Maria

Another long summer’s day stretched out in front of me, it was only the start of the summer holidays and the weather forecasters had already promised no clouds until September. Back then, Barry was magical in the summer, the green grass of Romilly Park, the funfair, the sea, and of course the Knap Lido. But it was Romilly Park where Jo, Oscar and I spent our days, sitting in the shelter, making dams in the streams or robbing apples from the orchard; one girl two boys, the best company anyone could hope for. Jo was all skin and bone, blind as a bat, with big, glasses one lens much thicker than the other. She was soon to be beautiful, but back then she was just our mate. Oscar was not the brightest boy, he was never going to trouble Mensa, but his heart was in the right place and he was as strong as the incredible hunk. And then there was me, shy, nervous, only 14 but a silver streak in my hair already. I didn’t know it then but that day was the day that would change our lives forever. It was the day that Oscar and I discovered women. Well one woman in particular, Maria.

We always got to the park before Jo, it gave us chance to kick a ball around or play some cricket, things girls didn’t do in those days. We couldn’t believe our eyes when we saw Jo approaching with someone else. That wasn’t in the rules, it was meant to be the three of us, no interlopers, no strangers.

But as she got closer our jaws dropped for a different reason. The girl by Jo’s side was the most beautiful thing we’d ever seen, a bonny lass, blonde, blue eyes, a pale face, she could have been a doll.

‘Hi boys this is Maria, her parents have gone on a cruise so she’s staying with us a few days.’

Both Oscar and I stood motionless staring at the angel put in front of us. If we’d never believed in god before that day or after, for that few moments we certainly did.

‘Fred? Oscar? Are you going to say hello?’

‘Hello.’ we both said pathetically.

It turned out that Maria was 15, from Holland and had the most beautiful sing song voice.

After we’d recovered our composure we set about interrogating the newcomer. Poor old Jo was like Moses cast into the wilderness.

‘So how do you know Jo?’ I asked.

‘We met last year in Valencia. Her family had a Villa next to ours.’

‘How long are you staying here?’ It was Oscar’s turn.

‘Just three days, then I go and stay with my nanny and gramps in Essex.’

Three days, we only had three days.

Those three days were all about trying to impress Maria, Oscar and I put in sterling efforts, doing things that 14 year old boys think impress girls. We bought her coke, ice cream cones, sweets, it was getting costly. We took her rowing on the lake where Oscar called me a ponce for dropping the oar, much to his amusement and my annoyance. At night I talked to her about the stars and the constellation Orion this time it was Oscar’s turn to get frustration, this was getting messy.   Despite our best efforts  neither of us were getting any closer to the magical kiss we both craved. Finally we had to have Maria make a decision, so in the age old Barry tradition Oscar got a stone and drew a D on the ground.

‘Stand in the D Maria.’ he instructed. She did as she was told.

‘We both like you,’ he said, while I blushed. ‘So you have to make a decision, him’ he poked his thumb dismissively in my direction, ‘or me.’

She looked at Oscar and then at me, for a split second I was sure she was going to choose me but then we heard the noise of a Honda motorcycle, it was Jo’s brother Bernard.

Maria smiled then turned and then hopped on the back of the bike and pulled on Bernard’s spare helmet.

A cruel end to a beautiful few days.

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This was the final story in my football themed week but how has this got anything to do with football?

Well this is a list of players who are in World Cup Squads, 

Di Maria, Messi, Valencia, Company, Hart, Hulk, Song, Ponce, Wright, Oar, Holland, Blind, Robben, (Robbing), Lens, Krul (Cruel), Villa, Silva, Kone, Barry, Bony, Honda, Shaw (sure), Sterling, Bone, Costly, Orion, Moses, Kroos (Cruise), Mensah, Boye, Nani, Green, Hazard, Oscar, Koke (coke), Fred, Bernard, Honda.

I’ve played around with the spelling or bastardised the pronunciation but how many of them can you spot in the story. My particular favouirte is Di Maria :-)