Football Penchant – Stranger than fiction

I have always been a “dreamy eyed, star gazing, lost in my own thoughts” sort of a woman. Often laughable, largely misunderstood, many a times lovable, aligned with very few. When it rains, I stare at the small fountains formed when the big rain drops hit the muddy puddles. I can sit next to the river for hours reading a romantic novel. More than five minutes of banter bores me to death, although my true friends and family know me as a chatterbox. Long story short, I am a timid person, easily falling prey to extroverts, keeping to myself, over-sensitive, die hard romantic. Well, you got the point.

So why am I telling all this to you?

Last week was V’s 8th birthday. He is a die-hard sports fanatic. He lives and breathes cricket, football, rugby, American football, athletics etcetra. You name the sport, and he can rattle off history geography about the sport. Keeping this in mind, we thought of taking him to a trip to Manchester, visiting the famous Manchester United and Manchester City football clubs, their grounds, and not to miss Lancashire Cricket County Ground at Old Trafford. This trip was bound to make him ecstatic. A dream come true. Meanwhile, I was ready to get bored to death, hence carried a few books and my laptop, whilst researching some good places to shop, and location for Waterstones in Manchester.

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On V’s constant insistence, I accompanied him to the Old Trafford Football stadium tour. The tour started with a short introduction to the club’s history whilst we sat in a hall full of historical evidence of the glorious achievements of the club. Astonishing was the fact that I started feeling a bit mesmerized. Suddenly I wanted to know more. Starting from the seeding of the club, to the devastating effects of world war on the stadium and team’s morale, Sir Alex Ferguesson’s magnificent era, Louise Van Haal’s infamous management to the recently appointed and infamous for his antics, Jose Mourinho. All of this gripped my attention. I started absorbing every word said by the tour manager.

But the extreme was still awaited. We headed towards the ground and as I climbed the staircase to pass the tunnel, to my utter disbelief, my heart started pounding. I felt like a small kid about to get a glimpse of her favourite toy. The lavish green ground emerged, bedazzling me to bits. The sight enthralled me. What an exhilarating experience it was. It spoke to me with a mix of dignity and chutzpah, “So, you thought you could stay away?”. With a sheepish smile, I clicked some pictures and I drank in the grandeur.

Stranger than fiction as this is, the fondness seems to grow. I bought a lovely ManU sweatshirt, and a coffee mug. Wonder this came from my son’s obsession for the 90 minute adrenaline rush, or my dad’s incessant passion for the game?

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This post has been written for BAR-A-THON by Blog-A-Rhythm.

Day 1 Prompt – Stranger than Fiction
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13 Replies to “Football Penchant – Stranger than fiction

  1. Just 8 years and he knows in and out of most of the games?! He is one smart kid for sure!

    Loved the way you took this prompt! A different and unique!

    Cheers

    1. Thanks for the read Geeta. I am just as stunned when he rattles off all the facts and rules of various sports. But then that has made my life as a mom very easy. I know what he is passionate about. 🙂

  2. Happy Birthday to the little one. As for the Premier League, you missed arguably the most amazing season in years. But that should make this one all the more interesting now that everyone feels that stand a good chance to win it.

  3. Great pictures. It so happens that the things we know would not interest us, we end up loving them. Happy 8th to your boy. Glad to know you all had a memorable time.

    1. Thanks for reading Parul. I learn something about myself everyday. Thanks for the wishes for my lad. 🙂

  4. I had a feeling you will write about this visit. I could see how much you enjoyed it from the pictures you put up that day. Happy 8th to V. This is such an amazing take on the prompt.

    1. Thanks Jai!! Yeah, the trip was amazing. I feel I am growing along with V. I learn something new from him everyday 🙂

  5. Oooh..interesting take on the prompt, Arpita.
    Love the ‘thinking outside the box’.
    On another note, we quite enjoyed our visit to Old Trafford when we were in London. There’s an aura about the place…which just inspires you to perform!

    1. Thanks for reading Sid. That’s what the prompt is all about- you can decipher them in your own way and produce your own style. That’s what admins like you work tirelessly upon. Thanks to you and Jai for pushing me to do this.

  6. Awesome Genz! It’s beautiful, and thw way you’ve worded your thoughts is so amazing that I could actually feel you there and me witnessing the frame by frame of the day’s proceedings! Good work 🙂

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