i sat on the sloping grass watching them, waiting for a person i did not know and would not recognize. "i must learn the rules to this game" i thought to myself. some of it is obvious. they pass the ball down the field to a goal line. when one gets held up by the opposing team, he tosses to another teammate and everyone scrambles toward the new carrier. they huddle in scrums and push and pull. the ball is thrown into the fray and they scramble to gain possession. that's about as much as i understand.

he's about thirty minutes late. i'm ready to leave. perhaps he went to another rugby park with the same name? oh well, we'll sort it out on monday.

they aren't your typical athletes. at least, not all of them are. some are toned and trim. some of them walk up in their garb holding a cigarette in one hand and a beer in the other. the players' wives have set up a coleman outdoor grill and are beginning to cook the plethora of meat products pulled from a styrofoam coors lite cooler. the keg sits under a portable awning at mid field and the players occasionally saunter up and grab a frothy pint to replace lost nutrients.

as soon as i've stood up to leave he glances toward me with a hurried look on his face. "mark?" he asks timidly.
"yeah, are you james?"
"sorry i'm late, i got lost. hold on just a second."
he walks over to another gentleman who has been playing with his daughter for the past twenty minutes several feet away from me. they both walk back toward me and propose sitting on a more level area of ground. i place myself slightly on the slope above them, but looking into the midday sun. they tell me first about their business, their plan, their needs. we talk for about thirty minutes.

later, as i stand up from my computer, i feel a tug at the back of my pants. i look down to the chair to see a wad of gum that has settled into the wicker weave, the other half of which is still firmly adheared to the middle of my ass.

i wonder if they'll hire a guy that walked away from the interview with gum on his ass. let's hope so, i'd love to be on the company rugby team.