Draw me a ball...

Chapter 1

"The chance of a lifetime"

The sky was blue and the birds were singing. It was a new day starting. For some young orphans teens, it was another day to live without a family… But, they had to move forward. The orphanage was specifically for young boys. Boys who ran away and ended up in the streets as delinquents. Others would take themselves in charge and pull themselves together and would find a job, some would manage to become rich and make a name for themselves. Some would end up badly, into drugs, jail, and it was the sad reality…

Joshua Snow was a young man like others. He was an orphan, he grew up watching the world around him. Since he was little he love the ball, not any ball and football, the soccer ball. Because in America, there was the American football which looked like some sort of rugby ball and the shoes are shaped like the ball, so they call it "foot" ball, for that. He liked the European football.

When he was on the field and hit on the ball with his feet, he was in seventh heaven. He was going to a public school, one of the rare ones that had a soccer team. He was the best and would often lead his team to victory. Since he was an orphan, he had plans; finish his studies and have a family. He was an orphan and he wanted to make his life and have his own family to make up for the family he never had.

A group or men looking for young talents, were in America for a sports conference. They were watching soccer games, looking for the next best player, without much hope, because the whole world knew that soccer in America left a lot to be desired, most of the time. There was a recruiter named Logan Ward among the group the was watching a game from a school, that was qualified for the finals. While looking at the game, he said to himself that the team needed better advice, to play better… He also noticed a young prodigy named Joshua, who was wearing number ten and the crowd was cheering for him. He played well, he had talent, a natural talent and he lead his team to victory. The crowd was cheering loud, he was the star!

Joshua knew how to defend himself, all the players of the other team were always on him to block him, in a way, he liked it, it was forcing him to make efforts and be the best. He managed to keep the ball and score the goal of victory! He was very happy. The other players arrived to carry him and celebrate. There were also fans, students from school who came to celebrate with him and every body was screaming of joy. They went to the changing room and he was finally able to free himself. The coach was very happy.

- Good job Joshua! Continue like that and we're going to win this cup!

- Thank coach, said Joshua, it was a team work.

- I like your humility; you're going to go far!

There was a knock on their door. And a young player in swear went to open the door… He found himself in front of a man wearing a suit, smelling like Cologne.

- Yes?

- I would like to speak to Joshua Snow, your star…

- For an interview? Said the young man, one moment please.

He turned around and yelled:

- Hey Josh! A reporter for you! The big star!

Joshua who was talking to the coach, told him:

- Excuse-me coach…

And he walked to the door. He was shirtless. He had a towel on his shoulder, he wanted to take a shower.

- Hello, he said, I'm Joshua…

- Hello buddy, said the man, we would like to talk to you, We're inviting you for diner…

- I have to take a shower, he said

- All right. Come and join us at Felix's in an hour.

- Who should I ask for?

- I'm going to leave instruction at the reception for you…

- All right, he said smiling.

He closed the door behind him.

- Can I go, coach?

- Of course… take advantage to get known, you fifteen minutes of fame…

- Yeah, it might not last for long, said another one of his friends, be careful, you might get the big head!

Joshua smiled and he went to take his shower… He washed his hair, which he like to keep long and he took his time under the shower. He had to go to a restaurant for his interview. He had to run to the orphanage to change, at Felix's was a classy restaurant…

When he was ready, he went at Felix's by taking the local bus and he arrived a few minutes late. He was well dressed and he combed his hair well with dressed pants and a white shirt and a dark blue blazer. He got in the classy restaurant and he went to the reception and they took him to a table were some men were sitting. Joshua was a little surprised to see a few men, he thought he was going to be alone with the reporter.

- Good evening sirs.

- Joshua! Please have a seat, said the one who had talked to him earlier showing him an empty chair.

- Thank you, said Joshua obeying.

- You seem surprised, said the man who invited him.

- Yes, I was expecting a diner with just the two of us for the interview.

- Your friend assumed I was a reporter…

- You're not? He asked surprised

- No, in fact, I'm a recruiter and I'm British, he said giving him his business card.

Joshua took the card, surprised. A recruiter? For real? He felt like he was living a dream!

- Whoa! He said, that's great!

The man smiled. He liked his candor and the innocence in the young man. He would've like the whole world to remain at that level of innocence, the world would be better.

- We're looking for young talents like yourself. Tell me, have thought about a career in sport?

- I really like soccer a lot, but I know that her in America, there's not a lot of opportunities to have a career. I was thinking about working after high school , in England or another European county and try to make it…

The men looked at him with admiration. This was an ambitious young man…

- It's good to have plans, young man. I can help you make them come true. I would like to offer you an opportunity to study in England with a football scholarship or soccer, like you call it here in America.

- A scholarship? For studies?

- Yes. We could go see your parents after dinner and talk to them…

Joshua became lightly sad.

