The Living Dream

The Living Dream

Looking at the rocky blades in his hands, he could not understand why on this earth, he was the one to tie a knot with troubles. Since he was a toddler, Santos always ran into issues and scot-free; he could come out without blemish. As he walked over to the window in his new happy surroundings, it is the first time Santos sees snow flurrying. Outside people covered in heavy coats to help them through the cold and familiar wind. With the rays of the evening sun, he could not avoid his reflection. He raises his hand, grasping his breath looking like taking in the moment but in his mild mind wanders with thoughts how this time he flipped at the troubles. As a young kid, Santos always had the ball under his arms, and since he was fifteen, the ball has taken him into places across the Atlantic even in his wildest dreams he could never imagine.  As a kid from the favela, this whole new experience is like never before.

He feels like his nerves cannot be calmed tonight, not even by one of his favorite beach party music played in the next room. Tonight is not the night for Santos as he is so anxious about tomorrow, making it hard for him even to take a nap. As the night draws in, he eventually sleeps, and with the avalanche of events he had faced since arriving, he had to get some rest.

With no alarms around to deafen his eardrums, he is already late for his first practice, and thinking about the famous hairdryer offered by the new coach Santos is tensed. The big man as the coach is often known around the club shows a fiery face, and with his mustache, he could intimidate even the gritty ones. Coming closer to the coach, they could feel the grit in his eyes. The gaffer lays bare to Santos about the house rules before he goes off to start his new journey. At the training ground, the other players had already begun with their speed drills while the two enter like vicars. Santos is now off to start his new life. At the changing room before he comes out, he looks at one of his brother’s pictures, he always walks with it.

During that moment, different scenes play in his mind, like in a movie. On the other side of the Atlantic, his brother Rodrigues goes by his hustle and bustle in the city. As a kid in the favela, he always had a high notch of making a few quid. He knew how to make ends meet, and with a hand full of abilities that surprise many just like his ginger head, he was special. He got his chance of leaving the hood and turn his life around. He was good at football and better than Santos. As the days went by, he wanted to make his name known around the corner blocks, and when he succeeded, he was finally home and drive.

The boys had each other’s back in different circumstances, and for better and for worse, they stood together. During the holidays, Santos had the chance to go back to his native home again in the favela’s for the first time after he had joined a new club in town. As a boy in the hood, he always looked upon his elder brother, who was his idol. Many of the visits Rodrigues was not around, but and things were usual. During this visit, he felt different; the mood was somber, and he could not understand. Not even his mother had the guts to break the news that Rodrigues was involved in a gang shooting. On the road under the mottled clouds with the gentle breeze of the ocean, they were always together. On his return home, Rodrigues was still waiting for him,  with stories about the hood, they stayed till late in the night. Several nights passed, and Santos could not understand that his brother will never come back.

After a few weeks at home, he had to go back and continue with his career. This time it was hard for him even to leave home and continue with the training practices. He thinks about the moments they use to play the game together when they were young till dusk. Santos still struggles with his loss, which prompts his mother to come and look after him for some time. During this time, his mother tells him about how his brother uses to talk about how good he will become and the promise he devoted to her that night. He then thinks how his brother always acted as a father figure to him when he was young and stood for him when he was harassed on the field.

The last part of the scene is when he was injured and faced setbacks in the team, then Rodrigues helped him find his feet and be able to play the game freely. All of these moments pass in a flash, and before he fully grasps the moment in is new locker room. He has to weep the tears because he is to start living his dream, and there is no need to wake up from it.