From the Small World Dept.

Okay, so Silas and I have been sucked into the orbit of Fulham Football Club, the most unfancied Premiership team in London and, not coincidentally, the one that most frequently signs American players. Fellow Wellesley soccer product Tom Wadlington has, not surprisingly, thrown himself into Fulham support without reserve, jetting over to Putney for the odd match, kindly picking up authentic FFC gear for Silas, and mixing it up on the Fulham chat boards. Tom the Yank, a.k.a., Tommy Three Points, has become something of a folk legend in SW6. In any case, a few weeks back Tom informs me there’s this raging Fulham fan on the chat boards based in Saigon, of indeterminate British/Commonwealth extraction, goes by the handle “Polecat”, or simply The Cat. It’s incumbent upon me, of course, to hook up with him for some FFC footy-watching in HCMC, Tom says. I’m dubious. This guy could be any manner of whack-job, but Tom introduces us by email and one thing leads to another… Turns out he lives in District 2, as we do. He seems quite normal (for a guy called “Polecat”) and eventually he asks where I’m living and what I’m doing here. Uh, no dice. I don’t want The Cat showing up on my doorstep, in his cups, cursing Frank Lampard. I dodge this adroitly and ask what HE’s doing here. Well, he’s an English teacher — at the ACG International School, Year 8 to be precise. Yep, he’s Silas’ English teacher.