- In fact, I don't have any parents, I'm a ward of the state…

- Oh, said the man, let me introduce myself: I'm Logan Ward and these are my associates, Douglass Ball and Stuart Campbell. We're in America for a conference on sport and we decided to watch a few football games, to maybe discover the rare gem… and we saw you… you're a rare gem…

- I'm pleased to meet you. You already know me, I'm Joshua Snow and I'm only 16 years old.

- And you're a natural talent and I would like to help you by taking you to England with us, if you agree, of course.

- Yes, of course I agree!

- Where do you leave, at the moment?

- At the orphanage…

- We're going to go with you, he said, now let's order our diner?

Joshua smiled. They ordered their food and they ate with great appetite, talking about football…

After that, things kind of went pretty fast for the young player… Logan and his friends went to see the responsible of the orphanage and the formalities were made so that Logan Ward would take the young Joshua Snow in charge… And a few weeks later, the young man was flying to England, for school and pursuit a career in football… With good coaches, he made his game better and became a pro fast. Logan was able to "sell" him to a local team in England, in the town were he lived in; Manchester United… he started to earn a lot of money for his young age and he would put all the money in an account and he would sent part of it at his orphanage… Logan was there to make sure he kept his head on his shoulders, but he would let him have fun from time to time and buy whatever he wanted… For the selections for the national team, he was chosen and he was among the young players of the team, in fact he was the youngest player in the English team. He would travel with the team for tournaments Europeans and internationals…

The English team had a change and they were assigned a new coach, a lot younger than the previous one… They say he was a daddy's boy who had used his father's influence to become a coach…

There was a little party for the last day of the old coach and the new coach was invited.

- Josh, said coach Jones , I wish you all good things, keep up the good game… don't let money to up to your head. Don't forget your studies… and invest your money and have the family you're dreaming of having and have fun.

- Coach, I always work hard… and you know that. I'm going to miss you…

- The new coach is going to take care of you.

- They say he's a daddy's boy. Is he going to take care of us like you?

- Don't judge a book by its cover. That's how life goes, you have to make your own opinion, other people opinion shouldn't influence you…

- All right coach, I'm going to give him the benefit of the doubt…

Joshua walked away to go talk to the other player and there were also women, older women for him of course…He had the opportunity to have fun sometimes but he wouldn't get drunk, because he didn't like the taste of alcohol and for women, he was too young, even if it was tempting. The words of the nun who took care of the orphanage would come back in his head…

"The Bible says:" Thou shalt not commit adultery… adultery is also fornication! Be chaste and you won't burn in hell or get married."

"Sister? Get married just to…"?"

"Better that than burn forever, my child!"

He had smiled at the education he had received… The nun added:

"If your moms had kept their legs closed, they wouldn't have had you too early and abandon you!"

Like to remind them where they came from and the supposed reason they were abandoned at the door of an orphanage… So, he had sworn he was going to act like a responsible person… and not do nonsense and have a child out of wedlock, while he wasn't ready…

There was a woman, an older woman, who was looking at him with some eyes… he was not interested… But she wouldn't leave him alone, she wanted to take him outside…

- Just for 5 minutes, I want to breathe some fresh air…

- All right, just for 5 minutes, then. After that we come back inside.

So they went outside with their glasses. Joshua's was fruit juice, while the woman had a glass of whisky… She started coming on to the young man who was trying to escape, but the woman put her hungry mouth on him, she smelled like whisky and he was disgusted, but he couldn't push her away…

- Why don't you get a room? They heard

The woman let go of Joshua like a hot potato and he almost fell because he lost his balance…

- You're the baby of the team? Said the man who had spoken.

- I'm not a baby! Said Joshua irritated

- What are you doing with his hoochie mama?

- Breathing some air, said the woman.

- Breathing some air on the baby's mouth…?

- I'm not a baby! Said Joshua angry.

- If you don't want to be accused of statutory rape, you're going to leave this kid alone and get away from here…

The woman gave him a mean look and she turned around and went back inside and disappeared.

The man stayed alone with Joshua.

- Why don't you go to bed now? It's past your bedtime…

- I don't need to get any orders from you! You're not my father!

- But I'm your new coach and as long as you're a minor, you're my responsibility! Go to bed!

Joshua wanted to protest, but he thought about the words his former coach had said… he was going to give the benefit of the doubt to this daddy's boy! It was a great start, he annoyed him already…

- I'm going to go to bed, but only because I need my sleep to be in shape tomorrow morning!

- Good night, baby!

- I'm not a baby! I told you!

- Then, prove it to me!

Joshua gave him the look and then he went to the apartment he was sharing with the other players… This new coach, this daddy's boy… He did helped him out with that hoochie mama! He wasn't that bad, but he was still annoying!