By Peter Jensen

IN MY DEFENSE

He was captain, a natural born leader. I was his trusted confidant in combat. I gave

everything I had to protect him as he commanded the defense. But he was tired. Tired of

the competition, of the time and dedication it took to compete at such a high level. He

was tired and wanted to go to the prom the same weekend the rest of the squad insisted

on leaving town that to play a tournament in Kansas City. He was stuck between his

commitment to his team and a desire to make memories with a beautiful young woman, a

vintage navy blue tuxedo, and a Triumph TR250. So he made a wish. He summoned an

injury. Just a small one, something where he could miss the tournament, go to prom, and

continue playing afterwards. It was so simple. One tiny little weekend injury. No injury

came, so he came up with a compromise: He would go to prom, and catch a plane early

the next morning, in time for the first game. Prom was marvelous. After sushi, dancing,

and tooling around in the Triumph, they went to a party and got plastered. So much so

that when it was time to leave for the airport, he could barely walk. He was not his

complete self until after a weekend long hangover and an early exit from the tournament.

The following Tuesday, league-play continued. I could never have prepared myself for

what was about to happen. It was a routine maneuver. A long ball came in. He jumped,

with my support of course, and headed the ball away. Upon landing, the opposing

forward ran right through him. The rest of his body went back with the blow. I got

stuck. RIP. POP. SNAP. I never knew I could scream so loud. I couldn’t help it. The

weight, the stress of it all was too much. He screamed in pain. I began to swell, and

blacked out. When I came to, I knew I would never be the same. Upon receiving the

MRI results, he wept. A completely torn Anterior Cruciate Ligament. I was broken, and

needed complete surgical repair. I would never be able to hold him the way I used to.

His competitive career was over. I have never forgiven myself for letting him down. In

my defense, he did ask for it.