An Occurance at Bexar Fields in Houston

An Occurance at Bexar Fields in Houston

(Wednesday July 14, 2004)

The sky is black and then bright blue, and then black again. I'm only closing my eyes because i can hardly believe what is happening. My leg crawls like a snake; the impossibility of that squeezes my eyes shut. Cumulus clouds, bright blue and sunset orange -- i don't feel pain, but i can't walk. A painful spasm shoots suddenly through my legs.

My calf continues to tighten; i turn towards the earth. The grass is nice here, much thinner than the St. Augustine in my yard; i can smell the moisture in the ground, or it could be the sweat that has gathered on my face. We've been playing now for nearly two hours. Once i am up again it might be closer to three hours, but i'm not counting. I am face to face with the grass, but i roll again on my back. I can't stand up.

I reach down and try to massage my calf which continues to spasm - i can't bend my leg. I can't reach it. I rest my hand on my kness but it feels like someone else is touching it. My leg doesn't feel like my own.

They begin to gather.

The long muscle that i call my calf feels now like a ball just below my knee - did i pop a ligament? is this what this is? did i break my leg? i reach for my calf again, i need to feel it.

I bend my leg with considerable pain but manage to get a hand on my calf. It feels like it's swirling under my skin - some storm or wind swirling about. I immediately think of Eric's boa. It's silky body moved under my fingers the same way my leg is now. I pulled my hand away.

"... my calf..." was all i could manage. Alex, who i was battling for the ball, grabbed my foot, straightened my leg and pushed it forward. As the muscle relaxed, it oozed a slow hot pain. I cringed and looked at the sky (it's much darker now - how long have i been here?)

I limped off the field.

"Pickle juice, do you have some at home? Drink it."

"Pickle juice?"

"Yeah, that will help."

I swallowed down the gallon of water i brought with me. I poured the last of it on my head. With my injury, the scrimmage was called. We were all reminded that the next practice was saturday monring, 9:30.