Soccer Update

She didn’t make a travel team.

I am pretty sure that she didn’t even come close.

When the news came, her little sister was taking the trash out, and so she and I had a moment alone. (Her younger brother is still clueless.) I told her the truth as she was reading the letter; I wanted to give her some heads up. She read it herself – it was a nice, vague kind of way of saying “No.”

Her sister walked in the door, post chore, and that girl of mine said, “I gotta letter about travel soccer.”

Her little sister, her arch enemy, slammed her hands to her ears, and looked right at me:

“I don’t want to hear that she didn’t make it.”

She didn’t, I said.

The little sister shuddered: I saw her whole body shake.

But my oldest? The one who didn't make it? She walked toward her to make it better, to soothe her, her little sister.

I said “better luck next year” because that seemed the only thing to say, and then they giggled and ran off together.

I guess we're over it.