A Near Disaster

Tragedy struck at Patrick’s soccer game today. We got to the game with plenty of time to spare, which I should have taken as a sign. After parking I walked with Samantha, taking care that she didn’t kick her soccer ball out into the traffic of the parking lot. Patrick was a little behind us, and had climbed up a small embankment that runs parallel to the row of parked cars. I have been encouraging Patrick to dribble his soccer ball instead of carrying it so that he can get a little more practice handling the ball, and he was taking my advice.

As he dribbled along the top of the embankment the ball got away from him and rolled down the hill. I turned when I heard him screaming about his runaway ball. I saw the ball just before it rolled underneath a parked SUV. On the other side of the parked vehicle I spotted an old Jeep pickup truck headed down the hill. Just as I was thinking to myself What are the chances he’ll hit it? I heard a loud pop that sounded like a gunshot.


The driver of the Jeep paused momentarily before driving away, and we were left with the sound of Patrick’s screaming. If I hadn’t seen what happened I would have thought he had been run over.

“Papa! Papa!” he screamed. “That freaky truck ran over my ball!” It took a long time and many promises of a new ball to get him calmed down, and we almost had to leave for home before the game started.

Fortunately by the time the game was over he was recovered from the trauma of a smashed soccer ball and he was able to have a good time at the game. And I was able to find a ball exactly like the one that is now in my garbage can.