A Funny Thing Happened on the Way Home from the Soccer Match

As much as I enjoy most sports and love to go games, I never do so with high expectations. It seems I am cursed with a streak of bad luck when it comes to sporting events, or rather I cary a curse of bad luck with me. Never in my life, as far back as I can remember, have I gone to a game and seen the team I cheered for win. It does not matter what the sport is, whether it be hockey, basketball, football, baseball or soccer, nor does it matter whether the games is professional or amateur. If you were to offer me a Leafs ticket I could advise you in good faith to bet on the other team - not that I’m a gambler - and if you were to invite me as a friend to come see you play in a game, as a friend I would feel obliged to decline for the team’s sake.

I had little cause for optimism thursday past, going to the Toronto FC match. Not only did I carry this curse upon me, but the team simply was not doing well. At the time they were suffering under the oppression a 12 game loosing streak which had eliminated all hopes for the playoff and resigned the team to hopes and promises of bettered things next year. Their opponents, on the other hand, the New York Red Bulls - a team named after a beverage - had already clinched a playoff berth. In spite of all this I did walk into the stadium spirits high. Even if they my team was unlikely to win I could still make an evening of it. I have always loved the simple thrill of being in a stadium, of being part of the crowd. I was with my friend Amanda and if you know her you will know that that is cause enough for cheer. What is more, I bought myself a team scarf before kick off and could look forward to wearing it for a good six months before the weather turned.

However, not long after the match begun I started to feel a certain unnatural, unfamiliar joy. My team had scored and judging my their play thus far promised to score again. They actually looked to be on top, maybe as if they might even stay on top. The first half ended and we went to get food. I had souvlaki on a pita and roasted corn - the oddest meal I have ever ate at a game, but also the best. The second half begun and before I finished gnawing my cob Toronto was up two to nil. Later New York would gain a bit of ground and come up a goal. I have to admit, experience began tightening in and I thought it was only a matter of time until they equalized, but then, remarkably, amazingly, with out precedent, they did not. Toronto won, two to one, canning the New York Red Bulls. And so my bad luck streak was over.
In next to no time, after some very tricky and daring parking lot maneuvers, Amanda and I were out of the parking lot and onto the open, all be it very jammed road. The traffic from the parking lot seemed to fallow us and the drive back to Scarborough would have been painful if it were not for the fact that I was still reveling from the win. There is a world of difference between a victory lap and a walk of shame. My team had won.

The traffic, however, was still a bit of a pain, though only a bit. The DVP was stop and go, even at such a late hour. I kept looking for open space, but all i could see was red lights. Even when the traffic broke for a moment it was only for a moment, and it was during such a moment, after a brief gap in the gridlock, that it happened - we were struck from behind. Suddenly, violently hit. The car in from of me stopped. I stopped. As I checked my mirror the car behind me seemed to be stopped. But then a sudden and dramatic crash, my car skidding, as if from under me, my head violently jerked forward, hitting the front for the car just above the windscreen, while the seat-belt jammed into my shoulder, and my glasses went flying.

As I would later find out, the car behind me had been hit and knocked into me by a van which was going I don’t even want to think how fast. The van’s front end was wrecked, as was the rear of the car being me. My bumper was caved in, as was the floor of the trunk. It was, however, the only drivable vehicle. The car will probably be in the shop for two weeks. So it goes. The woman behind me seemed to be alright, but she was five months pregnant so the ambulance took her to the hospital for caution’s sake. I would later hear from her insurance company that she was fine, as well as her baby. No one else was injured. Thankfully Amanda was alright. I took a decent blow to the head and was reeling from it for sometime. My headache has still not entirely disappeared. My left eye started to swell and by the next day was half closed. Thankfully the insurance company would pay to replace my glasses which were very much altered by the crash. My insurance company has been very helpful and even waived the deductible the next day. Needless to say I was relieved.

At first the accident was nothing more than a nightmare as I sat there wondering what had just happened and what would come of it. Worrying about whether any one was hurt, stumbling about dreading that I might have a mild concussion, looking for my papers, trying to figure out what needed doing. But then Amanda had a brilliant idea - I really am glad I brought her to the game - she said we should pray. And I thought of course, how brilliant of her, how stupid of me. We prayed and thanked God that no one was seriously hurt. We prayed for the woman behind us. We found a dozen little things to be thankful and hopeful for, things I had not for a moment thought about before. We could be thankful for the fact that even thought thousands of dollars in damage had been done, no one was going about levying blame against anyone. We were also thankful for some very nice and helpful tow-truck drivers who had showed up and offered kind advice and help. We could also be thankful for the fact that we lived in a country where we were certain of the police and ambulance showing up to begin setting things right. Above all else we could be thankful that in the grand scheme of things none of this mattered one bit. I felt very blessed at that moment, and have ever since. I cannot say I find cause to regret the accident one bit.