Chapter 12: The George Wood Family (Part II)
Don just stared at the woman, distracted. Until the other party got up and greeted: "Hello, Mr. Coach." β
"Ah...... Ah, hello, ma'am. I'm sorry, I didn't expect you to be so young. β
George; Wood glared back at Donn before turning to his mother and explaining: "He's the Forest manager and I'm going to look for him and hopefully become a player. But he refused, and sent me back. β
Don looked at Wood's mother and smiled, "I'm so sorry, ma'am. Your son has never had formal soccer training and he's a bit older now......"
The woman looked at her son, and there was indescribable tenderness and love in her eyes. "George, can you go buy some mascarpone cheese?" It's been a long time since I've made a snack for you, and I want to make some tiramisu. β
Wood didn't seem to be willing. Mother took a bill out of her apron pocket, shoved it into Wood's hand, and kissed him on the forehead: "Don't worry, go ahead." β
Wood then walked towards the door, glaring at Don with a vicious look as he left. Tang En was a little confused by him, why did this look change when he said it?
Saw his son walk out the door, heard him go down the stairs and closed the door. The woman suddenly walked up quickly, took Donn's hand, and walked to another room.
"Hey, ma'am......" Don was confused, what was going on?
The two walked into the room, and the woman closed the door and didn't forget to lock it. Then Don saw her undressing at a rapid pace, perhaps a little stiff because of her nervousness...... Don opened his mouth wide, completely stupid, and even forgot to stop the other party.
The woman had the same wheat-colored skin as her son, but under her bloated clothes was a bumpy beauty**......
She stood in front of Donn, opened her arms, and said a little shyly, "Come on, we don't have much time." β
These words woke Don up, and he looked at the woman who was shivering slightly from the cold, and frowned: "What is this, madam?" β
The woman walked back to the bed, lay down on it, looked at Don and said, "I hope Mr. will give my son a chance in return......"
Don stepped forward and pulled the quilt over the woman. "I'm sorry, I'm not here to take notes, ma'am." This woman's actions shattered the good impression that Don had in his heart, and the words she said were much harder and emotionless.
This unceremonious remark struck the woman's heart, and she suddenly fell on the quilt and cried. Don, who was originally going to turn around and leave, was also stunned in the face of the woman's sudden crying.
Don has never been in love, and he doesn't know how to comfort and coax women with his surname. He stood beside the bed, helpless: "Don't cry, don't cry...... I'm so sorry ma'am, it's not that I don't want to give your son a chance...... What's going on! Don't cry! He yelled at the woman violently, this trick is really spiritual, and the other party will stop crying immediately.
"I don't know why you did that. But it's not a deal, your son is sorry I can't let him come to my team, he's too old from a football beginner's point of view...... I sympathize with your family's situation, but professional football is not a street game. I think it's better for you to let him go to school and then come out and look for a job. β
The woman wiped the tears from her face, and crying made her face more rosy. More enticing......
Don looked at the woman's face and that pitiful expression, thinking of her standing naked [***] in front of him just now, suddenly a wave of blood rushed to his head, and his words below hardened...... It's not that he's a modern Yanagishita Megumi, it's just that just now he was completely unprepared to fall in love with a strange woman who had met for less than a minute. Now that he has calmed down, he feels that this woman does have the ability to tempt him. But now is clearly not the time to be impulsive.
Damn it! He clamped his legs and turned away.
The woman looked at him and a smile suddenly appeared on her face. Then she began to dress calmly, as if nothing had happened. "Mr. Coach...... I don't know your name yet. β
"Tony; Donne, just call me Donn. In order to show affection, it is common to call the first name, but Don is from China, which is his full name, and he is still used to being called "Don" instead of "Tony".
"Mr. Donn, you must think I'm cheap, don't you?"
"No, there isn't." Don shook his head with his back to her.
The woman took Donn's answer as a perfunctory comfort, and she sighed. "You also see how difficult it is for a frail woman to raise her own children in such a place. I'm not praying for your pity, in fact I'm satisfied because God has given me a healthy and strong child...... You can turn around, sir. β
Don turned around and found the well-dressed woman sitting on the edge of the bed, her bright eyes looking at her. He felt a little weak when he was seen.
"I can understand that...... But ma'am, can we go out and talk? I don't want to be bumped into here by your son who came back, and although we didn't do anything, there are some things that I can't explain. β
The woman smiled: "Okay. Don't worry, though. The nearest supermarket that sells mascarpone cheese takes three quarters of an hour to walk back and forth. β
Next, George; Wood's mother made Don a cup of tea, and the two sat down at the dinner table as she continued to peel potatoes for dinner, telling Don stories about herself and her son.
