Paige’s confidence slipped. “That doesn’t sound fair.”
“It’s not, but it’s a very real possibility that could happen,” I said, honestly. “And there’s also a very big possibility that not only would you isolate yourself from having many friends by being a girl playing football, but that you could make a lot of sacrifices, work really, really hard, and still not be able to play past high school. And, even if you do get to play in college, as of this very moment, there is nowhere for you to advance to play football professionally.”
Paige’s eyes widened with every word I said, her little eyebrows tugging inward. It broke my heart to see it, and I could tell by the way Sydney watched us over her shoulder where she was cutting up the carrots that it worried her, too.
But, this is what she wanted. She wanted me to be real with Paige.
And I would be.
“I’m giving this all to you straight, Paige, because I believe you can handle it,” I said, folding my hands on the table. “You want to know what else I believe?”
Paige didn’t respond.
“I believe you will be better than a lot of boys on the teams you play on, and I believe you will excel in football. I think you will learn some of life’s biggest lessons from it, and that it will become a part of you — a permanent part of you, one you’ll never be able to erase. I think you’ll breathe it in like it’s the only oxygen that keeps your lungs working, and I think that no matter what challenges you face, you’ll overcome them.”
I leaned closer, leveling my eyes with hers.
“And more than anything, I believe you can have a happy and amazing life playing football. I believe you could play in high school, and college, and — truly — maybe even in a professional league. Now, I don’t know what that would look like — not yet — but I believe just by your passion alone that it could happen. And if it doesn’t work out that way?” I shrugged, smiling as I tapped her nose. “I know for a fact that you’d make a damn good coach.”
Paige giggled at that, but as soon as her smile had appeared, it slipped away again. “Why can’t girls play football professionally?”
Sydney and I exchanged glances, and she wiped her hand on her apron before walking over to her daughter. She bent down, swept her hair out of her face, and looked her in the eyes. “There are many reasons, Paigey. Some argue that women would get hurt, and it’s a very valid argument. As you know from watching, there’s a lot of danger with concussions and other life-altering injuries — whether you’re a girl or a boy.” Sydney sighed, glancing at me before she addressed her daughter again. “But, there are no rules that say a woman can’t play in the NFL.”
“Really?” Paige lit up.
“Really,” I chimed in. “And, there are already many women working for the NFL as coaches, advisors, agents, trainers — like your mom — and more. There are a lot of ways to make a life in football.”
We both watched her as she digested it all, and I resisted the urge to say more. It was a lot to throw on a nine-year-old. Hell, most kids her age had no idea what they wanted to do with their lives, and even if they thought they knew, they were likely to change their mind down the road.
But, I knew that look in Paige’s eyes when she talked about football. It was the same one I’d seen reflected in my own growing up.
This wasn’t just a phase for her.
It was everything.
After a long while, Paige looked at her mom, and then at me, and with determination in her eyes, she nodded. “I know it’s going to be hard, and I know the boys are going to be tough on me, but I don’t care.” Her little hand balled into a fist on the table. “I want to play football.”
I smiled, glancing at Sydney who looked over her shoulder at me with a mixture of pride and anxiety. I nodded slightly, locking my gaze on hers with a silent promise that I would help Paige, and that I would take care of her. And Sydney nodded back, as if she understood.
As if she trusted me unreservedly.
For reasons I couldn’t grasp, I wanted to hold onto her gaze, to memorize the trust in her eyes and analyze the depth of it.
But, I tore my eyes away and looked at her daughter, who was watching me without so much as a single ounce of hesitation or concern for what she’d just decided.
“Okay, then,” I said, standing. “Let’s play.”Paige was just as tough as her mother.