Short Story - The Clipboard

Pedro Delgado

The Clipboard

As he lay on his bed with his eyes closed, he wondered, maybe just maybe she would remember it this year. More in hope, he opened his eyes slowly to look at the small table at the foot of his bed. The single tear that flowed down his red cheek confirmed what he expected before wiping it away with the sleeve of his pyjamas. A simple and small present from his mother to mark his tenth birthday would have made Sam a very happy young boy but yet again it wasn’t to be.

He reached for Jaffa, the teddy-bear that he got from his grandmother before she died when he was four. He heard the front door of the house close and he made his way to the window of the terraced dwelling. Pulling back a corner of the tattered curtain, he saw one of his many uncles who regularly came to see his mother by night, walk out the footpath towards the front gate. The middle aged man looked up and down the street where empty beer cans danced in the fresh morning breeze, checking to see if anyone was out wandering the streets before he walked to his car which he had parked on the adjacent street.

Slowly he turned to go back to the warmth of his bed, his breath visible in the coldness of the air in the tiny bedroom. Pulling Jaffa close to his chest, he tried to put his birthday disappointment to the rear of his mind and soon drifted back to sleep. On awakening again later that morning, he went to the press in the corner of his room where he stored his small amount of clothes and footwear. He gathered together his football shorts, socks and a pair of studded boots that he had to force his growing feet into. Today could be a special day for young Sam as he lined out for the famed “Eagles” football team that were playing in the final of the Inner City football league.

In general, school was optional for Sam as his mother would rarely be up in the morning to ensure he went to gain an education. Much of his time was spent in his dingy room with his best friend, Jaffa! Although the conversations were always one way, he found a comfort in his company within the four walls of his room, something he didn’t have anywhere else in his life. The kids from a more comfortable background would often make fun of his clothes and his skinny slight frame. He found it very hard to make any real friends as the parents of his class-mates would never allow their sons to visit Sam’s house for reasons unknown to him.

On entering the kitchen, Sam proceeded to clean it up before looking for some food to make himself some breakfast. He wiped what looked like particles of sugar from the table with the dishcloth before bringing some empty bottles to the bottle bank which was down the street beside the local church. After taking down the cereal box from the cupboard, he realised that there as only enough in it for one person so he put it back to ensure that his mother would have something to eat whenever she arose from her bed.

Just as he was about to leave for his game, he heard his mother call him from her bedroom. Did she remember!! He slowly opened the door from the kitchen that led to her bedroom to hear her say “run down to the chemist and ask the woman for my medicine”. “OK ma” said Sam as he turned away and walked down the street to Mrs Grimshaw’s chemist. Mrs Grimshaw was an elderly and very kind woman. Sam always liked to meet her as she would take interest in how he was and sometimes gave him some money as a treat to buy himself a take away from the chipper next door. When entering the shop, he never had to ask for anything as Mrs Grimshaw would just put some bits into a brown paper bag and tape it shut for him to bring back to his mother.

Sam was shortly making his way towards the football field, he walked alone down Sleeper Street where many of the vacant houses and shops were boarded up with sheets of timber in order to stop local youths throwing stones through the windows. At times he felt intimidated as he passed groups of teenagers who were gathered on street corners, some passing unsavoury comments about his mother which he found confusing. One rather burly built man asked him “how’s your mother after last night” which made Sam wonder if his mam was sick and if she was, how did this bloke know it. His companions just laughed and Sam just kept walking with his head bowed towards the ground as he didn’t want to make eye contact with the group.

He turned down the narrow lane that led into the football field, stepping over needles and broken glass. He went to say hello to Mr. Grey and his dog Sniffles who were sitting on the bench next to the playing area. Mr. Grey was an elderly man who lived in one of the small one bedroom houses at the back of the field. Each morning he would bring Sniffles for a walk and then sit on the bench for a while, looking at the kids playing ball in the park.

A crowd was starting to gather at the main entrance to the field. All the parents and siblings of the young players from both teams were dressed in the colours of their respective teams. Sam bent down to pat Sniffles on the head and went about making the lonely walk across the field to join up with his team-mates. “Best of luck Sam” said Mr. Grey. Sam turned back and smiled, “thanks Mr. Grey”.
Sam’s participation in football was an escape from the walls of his bedroom, he got great enjoyment from it, looking forward to it every Saturday morning. Despite his slight build, he was a very skilful player and was the team’s leading scorer on their journey to the final. This helped greatly when trying to fit in with the team. Although he looked forward to this morning’s final, deep down he was hugely disappointed that his mother showed no interest in what he did and he knew that he’s be the only player that wouldn’t have their parents at the game.

