Madrid

Raúl

I run around the field unwillingly. I haven’t slept well for a few days, I spend the nights thinking about what happened. Will Alana want to go out with me? I tried to call her, I went to her house, but it seems like she doesn’t want to see me, I think I need to give her space to process what happened that day. Tomás and other players talk non-stop, I can’t understand what they’re talking about, he’s a little ahead of me, and he turns around, looks in my direction.

– Hey man, shall we?

– To where?

– At Diego’s house, he’ll throw a party to celebrate the last victories, and we’ll prepare ourselves psychologically for “El Gran Clasico”…

– I don’t know, I thought I’d do something later! – As soon as I speak, he stops running and pulls me to the corner of the field.

– Dude, I don’t know … I think you should forget about this girl a little, at Diego’s party, there are going to be a lot of wonderful cats, and…

– Tomás, look… I know you’re my friend and you want the best for me, but if I want to go to the party, I’ll stop by! It’s not because of Alana, that I’m not going anywhere, I planned something else, and…

– Okay guy! I just think you need to fit in more. You know, not everyone here is like Pedro, I know you’ve been here for just over four months, but don’t you think it’s time to get in touch with the team once and for all, outside the four lines?

He tells me that, taps me on the shoulder, and continues to run, leaving me there, thinking. I have to be closer to the team, because since my arrival, I don’t know, maybe it was an impression, but I feel like they don’t take me so seriously. Maybe they think I’m a little inferior for coming from a small team, after all, I’m now in the hottest club on the planet, several players with world fame played, and play here. but even though I came from a less popular team, it was my dedication that took me to the youth teams of the national team, and also brought me here. Coming to this winning team was a great achievement for me.

Alana

I watch people, while we are seated in one of the many restaurants in the Plaza Mayor, but specifically on the terrace, this area is full of them, who circulate this tourist spot in the city, the Plaza Mayor has a rectangular shape, surrounded by several commercial spaces with a immense square, and the statue of Felipe III in the middle of all this space, this is one of my favorite places in Madrid, I like to come here, it’s pleasant, even with a battalion of people who pass by here daily, it’s a great meeting point. I enjoyed living in São Paulo, living in the city where I was born, but I confess that I really missed everything here, Madrid is a special place for me.

Edu and Babi talk about something I don’t understand, then smile and laugh , I look curiously and speak.

– You look like two hyenas…

– Are we here betting on who you’re thinking about, Dani or Raúl? – He said to Babi with a smile, and an air of malice on his face.

– They’re wrong, I’m not thinking of any of them. I was thinking about how much I missed this place, how I like it here, this movement of people…

– Oh, yeah, I swore you were thinking about Raúl! said Ed.

– You know, Lana…

– Guys, I’m not in the mood to talk about Raúl, much less about Dani ! Let’s talk about other things… Babi, and the photos?

– I’ll get them next week, but I don’t know if I have the courage to face my mother and say I’m going to Salamanca next semester…

– What will you do? You have to explain to her that you don’t want to be a model and . .

– Lana, it’s not that easy, you know my mother…

Babi is the typical obedient daughter, who tries to do nothing to disappoint her mother, her father supports her, but he is also dominated by his wife. My friend’s mother is an extremely domineering woman, and she believes that her daughter has to follow in her footsteps, her daughter will be a model, just like she was, and since then she has insisted, but Babi always makes excuses and crazy plans, and this makes your mother very angry.

– Friend, I think you have to face your mother once and for all, and say what you want, what you feel, and… – Edu said.

– Edu, not everyone has a mother like yours, she accepted your sexual orientation, and…

– But it didn’t happen overnight, darling! – My mother almost had a heart attack when I said I didn’t want to date her friend’s daughter, because I liked boys!

– Okay, it took a while, but she accepted you and now she respects you. Your mother may have been picky at first, but she’s a sensible woman, my mother is domineering, everything has to be her way, and I feel like I don’t have the strength to…

Babi is overcome by tears, she can’t speak anymore, Edu and I look at each other, and we approach our chairs next to hers, and we hug her.

– Babi, we’re here to support your decision, I know you respect your mother, but you have to think about what’s best for you. If not, time will pass and back there, you may regret not doing what you really wanted.

She looks at me thoughtfully. Edu nods in agreement. He takes his cell phone out of his pocket, and walks away a little while Babi continues in the same way. It doesn’t take long, and Edu comes back with a radiant smile on his lips.

– What’s it? – I ask curiously.

– You don’t know, I’m meeting someone…Nôvel(D)ra/ma.Org exclusive © material.

– Knowing someone? – Baby asks.

– I went out with a really hot guy. – I thought he didn’t want anything serious with me, but he just invited me to the party of a friend of his, a player for Real Desportivo de Madrid…

– Real player? Who? – I ask.

– Diego González, do you know?

– I know, but isn’t Diego the one who lives in scandals, who stays with everyone?

– I think he really is, but that’s beside the point… The thing is, he said I could take whoever I wanted, and I said I’d take my two best friends!

– What? – I ask.

– Shall we go to Diego’s party? – he asks, I look at him and smile.

– Going to a party where there will only be football players? – Babi asks and her eyes widen.

– I don’t know, I don’t think it’s going to work!

– Why wouldn’t it work, Lana? – Edu asks, while I get lost in thoughts.

Football players, partying and drinking, are complicated combinations… Not to mention that Raúl must be at this party, and I don’t know what to do, or speak in front of him.