Allow me to introduce myself:
My name is Ruben Rodrigues. I’m a small town kid with a big town heart. This story takes place primarily in East Providence, Rhode Island. East Providence is home to East Providence High School, the Townies. Oh, and before you ask:
Townie—a permanent inhabitant of a town as distinguished from a member of another group (as the academic community). More importantly, it is the school’s mascot.
I first created this book in 2006. The book generally takes place in the fall of 2005. That’s right, this has been a three year project. I have had so much fun and can’t thank anyone who has ever helped me out enough for all their time, patience, and support. Also, thank you for reading this right now.
As you read throughout this book, you will notice one thing…this is not your average book. Try to think of it as me being two feet away from you and telling you the story rather than you reading it. Let the words flow into your mind and everything will be just fine.
One thing you’ll find special about The Heart of a Townie is that I go from present to past tense a lot. Remember, you’re not reading just pages; you’re listening to a story. With that said, is it okay if I spell something wrong? Forget capitalization? Make errors? You tell me.
If you just can’t stand it, well…
I’m sorry for being myself
Chapter 1
So here I am, sitting down on my couch, eating chips, and drinking a Coke. Not realizing my summer is over. The door to high school is knocking.
“Get downstairs!” yells my Uncle.
“One minute!” I respond.
This was the theme to my summer. I was like every other kid, just lazy and waking up at two in the afternoon to the music of Instant Messages and MySpace. I thought of nothing better to do throughout the summertime except jam out to music and pork out on food. This was going completely against what I was about. Just last year I had convinced myself of playing soccer. Last season at Martin Middle School wasn’t too much fun. I was an 8th grader. A “Senior” so to speak. I was beat to the starting goalie spot by a 7th grader. After endless promises and tons of practice, Coach just couldn’t get it to his head that I should have been a starter that season.
That was what had begun my endless habit of just giving up. I squeaked by 8th grade year academically, with three C’s to pass me for the year. I don’t even think I deserved these grades. I was just good with the teachers, I’m assuming. Martin Middle school was fun, a very laid back atmosphere. There were the cliques. You know, the ghetto bunch, the gothic bunch, the preppy bunch. However, we all seemed to get along just fine.
I only had one best friend. His name was Matt Cavaco. I’d met him in 5th grade at our old elementary school. We were pretty much inseparable after that. He never really cared about what people had to say. In fact, I don’t think he really listened.
I was entering East Providence High School. The home of Townie Pride. Every incoming freshman is known for being quite excited about entering the high school, including me. They had everything a high school typically had. The pep rallies, the football, the gigantic seniors. Everyone just wanted to be them. The seniors. To think that in 3 more years we would be that. To go through such a change mentally and physically. It had stunned us how rapidly we would mature these next 3 years.
A big part of this school was, of course, the football. Everybody really was into the Townie Pride. I was sort of laid back. I didn’t believe in Townie pride. Hell, I didn’t even know what a Townie was! However, here I am. Just 2 weeks before high school is to start.
“Ruben, are you ever going to get off of your ass and do something around here?” asked my Uncle in a very routine way when I went downstairs from my room.
“What’s there to do?” I asked, also in a very timely and routine way
“Go do the dishes, get off of the computer and do something with your life. What happened to you? You used to be so full of life! What I’m trying to say is that I really think you should play High School soccer. There is absolutely nothing like it.” said Uncle Nuno
“Nothing like what!?” I shouted “Being ridiculed and laughed at for being the overweight punk that isn’t even trying!?”
“Why don’t you give it a shot… It can’t hurt that much” said Uncle Nuno
“Ugh, you don’t understand. You’ve never been through it.” I responded
I went upstairs furious at both him and myself. He is just trying to help and I completely just let him down. That is the relationship between me and him. We never really say nice things to each other, but we love each other. Unconditional love, you may call it. At this point, I felt as if no one understood me. If I can’t get through middle school soccer without issues, how will I go through high school soccer. The first practice was in 3 days. I decided I was going to go do it. Not for myself, but for Nuno. I didn’t want to let him down anymore. My old soccer cleats didn’t quite fit any longer, so I had to run down to the local sports shop to pick some up. I figured I might as well have looked nice on the soccer field, so I grabbed a semi-expensive pair. I looked at them at home once I bought them, stared down at the rubber cleats at the bottom of the sole and said “I feel bad for you. You have a lot of laps to endure”. Truth is I only felt bad and sorry for myself. I let out a big sigh and threw them in the closet. I shut my eyes and went to my dream land.
Chapter 2
I woke up to the buzzing of an old alarm clock. It was 6 o’clock in the morning. Any other day, and I would be set to wake up in another six or seven hours. I slam the alarm clock and lay down once again.
“Don’t ignore it!” Nuno called. “It’s your big day!”
With those words I rose out of bed, and stood in amazement. I haven’t seen the morning sun in over a month. It stung and throbbed my eyes so much that I couldn’t open them. I felt like a newborn baby looking at the doctor.
I pulled on my shorts and put on a scrubby t-shirt. Put some socks and sandals on and hopped downstairs.
“Have some breakfast” said Nuno. “I don’t want any. I’m a little jittery” I remarked.
“Have a banana or something. Don’t leave on an empty stomach. Ana is almost here.” He said
Ana is my aunt. She lives also in East Providence. She was always in a rush for work so it took a lot to get her to take me to practice that early in the morning. I gave her a call to confirm my ride.
“Morning, Ana” I said.
