Dad, I dedicate this to you

Ria, a 16 year old girl eagerly plays soccer. It’s their final game between Team diamond, their opponent and Team flash, her unbeatable team.

She ignores her leg and arm ache from a punctilious training, because her riveted eyes are set on the target. The sweat that rolls over her face and shoulders as the sun strikingly touches her equates to the passion she’s exerting to the game. The crowd’s loud cheer is her silver bullet when she kicks the ball and hits the goal.

The strong ‘Hooray!’ from her teammates makes her confident that they would taste the sweet victory. Subconsciously, she smells the delectable roasted chicken that her mom always prepare whether she wins or loses the game.

‘How terrific life is!’ she tells herself after hitting the final goal. Then her teammates, coach and other supporters run towards her, embrace and carry her as she looks up the sky quite awhile, afterward she hold both her hands and bow down to praise the one who made them victor. Subsequently she asks those who carry her to let her down. She stops. Flashes of memory revisits- younger days that is filled with fun games, friends to laugh with and parents to support her; But when she turned 10, her father met a car accident and was declared dead upon arriving the hospital. Grief surrounded their family and the daddy’s little girl was the most affected one.

After she played soccer at their school ground, her parents would pick her up. Her dad would admiringly tell her, ‘Woah! I saw a junior world-cup. It was a great game, darling.’

Then he’ll slightly bend down and gently kiss her forehead upon reminiscing those pleasant memories- her chest tightens and she outburst into tears as her mom runs and embraces her.

There’s a light in her mom’s eyes and she said, ‘I’m proud of you, dear.’ After a minute of crying and embracing her mom genuinely praise her. She senses that Ria wants to stay there for a jiffy.

People are starting to leave the stadium.

Ria stands alone. ‘Wherever you are dad, this World-cup tournament is for you! I love you.’

The thin air lightly squeezes her and a serene smile was painted on her face.