A couple's new friends shake them out of their complacency.

****************

"Kick it! Kick the ball, Merry!" I called out eagerly to my six year-old daughter on the soccer field. ("It's a Pitch, Daddy!")

Why we parents all yell at our kids during a soccer match is beyond me. None of them listen to any of us. I guess that it is just a coping mechanism so that we can pretend that these games where no one keeps score are entertaining.

Meredith did indeed kick the ball. Expertly. Right to a girl on the other team.

"For crying out loud, Merry! Not her!"

THAT Merry heard. She turned to me...