held back the next few weeks until Margaret told her, "If you don't tell them next time, I will."

The next time the four of them spoke, they had a video call on Skype. Jo said, "Katie, Melanie, I have some news."

"Is it good news?" Melanie asked.

"Yes, but there is some bad news with it. We won't be able to come on the Poconos trip."

"WHY NOT?" Katie shouted, not in anger but in obvious disappointment.

Jo said, "Because I will be almost six months pregnant and it will be too hard to hike around those trails you wanted to go on and I won't be able to drink anything."

It took about five seconds for what she had said to sink in before Melanie screamed "OHMYGOD! OHMYGOD! OHMYGOD! OHMYGOD! OHMYGOD! OHMYGOD! OHMYGOD! Jo, Margaret, that is amazing. Congratulations."

Just then Joe came running into the room. He had heard Melanie yell and came to find out why. He jumped into Melanie's lap and said, "Mom, Mom, what's the matter?"

"Nothing honey. Actually, it's something great. Aunt Jo and Aunt Margaret are going to have another baby."

Katie, who had been dumbstruck when Jo first told them, finally jumped into the conversation. "Jo, Margaret, this is spectacular. But I must admit, I am a bit surprised."

Jo responded. "Yeah, well. Margaret pointed out that another child would not dilute the love in our house, it would expand it. And what can I say, she is a genius."

Melanie chimed in, "Well, I am glad she was finally able to talk some sense into you, Jo. Do you know what you're going to have?"

"A girl."

"Any thoughts on names yet?"

"I know what I am not going to name her, Josephine."

"It's up to you, but that really is a lovely name."

"Oh please. And besides, we already have too many Jos around here, right E."

"Right Aunt Jo." said Joe. Melanie frowned for a moment. She was not fond of Jo calling her son "E" but he seemed to like it so she let it slide this time.

The rest of the call was all about this happy news. Melanie could sense that while mostly happy, Margaret was a little sad because she had wanted to have more children but a complication when Maisie was born prevented that. Still, they would have another child (an another although they didn't know that at this moment).

First there was the shock of the big news. Then the disappointment of not getting together having finally worked its way through to Katie, she offered, "Maybe we can come out for New Years. We probably can't come out for the birth or Christmas."

"Are you asking or inviting yourself?" Jo chided.

Margaret punched her in the shoulder and said, "Stop trying to be funny, it's not working."

Jo smiled at her wife and said, "OMG, you just hit a pregnant woman."

Margaret smiled back and said, "I'll do it again if she is rude to my friends again." Then she turned back to the video call and said, "Katie would you, Melanie and the kids like to come to our house for New Year's and see the new baby? We'd love to have you."

"Yes, thank you Margaret. Good luck with that one when her hormones kick in."

However, when Katie had her next soccer talk with Jo a few weeks later, it seemed as if the string of good news had finally ended. Apparently, the local private high school was closing at the end of the year. That meant several new students would be coming to Katie's school. They had a pretty good soccer team as well, and at first, Jo thought this was good news.

The problem was they wanted their coach to be the new Varsity Coach. She was more experienced and had more accolades. Katie was worried that her dream was going to be snatched away from here. This was the beginning of a roller coaster for these talks.

The next week, Katie's principal had held firm and Katie was still going to be the Varsity Coach. This positive call was followed with Katie telling Jo that the students and parents of the other kids had sent a petition to the school board to overturn the principal's decision. By the next one, the school district was letting Katie stay in her position.

In order to try to improve the situation, Katie even reached out to the other coach and asked if she would want to be her First Assistant and run the JV team. That went over like a lead balloon. So now Katie was telling Jo about how she had the first practice tomorrow and she was meeting with the parents of the girls coming from the other school at the end of the practice.

Jo suddenly stopped her and said, "Wait a minute. When is this meeting?"

"Tomorrow."

"And that's what."

"The 19th."

Jo was silent for a few seconds and then said, "Ho ho. You are the luckiest bitch in the world. Well second luckiest."

"Why? And by the way, who's the luckiest?"

"I am of course. I got Margaret to marry me."

"Well, I got Melanie to marry me."

"That wasn't luck. You two were so made for each other. The second you two met, it was all over. But Margaret could have had pretty much anyone she wanted. And getting her took all the skill I had and I still needed a whole lot of luck."

"You know she's crazy about you and it wasn't really that hard for you."

"Oh please, besides we've gotten off topic. Where is this school of yours?" Katie gave her the address. "And what time does your practice start?"

"5:00pm."

"So, you'll be there at what, 4:30pm"

"No, I'll be there at 5:00."

"Come on Katie, I know you. You'll be there at 4:30. Let me make some calls real quick."

"What are you up to?"

