(<.girly talk.>I have been desperately trying to get into the world cup mood for the past few days and one of the reasons is my father-in-law. This is the first world cup when he is not with us. Last time around, I set alarms for him and Ranjit to watch these matches during ungodly hours, take turns with my mother-in-law to make tea for them and watch his severe mood swings depending on the result of the matches. One thing I never got to do is show some interest in the game. If I had paid some attention to the conversations between the father and the son, I would have been an expert now making intelligent predictions of what the chances of a particular country reaching the semi-finals are.
Ranjit has taken to watching the big matches with his friends, now that his father isn't there to debate, celebrate, and share his sorrows. I did the only thing I know when I am stuck in a situation like this: 1) Read up a lot 2) Get my hands dirty. I am reading up a lot and watching the matches with my half-baked knowledge. Past experience tells me I will catch up soon and Ranjit helps by answering my questions from time to time.
The biggest help however came from a very unlikely source -- my mother-in-law. Ranjit and I sit in our room and watch the matches without knowing that my mother-in-law has taken the place of my father-in-law, staying back late and watching every single game. I did not notice it until last night because she mutes the TV so we aren't disturbed (oh the Vuvuzelas). I saw the flickering lights in the drawing room last night and went to check if I left the TV on and found her glued to the Germany-Serbia match. I sat with her and asked her if she understands the game (especially because she cannot understand the commentary) and was pleasantly surprised to realize how much she knows about the game.
Of course she knows the game very well! She was a WAG! My father-in-law was a professional football player! How could I forget? :)