“Are you ready yet?” she responded
“Almost” I said
“Well, hurry up, I will be there in 15 minutes” she said
She hung up the phone. I knew Ana all too well. I made up a conversion chart for her timing. For every five minutes she says it takes to get here, triple it, and divide it by the number of minutes past 7 AM that she was late. It was 7:02 and practice was to start at 7:45. If my calculations were correct, it would take her about 22 minutes to get to my house to pick me up.
Man, I tell you, I was on the money. She showed up at 7:23 AM. I was sweating bullets; the guys were probably already gathering up in the locker room and having their pre-practice pep talk. I showed up and was surprised that they had not started yet. The janitors had not opened the locker room doors.
When I arrived, I reached a new point in my life. I was at East Providence High School. I stepped out of the car into the student parking lot as my Aunt sped away. I looked around and something just hit me. I felt as if I had just got out of the shower in a cold winter night. A whole new environment was around me.
To my right, the famous East Providence High School band was performing their march and fight song. The trombones were blasting and the percussion was buzzing. The music pumped the adrenaline in my body like never before.
To my left, the girls’ soccer team had already begun their practice. Dead ahead of me was the locker room entrance. I walked in rapidly and headed down the hallway for the Boys soccer locker room.
I had arrived late, and today they were handing out locks. I was the last to register, so I had received a locker near the coach. I threw my bag and water into my locker and sat down for coaches’ talk.
“Boys... Today is the start of a long journey. A journey in which will require a lot of hard work from both Junior Varsity and Varsity. No spot is guaranteed, I need you to remember that” said Coach
A few snickers were heard from the older players. They were amused at the fact that someone could possibly take their spot.
“Everyone boys! Everyone is at risk. You have a lot to prove out there, boys… Any new freshmen in here?” asked Coach
About 3 kids raised their hands. Maxwell Osei, Danny Lopes, and I.
“Ah, Maxwell Osei!” said Coach
Maxwell Osei was a lot to stand up to against. He was the best middle school forward in the state. I played with him in Middle school. He is a native of Ghana, and his speed is absolutely incredible. He was already well known to the high school coaches at this point.
“It’s finally the time in which you join us, kiddo” said coach
“Thank you, Coach” replied Maxwell.
“Okay boys, let’s get out there and begin our warm-ups, myself and coach John Mark will be there soon enough. Louis and Anthony, lead them out” said Coach Andrade
“Alright boys, let’s head out of here!” said Anthony.
Anthony Tavares was a senior. The all star and the veteran of this soccer team. He was without a doubt the best in the state and some question if he is the best in the region. He is the goalkeeper, so therefore, a captain at heart, even without the armband. He has been a starter for East Providence since freshman year.
His little brother, a junior at the school, Louis Tavares. Louis was just a smaller version of Anthony. He was relatively short, but he definitely got the job done. These two men are the captains of the squad this year. They have us at the palm of their hands.
Jason Silveira, better known as slick, turned off his stereo that was blasting in the locker room, and got his cleats and ran outside. Jarrod Bento followed him out, those two were like glue, I never seen them apart.
Everyone left except us three freshmen.
“Ay, all you freshmen, get the balls and crap, let’s go” said Anthony
“Man, what the hell” said Danny
“Excuse me, listen to me right now. You’re a freshman, we’ve all been through it and it’s your turn. Now get your ass out there with the balls and hurry up” said Anthony
I have a feeling this year is going to be the worst of my life.
Chapter 3
I get outside along with Danny Lopes and the boys have already begun their running, we quickly hop in and sprint towards the back of the line. Our practice field was always damp. Even on a blistering summer day like this, the field always seemed damp. Not much spark to it, and it was the JV field so it was repetitively in bad condition. We ran a long distance for one lap. I’d say maybe 150 yards would be a lap. We circled an entire baseball field, went behind the batting cages and followed the touchline towards the opposite goal, where coach was always standing with a stern look on his face, closely watching us.
We did 3 laps and I slowly began to get tired. I only expected four laps, so I just kept on pushing. Once we crossed the fourth lap, Louis yelled out “Halfway there, boys!” and I could have sworn I died and came back to earth that very moment. My legs were already weak, I was already sweating, and I could feel myself wheezing for air.
During the 5th lap, I was the very last in the group, but I managed to keep up, I just had to keep on pushing. If I can’t even survive warm ups, what can I survive? 2 laps later, I was still in the end and slowly separating from the bunch. Once everyone had crossed the final lap, I was the last one by about 5 seconds. I was quite embarrassed, and had not made a very great showing of myself.
We got into our stretch positions, and coach began talking to us.
“Okay, right now, I am going to be giving out paperwork to you guys. All paperwork must be handed in as soon as possible along with insurance. If you do not hand in this paperwork, you will not play. It’s that simple. I’m also going to go around right now and meet the freshmen. Anthony, have them do silent stretches and back to running” said Coach.
Coach went to Danny first and had a small chat with him, then to Maxwell and had a rather nice conversation with him. He finally reached me.
“Your name, kiddo?” he asked
“Ruben… Ruben Rodrigues” I responded
He muttered my name as he wrote it down on his clipboard.
“Okay Ruben, it is very nice to meet you, I am Coach Mario Andrade, I will be the Varsity Coach this year. Who am I kidding, I will probably be the coach until I die! It’s been eighteen long years. Anyways, did you play at the Middle School?”
“Yes, Coach” I said
“What position did you play?” he asked
“I played goalkeeper, sir” I said
“Goalkeeper!? With that height, you played goalkeeper? Well. I can’t wait to see this!” he said
I gave a small chuckle.
