Unwanted Surprises.

There is nothing more soul destroying when you are learning an instrument than to practise & practise yet never get to actually perform. Cass is musical; lucky ducky. She learns three instruments & plays flute with the junior band on one of the other islands. The band conductor likes to organise a performance once a term so the kids are motivated to practise all their new pieces. For weeks I have been listening to the themes from If I were a Rich Man, The Great Escape, & James Bond till they haunted my sleep but the day of the concert dawned overcast & mutionous. I had to get us off island early yet be back in time to get Liddy on a boat for her soccer game & squeeze in a surprise party for a church member inbetween. It was a full day so I had negotiated with Liddy not to go to her game. I hardly ever miss so she was cool with that.

Cass tootled remarkably well. Joining the larger band on the next island has really challenged her & brought her on musically so it makes the weekly hike up the enormous hill to the rehearsal seem worthwhile & it didn't start to rain until we were standing on the jetty waiting for the boat to bring us home. We were early too & my day was shaping up better than I'd anticipated.

Liddy was all organized & ready to go. This year she made the 1st 11 for the 1st division Open Women's & has been so thrilled to be playing at the higher level where everyone not only knows what they are suppossed to be doing but actually does it. It was only their second game; the team is still settling & working out where best to play everybody. They won their first game but Liddy said she was double marked all game. This invariably happens, though not usually so early in the season. She usually gets the first round in before the other teams have worked out how fast & dangerous she is. Not this season. Still I wasn't troubled as I wished her all the best for her game. Liddy learnt to play soccer with her brothers & she was 10 before she even knew there was such a thing as women's soccer so she's never been a timid player.

I'm not keen on surprises at the best of times. Getting a phone call after dark to tell me my beloved older daughter is on her way to the hospital is not the sort of shock I need so close to bed time. From here it's 2 hours to the hospital; she was likely to be out & on her way home before I was well off the island so we waited....& waited. Finally the 2nd call came through to say Liddy had fractured her collar bone. Pumped full of pain killers she sounded remarkably cheerful & was on her way to the jetty with her coach. I said I'd come over to meet her knowing it would be touch & go that they'd make the last boat.

I've been the mother of competitive soccer players for a long time; I have my priorities straight. As my daughter hobbled towards me white & shaky I asked, 'Did you get the penalty?' Yes, she got the penalty ~ couldn't take it but she was awarded the free kick. 'Did you win?' Yes, they won. The important things cleared up I gave my mind to the sad & sorry tale of just how Liddy had ended up with her legs kicked out from under her. For a non~contact sport soccer gets as dirty as it can get & the women's teams are no better than the men's. My only critea has been mine are not to play dirty, no matter how provoked, & if they will play there is to be no whinging about injuries. They know the risks & they accept them or they don't play.

In 8 years Liddy has only ever had 2 serious injuries & both times I wasn't at the game. She is one of my hyperactive ones & they do not make good patients so I am not anticipating the next fortnight with any pleasure. On the plus side she normally heals quickly. I am so very gratfeul my other daughter prefers something much less injury prone!