Hat-Trick

The barista shook his head. That hedge couldn’t have moved closer overnight. Could it?. His brain always played tricks in the morning before the caffeine kicked in.

He overheard two customer’s talk:

“What would you do if you got the runners-up medal”

“Take it home!?”

“You won’t throw it at the crowd..or something?”

“Why!?”

“So you would  accept being second best?”

“If I was good enough to get to the finals, gave it my best , then I would gracefully accept the runner-up medal”

“I wouldn’t”

“Well the runners-up earned their medal more than the substitute-players on the winning team , who just sat on the sidelines yet got the winning-trophy”

“Well, If I made the winning team, even as a substitute, it means I’m good. So I deserve the winning-trophy”

“I’d rather play on the losing team than win, sitting on the sidelines, by someone’s hard-work”

“That’s what losers say”

“I’m no loser”

“You are!”.

Apparently someone else also needed a Carli LLoyd style caffeine kick that morning.

That hedge was now looking like the US Women’s soccer team holding up their trophy. The barista gulped his espresso – his third one in 15 minutes.

—end —–

To the US Women’s soccer team: Thank you! You showed what “Play like a girl” means.

Its interesting to see how some people like to associate themselves with the  winning sports teams  and reflect that glory upon themselves just because they “support” or “cheer” for that team or are somehow associated with them..like being the same nationality/gender/hometown…. Some go to the extremes and  end up showing contempt for the those who support the losing team treating them like losers. This whole “going crazy over Athletes” and getting into fight over sports is a phenomenon I don’t fully understand.

But I guess this same attitude is shown in life to ‘victims’. There are some who empathize and there some who empathize. But there are much more who like to disassociate and distance themselves from a person who has suffered a misfortune.

—-

The above story was in response to ‘Monday’s finish the story’ flash fiction challenge. This unique flash fiction challenge  provides  a new photo each week, and the first sentence of a story. The challenge is to finish the story using 100-150 words, not including the sentence provided. Details are available here:

https://mondaysfinishthestory.wordpress.com/2015/07/06/mondays-finish-the-story-july-6th-2015/