Friday, November 20, 2009

A Troche Thanksgiving

By Mageela Troche. With Thanksgiving this Thursday, family and food must be on everyone’s mind, but for me only one F matters—football. I love it! The clash of helmets, the sacking of the quarterback, a Hail Mary pass, and the two-minute warning. Each Thanksgiving, the Dallas Cowboys — America’s team — plays a game. Since I was a little girl back in the 70s, I’ve been a football fan not because I understood the signals the refs made, or the game, but because of my older brother, Lucky [yes its his real name]. He’s my hero. I worshipped him so much, the stars in my eyes were so bright even I could see them. Five years younger than him, Lucky was everything cool and I knew this from the first year of my life. My first word was his name, though it sounded like a Swedish child saying “Ya” in rapid succession. I wanted to do everything he did. I learned to ride a skateboard. I went off with him on adventures where we encountered poisonous snakes [he yanked me to safety before a water moccasin struck me]. I rode roller coasters but didn’t scream because I couldn’t embarrass my brother. I played baseball because he did. And I watched football and became a Dallas Cowboy fan because Lucky is. When I was little, I didn’t really care about the game. I was with my brother and that’s all that mattered. I think I spent more time watching him than the game and if he cheered so did I. If he groaned, I glared at the TV, while yelling at the team to "get their game together". As Air Force Brats, we moved about every two years but I always had my brother. And through my life, he has always been there, defending, protecting, cheering me on, and being the best brother in the world, which is not an exaggeration. Lucky has taught me what makes a good man — a loving family man. One of the good guys. Through the years, he taught me the ins and outs of the game and I became a devoted fan. Together, we groan and cheer for our team. My dream is to take him to a Super Bowl and one day, I will. Until that day, I’ll be watching on television. Thankful, that I have my big brother in my life. * * * Mageela Troche has sold two stories to Dorchester’s True Love Magazine and is most likely banging her head against her desk as she figures out ways to make things worse for her hero and heroine.

5 comments:

  1. Mageela, you are "lucky" to have such a wonderful brother! (Sorry, I couldn't resist! :))
    This is a lovely tribute. Enjoy that football game and the rest of the time with your family.
    Happy Thanksgiving!
    Lis

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  2. Aw, Mageela, your brother sounds like a wonderful guy! What a great post. I'm not a football fan, myself...I'll be eating and setting up the Christmas tree on Thanksgiving...but I hope you have a ton of fun watching the game with your family!

    Happy Turkey Day!
    Jerrica :)

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  3. Thanks Lis and Jerrica. I hope everyone has a good Gobble-Gobble day.

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  4. A truly heartwarming story - in the best sense of the word. I have a similar feeling about my little brother, rather in reverse. But we watch football together, too!

    Thank you for sharing - it felt rather like looking through a peephole into a wonderful family vignette!

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  5. Family is a very important part of every holiday. I have a wonderful brother too. That's what makes the holidays so special.

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