The Sewing Group Kids · 24 October 2008
Brook’s mom, Mike’s mom, and my mom had a sewing group that met weekly. That meant that Brook, Mike, Russell, and I would get to hang out together at least once a week at one of our houses.
While our moms sewed and gossiped, we would walk home from school together to the host’s house. Even though Brook and Mike lived fairly close to the school, we seemed to take forever to get there. We explored, threw rocks in the ditches, and did all sorts of other fun boy stuff. If we were going to Brook’s house which was only a few blocks from the school and less than a block to the park, we would go play at the park.
Our parents got to be friends because Brook, Mike, and I played football together starting in third grade. We also had class together almost every year and so it was natural that our families did stuff together. Most of the time, it was just us boys sleeping over and our moms getting together, but we also had family dinners together every once in a while too. When all three families got together, the four of us boys would play 2-on-2 football. The game was 5-alligator rushing, all passing, score by ones. We kicked off and punted by throwing and we got to have one first down at midfield. We kept score but regardless of who won, we all had great fun just playing.
The four of us loved football and played it whenever we got together. But even if only Brook or Mike was over and there were only three of us, we wanted to play. But we did not just want to play catch so we played “Interception.”
I do not know if we actually invented “Interception” but we thought that we did. The game was one-on-one-on-one football. Each player scored for himself and whoever scored the most points won. The quarterback would throw to the guy whose ball it was. The receiver was guarded man-on-man so there was no rush. And if the offense scored, it was the receiver’s point. Whether he scored or not, the defender would go to receiver, the receiver would go to quarterback, and the quarterback would go to defender when the ball changed possession. The receiver and defender were the only ones who could score. Even if the quarterback ran it into the end zone on a flea flicker or some other such play, it was a point for the receiver. Looking back, it seems that the quarterback could keep the receiver from scoring by not throwing the ball well, but that never happened. That was because we all wanted to play hard and even through we all wanted to win, we wanted to be the best quarterback too. Regardless of who got the points.
We played interception anywhere and everywhere and with anybody, not just the sewing group kids. I once pierced my ear with a branch of the hedge in our front yard when Russell and I were playing with Jimmy from across the street. I remember going inside with my bloody ear and telling my mom and dad that I might have gotten injured on the play. But the important part was that I still made the diving catch to score.
Most of the sewing group Interception games were not as dramatic as the ear-piercing game. I remember many games of interception and 2-on-2 where the three of four of us would play for hours. Our moms would talk and we would play on and on and on. There were even games that lasted for days as our moms could talk together that long without a care in the world. Nobody knows who scored more points in those days-long games, but we all had great fun.
Brook, Mike, Russell, and I did lots of fun things together. We rode our bikes, played games, explored, and played football. I am glad that our moms had their sewing group so that the four of us could spend so much of our childhood together. I am glad that we got to be the sewing group kids.
© 2008 Michael T. Miyoshi
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From Long Walks Home or Pee on Poo, Potty on the Shoe, unpublished.
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