Pacing around the area outside of the dressing room was Coach Nolan together with his clipboard that contained all the moves that would make his Eagles team champions for the tenth year in a row under his stewardship. The coach was meeting and greeting all the players and parents while soaking up all the adulation he was getting from everyone involved. Winning meant everything to Coach Nolan, nobody remembered anyone who finished in second place was his motto!! His teams were drilled to perfection, everyone followed the plan he laid out before the games, there was no room for individual flair, everything was done by the diagrams that he showed the players from his clipboard.

The Eagles gathered in their dressing room, each player was given his jersey and the various instructions that would lead them to victory. Coach Nolan pointed out the importance of winning and keeping his winning record intact. The Tigers players were inferior to them, they didn’t have a coach with his knowledge of the game was one of his many pre-match statements! He went through every player’s role in their bid to claim the title and as they stood up to take the field, he again reminded them there was no prizes for second place.

Both teams entered the field to the massive cheers of the large crowd that had gathered to see the game. The players shook hands and before long the referee was blowing his whistle to let the game begin. Out on the field, the players were giving it their all. Coach Nolan was roaring instruction to his players while the coach of the Tigers was encouraging his players and making sure that they were enjoying the game and its surroundings. The play ebbed and flowed throughout the game and despite the best efforts of both teams, the game was scoreless when the referee blew his final whistle.

A penalty shoot out was to decide the destination of the title. The goals closest to where Mr. Grey and Sniffles were sitting was chosen for the shoot-out. Both teams gathered together around the centre of the field to get last minute instruction from their coaches. The atmosphere around the field now was electric as the crowd got as close as possible to the goals in order to have the best vantage point. The cheering for both teams was echoing around the park. The Tigers were laughing and joking amongst themselves in their huddle, delighted to have got this far and now they still had a chance of lifting the trophy. Coach Nolan was spitting fire as he pointed out the importance of scoring to each of the five players chosen to strike the spot-kicks. Ten in a row lads, that’s what we’re here for, now let’s get the job done.

The Eagles were first to strike and when the net shook, Coach Nolan afforded a smile. The trend continued and after four penalties each, the net had shook eight times. Penalty number 5 for the Eagles. It was in the hands of Sam to continue the scoring spree and put the pressure on the final Tigers penalty taker. The walk from the centre circle to the penalty spot felt like a mile to Sam. Before he went, he received final words of encouragement from his coach. “You’ve got to score here to keep my record intact”. Sam nodded in concurrence.

Mr. Grey said a silent prayer for young Sam as he gently stroked Sniffles. Sam placed the ball, the place fell silent and when he started his run up, Mr. Grey closed his eyes. Bang!! The ball came crashing back off the goalpost and away to safety for the goalkeeper. Sam sunk to his knees, trying his very best to hold back the tears. He picked himself up and moved to one side. Maybe just maybe the Tigers might miss the last kick. Sam couldn’t watch, he closed his eyes and waited for the crowd reaction. The net shook and the Tigers chant echoed around the park. Sam knew he was in trouble. He looked up towards the centre circle and his first sight was seeing Coach Nolan throwing his clipboard in the air with rage.

Sam’s heart sunk feet deep. He was in a lonely place. He decided not to make his way back to his team-mates and coach in order to spare himself the ridicule and embarrassment. He started to head for the narrow lane, his head dropped, tears in his eyes. When passing Mr. Grey, he could see a tear in his eye also. He felt for young Sam. “You did your best Sam” said Mr. Grey. Not lifting his head, Sam just nodded to acknowledge Mr. Grey’s kind words and dropped to his knee to pat Sniffles, possibly for the last time as deep down he knew he may never return to the Park. He began to walk the lonely walk back to his place of comfort, at least Jaffa won’t judge him. Sam’s childhood had been robbed by circumstances outside his control and now his only escape from that childhood had been robbed by the man with the clipboard.....

(Comments welcome)

pickarooney

It's a solid start, but I think you get more out of this by moving the narration a little closer to Sam. It's all rather matter-of-fact and missing the emotion that should be driving the piece - the boy's excitement, disappointment, nervousness and agony. I also think a couple of lines of dialogue here and there would move the story at a better pace.

There's a slight conflict in the way the narrative voice is an adult one yet it unironically refers to the mother's clients as 'uncles'. Maybe try rewrite it directly from Sam's point of view so as to better bring out the emotion?

Also, lose the exclamation marks!!