Vince took a piece of paper from his shirt pocket and stared at
it a moment. Then he started to speak.
“I want to thank Coach Ryan and all the Scorpions. Without all of you, I wouldn’t have been such a good player this year.
It was an honor to be your captain and to be chosen as MVP.”
There, that was a nice speech, Mark thought. Whoever would have figured that Vince could speak like that?
But Vince hadn’t finished.
“As many of you probably know, I won this award last year, too. But I have to tell you, it wasn’t so tough then. This time,
I worked much harder than I ever did before out there on the field. This time, I really feel like I earned the award. You
see, someone at dinner here tonight — someone on the team, that is — pushed me to be the best player I could be. I’m not even
sure he knows it, but it made a real difference. In fact,” Vince continued, glancing briefly at Coach Ryan, “it seems that
player made a real impression on most all of us. Because he’s the one we elected to be our captain next year. Heck, I even
voted for him myself — and I was one of the nominees! Mark Conway, congratulations!”
This time, the applause was deafening. Mark just sat there, stunned as much by what Vince had said as he was by the way his
election had been announced. Then he broke into a large grin.
When the noise died down, Coach Ryan said, “I want to thank everyone for coming here tonight and for your support all season.
Now, drive carefully and we’ll see you all next year!”
As the banquet broke up, people came by to congratulate Mark, Vince, and Charlie. Mark spied hisgrandparents and parents standing by the doorway. But before he slipped away to join them, he turned to Vince.
“Congratulations, Mr. MVP!” he said, stretching out his hand.
Vince took it immediately and shook it. “And to you, too, Captain,” he said with a smile.
“That was really nice, what you said up there,” Mark said.
“I meant it,” Vince replied. “You really did push me, and it was good for me. And you are the best man for the captain’s job
because you’re always thinking about the good of the team. I — I think I lost sight of that for a while.”
Mark didn’t say anything. But he knew that he was already looking forward to the next season, when he and Vince would
really
be playing on the same team.
He caught up to his family a moment later. They all congratulated him warmly. Then his mother turned to his father and said,
“So next Tuesday, then?”
His father nodded curtly. His mother bent down,gave Mark a quick kiss and a hug, then said she had to be on her way.
Mr. Conway left to find the car to take Grandma, Grandpa, and Mark back home.
“What’s next Tuesday?” Mark asked while he was gone.
His grandparents exchanged glances. Grandma Conway sighed and said, “Next Tuesday is the day you have to meet with the judge.
She wants to talk with you about your parents’ divorce.”
15
Y our father wanted to pick you up,” Mark’s grandfather said Tuesday morning. “But your grandmother and I are going to the courthouse
anyway, so you might as well ride there with us.”
Mark didn’t say anything. In fact, ever since the ride home from the banquet, he hadn’t felt much like talking.
In the car, he sat up front with his grandfather. Once again, he was dressed in his best clothes.
Mark had never been inside the Knightstown courthouse before. It was a really old building. If it weren’t for his parents
fighting over who he was to live with and for how long, he might have found it interesting, he supposed. It had marble floors
and shiny oak walls. The whole place smelled as though it had just been polished.
But all he wanted was to get things over with so he could get out of there.
His mother and father each gave him a hug and a kiss when he saw them. Then they went off and talked with their lawyers in
separate parts of the courthouse. He sat with his
it a moment. Then he started to speak.
“I want to thank Coach Ryan and all the Scorpions. Without all of you, I wouldn’t have been such a good player this year.
It was an honor to be your captain and to be chosen as MVP.”
There, that was a nice speech, Mark thought. Whoever would have figured that Vince could speak like that?
But Vince hadn’t finished.
“As many of you probably know, I won this award last year, too. But I have to tell you, it wasn’t so tough then. This time,
I worked much harder than I ever did before out there on the field. This time, I really feel like I earned the award. You
see, someone at dinner here tonight — someone on the team, that is — pushed me to be the best player I could be. I’m not even
sure he knows it, but it made a real difference. In fact,” Vince continued, glancing briefly at Coach Ryan, “it seems that
player made a real impression on most all of us. Because he’s the one we elected to be our captain next year. Heck, I even
voted for him myself — and I was one of the nominees! Mark Conway, congratulations!”
This time, the applause was deafening. Mark just sat there, stunned as much by what Vince had said as he was by the way his
election had been announced. Then he broke into a large grin.
When the noise died down, Coach Ryan said, “I want to thank everyone for coming here tonight and for your support all season.
Now, drive carefully and we’ll see you all next year!”
As the banquet broke up, people came by to congratulate Mark, Vince, and Charlie. Mark spied hisgrandparents and parents standing by the doorway. But before he slipped away to join them, he turned to Vince.
“Congratulations, Mr. MVP!” he said, stretching out his hand.
Vince took it immediately and shook it. “And to you, too, Captain,” he said with a smile.
“That was really nice, what you said up there,” Mark said.
“I meant it,” Vince replied. “You really did push me, and it was good for me. And you are the best man for the captain’s job
because you’re always thinking about the good of the team. I — I think I lost sight of that for a while.”
Mark didn’t say anything. But he knew that he was already looking forward to the next season, when he and Vince would
really
be playing on the same team.
He caught up to his family a moment later. They all congratulated him warmly. Then his mother turned to his father and said,
“So next Tuesday, then?”
His father nodded curtly. His mother bent down,gave Mark a quick kiss and a hug, then said she had to be on her way.
Mr. Conway left to find the car to take Grandma, Grandpa, and Mark back home.
“What’s next Tuesday?” Mark asked while he was gone.
His grandparents exchanged glances. Grandma Conway sighed and said, “Next Tuesday is the day you have to meet with the judge.
She wants to talk with you about your parents’ divorce.”
15
Y our father wanted to pick you up,” Mark’s grandfather said Tuesday morning. “But your grandmother and I are going to the courthouse
anyway, so you might as well ride there with us.”
Mark didn’t say anything. In fact, ever since the ride home from the banquet, he hadn’t felt much like talking.
In the car, he sat up front with his grandfather. Once again, he was dressed in his best clothes.
Mark had never been inside the Knightstown courthouse before. It was a really old building. If it weren’t for his parents
fighting over who he was to live with and for how long, he might have found it interesting, he supposed. It had marble floors
and shiny oak walls. The whole place smelled as though it had just been polished.
But all he wanted was to get things over with so he could get out of there.
His mother and father each gave him a hug and a kiss when he saw them. Then they went off and talked with their lawyers in
separate parts of the courthouse. He sat with his
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