After a lifetime watching football with my father, a cancer diagnosis means I will have to go alone. And this is my dad’s last match.
Out of the lift, we made directly for the seats. The atmosphere was pleasant, without any final-day tension.
The only goal came just after half an hour. That, I think, was the last goal Dad ever saw, but I can’t be certain he did see it. Several times I’d glanced at Dad; on each occasion his eyes had been gazing out of the stadium.
Half-time came and went. I spent it following him in and out of the toilets, making sure he remembered his way back and meanwhile showing the way to some elders. The second half passed without goals. Dad sat in his seat, waiting for the whistle to end the match.
As soon as the last of the players had passed us, the goodbyes began all around us, the air quickly filling with the usual “see you in August” and “have a great summer”. Dad had tried to hide his tears. But by the time Frank and Dave and all the other matchday friends he’d made over the years had started to say their goodbyes, he could no longer disguise them. The tears streamed from him like I’d never seen before. But it was the noise that accompanied them which was the worst part: a long loud high cry; the cry of a child, yet coming from a man in his seventies. Awkwardly, I put an arm around his shoulders to comfort him. He cupped his hands over his face and continued to sob.
He was trembling when he stood up and reached for my hand as we headed towards the top of the steps.
This was it: the end. 25 years after he’d led me into Old Trafford stadium by the hand for my first game, here I was, leading him by his as he left for a final time. At the top of the steps, he grasped the handrail and began to descend, giving no final glance back at the field as he went.
【小题1】Why is it the author’s father’s last match?| A．Because he suffers from cancer. |
| B．Because football is no longer his favorite. |
| C．Because Old Trafford stadium will get closed. |
| D．Because he is too old to watch the matches alone. |
| A．Feel. | B．Enjoy. | C．Hide. | D．Ignore. |
| A．The loud cry of a child. |
| B．The unusual crying of his father. |
| C．The farewell made to all the friends. |
| D．The embarrassment of comforting his father. |
| A．Funny. | B．Creative. | C．Generous. | D．Caring. |
