Ch6-Annie Roberto

SIX Annie? Roberto? Jack raced down the steep stadium steps, trying to get ahead of the crowd. But by the time he reached the middle section, he had to slow down. The aisle was packed with people buying sodas and flags and soccer caps from vendors.

Jack couldn't get past the human traffic jam. He kept looking at his watch as he waited for the steps to clear. After almost five minutes, he squeezed through a gap in the crowd. "A-26, A-26!" he repeated as he struggled to get down to the sections near the playing field. Finally Jack reached the last rows of section A. "Annie? Roberto?" he whispered. As he looked down the steep rows of seats, all the widebrimmed hats made it impossible to see. "Annie! Roberto!" Jack yelled. "Annie! Roberto!" There was no sign of them anywhere. Jack hadn't expected all the hats—or all the people milling around, standing, stretching, talking to neighbors, coming and going. Jack looked at his watch again. There were five minutes left until the end of halftime. Stadium officials were telling everyone to return to their seats. "Take your seats! Halftime's almost over! Take your seats!" Jack didn't know what to do. Suddenly he was caught in another traffic snarl as people started climbing back up to the higher tiers. "Keep

moving!" an usher shouted at everyone. "Keep moving!" A huge roar came from the crowd. The players were taking their positions again! Kickoff! The second half of the game began! The Brazilian and Italian soccer stars were running in all directions. Even peering through the crowd, Jack loved watching them up close! Suddenly an usher was by his side. "Where's your ticket?" the man asked. Now's my chance! thought Jack. He showed his ticket. "Please help me. I'm looking for A-26," he said. "My sister—" "A-26? That's not your seat! Your seat's at the top!" the stadium official said. "Please go there now!" "But—" started Jack. "There's no time!" barked the frazzled man. "The game has started again! Go back to your seat!" Jack did as the official said. Annie won't know why I didn't show up, he thought as he climbed the steep steps. She'll be really worried. He kept

peering back down at the first rows of section A, looking for Annie and Roberto. Finally Jack arrived back at the top of the stadium. He felt frustrated and anxious as he sat down in his seat. Not only would he never get a good look at the World Cup players now—but how was he going to find Annie again? Jack wished he had a cell phone, but he knew cell phones hadn't been invented yet. How did people ever find each other in 1970? he wondered. As the fans of the Brazilian team kept whistling and cheering, Jack caught more snatches of the radio commentary: "Brazil attacks!… Gerson scores long, low shot!… Brazil keeps attacking, passing, dribbling.…" Jack barely listened to the game anymore. He was too worried about what to do when it was over. If the stadium was hectic at halftime, it'll be insane when the championship game ends, he thought. He had Merlin's magic mist in his backpack. Should he use it now? he wondered. What great talent would help him find Annie? What great talent would help them accomplish their mission?

"Pelé follows with a hard shot!" the radio commentator's voice crackled. "Here comes Alberto!" As the game went on, Jack couldn't stop worrying about finding Annie. She must be worried about finding me, too, he thought. Knowing her, she might have tried to get help from the ushers or stadium guards. Maybe she talked to the police. Jack looked up and down the aisles for any officials who might be searching for him. "Four minutes left!" the announcer finally yelled. "Tostao gets the ball!" the teenager with binoculars yelled. "Someone passes to Pelé!… Now Jairzinho has it! Brazil drives the ball and scores!" As soon as it's over, I'll find seat A-26, Jack thought. I'll keep looking as long as I have to! Jack just hoped Annie would wait at her seat. He hoped she had discovered the secret of greatness during the game. He hoped Roberto would stick around and take them back to the U.S. Embassy. Jack's thoughts were interrupted by a huge roar from the crowd.

"Final score four to one!… The Beautiful Team has won!… Champions of the world!… Best World Cup of all time!" All the spectators around Jack were screaming and jumping up and down and hugging each other. As Jack squeezed past the people in his row, the sportscaster shouted from the radio, "Spectators are pushing past police and news reporters! Mobs are rushing onto the field. They're tearing off the players' shirts, their shoes! The fans have gone wild!"