Monday, March 11, 2013

五五


What a celebration! Friday Joanne threw me a party for my birthday - I guess 40 is a big one and party worthy.  It was a blast, and this week the celebration continues.  I will make Joanne a nice dinner for HER birthday this Wednesday, and I can't help but think how lucky I am to have met her 14 years ago that day, at her birthday party, at DeEtte’s house in Richmond.

We have quite a bit to cheer about over those 14 years, and one of the Joanneisms that stands out to me is her cheery phrase, “woo-woo”.  It isn’t very loud, in fact it is kinda soft and sweet - just a little “woo-woo”, and maybe a tiny little fist-pump accompanying it.   I am not sure where it originated from, maybe ordering celebratory Woo Woo’s, the sugary sweet vodka cocktail, in some college bar in Arlington or Fairfax, or maybe it goes further back to cheering her friends on in sporting events at Woodson HS.  In any case, I am pretty certain that it predates our relationship, but it has certainly been there as long as I have known her.  She usually utters the “woo-woo” in celebration of any worthy achievement.  A “woo-woo”, when one of the boys gets a hit, scores a basket, or now, earns a try on the rugby pitch.  She even gives me a “woo-woo” when I follow her question, “did you guys win tonight?” in the affirmative.  


Yesterday Bennett got his rugby uniform. I looked it over thinking, well, this is the first one of these we’ve had.  I mean, we’ve done football uniforms, basketball, a brief run at soccer, team handball, and of course we are practically the distributor of now-too-small baseball pants in the neighborhood.  But the first rugby jersey,  woo-woo.


I looked over the field of Rugby footballers; 5 and 6 year olds(Bennett’s group) chasing the ball at one end of the stadium, 8-12 year olds practicing tackling and passing in the middle of the field, and the older boys - high schoolers - working on coordinated attacks across the width of the pitch. The uniforms were similar for all of the kids.  Black shirt with broad red stripes on the body, yellow highlights along the sleeve, a Sports Beijing logo on the chest, and a number - some in recognizable numerals, others in Chinese, on the back.  I looked at Bennett’s shirt, two Chinese characters - 五五.


“Parks, what do those characters mean on the back of Benne’s shirt.”  


“That’s woo-woo dad, he’s number 55.”


Happy Birthday baby!  Woo-woo! And I think that’s my new favorite number.


--
Paul Koch (@pkoch9999)
+151 1692-2787

No comments:

Post a Comment