Botafogo, Botafogo I hate you, you stink

I give private conversational English classes twice a week.  I heard clanks and bitches from the playroom during my class. My kids were in bed. That could only mean Botafogo is losing. Botafogo is my husband's soccer team.  His priorities go like this: Botafogo (although he'll argue against it), the kids and I, and everything else.

I don't have a problem with it. Soccer is his thing. He's Brazilian, Carioca even, so it's not all that surprising.  I remember when we met abroad and he so casually mentioned that he missed watching his team play.  Later we moved to Seattle and met another Brazilian couple. I mentioned to the wife that I was thinking about ordering the Brazilian soccer league for him so that he could watch at home. That would make him so happy.

She told me not to do it by any means. I thought she was potentially just a bitchy wife.  You know the type. She told me that I'd never see him and that he'd not only watch his team play, but all of them under the excuse that he's homesick and it makes him feel better.

Now that we live here in Rio, I see that she was not lying!  A Carioca's team to a Carioca is like heroin to a heroin addict. Oh, I'm not exaggerating.  Sometimes the trip is good and sometimes the trip is bad. You can never really know until you're on the trip. You have the utmost faith in your team (drug dealer) but they can let you down.  Waaaaayyyy down.

The score is 3 x 2... not Botafogo.  Another point for going out is avoiding a cranky husband. There have been some changes to the plan. I won't be joining my foreigner Mommy friends. The wine bar is a bit too far to walk at night and my Brazilian friends are right down the street. Plus I never get to see my Brazilian friends anymore, they don't kids. They have a life away from parks and nap time.  I think I'll hurry myself out for a beer before my baby wakes up for a 3rd time.  Maybe a screaming 1 yr old will calm a Daddy with a team that lost. Hmmmmm, doubtful but at least I know both of them will survive. 

I do think that obsessions with sport teams should be listed in the vows. For better or worse, richer or poorer, losing or not...