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“Daddy, will I get fruit foot again?”

“You mean Fruit by the Foot? I don’t know, maybe.”

Despite his query regarding the post-game snack, Benjamin’s interest in attacking the ball has gone up in direct proportion to the number of games he has played. Well, I suppose not even going out on the field would rate a zero, but it’s close enough to one for my purposes.

My only gripe about his third game is that I missed the entire second half.

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Typically, each time I’m on after-hours support it lasts about 10 days. Then the other two guys in the rotation take their turns and back it comes to me. For this game, as fortune would have it, I got a call with about one minute left in the second quarter.

I told Benjamin’s grammy what was up and headed off to the car. I set up my laptop and magically connected to the customer’s site with a series of 21st-century pulleys and levers made by Verizon and Cisco. Huddled over my screen with the windows down, I’m sure I looked like quite the nerd to the drivers parked on either side of me.

On the way back to the field I saw Ben’s coach walking the other way with his gym bag and his wife. “Hey, I had a support call. How was the game?”

“It went great,” coach said and continued toward the parking lot.

As I approached Benjamin carefully peeled and ripped off a length of Fruit by the Foot and pulled it in with his lips and teeth as he chewed. He swallowed and rinsed it down with a gulp of Capri Sun.

There’s something not quite right about a sweaty athlete sucking refreshment from a tiny straw protruding from a silver pouch. It’s more of a wide-mouth container or plastic squirt bottle event, isn’t it? Something where the drink is as likely to run down the player’s face as it is to go down his gullet.

Instead, there the boys were, pursing their lips to draw out the sweet nectar. Ah well. Nothing wrong with that. Anything else would be playing to stereotype.

Coach is getting more serious at practice. Tuesday he went over a couple different formations for the boys to use, and Benjamin was listening more than not.

Then I got another support call and missed the last half of practice.

At least that time I got to sit in a large, shady gazebo, with decorative fountains splashing into ponds on either side and a light breeze blowing.

Saturday’s game should offer more fun for everyone. I might even shoot some video this time.

* The post title is an homage to the Everclear song titled, “Volvo-Drivin’ Soccer Mom.” (video not work safe)