My Living Room: A Short Story

“GOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOLLLLLLLL DE MEXICOOOOOOO!”

Christian Martinoli, sports commentator for ESPN, is shouting. And my entire living room is filled with cheers, some of excitement but most of relief.

Red, green, and white blurs are seen on the TV. Painted faces, flags waving, and bright jerseys flood our vision. Fans go crazy over their respective team. Mexico scores this first goal at the sixty-ninth minute of the game during the second half.

The game is being played by the USA and Mexico national soccer teams. A glint of gold captures the eyes of people everywhere; not just in the stadium, but those at home, too.

The Gold Cup, the trophy awarded to the winning team, was something both teams wanted to bring home.

“Let’s just hope and pray they don’t lose the lead anytime soon,” my uncle tells my brother and me.

I can only nod my head, as I am too interested in the tacos being served by my aunties. The delectable scent could make anyone’s mouth water. Filled with grilled beef, fresh cilantro, diced onion, and salsa verde, I couldn’t help myself. But, then again, who would?

Everyone sits around the plush red couches. A couple of my younger cousins play on their tablets or their parents’ phones. Relatives from both sides of the family, not knowing each other yesterday, became the best of friends today. Hands are filled with plates of food, yet too entranced by the soccer match to eat.

About 20 minutes are left on the game. With the score being 1–0, Mexico still has the lead over the USA. Mexico’s main goal is to play defense. Defense wins any game.

My mom yells out the corner of the room, “If you’re going to get more food, hurry up before it’s all gone!” Everyone saunters off to the table holding the food, until my cousin starts screaming at the referee on the television.

“That wasn’t a foul! If anything, it could have been a yellow card,” he exclaimed. He goes on by saying, “You’re a referee, you should know how to do your job.”

Talk about dramatic, man.

Turns out, Mexico received a foul inside the goal box, leading to a penalty kick for Team USA. Nerves were sky-high. The rhythmic tapping of feet against the floor was heard. My grandma muttering a quick prayer, hoping that everything went well in favor of Mexico.

And that’s exactly what happened.

A few seconds turned into a blur. Seeming to have overthought the situation, the player curved the ball out of the goalie post. He quickly fell to the ground, not believing how he could miss it. It could have easily put the USA team back in the game with a tie.

“Thank the Lord,” everyone chorused throughout the room. My grandma held onto her crystal rosary, sending yet another prayer up.

The referee blew the whistle. It was finally over.

The final score being 1 to 0. Mexico takes homes the Gold Cup. The living room erupts in cheers. The neighbors, having been watching the game as well, cheered enthusiastically.

Now that the game is done, I can go for another round of tacos.