3 Action Words

“I can’t believe that he is gone,” I lament to myself. Leaving the cemetery in the pouring rain after my grandmother’s funeral was the hardest thing I have ever had to do. All that went through my head were the times we played cards at the kitchen table, or took a walk down to the barn, talking about current events or exchanging jokes. A tear began to drip down my cheek, when I felt a strong but gentle hand rest upon my back. “I miss her too kido, but we have to be strong.” I immediately recognized the loving voice as my grandfather’s. “She would want both of us to carry on without her, and we have to do just that.” As my grandfather and I walked down the path towards the car, the rain ceased, and the sun peaked out from the dark clouds, brighter than I have ever seen it before.

            As both teams walked up to the line of scrimmage, my stomach began to turn. Three of our wide receivers had gotten injured, and I was in the game for the first time all season. I didn’t even usually get much time on the practice field, let alone in a state championship game. I could hear the defensive line snarling at their opposition; these were some of the biggest, scariest guys in the state. “Blue, 16, Idaho, Nevada, 16.” The quarterback was yelling commands as if he were a general on the battle field. He was throwing in the usual fake commands to throw the defense off, but my heart froze when he said his next line. “Nacho, NACHO!” he yelled, in my direction. This was my signal to go on a slant route across the middle into the end zone, something I had never done before. Time froze as I looked at the score board, making 4 seconds seem like 4 years. We were down by 5 points, with 6 seconds left on the clock, this was our last chance. The quarterback finally yelled hike, and I took off like a Lamborghini from the starting line. I juked the cornerback that was covering me and was wide open in the middle of the end zone. The quarterback, nerves getting the best of him, threw it much too high. Knowing this was my teams only shot, I leaped up into the air like a lion pouncing on prey. 2 defenders jumped to, and a pile on ensued. After the whistle was blown and the pile was separated, I triumphantly held the ball in the air. I had caught it; we were the new state champions.