Member-only story
Camden and the Mysteries of High School Football
A Last Word story
“It’s time you learned about real football,” Sal tells Camden as they are closing the bookstore one late September evening. “So we are going to watch a real live Texas high school football game tomorrow night.”
“I know all about real football,” she replies. “You people just call it soccer.”
“Look, you come from a land of warm beer, funny TV shows, and small pasty guys who can kick a round ball. But if you’re going to live here, which apparently you are, you have to make some concessions to the local customs. That includes chicken-fried steak, guns with Bible verses etched on the barrel, and high school football.”
“I will go to a game after you’ve watched a soccer match,” she counters.
“I watch them every Saturday,” he says. “You have the Premier League on the TV first thing in the morning.”
“You don’t watch, you simply tolerate it being on.”
“That’s true, but not relevant to our discussion. And in case you’ve forgotten, I did watch most of a match with you our first summer here.”
“What match?”
“Italy against France,” he says. “The World Cup final. That Frenchy headbutted my paisan and cost France the game.”