"What do you think? I'm covering your six. I'll call you back in about an hour."

"You're forgetting about the time difference, I'll be home."

"Good. I'll call you there."

An hour later, Katie got a phone call from Jo. "Okay, so this practice starts at 5:00 and so these parents are coming at what 6:30?"

"Yeah."

"And is the field right at the school?"

"Yeah."

"Okay, make sure you're at the field on time."

"Why Jo? Who is coming?"

"The Cavalry. That's all I'm saying. You can call me tomorrow night and pledge your ever-loving gratitude to me then."

Katie told Melanie about her back and forth phone calls with Jo. Melanie was eager to see what this was all about as well. She decided she would pick the kids up from daycare and get them some McDonalds and go sit in the parking lot to watch the practice and see exactly what Jo had arranged.

The next afternoon at 4:20pm, Katie was doing a dribbling exercise on the Soccer Field when she noticed a car pull up. When it stopped, the driver got out and looked to the field. The driver called out "I was told practice was at 5:00 so naturally I expected you to be here at 4:15."

At first Katie couldn't place the voice. Something about it triggered a memory, but she could not place it at first. But as the woman got closer it started to fall into place. It had been ten years and a whole lot had happened since Katie was last on a soccer field with Maureen "Mo" Williams. They had been teammates for three years back in the Blue Lightning days until Mo got selected to train for the Olympic Development Program.

Mo was the best player on that team, much better even than Katie. She left right when Melanie first arrived. They had only been at four try-outs when Mo was selected and left the team. So, Melanie never really knew her, but she knew the name because Maureen Williams was a player on the US Women's National Soccer Team.

Katie called out, "Mo! It's great to see you. Please don't take this the wrong way, but what the hell are you doing here?"

"We were sent here."

"We?"

"Yeah, my partner in crime is finishing up a phone call. Always in demand as it were. But when she heard about your situation, she came running and she mentioned it to me and thought maybe I'd want to come along. And I did."

Just then the passenger door opened and someone got out. The second person closed the door and started running over to where Katie and Maureen were now standing. After watching her run for five steps Katie knew exactly who it was. When the runner yelled out, "Katie!" she heard Neve Cohill's voice.

"Neve! How've you been?"

Before answering, Neve came running up and jumped into Katie's arms like she'd just scored a goal. She looked down at Katie holding her and said, "I'm doing great, Go-Go. How about you?"

Katie let her go and looked over at Maureen. "Oh, you didn't?" Katie said with exasperation.

"Of course, I did. What? That's such a cute story. And you guys had Hochbauer, I'm surprised she never said anything."

Katie's nickname was "Go-Go" when she was a teenager on the Blue Lightning Soccer Team. Maureen knew the whole story and had always called Katie, Go-Go.

"The nickname aside, I am really glad to see you both, but I actually have a practice to run and I have to meet with parents and it's going to be a little awkward. Maybe we can catch up when it's over?"

Neve looked at her and said, "Katie, that's why we're here. Jo told us what was going on. It just so happened that we are playing a few international friendly matches in Pittsburgh this week and Jo called me and told me the whole story. She thought maybe my being here might help you out. I told Mo what was going on and thought she might want to see you after all these years. She wants to put her two cents in for you as well."

Maureen said, "You know Katie, you've been standing here talking for almost five minutes. And I don't think I ever remember you just standing still on a soccer field for five minutes. Even if you were out of the game, you were always pacing back and forth."

Neve laughed, "She did that back then, too?"

The three of them started doing some warm-up drills together while they talked. There was so much to catch up on and they talked as they moved.

As some of the girls began to arrive, they called out "Hi Coach."

Katie said, "Girls, just do some warm-ups and we'll start at 5:00." The girls who were already on the team knew the drills and started right up, although they were talking amongst themselves about the other two women. They thought they recognized them but couldn't believe they would be there.

When the girls from the other school arrived, they stayed together in a bunch. They did some stretching, but they too were having conversations about the "guests."

At 4:58 (Neve checked her watch) Katie blew the whistle and called everyone in. After welcoming the girls to their first joint practice, she introduced "My friends and former teammates, Neve Cohill and Maureen Williams." Neve and Mo both noticed that Katie put "friends" before "teammates" and with that they were both touched by the sentiment.

Katie asked Neve and Mo to say a few words before they began the practice. They both talked about their love of the game and all that soccer had done for them. They also talked about how much Katie lived and breathed soccer and how much the girls could learn from her.

After hearing two members of the Women's National Team talk about how wonderful Katie was, the new girls stopped asking for their coach to take over and the girls who had already had Katie as their coach felt even stronger about her.

