Chapter 4: Hollow

“Miroku the doctor said you can’t play soccer for 4 months…” Evie said as tears rolled down her cheeks.
“Don’t cry…I am alright…” I replied
“I can see you are not alright okay… I can clearly see that…”

Saying that she hugged me and I didn’t know how to respond to that.

“Miroku, I love you and I can understand what you are going through right now.” More sobs from Evie
“I am ok now… really…”
“But still you ran the risk of….”
“Don’t think about it anymore… perhaps now I can give you more time…”
“I would love you to be on the pitch than at home…I know what your dream is”

My Dream….I had no words to reply to that.
“I have taken leave from school for a few days to look after you.”
“I can do that myself… you should go to school.”
“No I am not leaving you… I am not going to school and that’s final…”

Saying that she left the room and went to the kitchen.

I looked at the picture of my parents… the frame was on the table beside my bed. It has been a year since my parents had passed away in a plane crash… from that day I immersed myself into soccer so that I could forget about that incident but fate has brought me face to face with that incident again…

“How are you feeling today dude?” Sam’s voice astonished me and I quickly hid the picture under the blanket.
“I am alright Sam but tell me did we win the match??”
“Yeah we did win the match thanks to those 2 goals by you and later a third goal by Paul.”
“You surely raised my spirit buddy….thanks for that.”
“Don’t mention it… you are the one who should be thanked.”

After some time when Sam left, I again brought out the picture of my parents. Father always dreamt that I would grow up to be a great footballer… that dream has always been my own after father passed away… I trained hard in rain and snow with my buddies…night and day I played.
In the morning for my school and at night for 2nd division club Macclesfield town. I earned money on my own by playing soccer…but how good can a 2nd division club offer for my surgery?

“So is it all over for me… everything…my trainings… all were in vain…can I never achieve my dream?” tears rolled down my cheek.