Touchdown

I am standing at the counter with Lydia waiting for our drinks. Cold drinks on this hot Beijing May afternoon. Lydia is getting a mango lemon drink and me, feeling super, went for a Strawberry milkshake and by the looks of things it was going to be a good one. Just as I started to wonder why it was taking the stand's worker so long to blend the milkshake a boy, maybe 12, scooted between me and the counter and right into any sense of space I had. My good mood disappeared and over my right shoulder came the boy's parents asking him what he wanted. They could have whispered in my ear, they were that close, but instead if felt as if they were yelling over my body to reach the boy. At first I held my ground in some kind of childish demonstration and when that had no effect I became even more childish and stepped away with a flurry and stood at the edge of the street, fuming. Lydia walked up to me and put her arm on my back and said "relax, dad, relax". And I did. Is it possible this girl isn't even 10 yet?

The drinks in hand we made it back to the sports field of Beijing Aerodynamics University. It was the first time I had been to the university and its sprawling campus. I only really knew the name of the university and not the location which was kind of weird because for my first five years in Beijing I passed it every single work day. We were there because Aidan and Elisa has football practice. American football. Which seems absurd because we are in China and Aidan isn't exactly the biggest boy at 11. And Elisa is not quite six. And the fee for the class is outrageous. Buy Aidan loved it the first time he tried it and so did Elisa why Lydia smartly decided she's rather have a smoothie with her dad. Yang got them to waive Elisa's course fee for the first three lessons assuming Elisa wouldn't keep the passion for it and Yang was right, Elisa dropped out after the first half of this week's lesson.

So there I am enjoying my smoothie and watching Aidan play. All around me there are sports going on...soccer, basketball, track, and even band practice. I laid back, satisfied.

The football drills continued and Elisa dropped out as predicted, the helmet was as big as she was.

The very last drill of the day was a mano o mano of 11 year olds. The teacher placed the ball in the center of the field and two boys – one from each side – raced to the center. The one who won the ball would then race back to his start line with the one who lost the ball chasing. Aidan lined up, eager to go. He wasn't the first one to the ball but he fought for it and came out with the ball. He raced to the finish line with the other boy not able to catch him. My boy.