Why is it that adults aren't supposed to go mad about anything? You've got to keep a lid on it. And if you don't, then people are apparently entitled to say what they like. "You haven't grown up, you're a moron. Your conversation is trivial and boorish. You can't express your emotional needs. You can't relate to your children and you die - lonely and miserable." But you know, what the hell? Every cloud has a silver lining.
It's not easy to become a football fan. It takes years. But if you put in the hours, you're welcomed, without question, into a new family. Except in this family, you care about the same people and hope for the same things. What's childish about that?
© Nick Hornby
