12+  I arrive late for Josh's athletics carnival. Part of the divorce arrangement is that his mum and I attend school events on alternate years. "Tell Josh I'll be there," I'd said when she called to remind me about it. "Don't let him down again, please," she'd replied.

I sit in the grandstand and check the carnival timetable. The last event in Josh's age group, the 1500 metres, is about to start. I look up and see him waving to me from a group of kids on the far side of the track. I wave back. 

Josh seems small compared to the other boys. I wonder when his growth spurt will kick in. I'm sure I was taller than him at his age.  

I groan when I see the Smythe-Jones dad heading towards me in the stand. He always corners me at parent functions. "Did you read the school newsletter?" he asks. "My son's going to the national championships." 

His wunderkind was a champion runner, swimmer, footballer, cricketer and basketballer. I kept expecting Smythe-Jones to tell me the boy's off to the Olympics, being capped for Australia, or trying out for the Harlem Globe Trotters!

I missed Josh's athletics carnival two years ago. Something cropped up at the office, and it slipped my mind. His mum was cross with me, but Josh wasn't upset.

"It doesn't matter, Dad," he'd said. "I came last in everything again." 

"Oh, well, good on you for participating, son," I'd replied, trying to be a positive dad. 

In addition to being taller than Josh at his age, I was a better athlete. In the attic of my former family home is a box of trophies I should reclaim. As a boy, I was the Smythe-Jones wunderkind, and I feel a tinge of green envy, wishing I could brag about Josh.

The starter's gun sounds. The boys have reached the first bend. Smythe-Jones' son is already at the front, and Josh has slipped to the rear of the field. I wave to him as he passes the grandstand, and he slows to wave back.

"KEEP RUNNING, JOSH, KEEP RUNNING!" I shout.

The 1500 metres is a gruelling three and three-quarter laps. It was my favourite race because I'd grind down the other runners with my pace. By the third lap, the Smythe-Jones boy has done the same.

And then, on the last bend, the boy trips and falls. Other runners catch up and pass him, lying on the track, clutching his ankle. I realise even Josh will pass him. 

"GO, JOSH, GO!" I shout.

But Josh stops and helps the boy to his feet. He slips Smythe-Jones' arm over his shoulder, and with the grandstand shaking from the standing applause and cheering, including from the Smythe-Jones dad and me, they walk down the home straight and cross the finish line together.

After the awards, I'm prouder of the gold ribbon the Principal presented Josh for being a good sport than all of my trophies in the attic.

© 2024 Robert Fairhead

Thanks to StockSnap for sharing the 1500-metre track image on Pixabay.

I wrote The Good Sport for the July 2024 Furious Fiction writing challenge run by the Australian Writers' Centre. Their brief was:

• Your story must take place at a sporting/competitive event
• It must include something SHAKING
• And the words GOLD, GREEN and GLOBE. (Longer words containing the original spelling are acceptable.)

With the Paris Olympics looming, it was tempting to write a story about athletes coming together from around the globe, including the green and gold of Australia, and shaking hands with each other. 

Instead, once again, I drew on autofiction, with memories of the school athletics carnivals I'd attended to cheer on my son and one year in particular. The poor boy had a look of pained anguish on his face running the penultimate lap of the 1500 metres and I called out to him, "Go son, go!"

In my defence as a "positive dad", I should point out that my now-adult son has a box of trophies for athletics, swimming, basketball, water polo and football in the attic at home, and I have just one for under thirteen footy!

I enjoyed writing The Good Sport and was proud to see it on the Furious Fiction longlist for July. I hope you enjoy reading the story, too!

N.B. You might like to read a story that made the Furious Fiction showcase in April 2023, Family Reflections.