Soccer Queen
by Andrew ( anr )
Chapter 7

David approached his house, the sound of voices raised in argument coming through the door. As he inserted his key in the lock, he heard his mother saying "I WANTED THIS TO BE A NEW START FOR EVERYONE, ESPECIALLY ..." she trailed off as the door opened and David walked in.

His father was sitting with a thunderous look on his face. he looked at David and said in a cold voice "Your mother has told me what has been happening while I have been working these last few days. I'm not at all pleased. I mean, look at you. You're dressed like your sister, and from what your mother says, you're acting like her. I can't stand this. I'm going out just now, but I'll want to talk to you later."

As he said this, David's father brushed past him and stormed out of the house. His mother just sighed, as if she had been expecting this sort of reaction.

David was really worried. He had not noticed his parents having any problems, but then he had not been paying much attention lately. Due to his exams and training, he just hadn't had the time. He was also slightly frightened - there had been a note in his father's voice he didn't like.

"You'd better be in bed by the time your father gets home, Davina," his mother sighed as she turned to him. "He isn't a pretty sight when he's drunk."

Now David began to realise that his parents' marriage might not be as ideal as he had assumed. He looked at his mother and asked "He isn't hitting you, is he ?"

Again, his mother sighed. "Not yet," she said, "but he was getting worse before he got the promotion. I thought the move to America might change him, but he was already smelling of drink when he got home this afternoon. He's never let the drink affect his work, just weekends and such, but he's not due in until Monday.

"He probably won't be home until he's had a skilful, and he can be a vicious drunk. You'd better let him sleep it off.

"But this topic is too depressing to discuss now.

"I haven't had time to make anything because I've been arguing with your father since he got home. Let's go out for something to eat tonight; you choose where.

"Go and shower and change; you can't go out looking like that. "Dress nicely and put you heels on - you might as well get used to wearing them while I'm there to help you with your balance."

When David had finished, his mother took him back to his vanity table. She told him that she was going to show him how evening makeup differed from daytime.

As they left the house, David reflected on his mother's words. It looked like his father was having problems, and they might spill over onto the rest of the family.

He almost missed his mother muttering "Oh, God! He's got the car. I hope he'll be all right."

David suggested they ask Samantha to join them. When his mother agreed, they walked over to Samantha's house, with David stumbling at every step, and rang the bell. Mrs. Davis answered the door and David asked if Samantha was in. Mrs. Davis called out "Samantha, it's Davina for you," and held the door open for David and his mother.

Samantha ran down the stairs and hugged David. "I thought you were going home to get something to eat," she said.

"I was," David replied. "But mum didn't have anything ready, so we're going out to eat. Do you want to come ?"

While they had been talking, their mothers had been discussing the same subject. Samantha looked hopefully at her mother and received a smile and a nod of permission to go.

As they walked towards the bus stop, Samantha nearly fell down laughing as David tried to walk in the high heels. She started throwing instructions like "walk toe-to-heel", "one foot in front of the other" and "sway those hips" at him. By the time they reached the bus stop, David was almost walking gracefully, though his cheeks were burning.

David and Samantha were also arguing about where they were going to eat. David fancied something Italian while Samantha favoured a Chinese meal. In the end, Mrs. McCall ended the discussion by telling them that they would go to the food court at the shopping centre for a salad.

"Aw, Mum, you said I could choose," complained David.

"That was before you two girls started arguing about where to eat. It's only a meal, for heaven's sake!"

David sighed with relief when he sat down on the bus. His feet were already killing him. Samantha laughed when he told her this. "Now you know how women suffer for our beauty." she said unsympathetically. David wondered why women allowed themselves to be put through this torture.

Walking through the shopping centre, large numbers of men and boys stared at the group. Knowing that he looked as female as his mother and Samantha, David realised that they were all being eyed up. Having eyed up many girls in the past, David felt really uncomfortable being on the receiving end of these looks.

Sitting in the food court, David thankfully kicked off the shoes and sighed with relief. Samantha noticed and again teased him unmercifully about the price women paid for beauty.

"Those shoes are certainly not designed for walking in," he said to Samantha. She just giggled and repeated her comments.

After they had ordered their salads, they sat discussing the days events, with Samantha pointing out the cute guys looking at them. David shuffled his feet and giggled nervously every time Samantha did this.

The arrival of the waiter with their food stopped their conversation for a while. They resumed the discussion after they had started eating their meal.

"I found a site on the Web that'll keep me informed about the progress of Hibs next season," David said. "And it's from the Hibs supporters club of America!"

"That's nice," commented his mother. Samantha sighed as she realised that he was going to be spending a lot of time on the computer following his team. Maybe she would have to follow them too.

When they had finished their meal, they retired to the ladies room to repair their makeup and take care of other business. They were all laughing at the boys who had been ogling Samantha and David.

They spent some time window-shopping in the clothes stores, with Samantha again looking longingly at the green snakeskin dress. David laughed at the look on her face, but had to admit that it was indeed a very nice dress.

David and Samantha nagged at Mrs. McCall until she finally agreed to take them to a movie. Without the presence of the boys, David found he could concentrate on the film better, but at the same time knew that this evening wasn't as exciting as the previous one had been.

After the movie let out, they caught the bus home. As they approached the house, David was concerned to see a black-and- white police car sitting in front of the drive.

A young police officer approached them and asked if his mother was Andrea McCall. When she replied in the affirmative, he looked embarrassed for a moment, then said "I am sorry to have to tell you this, Mrs. McCall, but I have some bad news for you. Your husband was involved in an accident earlier this evening, and is in intensive care in the hospital in a serious condition. We can take you there now, if you want."

Mrs. McCall broke down in tears and nodded in agreement. She asked David if he wanted to come, but he was too tired to do anything else that night. He asked if he could stay with Samantha overnight,

"If it's all right with Mrs. Davis," responded his mother.

Samantha ran off to ask her mother, easily receiving permission for "her friend Davina" to sleepover while "her" mother went to the hospital.

David had mixed feelings about the whole situation. On one hand, he was extremely frightened for his father's safety. On the other, he was relieved that the confrontation he had been dreading had been delayed again.

He ran into his house for a change of clothes, his night gown and slippers, and his toothbrush. With a great sense of relief, he changed the high heels for the flats. Once he had packed everything into an overnight bag, he walked over to Samantha's house again.

They were both feeling very solemn after hearing about David's father. They got changed into their sleep wear and walked down to the front room, where they joined Mrs. Davis watching TV until bed time.

When they returned to Samantha's room, they were both so tired that they fell asleep immediately, cuddled together in her bed.

More Soccer Queen Coming Soon!