From the conversation, Don learns that it turns out that George; Wood has had a pretty rough history. His mother, Sophia, is Jamaican and of Jamaican and Brazilian descent, a standard mixed-race beauty. At the age of seventeen, she fell in love with a tall and handsome British sailor. Then there was an earth-shattering love, and the two soon developed to the stage of getting married, but Sophia's family did not approve of this marriage, and in Jamaica, she had already found a son who had a lot of family business.
And then there's the plot of almost all clichΓ© romance novels. Sophia chooses the latter between family and love, and elopes with her crew boyfriend to the strange United Kingdom, where she is three months pregnant.
The boyfriend didn't want the baby, but Sophia insisted on giving birth. For this reason, the two also quarreled for the first time. In the future, the two quarreled a lot about it. The end result was that her boyfriend threw down a sum of money and ran away to continue to be his free crew, while Sophia, with a big belly, gave birth to George in a poor hospital in Southampton; Wood. "Wood" was his father's surname, and young Sophia still used it as a way to commemorate that unforgettable love.
Because of the lack of nutrition during pregnancy and the frequent movement of qi, Sophia, who gave birth to George, has been very weak. Despite this, she has to work around without a job to earn money to support herself and little George. But because Sophia came to the UK to apply for a tourist visa and continued to stay after the visa expired, Sophia was not registered in the UK, in other words, she was a black household, that is, an illegal immigrant. It is impossible for illegal immigrants to find any good jobs. In order to find a better job and a cheaper house, Sophia and little George moved around, going to Portsmouth, London, Birmingham and finally Nottingham.
And the negative man, who has never contacted her since he ran away, disappeared cleanly, as if there was no such person in the world. Sophia gradually forgot about him and poured all her heart and soul into her son. In this way, they supported each other for seventeen years. Wood knew that his father existed, but he told Donn that the man was dead, which shows how much he hated his own father. George, who graduated from junior high school at the age of fifteen, did not go to the high school where he was aiming for college, nor did he go to a vocational school where he was a skilled student. He chose to go straight to work. He has worked as a supermarket cashier, a courier for a courier company, a gas station refueler, and a moving company porter. But the money he earns is not enough for a family with a mother who needs treatment at all times. Donn also understands why Wood wants to be a professional player, because the media always portrays professional players as nouveau riche with little money in adults, and anyone who looks at it will be red-eyed.
Don could tell that Sophia was indeed in poor health, and she would stop and gasp for air when she talked a little more, and occasionally cough violently. From this mother's understatement of the past, he could not imagine how much this young mother had suffered. But there is one thing that Don is sure of, and that is that everything Sophia has experienced is absolutely unbearable for ordinary people.
We can imagine that the former girl in the flower season is full of longing for love and the future, and follows her beloved to the United Kingdom, where she is unfamiliar with life, and intends to start a new life, she has dreams and goals. However, seventeen years later, in front of Don is only a woman who has been tortured by life and has only a crippled body. The change from "girl" to "woman" is really hard to describe.
Perhaps she felt that this topic was too heavy, and she didn't want Sophia to recall the unbearable past. Don took the initiative to change the topic a little more lightly, because he is the head coach of a professional team, so he naturally started with the exciting game the other day. Don didn't know if Sophia liked football or not, but she listened with fascination, and when Donn said that he shook hands with Rod and said that, and then the West Ham manager's mixed expression of stunned anger, Sofia laughed along with Donn.
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George; Wood almost slammed open the door of his house and rushed to the second floor in one go. Then he saw his mother sitting at the dinner table with the Donn coach chatting happily. Seeing him appear at the door, my mother glanced at the clock on the wall with some surprise.
"It's only been fifteen minutes...... George, didn't you go? Sophia stood up and greeted her son.
Wood pulled out the plastic bag behind him, and it contained the mascarpone cheese that his mother had asked him to buy.
Don noticed that George's face was ruddy and his breath was slightly panting. He smiled in his heart, this kid must have run to come back. But to be able to run a distance that usually takes forty-five minutes in fifteen minutes, this kid's physical fitness is very good.
Looking down at his watch, it was not too early, and he felt that he should go back, so he got up and took his leave. Sophia didn't stay at home for dinner very enthusiastically, but just asked her son to send Mr. Donn out of this neighborhood, and the appearance of a stranger who seemed rich in this place was like a small mobile vault, and anyone who looked at it was greedy, and it was dangerous if there were no locals to accompany them.