I’m tired of people doubting me.
“Okay kid, have fun at the rest of practice, and just play simple soccer. See you” he said
“Good-bye Coach” I said
I did my butterfly stretch and then I stood up and touched my toes. Everyone was talking, but I didn’t really feel like talking. I was thinking I was going to be sick. We got back up and Anthony said “Five more laps guys, then we will do our drills”.
I got back up and tried to walk fast to get a good spot in line. Anthony stopped me abruptly. “What in the hell do you think you’re doing? You’re a Freshman, get in the back of the line”
“Um. I’m sorry” I responded
“Don’t worry kid, I’m just busting your balls, just try to stay towards the middle”
I find it weird that he was kind of nice. He has that image of being kind of scary, and intimidating.
So I got in the middle, and I was running next to Brian Peterson, everyone called him Botat. I knew him by name, but I never really talked to him. I tried to give a hello, but he just nodded his head and ran. This time, I did make the 5 laps successfully, but by the time I was done, my legs felt so heavy, like I was carrying weights on my thighs.
Coach John Mark Andrade showed up. He had a stern look. He meant business, and I knew it from the start. He didn’t take any crap. We huddled around him for our drills, and for his mini-speech.
“Hello Boys, Great to see you again. It’s that time of the year again. We have got to step up to the plate, especially after last year. Now, I know some of us haven’t been working out as much as we should have been throughout the summer. I’m not mentioning any names, Bento” he said
“I’m not fat coach, I’m big boned” replied Bento
“Sure, Bento… Sure. Anyways guys, this is why we have to cut the shit and get to work. Right now, I have four cones on the field; we will be running the grid. Everyone grab a ball” he said
I scrambled to get my ball and then stood next to the boys.
“What the hell is this?” said Coach John Mark
He gave a dirty look to Danny Lopes.
“Are you a goalkeeper, kid?” said Coach John Mark
“No” Danny replied
“Then why is that ball in your hands!” screamed coach
Danny dropped the ball to his feet immediately.
“We’re soccer players here, not basketball, and I, for one, don’t have time for this!” said Coach
“Drop and give me 20” said Coach
Danny probably made the worst mistake of his entire life. He rolled his eyes.
“Want to give me attitude? Make it 50” said Coach.
“Everyone else, get inside of the four cones with the ball at your feet!”
I got inside the grid, and held the ball under my left foot, my kicking foot.
“Alright boys, we did this last year but I will explain it again for the freshmen, and anyone else new to the program. You have a ball and you just have to dribble. It’s simple, just dribble around, not in circles. Once I blow my whistle, you are to come to an abrupt stop. Any movement after the whistle will result in pushups” said Coach
We all got into a nice assembly line as he split us in the grid. I was nervous, I felt my esophagus wanting to release. I was already tired. Then, the whistle blew. At that split second… Everything began.
Chapter 4
We immediately began running. I was slowly pacing with the ball touching the insides of my feet, just pacing. I thought this junk was easy. All of a sudden, the whistle blew. I put my foot on top of the ball to stop, and my foot rolled over the ball. I had fallen… and completely embarrassed myself.
“Pushups, Kiddo” said Coach
I got down and slowly counted to myself. I felt my arms tremble but I couldn’t be weak. I just couldn’t show any signs of weakness. I felt 30 pairs of eyes burning on me. I finished off and got right back up.
We began the drill again, we did this for another 15-20 minutes. Afterwards we stretched a little bit, then coach got our attention again.
Next to him, was a different coach, I had never seen him before.
“Guys, for anyone that wasn’t here last year, this is Coach Jack Burgo. He is the JV coach this year” said Coach Andrade
“Hello Guys” greeted Coach Burgo
“Boys, he’s going to take it from here while me and coach Mario are discussing some things, we will be back shortly, give this man your full attention” said coach Andrade
I thought this was going to be some type of break. Coach Burgo seemed to be a nice guy, he always had a smile to his face, and he seemed to have a good sense of humor. For about a minute he talked to Jarrod Bento and Louis Tavares.
Coach Burgo then ran the practice while Coach John Mark and Coach Mario conversed. The rest of practice was pretty straight forward. Coach instructed us on various running drills for the next hour, and then we ran some laps. Coach announced that practice was now over and we headed back to the locker room.
All I remember was being exhausted that day. Absolutely tired. On the somewhat long walk past the parking lot to the locker rooms I stopped and talked to Danny.
“So, how’d you like it?” I said
“Man, that’s bullshit, they’re racist over there man!” said Danny
“Nah man, I think they’re just messing with you” I said
“Yeah I know, but whatever I’m tired. I’ll see you later” Said Danny
“See you tomorrow” I said
We step into the school building and we have to take off our cleats and most of the kids have their ADIDAS sandals ready at the doorway. It seems to be some sort of fashion statement around here for the soccer players, I’ve got to grab me a pair. I felt kind of dumb walking in my socks. I throw my cleats into my locker and put on my Nike’s and sit down for coaches talk.
“Boys, this was a good practice, most of you look pretty darn out of shape, but we’re all here to fix that and work hard together. We need to work hard, get the fat out of the system and focus on more important issues. With that I leave you boys, Coach John Mark, Coach Burgo, would you like to add anything?” said Coach Andrade
John Mark gave a little wave as if to say he had nothing else to add. Coach Andrade shot a look at Coach Burgo and Coach had a little announcement.
