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going to the bathroom. Will was already kicking his ball around, and not really paying attention, but Sammy was there and saw it. His eyes got so wide…” She took a deep breath. “He backed me up against the wall by the bathrooms, and got right up in my face, and kept repeating for me to call off my lawyer. ”
    “Why is he pushing that so hard? He was the one who ’s been cheating on you all along. I’d think he’d want out,” I asked.
    “ He doesn’t want out.” She laughed. “It’s only because it’s cheaper and easier for him to stay married to me. Seriously, why wouldn’t he want to keep me around so he can have me cook, clean, and take care of everything else while he plays and does whatever he wants? It’s all about money and has nothing to do with loving me or the kids,” she said, shaking her head and her voice raised an octave louder than its normal tone. “He keeps calling Chuck an idiot and says I won’t get anything better financially than what he’s offering.”
    “ He’s still representing himself, I assume.”
    “He sure is.”
    “Well, I highly doubt that his offer is the best you’ll get,” I said.
    “I hope so. He’s made so much money these last couple of years, and he’s offering me barely enough to get by. I don’t believe him, and I refuse to stop the divorce even if he does scream in my face every chance he gets. I just won’t,” she said, taking a shaky breath and looking out to the field. “And there he is now. Look at him, it’s soccer practice for seven year olds. He acts like it’s training for the Olympics.”
    I looked out onto the field and was struck by Anders’s growing midsection. His t-shirt, which normally would have fallen straight down to his pants, now protruded out and mimicked a second trimester pregnant belly. Even his jawline was noticeably different. He always had a weak chin but it was almost nonexistent now—it simply melded into his neck. He really had packed on some pounds in the last few months.
    His short, blond hair was spiked with ample amounts of gel, and h e was clapping his hands and yelling at the boys to get in their positions. With a whistle positioned between his front teeth, he began blowing it every second like a drill sergeant to get the boys to move faster and faster. But, what really threw me was his patience with the other boys. If one of Will’s teammates needed guidance, he got down to their level and spoke to them. But, when it came to Will, he yelled in his face.
    T here was a small break, and the kids puttered around while the assistant coach set up the next drill. Four cones were lined up in a straight line, and all the boys waited behind the first one. Anders selected Will to show all the other kids how the drill was supposed to be done. It was Will’s opportunity to shine and to make his dad proud. He stood tall and smiled up at Anders then started off strong. He kicked the ball perfectly, zigzagging it flawlessly between the first three cones, but on the fourth, he kicked it too hard, and it went off course. The piercing shrill of his whistle cut through the complex loud enough to make your ears bleed. “Come on! Focus, Will! You’re not focusing! What’s wrong with you?”
    “I’m trying, D addy,” he said. His cheeks were a fiery red, no doubt from a combination of both exertion and embarrassment.
    “Damn it! You’re not trying hard enough! Go! Go! GO!” he said, clapping his hands. I took note of the shocked expressions from other parents on the neighboring bleachers as they whispered into each other’s ears, not-so-discretely judging him.
    I said, “Geez , how can he yell at him like that? Will looks like he’s going to lose it.”
    Sarah shrugged her shoulders and shook her head. “I guarantee he’ll be crying later when we get home. Anders is always ho arse by the end of the session because he yells so much. What’s worse is Will hates that Anders is his coach, but I can’t do anything about