Touchdown for Tommy (6 page)

“We may have some good news for you, Tommy,” said Mr. Powell. “See you this afternoon.”

T
he crowd at the football game was the largest Tommy had ever seen. The sun shone brightly. People wore sweaters instead of
coats. It was Indian summer weather.

The Pirates were playing the Jets. When the game started, Tommy was on the bench.

The Pirates won the toss. They chose to receive. The teams lined up and the Jets kicked off.

David caught the ball on the twenty. He carried it to his thirty-five. He tried an end-around play, lost a yard, then threw
a forward pass to Nicky Toma. Nicky snared it.
He galloped for ten yards before a tackler brought him down.

The Pirates rolled on to the Jets’ twenty-two-yard line, then were penalized fifteen yards for holding. Second and twenty-five.
The ball was now on the Jets’ thirty-seven-yard line.

Mr. Adams sent in Tommy. “Tell David to throw you a pass,” he said. “Make it good, fella!”

“I’ll try!” cried Tommy.

In the huddle Tommy told David what Mr. Adams had said.

“Okay. Number sixteen. Let’s go.”

The teams lined up. David barked signals. The ball snapped from the center. David caught it, ran back, and lifted the ball
to his shoulder.

Tommy shoved his man aside, then ran past him down the field. Two of the Jets’ backfield men started after him. Tommy
raced toward the sideline. Underneath him a white stripe flashed by. Then another.

David’s hand snapped forward. The ball sailed through the air in a spiral.

Tommy stared. The throw was too far!

Tommy picked up speed. He stretched out his hands. He ran faster — faster! And then the ball was zooming down … down.

Faster! Run faster!

The ball struck Tommy’s fingers. It bounced up. He had lost the ball!

But, no! There it was, in the air again! He reached for it. He caught it and tucked it safely against his body.

And then his feet couldn’t keep up with the forward motion of his body. He fell and rolled over.

The whistle shrilled. The referee trotted toward Tommy and took the ball from him. He moved the ball a few yards in from
the sideline, then set it near the ten-yard line.

“Nice catch, Tommy!” yelled David.

“Way to go, Tommy!” cried Tim McCarthy. “Let’s go for a t.d.!”

Tommy felt good.

First and ten. David handed a lateral to left halfback Tim. Tim raced around the left end for two yards. Then right halfback
Stan Baker took a lateral from David and threw a short pass to Tim. Tim burst around the tackle. A fumble! A half dozen players
from both teams leapt on the ball!

Shreeek!

The boys unpiled from the ball. Everyone watched to see who had the ball. The boy on the bottom was a Jets player!

“Just our luck!” yelled Tim, unhappily.

David patted him on the shoulder. “Let’s hold ’em,” he said.

The Jets lined up for punt formation.

“Block that kick!” yelled David. “Come on, men!”

At left end, Tommy dug his toes into the hard ground. He’d get through. He’d get through to block that kick. The Pirates couldn’t
lose all that ground after having gained so much.

The Jets fullback stood far back, his shoulders hunched forward, his hands outstretched. He called signals in a sharp, loud
voice. The ball scraped the ground as it left the center’s hands.

Shoulders hit shoulders. Legs tangled. Rubber cleats dug up hard dirt, crushed it to brown dust.

Tommy pushed aside his man and plunged through a hole. He went after the fullback. The fullback caught the ball. He took a
step forward, lifted his foot.

Just then a man threw himself against the
ball! The ball struck his padded shoulder, bounced high into the air, then landed on the ground.

Tommy and two Jets players rushed after the ball. Tommy was there first and pounced on it.

Then the quarter ended.

D
avid raced off-tackle in the beginning of the second quarter. He got the ball within two yards of the goal line. On the next
play, Fred plunged through the line for a touchdown, then converted for the extra point.

Pirates 7, Jets 0.

Tommy, Nicky, and the two tackles went out. Substitutes went in. The Pirates kicked off. A Jets player caught the end-over-end
kick and carried it back to the Pirates’ twenty-nine.

As he watched from the bench, Tommy
thought, Please, please let the Powells be able to keep me!

A loud outburst from the stands wiped away Tommy’s thoughts. A green-and-white jersey crossed the goal line. The Jets had
made a touchdown.

They converted for the extra point. Now the score was tied: 7-7.

Tommy went back into the game in the second half. In the huddle, David looked across at him and winked. “Come on! Let’s get
some touchdowns!” he said in a low voice. “Let’s try number one, the play Coach Powell taught us the other day.”

The Pirates lined up in T-formation. Signals. David took the ball, pivoted, and handed it to Tim. Tim raced around the right
end. A five-yard gain!

The Pirates kept moving down the field. Four yards on an off-tackle run. Two yards
on a line plunge. Eight yards on a forward pass. Then the Jets held. The Pirates lost the ball on the Jets’ sixteen-yard line.

Now the Jets rolled. Six yards. Three. Five. A pass. A long run.

First and ten. Twenty yards to go for a touchdown.

Another pass. It was incomplete. Second and ten.

The quarter ended.

Substitutions were made on both sides.

The score was still 7-7.