“Well boys, I just want to reiterate what Coach Andrade said. You boys did a good job out there” said coach Burgo
“Goodnight boys, rest up, take your carbohydrates, drink water, and get your asses here tomorrow at 7:00 AM” said Coach John Mark
The room burst with chatter as soon as coach left. Jay Silveira turned up the boombox as everyone got their things together. I walked outside the locker room and I took a left down the hallway towards the cafeteria for a drink. I grabbed a Powerade. Just as the bottle came out I hear a shout.
“YO!” and through the doors came Anthony and Louis
“Yeah?” I said
“I know you’re gonna give us a sip!” said Anthony
I thought it was kind of gross, so I just bought them each a drink and headed towards the doorway.
“Hey… thanks kid!” said Louis
“No Problem” I replied
I walked out the door and met my aunt and went home.
Chapter 5
Today is my first day of actual high school. Preseason had kept me busy for the past two weeks and I had a great sense of accomplishment just being able to survive it. I received a letter in the mail a couple weeks ago telling me my homeroom teacher. I had Mrs. Simeone with a couple of friends that I had from middle school. Danny from the soccer team was on the team, so I quickly took a seat next to him seeing that he would give me plenty of company throughout the year. The air smelled of smoke from kids smoking outside and the room was stuffy as the whole school didn’t have any air conditioner. Mrs. Simeone walked into the room and I could tell by the look she had on that it wouldn’t be a pleasant year. She sat down at her desk and the class quickly quieted down.
“Freshmen, how does it feel to be in High School?!” she said
I could have sworn it was a rhetorical question because all she got out of it was a couple of moans and groans. I quickly became bored too and laid my head down.
“Well, my name is Mrs. Simeone. I’m a math teacher here at the high school and I’ll be your homeroom teacher from now until you graduate. You can find me for help, any questions you may have, don’t be scared to ask.” She said
“Yeah, Why does it smell like shit in here?” said some random kid in the back
“It’s a problem that has grown throughout the years at the school, and its all the cigarette smoke going on downstairs that is making it reek in this room” she replied
For the rest of the class she talked, and talked, and talked some more. Before I knew it, I was staring at the back of my eyelids in a deep sleep.
I felt a nudge from the kid sitting next to me.
“Wake up!” he said “the goddamn principal’s in here!”
As soon as he alerted me about that, I felt eyes burning on the side of my skull. I turned my head slowly because I knew what was coming.
“Simeone. Looks like we have a sleeper again, doesn’t it?” said the Principal
He seemed to just let it go after that. We learned his name to be Mr. Piros. He looked like a good guy and all, and he actually made sense. He explained to us some of the new things about coming into the high school, and what to expect. He was a very stern guy. Stood up straight, firm smile, looked like he could give a killer handshake too.
DING DING DING DI-
The bell rang, and it’s really a terrible bell. Gives us three dings, then half a ding. Is that necessary? Gives me that feeling of unease I guess.
As I left advisory, the rest of the day was normal. The one thing that shocked me was definitely how much bigger everyone was than me, and how many unfamiliar faces there were. See, my middle school only provided about 75 percent of the new Class of 2009. The other 25 percent came from the smaller school in Riverside, a small town inside of East Providence. I never really came into contact with these kids that often, so when I saw them it was a little bit weird. The feeling where you should know these kids, but haven’t really had the chance to. You could say it was a rivalry between Riverside and Martin Middle School. Whether it be sports or academics, they always seemed to be worse. Maybe it’s my opinion, but I kicked ass in the district spelling bee knocking out Riverside in the process.
Anyways, I finished up the day without a problem, met all my teachers and called it a day. Here came the fun part: after school.
You see, the thing with me, is that I always have this fear of being late. Even if I’m on time, I feel late. I have to be the first one there to feel in place.
So, I ran out of 7th period into the locker room to make sure that I had gotten ready. Today was the first game of the season, and guess what? Completely unprepared.
Chapter 6
As we were getting dressed, no one knew exactly what team they were on. In case you live under a rock, high school sports are usually divided into two teams, Junior varsity and Varsity. The only kids guaranteed on varsity were the ones that had made it last year. Of course, I was only a freshman, so Junior Varsity was guaranteed.
The game today was the Injury Fund match. It was pretty much a way to come up with money for kids who get injured and don’t have insurance. This was considered an exhibition game for varsity teams only.
The music was bumping, and J-slick as the DJ as always. Anthony was dancing like a goof, and actually, everybody was. I was beginning to wonder if this was a goddamn club or a locker room. I realized it was a locker room when Coach Mario bellowed “Turn the music off, listen up!”
The room got so quiet, you’d think we lost electricity at that very moment. The players lined up at attention. Their faces were shining with anticipation, they were ready for the challenge. No matter what the challenge was. I see these kids around the city, but I’ve never seen them like this. They all looked like warriors. They were ready for the David vs. Goliath matches. Whether or not they were David or Goliath.
“Today is our first test, our first challenge. Get the damn game inside of your head and none of that other crap. We play Tolman, so it shouldn’t be that bad. Now lets go, when I call your name, tell me your size jersey and shorts” Coach said
“Dias”
“Medium shorts, medium shirt”
“Bento”
“Large shorts, XL shirt”
The room giggled a bit at Jarrod. He turned a little red with embarrassment.