Neve and Mo stayed and helped with practice, giving little pointers here and there. As practice started to get near the end, the parents started showing up. They were curious about the two other adults on the field with Katie, but from the sidelines no one recognized who they were.

Katie was right at mid-field when she blew her whistle and called the girls in. "Great practice girls. There is a lot of talent on this team and I am looking forward to what we are going to be able to accomplish this year. First, I'd like to thank our two guest instructors tonight." The girls all clapped. "It was an honor to have you two here tonight."

"Katie, it was our pleasure. I miss being on the field with you." said Neve.

Mo added, "Yeah, it's been a long time Katie, but I'm glad to have seen you and to see your team. I know they'll be great."

Katie once again addressed her team. "Okay, those of you who have been with me before know what's next. But for the rest of you, we end our practices with a team run. You run, single file, around the end lines of the field. No cutting the corners. The last person in line sprints up to the front and when they get there, they yell 'GO!' Then everyone else yells, 'TEAM!' At that point, the new last person in line sprints to the front and the same thing happens. Two laps of the whole field tonight and then you're done.

"Just remember, I will be talking with your parents, so you might have to wait a bit after you're done. If you want to kick the ball around after your laps, go ahead. Just stay back from the parents until we're done. Good job ladies. Now, go."

Katie now turned to Neve and Mo. They were both laughing and Katie asked, "What?"

Mo responded, "I was just saying, I was surprised you didn't call this the 'Go Go Team' drill." She and Neve laughed again, while Katie just stared.

When they stopped laughing Katie asked, "Do you guys want to just wait here while I talk to the parents for a bit?"

Neve responded, "Actually, Jo sent us here to be with you when you spoke to the parents. We were the ones who wanted to speak with the girls too, so they knew how lucky they were to have you as a coach."

"Thanks." Katie gave them each a hug and the three of them started walking over to the group of parents. As they got closer, some of the parents started to recognize who it was with Katie. It certainly piqued a lot of curiosity.

When Katie got over to the group of parents she started, "Good evening and thank you all for coming out. And I got a nice little surprise this evening as well, because I had a pair of former teammates of mine from back in the day who took time out of their busy schedules to come down and say hello to the girls. They're both on the Women's National Team and have a couple of games in Pittsburgh over the next few days and since they were in the neighborhood they dropped by. Neve Cohill and Maureen, 'Mo', Williams."

Neve and Mo stepped forward and the parents clapped for them. Mo was the first to speak. "Katie and I played together when we were younger. And even back then, I knew she was special. She was the heart and soul of our team. Even as a teenager, she always knew when to pat a back or kick a butt. She always worked harder than everyone else and led by example. I am sure your daughters are going to learn a whole lot from her."

Neve then chimed in, "I was blessed with physical gifts that are very helpful to play soccer. But I didn't really know how to be a soccer player. And while I have had many coaches and teammates over the years, no one did more to make me a soccer player than Katie. I got to watch her and play alongside her and I have tried as much as I can to be like her. Mo's right about what she can teach your daughters about soccer, but she'll teach them about all the intangibles as well. Things like the value of hard work, discipline, care for your teammates, and being part of something bigger than yourself. Those lessons are great for soccer, but they are also great for life."

Katie thanked them for their kind words and went into her talk about her goals and her expectations for the girls and the soccer team. She stressed three things: 1) schoolwork; 2) teamwork and 3) hard work. If the girls put their energies there, the rest would take care of itself.

When everything was finally done and the families were walking back toward the parking lot, three people were walking toward the field. Katie as talking with Neve and Mo when they suddenly heard, "Mommy!" And with that Joe came running up to Katie who bent down a little so he could jump into her arms.

"Hey pal, how was your day?" Katie asked.

"Great. I..." but then he suddenly realized they were not alone and buried his head into Katie shoulder.

"Oh, Joe these are friends of mine. This is Neve and Maureen, but we call her Mo."

"Like me or like Aunt Jo?"

"Huh?"

"Aunt Jo doesn't have an 'e' at the end of her name."

"Oh well, neither does Mo."

About that time, Melanie walked up holding Jamie. She knew Mo from watching the National Team on television and Katie's stories, but Neve had been her teammate in college on the team with Katie.

Neve caught sight of her and called out, "Mel! Great to see you."

"Hi Neve. I see you met Joseph and this is Jamie."

"Hi cutie." Neve said as she pinched Jamie's cheek.

Katie now stepped in to make the last introduction, "Melanie, this is Mo Williams. She and I played together on the old Blue Lightning team."

Mo stepped up and said, "I know we met back then briefly. That was a very hectic week for me and I just remembered some new girl coming to tryouts who was really fast. Coach Hochbauer was the one who kind of filled me in on the rest and about you and Katie."