Page 78 - Self Talk
P. 78
range in its own blaze of fire. Unloading gear, we all looked a bit dazed but more likely, speechless anticipation of
what lay ahead.
Suddenly, a faint chorus of giggles broke the silence. Out of nowhere an entire soccer team popped out from the dusk — 10 boys, no more than 12 years old, all jostling for position to check us out. They were scruffy but typical kids: skinny arms akimbo, bruised knees, tattered T-shirts and dirt- smudged cheeks from playing hard. A partially deflated soccer ball perched casually on one boy's hip.
Thump.
Unexpectedly, the soccer ball landed in my lap. I stood up, feigned position and kicked it to Jim, a fellow traveler, who lobbed it to a tyke with a smile and teeth fit for a