“Brian Peterson”
“Small shorts, medium shirt”
“Kaio”
“Medium shorts, large shirt”
“Andrew”
“Small shorts, medium shirt”
Well, anyways, you get the picture. Soon after, coach posted a roster on the wall of the 2005-2006 East Providence Varsity men’s squad:
NAME:
Dias, Eddy
Ortiz, Steven
Gonçalves, Kaio
Bento, Jarrod
Tavares, Anthony*
Soares, Paul
Peterson, Brian
Tavares, Louis*
Osei, Maxwell
Medeiros, Andrew
Cabral, Kevin
Almeida, Tyler
Bonin, Tyler
Silveira, Jason
Lopes, David
Boyce, James
POSITION AVAILABLE: Backup Goalkeeper
Everybody huddled around that list, some with satisfaction, and others with some grunts. There was a kid named Jay Bento, not Jarrod Bento, who was somewhat promised guaranteed varsity play this year. It seemed everybody’s attention quickly turned to him, even though he didn’t show much emotion. He just went about his way of still getting prepared. The room grew quiet in anticipation of the match, and I saw right then and there how prepared we really were.
I sat down near my locker and got myself ready. As I was pulling up my socks, Coach Mario pulled up next to me.
“Hey kiddo, how’s it going?” he said
They seemed like awfully friendly words from such a stern face. He quickly let out a smile that I haven’t seen before and it showed a softer side of him.
“Pretty good, sir—uh Coach” I responded nervously
“No worries. So how was Martin Middle School for you?”
“It was all right. A little disappointing because I didn’t get much playing time. But, I can’t complain. Coach Branco taught me a lot of things about the game and it was worth being there every second. I don’t regret doing it, I just wish more came out of it.” I responded
“We have a really good program here. Don’t let some of the horsing around fool you, kiddo. Wait until we’re on the pitch, then you’ll see the true Townies” He said confidently.
Right then and there, I felt sort of an open attitude towards him. I didn’t want this to be another middle school season so I couldn’t help but ask him a question that’s been bothering me.
“So who will be the backup goal keeper? Me or Jose Lopes?” I asked, then hesitated
“It is what you make of it. Show me you want it, and you’ll have it. Now, quickly get the ball bag and get on the bus” he said
It was one of those moments that I could treasure forever. He may have just creaked open the door to being a part of the Townie varsity squad, but he didn’t do it very easily. I got the ball bag, and ran on the bus.
The varsity members filled up the back, and I took a seat towards the middle with the now sad JV members. The bus ride was short, it was on the other side of town at Our Lady of Fatima high school. Kids were changing from sandals to cleats during the last couple of minutes on the bus. We had arrived at our first game, the Injury Fund match.
Chapter 7
Injury Fund Match
September 1st, 2005
Tolman vs. East Providence
0-0-0
W-L-T
As we stepped off the bus, another game was finishing up on the field. The team wasted no time getting prepared. Anthony strapped his gloves on, Louis strapped his cleats on, and Coach Mario strapped his whistle on. This was it, this was game time.
As we were warming up, the final whistle blew on the other game and we lined up at attention to Coach Mario and Coach John Mark.
“Boys, no more bullshit. Let’s get out there and show them what we’re made of. That’s all I have to say” said Coach John Mark
“Everyone knows their positions. Line up for the anthem” said Coach Mario
As we all lined up for the national anthem, I couldn’t help but look around at my surroundings. Everyone’s mind was in that game. It’s a beautiful thing if someone was ever to truly notice it. It’s like looking at the warrior before he enters battle. Those kids were ready to bleed. Ready to break bones, and ready to be broken. Anything to put that ball in the back of the net, they would do it. I snapped out of my observation when applause rippled through the air signaling the end of the anthem. We lined up to shake hands, and the referee had an announcement. He was a pudgy bastard I tell you. He lined us up with the coaches next to him and read out this announcement from a little blue card:
“We here at the Rhode Island Interscholastic Sports League would like to recognize the fact of fair play. If there is any case of taunting, unsportsmanlike conduct, spitting, or violent conduct, it will result in an automatic ejection of any coach, player, or fan. Please shake hands gentlemen.” He said
You could tell he said that about thirty times today because it was so half assed. We shook hands, and moved on.
The whistle blew, and Eddy passed it back to Tyler to begin the game. We usually played with 3 strikers(Eddy, David, and Louis), 4 midfielders(Steven Ortiz, James Boyce, Jarrod Bento, Kaio Goncalves), 3 defenders(Jason Silveira, Tyler Almeida, and Kevin Cabral).
The game started out really slowly with a simple possession game, but took a physical turn when one of the Tolman players landed a tackle on Eddy. Quickly, Louis was at his side to push off the defender and prepare for the free kick. The kick was about 30 meters out, and seemed a little like too much of a distance. Eddy took the kick and it clanked off the post and out of bounds.
Tolman must have used that as a wake up call, because their game changed from that point on. They were attacking through the wings and exposing our midfield, putting in several crosses into the box. We had such a strong defense, every ball was cleared out easily.
On one of their crosses, Jarrod Bento put up a huge clearance that easily sailed the ball over the midfield line. Like a bear hunting for fish, Louis jumped on that ball winning possession. He cut and weaved through defenders like a hot knife through butter. He was approaching the goal, maybe 25 meters out, when he saw Eddy out of the corner of his eye and made a quick pass. Eddy wound up and shot. The net ate that ball, and celebration erupted. The Townies had scored their first goal of the season.
Shortly after the goal, the halftime whistle blew and the boys crowded our bench, thirsty and fatigued.
“Good job boys! Good job! There’s obviously some aspects that we can improve on, correct? Bento, distribute the ball better, stop playing goddamn kickball out there. Eddy, lets get some more shots on goal, okay?” said Coach
The boys gave them a nod and guzzled some water down. The whistle blew, and halftime was over. The team lined in with one change, Tyler Bonin went in for James Boyce.