The Jets lost the ball to the Pirates at the start of the fourth quarter. Then the Jets intercepted a pass and ran the ball
to their thirty-five. First and ten. They drove through the tackle and gained two yards. They completed a short pass for six
more yards. A line plunge gave them another first down.

The Jets rolled again and got within twenty yards of the goal line. The seconds
ticked away fast. Soon the game would be over. The season would be over. Maybe all the good things would be over.

A substitute came in. Tommy went out and sat down on the bench. He wiped his sleeve across his sweating brow.

Suddenly a hand squeezed his shoulder. Tommy looked around.

“Mr. Powell!” he cried. “Mrs. Powell! Betty!” His breath caught. All three were there, standing behind him. They were smiling.
And Mrs. Powell and Betty had tears in their eyes.

“Tommy, we have good news!” said Mr. Powell. “We had to see the children’s court judge and talk with several people. And then
we drove over to those folks who were coming to see you tomorrow. We told them we had filed papers to adopt you, and that
you wanted to stay with us. They said it was all right!”

“You — you mean they let you adopt me?”

“Yes. It’ll take months before you’re legally ours, but at least we know now for sure.”

Tommy choked up. He turned and looked at the players on the field through blurred eyes.

“Okay, Tommy! Get in there!” Mr. Adams snapped. “Send Jim out!”

His heart beating fast, Tommy yanked on his helmet and raced out onto the field.

The signals. The snap of the ball. Tommy heard the sounds as if from miles away. His man pushed him back. Tommy almost fell.
Then he saw the Jets’ quarterback fade back… back. Saw his right hand raised, ready to throw a forward pass.

Tommy spun. The pass was meant for his man!

Tommy ran back and chased after the end. The quarterback’s arm whipped forward.
The ball came flying through the air in a spiral. As it passed over Tommy’s head, he leapt. He intercepted the ball! His feet
came down to the ground. He tucked the ball under his arm and ran down the field.

From his right, Jets players chased after him like a swarm of bees. The stripes flew under Tommy’s pumping legs. He crossed
the forty, the thirty-five, the thirty, the twenty-five, the twenty.

The Jets players came closer, closer. The fifteen, the ten. Hands reached for Tommy’s jersey. The eight, the seven. Hands
touched his back. The six, the five, the four, the three …

The hands went around his legs, and brought him down!

A whistle shrilled. Tommy looked up, the ball still clutched in his hands. He saw the referee’s arms stretched high in the
air.

A touchdown!

Tommy rose to his feet, his chest rising and falling as he breathed.

“That’s the boy, Tommy!” shouted David. “We needed that!”

“Thanks, David,” Tommy cried. Almost in the same breath he went on, “I have good news, David. I’m not leaving the Powells.”

“You’re not? That’s great! How come?”

“They’re going to adopt me.”

David swung his arms around Tommy’s shoulders. “No wonder you’re so pumped up!” he cried.

Fred missed kicking the ball between the uprights. But the game ended with the Pirates winning, 13-7.

Tommy rode home with the Powells.

“That was a beautiful run, Tommy!” Mr. Powell said. “Just beautiful!”

The minute the Powells and Tommy reached home, Tommy ran to his room and
brought out the gifts. He placed them on the dining-room table.

“Tommy!” cried Betty. “What have you got there?”

“Presents,” Tommy said.

“Presents?”

“Yes. For you, your mother, and your father.”

Mr. Powell stared at the package, too. “What’s this?” he said.

Then Mrs. Powell came in. She saw the package and made a soft sound in her throat. But she didn’t say anything.

Tommy opened the big package, took out the three gift-wrapped parcels inside, and handed them one by one to Betty, Mrs. Powell,
and Mr. Powell.

“These presents are for being so nice to me,” he said.

They opened the packages. Betty squealed with delight at her doll. Mr. Powell grinned
when he saw his shaving kit. Mrs. Powell opened her little white box. She closed her eyes, smiled, and pressed the earrings
against her cheek.

“I got the money from collecting cans and bottles,” Tommy explained to them. “The Warrens helped me.”

Mr. Powell smiled and ruffled Tommy’s hair.

“We have a present for you, too, Tommy,” Mrs. Powell murmured softly. She turned quickly and went into the other room. Tommy
saw her wipe her eyes.

Soon she returned, carrying a large, white cake. She placed the cake in the middle of the dining-room table.

“There,” she said. “For you, Tommy.”

Tommy stared at the cake. They must have bought it right after they had known he would be theirs. He read the words written
in blue icing on it, and his heart melted.

Welcome home, Son.

He looked at Mrs. Powell, Mr. Powell, and then at Betty. He was so choked up, he couldn’t speak.

Everybody’s face had the broadest, happiest smile Tommy had ever seen. It was as if all the lights in the whole world were
shining on their faces.

Mr. and Mrs. Powell came and stood in front of him. They took his hands in theirs.

“Even though it’s not official yet, Tommy,” said Mr. Powell, “there’s no harm celebrating today, is there? Especially after
such a great game?”

Tommy shook his head. A proud grin spread across his face.

“It’s sure nice to have a mom and dad again!” he said happily.

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