Free Specky Magee by Felice Arena Page A

teams.’
    ‘Well, I’m not sure if I want to barrack for them full-time, but even if I do, it isn’t a crime, is it?’ said Specky in his own defence.
    Just then the final siren echoed throughout the stadium—the game was over. Geelong had defeated Collingwood by five goals.
    Specky looked over to Danny’s family—they all looked absolutely miserable. Uncle Joe was mumbling to himself, still blaming the umpires for the upsetting loss. Uncle Santo, his children and his friends Ron and Adrian all shuffled out of the stadium as fast as they could. They couldn’t bear listening to the Geelong theme song blasting through the speakers—it was torture. As for Danny, his father and his younger brother Phillip, they looked as if someone had just died. And all the way home no one said a word.
    ‘Thanks for taking me, Mr Castelino,’ said Specky when they got to his house. ‘See ya, Danny. See ya, Robbo. See you on Monday.’
    And with that, Specky’s extraordinary day at the MCG was over.
    ‘So, how was it?’ asked Specky’s mother, as he entered the house.
    ‘It was great,’ Specky said in passing, on his way to the fridge. He grabbed a couple of cheese slices and joined his mother, who was sitting at the kitchen table organising the bills.
    ‘Mum, I’ve been thinking. You know how you and Alice are good at maths? Well, do you think Alice got her talent for being good with figures from you?’
    Specky’s mum put down her pencil and looked up at Specky curiously. ‘You mean inherited it from me?’
    ‘Yeah, that’s it!’ said Specky.
    ‘Well, I don’t think so. Alice is good at maths because she does her homework and I’m here to help her out, not because she was born with mathematical talent!’
    ‘But Alice has your eyes and the same straight reddish hair as you. So why wouldn’tshe have the same mathematical brain like you? Why couldn’t she have been born with it?’
    ‘Simon, I know where you’re heading with this. Just because you’re adopted, it doesn’t mean that you should feel like you have missed out in any way. We’ve given you everything. We’ve given you a better life than what you would have had. Now please, honey, let me finish what I’m doing here.’
    Specky’s mum dropped her head back in to her work. It was obvious to Specky that she didn’t want to look directly at him, as if she had said something that she shouldn’t have. Specky was left to wonder for rest of the day what she meant by ‘a better life than what you would have had.’
    The following morning, Specky couldn’t wait to get online. He really hoped he would be able to chat to Christina again. But unfortunately, she didn’t log on for the entire day. Feeling a little down, Specky decided to read the pamphlets she had given him. He read about adopted adult children finding their long-lost biological parents. Some of the stories were very moving. Specky once again began fantasising about what it would be like to find his dad. What would he sayto him? Hi. My name is Simon, but everyone calls me Specky. I’m your son! Specky chuckled to himself. But then he started feeling a little guilty. ‘What am I doing? I have a father already. This is dumb!’ he said under his breath. Thinking about all of this adoption stuff was really starting to get to him.
    Specky tossed the pamphlets under his bed, determined to try to forget about it all. But it was no use. By the time Monday afternoon rolled around, Specky was back in his bedroom searching for them. When he finally found them, he ran into the study, slammed the door behind him, and picked up the phone. He nervously dialled the number at the bottom of one of the pamphlets. He took in a deep breath. His hands were shaking.
    ‘Hello, Adoption Information Service, Marge speaking. Hello?’
    Specky froze for a second. He couldn’t believe what he was actually doing.
    ‘Um, yes, hello…’ Specky’s voice wobbled. ‘I’m calling ‘cause I want to find my dad. He