早晨6：30起床，悄悄上樓叫醒兒子，去籃球館取他拉在那裡的比賽服。

 

也是最後的時機了，我安慰兒子：“這是tournament，每個隊都是奔着冠軍去的，都會讓最優秀的隊員上場，如果我是教練也會這麼安排的，所以。。。所以。。。”，所以什麼呢？

 

兩天前的一場local比賽上，兒子沒能上場，全場板凳。之前其它幾場他也只有很少的時間，但畢竟是上了。回家路上他一直沉默不語，我幾次想cheer up，都失敗了。還沒收到你的聖誕節WISH LIST呢，說吧，想要什麼？一聲“I don’t know”之後又是沉默。他右手支着腦袋斜靠在車窗上，一言不發。

 

他對自己在球隊的位置是有自知之明的，經常聽他說誰誰誰跑得快無人能比，誰誰誰的彈跳高他不能及。每次比賽能多打1分鐘就滿足，不多不少時也能找到高興的理由：從最後幾分鐘提前到中間幾分鐘啦。看來，滿場板凳他實在接受不了了，唉，少年小拖之特別苦惱。12人的隊伍，8個老隊員，上場的只能5個。還是網球好啊，想不上場都沒人能替補。

 

“。。。所以。。。你看啊，平時我們看比賽都是在電視上，你今天可以去現場了，還是最好的位置（bench麼，都在第一排），如果上不了場，就當是在最好的位置看了3場比賽，也很好，對吧？對。。。吧？”

 

“not really.”

 

“要不然就。。。不去了？”，我猶豫着試探。

 

“I go. I am the team member.”他很堅定。

 

可是，如果坐一天板凳呢？哪有家裡的沙發舒心？我忍住聲不再勸了，專心司機。深秋的清晨已經有了冬天的寒意，地上泛着灰白的霜，清冷和無奈順着突兀的樹幹向枝梢擴散開去。偶爾有枯葉被風卷上路面，誤以為是過路的小動物，我警覺着減速，為他們的莽撞憂心。

 

兒子一向陽光樂觀開朗，這是性格也是他的順利所致。受點兒挫敗不是壞事，是對意志的磨練，是通往成功的階梯。。。理論我懂，但到了聯繫實際的環節，就恨不能把自己橫在銼刀下替兒子挨銼。我只能眼睜睜看着兒子經歷這成長的痛。

 

“錢在包內的小口袋裡，有零有整，用多少拿多少。”

“en.”

 

“COOLER里東西很多，跟大家一起吃。”

“en.”

 

“Ipad夾在衣服中間，玩過後記着放回去。”

“en.”

 

“和大家在一起，不要單獨行動。”

“en.”

 

7：50，出發，120 mile以外的地方。

 

第一場11：00開打。12：11收到兒子從前線發來的戰報，“hey we won and I scored 4 points.”兒子懂我，他知道媽媽的惦記。他沒看比賽，他打比賽啦。

 

6：03第二輪比賽結束，捷報再次傳來，“we won again. I scored 3.”

 

決賽是晚上8：00，再無音訊，看來是被滅了。這就不關我的事啦，我的願望已經圓圓地滿地前滾翻後滾翻了。

 

午夜時分，將士們終於回來了，兒子脖子上掛着他的第一枚籃球獎牌，亞軍哦~~~~~~

 

後來了解到，剛開場一名主力就受傷被送去醫院，“骨頭都stick out了”，不久，又一名被step on受傷，不得不退出比賽，加上一名發燒未能成行的，兒子就升級為主力了，而且不負眾望。

 

The cool morning air was crisp as I stepped outside to load my bag into the trunk.

 

……

 

I was on the bench for the first quarter since I wasn't a starter. I watched patiently as our team gradually took a lead over the other team. At the start of the second quarter, I finally got to go in. I played at forward so I was under the basket most of the time. That was when I got my first 2 points of the season. I caught the ball in the corner at the three-point line and then I went baseline and laid it in. The next time I scored was when my teammate Bryce drove the lane and faked the layup and dished it to me. I was under the basket so I put it in easily. I didn't score the rest of the game but I was still happy that I scored for the first time this season.

 

……

 

Our next opponent I scored 3 points. One was from a free throw. The other one was when I got passed the ball on the block and I pivoted away from my defender and hit a turn-around jumper over his outstretched arms. That was the highlight of my day because I could hear my bench yelling ohhhhhhh because I just embarrassed the other team’s player. We eventually won the game (another blowout) and moved on to the championship.