The second half was mostly like the first, except the possession game was far better for the Townies than for Tolman. The passes were so fluent with each other that it was almost artistic. Louis pulled off a couple of shots, but none hit the back of the net. As I was sitting there watching, I noticed the coaches were looking at me. Out of all the goddamn times to look at me, they picked right now.
“Ruben!” said Coach Mario
I stood up at attention
“Yes coach?” I responded
“Get your gloves on, line up at half. You’re going in” he said bluntly
A million and one things raced through my mind as I put my gloves on. I was waiting for the ball to be put out so I could be substituted in. I stood there sort of jumping up and down, ready to sprint onto the field when all of a sudden, the three whistles blew… the game was over. As I walked back to the bench, I saw the coaches laughing. They were amused at the fact that I got so excited. Right there at that moment, I felt like someone ripped my heart out. The Townies won 1-0 in the first exhibition match. I got out of my keeper outfit, and went onto the bus. Everyone was loud, and I was heartbroken.
That night, I got home and everyone could tell I had a puss on my face. Of course at the time, I was completely angry and pissed off. No one ever likes to admit that they are hurt by another person’s actions, unless it gains attention to themselves. I got home that night and almost pretended to be a fat girl who just got dumped by her boyfriend. I got a tub of ice cream, laid on my bed, and ate the ice cream. Uncle Nuno walked into the room, he likes to cut straight to the point.
“What the hell happened this time?” He said with a half smile on his face
“Just the same old stuff. Same shit like what happened in Middle School, these coaches will never get to see me and what I’m really worth.” I replied
“Well, if you keep bitching and moaning, you won’t get anywhere. Keep showing them exactly what you are worth at practice, I promise you they’re watching. Now give up the ice cream, you hog.” He said
He always did have a way with words. I knew he was right, too. I gave up the ice cream and fell asleep watching Family Guy.
Chapter 8
Today was the Freshman Orientation at school. Sort of like a pep rally for the Class of 2009. We got to meet the upperclassmen (not that they really wanted to meet us), and introduce ourselves to the faculty of East Providence High School. I went with my buddy Matt that I told you earlier about. We were just walking around, and we always have to scope out the girls, it’s just natural. East Providence had a lot of girls. I think they outnumbered the guys, actually.
“Remember her, Ruben? She used to squash kids and now she’s straight up gorgeous.” He said
“Yeah, I remember. Talk about a blooming flower, Holy Shit!” I laughed
We kept walking around and then this girl passed the corner of my eye. I swear to you she was the most gorgeous girl I had ever seen, and I could see she was just my type. My jaw literally dropped. She was about 5’4 and had beautiful strawberry blonde hair. Her eyes were sparkling and drove through me.
“Matt, who in the HELL is that!?” I asked quickly
“That’s Eddy’s girl, Nicole.” He said
“Are you for real? She’s gorgeous, man. I’ve never seen a girl like that.” I said with awe
“She’s not too bad. Ain’t my popsecos com manteiga.” He laughed out loud
Real quick, before you panic, let me explain the whole “popsecos com manteiga”. Matt and I are both Portuguese Americans. So some phrases you may hear are in the Portuguese language. Usually, they aren’t that funny, but hilarious to us.
We spent the rest of the rally walking around. Class was supposed to resume, but we just went home. That was plenty enough for one day.
I had to get home quickly to get my stuff for practice later that day. I took the bus home and got my stuff. I returned to EPHS in time for practice.
Practice started out as it usually did. We ran. Ran some more. Then, to top it off, ran some more. I swear to you, I was getting pissed off. We haven’t touched a ball in ages in that damn training session. When training was over, Coach Mario pulled us aside and had a talk.
“Hello, Boys.” He greeted us
“Hello, Coach.” We replied
“Does anybody have any reflections on the past match? I want to know your opinions” he asked
The group remained silent. It was hard to tell whether he was angry, happy, sad, or mad. The guys face always had a devilish smile on it, but he was a good guy. After what seemed like forever, he finally spoke.
“Very well, then. You’re all free to go.” He said
On the way out of practice, I felt a sense of accomplishment. You know, that walk you take after you’ve just done something well? That’s exactly what I had felt. There were a lot of feelings rushing through me, and I have not even a clue why. I looked around; all I saw were tired faces. Nobodies mind was in the same frame as mine was at that time. I remember looking up at the huge building and realizing that my life was hitting a new phase. I saw a future in that building, I saw hope in that building, I saw courage in that building. That’s just the very problem, though. It was all trapped inside that building. I wished I could have taken out that same courage, future, and hope, and turn it into something positive for both myself and for others. No one ever sees this side of me. All of this is crammed up inside of me and no one is there to appreciate it. I love this world. I really do. The different cultures, lifestyles, incomes, attitudes, it’s all captured here at East Providence High School. People always say that you find yourself after your teenage years, but I’m now beginning to question that statement. I think I’ve found myself. I’ve learned from other mistakes, and I’ll make other mistakes in my future to learn from. It’s just a way of life. You know exactly the type of person you are from the start; it’s only up to you to decide what you mold yourself into. Trust me, I’m not perfect. I’m far from it. I know what it takes to be the best though.
We got into the locker room and left to go home. There was a game tomorrow, and I was nervous as hell.
