There was 10 seconds left in the game. All I have to do is score this goal and we go to the finals. My hands were sweating and my legs were shaking while I waited for the ref to blow the whistle. I placed the ball right on the penalty line, the goal was about 12 yards away. And then “BEEP”. As I run up to the ball I see the goalie ready to move to the right so I quickly shoot it to the bottom left corner. “Goal”.  The crowd was going wild, everyone cheering “go Zeke”, only to realize I wanted one person cheering for me. I think about how all the parents in the crowd cheer for their own kids thinking how much of a blessing they are. The game ended and we were going to the finals.

My teammates invited me to go out and get pizza, but as always I ditch and tell them my mom’s on her way to get me. What they don’t know is that I always ride my bike to the games every time and wait until everyone leaves so they won’t notice me.
 
I got home only to find my mom sitting on the couch in the living room. I always come home telling her how my games end up and how I scored goals even though she can care less. “ Maybe one day she’ll actually come to my games and be one of those parents cheering me on”. I wanted to tell her about the Finals but I knew she wouldn't care. Theres times to where I wish I had a normal life like others and times to where I’m proud to have my mother.

I still think about my dad now and then and how he was there for my games. If only I didn't go to that game that day like my dad told me to. I just can't stand thinking my dad's death was my fault. He was supposed to go to work that day but I told him to come to my game instead, and at first he didn't want to because he needed the extra money but then he skipped work and went to my game. When the game started I was still waiting for my dad but he never showed, so I thought he really did need to work that day. Later on after the game my coach got a call from my mom, she said that my dad was dead and if he could take me home because she was gonna be at the hospital till tomorrow. That whole day I stayed in my room crying and praying for him to be alright. I waited for a call from my mom or the hospital. Nothing happen that day until the next day when my mom came home and told me that he was driving on the highway and got pushed off a brigde from an 18-wheeler and that the car exploded right on impact. After that she gave me a big hug and told me that everything's gonna be alright. Ever since that day my mom hasn't been the same.

The next day when I got out of school I realized my mom going to the restroom a lot just to throw up. I asked what was wrong but she said she probably just ate something bad. I didn't really worry about until when we were both in the living room and watching tv and she asked me go get her some water and when I got back I tried handing her, her water but she wasn't answering me so I started moving her to wake her up but she wouldn't. I ran downstairs to my neighbors apartment and told him to call the police because my mom wasn't waking up. Then I told my him to help me take her to the front of the apartment complex. When we got to the front the ambulance had just arrived. They picked her up and put her into the back of the ambulance and took her. Me and my neighbor drove behind them. When we arrived they already had her conscious with wires all around her. They took her to a room while me and my neighbor waited in the lobby.

After a few hours the doctor came into the lobby to tell us that she had a heart attack and also had a weak heart and she wouldn't live for long. When I heard what he said I ran into the room she was in, she was lying down on the bed breathing alright and I asked her if she was okay while I sobbed in tears. She said she was alright but I knew she wasn't because she had the same look she had when my dad died. As the doctors came in to take me out of the room I hugged her and told her I loved her. When the doctors took me to the lobby to calm down I got down and prayed for her. I asked Jesus “why me, why now.”

The next morning I woke up in the room my mom was in. I remembered that the Finals were today and that my team needed me. It was supposed to even be televised on ESPN and coaches from Colleges were coming to watch it. But I would rather stay with my mom. I waited for my mom to wake up to see if she was doing well. When she woke up I told her if she needed anything, she said just to turn on the tv. When I turned it on it was on the local news channel and they were talking about the Finals. My mom told me to go but I told her I rather stay here with her. She told me I should go and that she would be watching me from the tv and cheering for me. I said if she was sure. She said yes. OK I said as I walked out she told me in a lightly voice “do it for me and your father”

When I got there I was just in time for kickoff. The team was relieved to see me there. There was hundreds of people waiting for this game and about 50 coaches from different colleges. But there was only one person I really wanted to see me and I knew she was watching me. When the game started everyone was pumped. By halftime it was tied up 2-2 and there was only 45 minutes left of play. When the final whistle was blown it was tied 3-3 and we went Golden Goal. A whole first half went by with no goals. At about the 1 minute mark of the second half of the game. There was a foul on the other team so the coach as me to kick it. The goal was 30 yards away from the foul and the goalie was on the left side of the goal. If I shoot it to the top right corner he wouldn't be fast enough to block it. As I waited for the ref to blow the whistle I thought about how my mom was watching and it would make her proud if I mades this. “BEEP”. As I run to the goal I keep thinking of my mom. When I kicked it, it seemed like everything was going slow. As I watch the ball curve to the goal I looked at my team and smiled. “GOAL”. The crowd cheered and I wondered how my mom was feeling. Right after the game a coach from one of colleges came up to me and said he wanted me to play for his college and offered me a full scholarship, I told him I would be happy to. Then I told my coach if he could drive me to the hospital. I couldn't wait to tell my mom about the college deal.

When I entered her room I seen a lot of doctors working on her. They told me to exit and wait outside of the room. About an hour later a doctor came out of the room and told me she had another heart attack. I asked the doctor if she was ok. He waited a few seconds and then said “she died”.