Whether you are a sports person or not, you might have heard that the Super Bowl just happened on Sunday here in the U.S., in Las Vegas, Nevada.
And whether you are a Swiftie or not, you might also have heard that Taylor Swift was there to support and congratulate her boyfriend Travis Kelce on the winning team. What can I say? They’re both cute and the news cycle is a juggernaut that cannot be stopped.
So, I couldn’t help but wonder what sort of sports fans the Austen couples would be!
1. Elizabeth Bennet and Mr. Darcy
Darcy can afford the tickets, of course. He could easily manage several thousand for an average ticket or even the $30,000 plus of a last minute ticket. Whether he wants to waste money on a sports spectacle, and in Las Vegas of all places–the city where he discovered Lydia Bennet when she’d run away–is quite another matter. He has a much better relationship with his sister-in-law now, but not so much with Vegas. Still, Charles’s cousin is on the 49ers and he can support his friend.
Lizzy is pretty excited, but then Lydia spots Taylor Swift and Blake Lively, and even though Lydia is more mature than she used to be, this temptation is too much. Lizzy manages to detach her during half-time, (they are super good-natured about it) and the second half is exciting enough to keep Lydia’s attention.
Lizzy and Darcy ditch her family afterward for a quiet dinner. Darcy holds her hand and decides (again) that she is the best thing that ever happened to him.
2. Anne Elliot and Captain Wentworth
Wentworth was gifted tickets from his sister, so he and Anne attend with the Admiral and Mrs. Croft. They have mediocre seats in the gigantic stadium, but they are perfectly happy. His sister is soon friends with their neighbors–a lovely couple from Missouri–and they share stories while they wait for the game to start.
They still get a little choked up during the national anthem.
Anne decides she ought to have one of those T-shirts that says, “I just want everyone to have fun,” as she does indeed find it impossible to pick a team! She wants everyone to do well. Wentworth kisses her and tells her she has absolutely no competitive spirit and he loves her to distraction.
They have a few snacks but they stop at a Vegas taco truck after the game and it is amazing.
3. Emma Woodhouse and Mr. Knightley
Emma totally ships Taylor Swift and Travis Kelce. She didn’t actually introduce them, but she retweeted his tweet about meeting Taylor so, you know, she helped.
Knightley’s brother John comes with Isabella so it is a family party, and they bring their kids, too. That makes it a little chaotic, but they buy the kids lots of nachos and Emma holds the youngest on her hip when they do the wave.
Knightley is mesmerized by the turf, which was grown in Northern California. In fact, it was grown in a sod farm not far from the vineyards of Emma’s home, Hartfield, and the more modest acreage Knightley has there. As an agriculturalist, the logistics of delivering the grass and using field trays to move it back and forth from the closed dome to the outside sunshine in order to have peak condition for the game today–it boggles his mind.
Emma leans over. “Stop wincing every time their cleats dig up the turf, you agricultural weirdo.”
Knightley kisses her cheek. “I will wince when I want to, and you can’t stop me.”
Emma grinned. “Yes, I can.”
She turned his head toward her for a real kiss and he had to admit that yes, she could.
4. Fanny Price and Edmund Bertram
With neither the money nor inclination to go, they stayed home and hosted a Super Bowl watch party with several new families from Edmund’s church. Everybody bought snacks and they ranked the commercials on storyline, humor, and ability to make Fanny cry. Edmund sometimes had to go off about the moral implications of celebrity culture and consumerism, but that was to be expected from a minister.
At half-time they turned it off and took the kids outside to kick around a football before it got dark. When they said goodnight to everyone at the end, Edmund and Fanny quietly worked together to clean up their little house–at least the worst of it.
Fanny finished up sweeping while Edmund stared into the empty sink, lost in thought.
“Have you entered a fugue state?” Fanny asked. “You really need more rest.”
He startled. “Oh, I’m sorry.” He took the broom from her and hung it on the hook. “I was just thinking that I am the luckiest man in the world to have you.”
She was skeptical. “You didn’t look like you were contemplating anything happy.”
He took her in his arms. “No, you’re right. I was thinking what a idiot I almost was and how different and empty my life would be if I’d chosen badly. That’s a sobering thought, but not a bad one.”
Fanny kissed his chin. “You get too introspective after ten, let’s go to bed.”
He laughed. “I know; I love you.”
***
The End! Thanks for reading my silly, romantic vignettes for four of our favorite Austen couples at the Super Bowl. I know I completely left out Northanger Abbey and Sense and Sensibility, as well as many other couples. What are your imaginings for them?
Corrie
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