Chapter 9
Regular Season Match
September 6th, 2005
East Providence vs. Barrington
1-0-0
W-L-T
It was around 6 o’clock before we all filed into the locker room. It was the usual beat bumping and loud cheers. Maybe I was starting to settle in, but none of this was really phasing me. I was exhausted from the practice before. My legs were hurting, my feet had blisters, and my toes were stuck together from the constant heat. If anyone has ever tried a diet regimen, we can easily compare this to the first stage of any regimen. It was definitely the most painful stage, and required physical and mental endurance. Usually when a body goes through a lot of work, it helps you sleep. This was not the case for me. The night before, I was tossing and turning and found it hard to sleep. It was the adrenaline. The adrenaline was still rushing and pumping throughout my body. The only problem is that the adrenaline disappears when it is truly needed. My eyes are droopy and sagging, and there is not an ounce of adrenaline left in me. I was walking towards my locker when Coach Mario had stopped me.
“Jeez Louise, what time did you go to bed last night!?” he said
“What time did I go to bed, or what time did I fall asleep?” I responded
“You’re exhausted aren’t you?”
“Yes, Coach. But I’ll be fine, I promise”
“Whatever you say, Ruben”
With that, he let me be. I looked around the locker room and noticed that the other goalkeeper had not shown up. Nor would he show up, I soon found out.
“Hey, Tighty” I called to Andrew
Andrew’s name is “Tightface” or, for short, “Tighty”. Kind of a funny reason, too. When he does his pushups, he can honestly shrink his face to where it all goes to the middle. Therefore, it creates a tight face. Really, it shrinks.
“Sup Ruben?” he responded
“Hey, where the hell is Jose?” I asked
“He quit. Well, I think he quit. He hadn’t played in the JV game or hasn’t even been showing up to practice in a bit.” He said
“Well, I’ll be damned!” I said
“Yeah bud, looks like its all yours.” He said, with a sort of repulsion
With that news, I felt my shoe size increase just a little bit. The responsibility is huge. You see, Anthony Tavares is a great goalkeeper, don’t get me wrong. However, he’s got the worst track record when it comes to yellow cards. Rhode Island Interscholastic Sports League states that any goalkeeper that receives a yellow card, must sit out of a game for five minutes. Luckily, this hasn’t happened yet, but with time, I guarantee it will. This changed my mentality for the rest of the season. I was first behind Anthony, now. If he falls, I recover. If he gets hurt, I recover. If he gets a yellow or a red card, I recover. With all this running through my mind, I nearly forgot to get changed for the game. Coach was around the locker room already, so I knew his speech was coming up soon. I got dressed for the game in a hurry. I had everything—or I thought I had everything. I looked through my locker and realized my crucial mistake. I had forgotten my gloves at home.
“Does anyone have any keeper gloves!?” I shouted out of desperation
…no answer
“Does ANYONE have any keeper gloves!?” I asked louder
“I do.” said a voice in the corner
I scrambled around the corner of the locker room and saw Jarrod Bento leaning against the wall with a pair of good condition keeper gloves.
“Thanks man, I app— what’s your problem?” I said
As I reached in, he pulled the gloves away.
“Hasn’t anyone ever told you? Nothing in life is ever free.” He said
I was strapped for cash, so I made him a false promise of twenty dollars as long as he let me have them. Apparently, it was either a good price or he was in a hurry, because he just dropped the gloves and went back to the music. I got my bag ready, and Coach Mario was awaiting the team at the front of the locker room for his speech.
“Good evening, gentlemen.” He said boisterously
“Good evening, coach.” We all responded
“Today is a new day, as I’ve stated before. Nothing will come easy in this campaign. With seasons dealt beforehand, we realize that heartbreak and pain can be eliminated early in the regular season. Today is the beginning of the regular season, boys. Tonight, you decide your destiny. You decide on whether or not your season ends in October, or in November. You decide on what you want to be doing with that empty space on your trophy case. You decide how well you want to represent your school. The decision, boys, is all yours. Get out there and show them all what being a Townie is all about!”
With that speech, goose bumps had risen upon all of us. The claps, cheers, and motivation were spreading throughout the room. The adrenaline was pushed back into me, and I had felt the motivation, I felt the strength, I felt the courage. I got my bag, and went towards the bus waiting to transport us outside.
We’ve yet to have a home game. Tonight we are traveling out to Barrington. An East Providence suburb located about 15 minutes from East Providence High School. The bus ride was short, so there weren’t any shenanigans, just pure concentration. You could hear the cleats scratching the bus floor, which is how quiet it was. The atmosphere was stupendous. Tension was vibrating throughout the air; it was almost as if they were all communicating with each other without even speaking.
Once we arrived at Barrington High School, there was about twenty minutes until kickoff. We stepped off the bus hurriedly, in order to catch a decent warm-up. It was a September night, and temperatures were beginning to change in Rhode Island. The average temperature for September was about seventy-five degrees, with lows hitting the forties. As I ran to the bench to drop our stuff off, I spotted her. Right out of the corner of my eye, there she was, Nicole Allen. It was one of those moments where you just had to stop and awe at what was going on. She was just sitting there, looking pretty. Shock hit me immediately when Eddy Dias went over and planted a kiss on her. I hadn’t even spoken to the girl once, but I felt feelings. It’s just that feeling where you absolutely know that she is the one for you. It’s undeniable, but irretrievable. I shook it off, for the sake of the game, and began my warm-up.
My job was to warm up alongside Anthony. However, it was more like just warming him up. I kicked the ball to him in short spurts to get him warmed up, and we got to know each other this way. He’s a class act, I tell you. Funny as all hell, but as soon as that whistle blows; you know it isn’t jokes anymore. The only time I ever get warmed up during these pre-game sessions, is when he gets called for the captains toss. When that happens, all the players shoot on me to warm themselves up. If I’m lucky, I save some. Most of the time, they bury it into the net behind me. The whistle blew, and we went over for the National Anthem and the referee disclaimer.
