I know this sounds like one of those stories where the manager embezzles all the team money, but it’s actually a story about the small club soccer world.
Mondays are my “catching up” day where I don’t work and focus on laundry, email and other things around the house. I was at home talking to my girls’ coach on the phone when the doorbell rings and the dogs go crazy. When I peeked at our mostly glass door, all I could see was a black suit and a name badge. I decided not to answer because I was on the phone and I wasn’t expecting anyone. (Yes, I know you are supposed to let them know someone is home…)
I keep chatting with the coach (essential soccer business, you know) and the doorbell keeps ringing and the dogs keep going crazy. After a few minutes I started getting a little panicked as the guy is pressed right up against the glass door. We live in a pretty safe neighborhood, but daytime burglaries are much too common.
So, I call the police and the guy is still continuing to ring the doorbell. My heart is pounding as the dispatcher says, “I’ll stay on the line with you until they get there,” and then all I think of is- wait, is this one of THOSE kind of situations?!? The police arrive a few minutes later and the guy is still here, but sitting in his car out front on the phone. By this time I’m thinking that he’s not here to do anything wrong, but the police go over and chat with him.
Then they come in to talk to me and let me know that he’s a messenger from the bank that our club uses and he’s here for a pick up. He’s got my address and phone number, but it’s not my name or our team account and I have no idea what he’s talking about. Poor guy has to talk to the police because the bank messed up. (OK, and quite possibly I overreacted a bit)
Then the very nice Sheriff comes in to let me know all this and asks, “Do your kids play for —-?” Turns out his daughter is the same age as Soccer Girl #1 and they were looking at the same team a while back. We figured out that we had actually had already met on a soccer field and then talked about how our daughters would be playing in the same league. It’s a small, small soccer world…