Tomorrow arrives, and after a day of football practice, Kaiser is feeling a sense of excitement about the tutor. Perhaps he can bring up the subject and breeze through the session painlessly. What he sees when he enters the kitchen, however, gives him a sense of doubt.
His mother is nowhere in sight. Instead is a stranger, munching on a candy bar while lazing about. The stranger is a young adult with baggy, overtly casual clothes, as if he dressed himself in the dark while half-asleep. His most notable feature, besides his messy auburn hair and large, black eyes, is a pink-and-blue striped knit hat, with cat-eared points and braided baubles hanging off the sides. Is this seriously my tutor?
"Oh, there you are, Michael," greets the stranger as he swallows the last bit of candy. "Your mother said she was going out for a bit, but she said I could make myself at home in the meantime. My name's Maxwell, but you can call me Max."
"You don't look smart," Kaiser wants to say. Instead, he mutters, "My friends call me Kaiser."
"Kaiser, eh? That's an awfully big name for a shorty. You trying to compensate for something?"
"Are you really a tutor? You look like you just walked out of a dumpster."
A mischievous smirk on his face, Max replies, "Maybe I did, maybe I didn't. But I bet I'm still smarter than you, teeny."
"One bad grade doesn't make me an idiot, you Dumbkoff! You think you're so great, how about you prove it?"
All of a sudden, the atmosphere turns dark. Max's face is unreadable, as he stands up and slowly approaches the small German. The air is thick with tension as Kaiser's body is frozen stiff with terror. Then, Max reaches for him… and ruffles his blue hair. Max lets out a laugh, alleviating the air around them. "You got serious guts, kid. Nobody's talked trash to me like that in ages! I have to admire that."
"Huh? But I..."
"Well, now that that's settled, how about we start our lesson?"
They whip out their materials and start studying. Contrary to Michael's expectations, Max is surprisingly competent. As they wrap up the assignment, a conversation strikes up.
"Hey, you're a Raimon student, right? I hear the football club's doing really well over there."
"You can say that. Our team competed in Saint's Way. That first time on a field that big… it's amazing!"
"I know that feeling. Back when I was in Raimon, my team went to the Football Frontier." His eyes brim with nostalgic sadness, he says, "It feels just like yesterday."
"Wow…! I heard you like football, but I didn't know you were a Raimon alum!"
"Sure did! Me and Mark go way back. Same with Axel. Jude's not too bad, either, once you get past that stick up his arse." The two of them laugh. "A lot's happened in ten years. Most of us stuck with football, and then there's my lot."
Worried, Kaiser asks, "What happened?"
"Nothing life-changing or dramatic, if that's what you were expecting. The rest of us just had other things we wanted to do. My good pal, Timmy, he left to go train under some kung fu master or something like that. Jim's a librarian and damn good at his job, and me… Well, I'm a bum that teaches kids how to do stuff, I guess."
"That sounds pretty pitiful."
"It's not too bad, really. I worked lots of jobs since high school, but nothing really stuck. Over the years, though, I found out I really liked kids. I'm putting all the blame on Steve for that. Anyways, that's when I got my degree, and started tutoring for a living. It ain't easy, but it helps pay the bills and get the cats fed. Plus, I really enjoy it—I love kids!"
"But why childcare? Why not become an athlete?"
Max shrugs. "I love all kinds of sports, but doing it for a living ruins the fun. Besides, when that whole 'communist football' shtick ran its course, the idea really started to suck. It goes against every ounce of my being; playing like that would be like lying to myself." Kaiser pauses, then responds with a silent nod. "So when I heard about Raimon's revolution, I couldn't help but cheer them on from the sidelines."
"Now that football's back to normal, why don't you try going pro again?"
"Eh, it's too late for me. Well, maybe not, but I'm already neck-deep in this business, so why bother? Like I said, I just play for fun. I like having the freedom to try out different things. When you're an athlete, you're usually stuck doing one sport for as long as your body could take. Don't get me wrong, I loved playing for Raimon, but I couldn't imagine myself sticking with football my whole life. You're the complete opposite—you're completely devoted to it! Sure, you probably have other interests, but when you hear the word, your eyes light up. That's what it means to be an athlete."
"You make me sound obsessed. And you talk way too much."
"I know I do. But you don't say a whole lot, so I just fill in the blanks."
Not long after he says that, Michael's mother enters. "I'm home! How's the session?"
"Peachy keen, Ms. Ballzack," Max answers with a grin. "Your boy's got a good head on his shoulders." He pats his student's shoulder on his way out. "Keep up the good work, Kaiser! See you Monday!"
By the time the session ended, the sun has begun to set, just the right time to wind down after a day's work. Michael shares Adé's gift with his mom, then bathes himself and settles down in his bed. After tossing and turning for a while, he drifts off to sleep.