We lined up across the touch line and there she was again. Her eyes fixed on the American flag, and her lips softly mimicking the lyrics to the patriotic tune. The beauty of the flag had already put me in awe, but the beauty of her eyes set me on fire.
“What the hell are you doing” asked Danny, standing behind me
I zoned out. The anthem was over and there I was standing there alone, watching her. Everybody was at half field, if it wasn’t for Danny, I would have stayed there all night watching her if I could. I went to the bench, and sat down as the match was about to begin.
Before every match, there is this pep talk that Anthony gives in the middle of the field. It usually consists of how much he wants to break his opponents legs, or how badly he wants to dropkick somebody in the throat. Yeah, that’s right, the throat. I’m obviously just kidding, but you get the idea. After his pep talk is done, the referee counts the players and the whistle blows. Game on.
At first, the possession type of play was used by both squads. You can tell they were trying to feel each other out. The play was boring to be quite honest. I felt as if they were simply conserving their energy. Around the 20th minute, we started seeing the play get more physical. Some shoves, dirty looks, and cheap shots never hurt to spice a game up. The ball was being played more frequently down the touchline, and that caused some fouls. Eddy was relatively quiet this game, but Louis was gaining momentum. He was approaching their 18-yard box more vehemently than seen in prior matches. Eddy and Louis combined touches throughout the half, but none quite finding the back of the net. The halftime whistle blew with 0-0 on the scoreboard. We headed over to our corner flag for our coach to speak with us.
“Guys, it’s not that bad. Keep up the pace, and you’ll wear them down. Don’t get stuck with your heads up your asses though if they attack down the wing. Eddy and Louis, lets make those touches count, and put them in the goal! Defense, you haven’t seen much, but keep your eyes peeled. We have to use our transition game this half. Get the ball from the defense, to the midfield, to the forwards, and into the net. Four steps…all it takes. We’re three quarters of the way there. Heads up, drink up, and step up.” said Coach Mario
“I have something to add, too. Kaio, you’re working that line well. Keep making runs. Kevin and Tyler, lets try to find him, eh? One good through ball will pick apart this defense. This game is as easy as you make it. Keep hustling, good work. Don’t make me regret saying that.” said Coach John-Mark
With those words, we huddled up and broke off. I could tell these guys had some venom in their eyes. They were ready to attack and make it happen. Sometimes, this isn’t a good thing. It could result in disciplinary actions if we’re too pumped up. We’ll see how it turns out.
The whistle blew and we had thirty-five minutes to play. The strategy was different this half, on both sides, and it was easy to tell. This was shaping up to be a decent match. Barrington was on the defense. Louis and Eddy were beginning to pick apart the defense. Eddy kept the ball alongside the touch line and crossed it into the penalty area. The ball met with a solid header from James Boyce but a quick clearance by Barrington’s defense. The clock was winding down and we were itching closer and closer to the shot that counted. Eddy took the ball up the field and split two defenders. Then, he passed it off to Louis and he did some damage to the defense. Louis was approaching the box when he was tackled from the side and the referee called “PLAY ON!”…and with good reason. Eddy crawled up behind the foul and sank the ball into the back of the net, a beauty of a shot that sent Pierce Memorial Stadium up into a roar.
Time was going by fast after the restart, and Barrington knew that very well. The work ethic in their midfield improved, as ours declined. They began to possess the ball more and attacked it into our half with much more intensity than earlier in the match. A Barrington midfielder was quite skilled, enough to make it within 20 yards of the box. Kevin Cabral recognized the play and slide tackled the player immediately. It was a nasty foul that resulted in a yellow card for Cabral. A smaller price than he should have paid, without a doubt. The ensuing free kick was dangerous. It required a five-man wall, which was quickly set up by Anthony. The kick was soft, but accurate. It caused Anthony to react quickly, but with his athleticism, he made it look easy. Anthony stopped the ball with his palms, and quickly covered it up. His punt into the midfield led to the referee blowing the whistle to signal the end of the match.
Cheers erupted at Pierce field, our first home win, done with patience and style. A great start to the regular season. As I celebrated with the team, I couldn’t help but look back at Nicole. She was cheering and doing toe touches, all that good stuff. It was almost a perfect portrait… until I saw Eddy come up and kiss her. I snapped back to reality really fast, and got back to doing what I was supposed to be doing. I’m quite the dreamer, aren’t I?
Chapter 10
It was already 6:30 AM and I was probably going to be tardy today. I was sore from last night’s running around and frantic screaming. I seemed to have also lost my voice. It felt like a stone was lodged in my throat. Oh well, nothing that some cough syrup and coffee can’t fix, right?
I got to class around 7:20, just in time. Mrs. Higginbotham, my first period teacher, is just a complete sweetheart. She’s one of the kindest women a person can ever meet. A kind heart, and a wonderful soul. I couldn’t have asked for a better start to every day of my freshman year.
“Ruben, looking a little tired there” she said
“Yes, Mrs. Higg, I’m a little exhausted” I responded
“Run around a lot?”
“No, Mrs. Higg… I didn’t get a chance to play. It’s all right, though. I had a great time anyways!”
“Ruben, as long as you’re having fun, it really doesn’t matter how much time you spend playing. You’ll have a great time regardless of how many times you touch the ball.” She said
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