No Tomorrow

Was at the saints game on Friday night. Watched our finals hopes get dashed to bits. Thought I'd write about it. Might be therapeutic, who knows?

 

 

 

Dal draws his knees up and buries his face in his hands. BJ is sitting a few feet away from him and if he listens closely he can hear him quietly growling to himself. The room is quiet. If he looks around the room, he knows what he would see.

 

Utter devastation. Everyone collapsed haphazardly around the room, lost in their own despairing thoughts. Justin is in the corner to his left. He flung away the red sub vest off as soon as he got to the room before punching the wall twice and collapsing on the floor. Right now, if Dal lifts his head, he would see Nick sitting next to him. Nick walked around the room, talking to all the boys before finally settling next to Justin.

 

Dal scrubs at his eyes with his palms. He doesn't want to cry infront of everyone. But he knows what this means. Everyone knows what this means. Although they tried to approach this game like it was just another game, the knowledge that if they didn't win this game, they were done was at the backs of every one’s minds.

 

They didn't win the game.

 

Dal doesn't believe in slim mathematical chances. He has never cared for maths and throughout the years he's found that maths doesn't much care for him either.

 

Their season is over.

 

Their chances of making a grand final again, of ever getting closer to that elusive premiership medal, the chance to hoist that cup, to know that he's finally achieved what he's been dreaming of since he could dream, just slipped further away.

But it is more than that. He is fully aware what the end of season brings, although he always tries to not think about it. Retirements. He can't bear it. Can't think about not playing with people he'd been playing with since he first got to the club, people that he loves with his whole heart.

 

He lifts his head when he feels someone sit down next to him.

 

Lenny.

 

Dal tries to smile but it turns in to a grimace. Lenny nods and pats his knee with a taped hand. He doesn't say anything, just sits there, his shoulder touching Dal's, a warm comfort by his side. Dal throws his head back against the wall and squeezes his eyes shut, tears prickling at his eye lids.

 

He feels someone scoot closer to him on his other side. He knows without opening his eyes that is it BJ. He would know BJ anywhere. He lets BJ grip his hand when he reaches for him.

Lenny takes his other hand and Dal draws strength from his friends and waits for the tears to recede.

 

The end. 

 

I love my boys. Whatever happens.