Saying goodbye to his mother, Don walked down the road, accompanied by Wood.
Winter is dark early, as it is today, and the street lamps are already lit. The smell of milk wafted from the windows of some people's homes, and this chaotic place finally had some warmth. There are fewer hooligans looking for trouble, but the children who ask for money are still the same. When they see Donne, they will come up and ask for money, but when they see Wood, they will make a grimace and give him a middle finger, and Don can't see the innocence of a child in them at all.
Asking for innocence in such a place? Don himself laughed.
looked at George, who walked silently with his head bowed; Wood, listening to his story, Donn felt that this kid had maturity beyond his years. Apparently at Wilford, though, his self-promotion of Donn was unsuccessful.
"Hey, you and my mom...... Nothing, right? Wood spoke suddenly.
"Your mother was very hospitable, and we had some interesting things to talk about. I told her about my work and she was very happy to listen. Also, she told me a few things about you. β
Wood seemed relieved.
Donn's next words made him nervous again. "Your mother is so beautiful, she can't tell she's going to have a seventeen-year-old child."
Wood stopped, glared back at Don, and said to him viciously, "Don't think anything of my mother! β
Don spread his hands: "How is it possible?" β
The young man who cared about his mother snorted and turned around to continue leading the way, but his deep voice still reached Tang En's ears very clearly: "If you dare to do anything to my mother, I will kill you!" β
Don knew that this kid was telling the truth, that he loved his mother more than anything else.
"Don't worry, I haven't lived long enough." He shrugged.
Arriving on the busy road, Donn thanked Wood, but Wood didn't turn back. "I can take a taxi back by myself. You can go home too. Don thought it was strange.
"Mom asked me to put you in the car." Wood shook his head.
Don smiled and didn't refuse the other party's kindness. The two stood on the side of the cold and windy street, and they didn't see a taxi for half a day. Wood looked at Don looking around and asked strangely, "Didn't you have an appointment?" β
"What's that?" Don looked confused. He always takes a taxi in China to the side of the road, and then waves to stop. How do I need to make an appointment for a taxi in the UK?
"There won't be a taxi on the street for you to ride." Wood was even more strange, was this man sure he was British? "Because petrol is so expensive, if you want to get in a car, you have to call the taxi company or go directly to a familiar driver. Are you really British? β
I see. Don had a fever on his face, but he still had to keep his face in front of the child, so he glared at Wood fiercely: "I just got distracted for a moment and forgot." Actually, I have ......" He took out the business card left for him by the driver who took the car yesterday from his pocket, dialed it according to the number on it, and after reporting his name, the other party asked Don very enthusiastically where he was now, and then said that he would be there in fifteen minutes.
Then there was another wordless wait. Wood wasn't a person who liked to take the initiative to find something to say, and Don didn't think there was much to say.
The driver was punctual, and after fifteen minutes his car stopped in front of Donn.
George on a mission; Wood turned to leave, but was stopped by Donn.
He tore out a slip of paper from his pad and wrote down his phone number and name, as well as the address of the Forest's training base. Then he handed it to Wood, who was a little surprised.
"Take it. Come to me tomorrow morning at half past nine at the address above, and if the doorman asks, you will say that I asked you to come. β
Wood hadn't reacted yet, so he didn't answer, and Don simply shoved it into his hand.
"I can give you a chance, but it's up to you to be the best player in England, boy."
With that, Don got into the car and closed the door. The fan driver started the car like a drop of water into a rolling river, and soon merged into the traffic and couldn't argue.
Donn looked back and saw Wood still standing under a street lamp, like a statue in the cold wind. Behind him is dimly lit Stockon, and across from him is the brightly lit bustling city, which is divided by the A612 Manversst, which divides the city into two distinct worlds.
Seventeen-year-old George; Wood desperately wants to make money so that he can get his mother out of there, and without a high degree he has to resort to football if he doesn't want to die on the streets or end up in jail one day. Today's experience made Donn feel that real professional football is completely different from the European football that he argues with others in domestic bars and teahouses, which is just the most beautiful side of sports, like the world on the left side of the road. The former, far from being as cute as those fans in China think, is a side that has been deliberately forgotten, but it is a real cruel and tenacious existence, just like the Snington slum on the right side of this road.
The door had opened, and beneath the gorgeous surface, Don saw darkness that he didn't know before. It's really a whole new world...... He thought to himself.
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