Declan Kirby by Michael Egan

Author:Michael Egan
Language: eng
Format: epub
Publisher: Gill Books

Chapter 14

In Charge

Declan struggled to sleep after Brendan made him captain. It was a lot of responsibility to shoulder. The next morning, he quickly downed his breakfast and then rang his mum. He’d wanted to ring her the night before, but he felt like he needed some time to think. He hoped listening to her voice would soothe his nerves.

The phone rang three times before she picked up. ‘Hello?’

‘Hey, it’s me.’

‘Oh, lovely to hear from you, Declan. I hope you’re all playing well.’

‘Yeah.’ He sighed.

‘You’re staying out of trouble?’

‘Yep.’

‘And Brendan is happy with you?’ she asked.

‘Well, that’s the reason I wanted to speak to you.’

‘Oh no,’ she gasped. ‘What’s wrong? What did you do?’

‘No, it’s not like that. Brendan’s made me captain of the team.’

‘Oh my goodness!’ she said. ‘That’s amazing! Here I am praying that you’ll win every match but now they’ve made you captain – that’s big news! You must be doing something right.’

‘Mm-hm,’ Declan grunted.

‘Well, you don’t sound too excited,’ she said, disappointed. ‘You sound like you’ve been sent home. You should be happier than anyone on that team!’

‘Sorry, Mum. It’s just … it all happened so fast. The captain got sick yesterday, so they gave me the position, and we’re playing a match today. If we lose, we’re not just going home. People will notice that we lost the second I was made captain. They’ll blame me. They’ll say it’s my fault.’

‘Brendan wouldn’t have given you the position if he thought you’d let everyone down, sweetie,’ she reassured him. ‘If you lose, it won’t be because of you. It’ll be in spite of you. I’ve never known you to give less than 100 per cent. You can only do your best.’

And just like that, he felt like a huge weight lifted off his chest. His mum always supported his love for the sport. She knew exactly what to say to make him feel better.

‘Thanks, Mum. I really mean it.’

‘Dad’s gone to work, but Granddad’s here. And – wait, hold on.’ Mum’s voice sounded muffled, as if she was speaking to someone in the background. ‘Sorry, that was your grandfather. He just shouted “Jesse Owens!” Does that mean anything to you?’

‘Yeah,’ Declan said with a smile. ‘It does.’ As he looked up, he noticed Stewy waving at him and then pointing outside. ‘Eh, Mum, the bus pulled up. I’ve got to go.’

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