The hotel business in Madrid became better and it was almost impossible to book any empty rooms at this time. The main reason for this situation was the English people.
As the England national team had reached the final of the World Series for the first time in 50 years, it caused a huge reaction in England. Many England fans who did not plan to come to Spain to watch the game packed their bags and flew to Madrid. Tickets for the final were already hard to come by, but these English people still hoped to meet people outside the Bernabéu stadium who wanted to refund their tickets.
As for not having a place to stay? That was not a problem. In order to watch the game, they could sleep on the streets. Many England fans carried tents with them, as if they were going camping in the deep mountains and forests. The fanaticism of the England fans was evident.
Due to the large influx of England fans, the Madrid municipal government had to issue a temporary order to allow the major parks to open at night for the fans who did not book a hotel room to camp.
"I feel exceptionally happy when I see them!" Skinny Bill exclaimed as he pointed to the spectacular rows of colorful tents across the street from his seat in an open-air bar. "We don't have to sleep on the streets. We still have tickets for the final!"
His voice was a little louder and immediately attracted the attention of the people around him. John found that everyone's eyes were shining with eagerness. He knew that those people did not have tickets yet. They would become very sensitive when they heard anything about tickets at this time.
"Lower your voice, idiot! Do you want us to be mobbed? "John slapped Bill on the head.
"Uh …" Bill shrunk his neck and lowered his head to drink. But after a while, he stretched again and said, "There are still five hours before the game starts. It's so hard to wait … Why don't we go to the England team's hotel like the others and wait? Maybe we can get the players' autographs … "
John glared at him and said, "Have you forgotten what kind of person Tony is? At this time, not to mention the fans, even the reporters are being chased away by him. Do you think you can get anything by going? "
"Ah, that's right … Every time Nottingham Forest has a final, it's always like this. Hey, do you think Tony will be nervous? "
"Nervous?" The others did not understand.
"Yeah, although he is not a rookie on his first day of coaching, this is his first final as a national team manager, and it's a UEFA European Championship final that we have never won."
After Bill said that, everyone fell into deep thought. After a while, someone murmured, "Has anyone seen Tony nervous before?"
He looked at everyone, and they shook their heads back at him.
"In my impression, Tony has never been afraid of anyone. Picking a fight with Michael on his first day at Burns' bar, haha! You should know that Michael is a famous fighter in our area! "Someone laughed.
But at the mention of Michael, the mood suddenly sank. They all thought of this old friend that they had not seen for a long time. Now that he was working hard for his family business in the United States, it was not known if he still paid attention to football or if he knew that the England team had made it to the final of the UEFA European Championship. Each of them was a fanatical fan, but the story that football brought to each of them was different. The sorrow it brought to Michael was only once, but it was unforgettable.
The speaker also realized that he had mentioned a name he shouldn't have. He laughed dryly and lowered his head to drink.
"I know Tony always sends a ticket to Michael when the team reaches the final. Unfortunately, he never had such a chance since he resigned from the Forest team. I wonder if it will be the same this time? "Fat John took the initiative to mention their old friend.
John brought up the past, but everyone became more silent. It seemed that they were all wondering if their old friend on the other side of the world had received a ticket.
※ ※ ※
Michael put on his suit at the door and put his briefcase next to him. It was seven o 'clock in the morning in the Western United States, and he had to go to work.
His wife was at the door with the child in her arms.
"If I don't have any social engagements tonight, I'll come back for dinner …" He kissed his wife, but she avoided him.
"You have to come back for dinner today no matter what." His wife glared at him. "Don't tell me you don't even remember Shannon's birthday?"
"Ah …" Michael had an apologetic expression on his face.
"What have you been thinking about these days, Michael? You're always absent-minded. You can even be distracted when you're eating. "His wife complained unhappily.
"I'm sorry, I've been too busy with work. There seems to be a personnel change in the company recently, and I'm under a lot of pressure … "Michael could only comfort her. "After this busy period, I'll definitely take a few days off and go out with you and your daughter." At this point, he pinched the little girl's pink face in his wife's arms. "I'm sorry, Shannon. Dad forgot your birthday. Don't be angry. "
The three-year-old little girl replied in a childish voice, "I — won't —"
Michael smiled at his wife. "Look, our little princess isn't angry."
"I really can't do anything about you." His wife pouted helplessly. This time, she took the initiative to give a parting kiss.
After an affectionate kiss, Michael opened the door and walked out.
Sitting in his Ford, Michael was waiting for the green light at the intersection. With both hands on the steering wheel, his eyes glanced at the black briefcase on the passenger seat. His wife was very observant. He was indeed absent-minded these days, but it was not because of the pressure of work. He was definitely busy, but he had been so busy for so many years, and he did not forget the anniversary of his son, Gavin Bernard's death.
The reason that had made him uneasy these days was now lying quietly in the briefcase.
Michael looked up at the traffic light in front of him. The red light seemed to be a little long this time, and traffic jams during work hours were normal. He simply took the briefcase and rummaged through it for an envelope. The handwriting on the envelope was very familiar. Seeing the words was like seeing his face.
Michael opened the envelope and took out the item inside — a ticket to the UEFA European Championship final.
Compared to Europe, Americans' enthusiasm for football was still pitifully low. They were even more indifferent to the UEFA European Championship, which had nothing to do with the United States. There were also few reports about it in the news media. Some time ago, the media was focused on the NBA finals. The Lakers and the 76ers fought to the death, which made basketball fans all over the world go crazy. It was like a completely different world from Europe.
Michael was not a basketball fan, not in the past, not now, and probably not in the future. But it was true that he had not cared about football for a long time. Now that he saw this ticket, he knew that Tony Twain must have led the England team to the UEFA European Championship final.
This was something to be happy about. After all, the England team had not made it to the final of any major international competition for 50 years. But this ticket brought back more memories, memories that did not belong to England at all, nor did it belong to the UEFA European Championship.
He still kept the promise to his wife, so in the past two years, when Twain no longer sent him tickets to the final, his life had nothing to do with football. He was like any ordinary person, working hard every day to get promoted and support his family. Three years ago, his wife gave birth to a daughter for him, and the focus of the family shifted to his daughter, Shannon Bernard. He loved his daughter and poured all his love into her. He did not want Gavin's story to happen to Shannon. His wife also loved her daughter very much. Every time she saw her daughter's innocent smile, she could forget the pain of losing her beloved son.
But two years later, a ticket from the European continent reminded Michael of the passionate days when he was crazy about football.
He began to seriously consider whether there was a place where he could watch a game undisturbed during the lunch break.
The shrill sound of the horn woke Michael from his memories. He realized that the signal light in front of him had turned green, and there was a long queue behind him. The sound of the horn was urging the bastard in front of him.
Michael put the ticket back in the envelope and slowly moved the car out.
※ ※ ※
Kerslake stood alone in the quiet graveyard. There were really few people here. The thick shade of the trees covered the sky, and the temperature was one or two degrees lower than outside. Occasionally there were a few birds chirping, but other than that, no other sounds could be heard.
This was only his second time here. The first time was at Gavin Bernard's funeral. All the members of Nottingham Forest were present. Even the old and frail club chairman sent his assistant. As a youth team manager, he was naturally not absent.
He never came here again after that. For some people, the child who died that day was one of the most important people in their lives. But for David Kerslake, he did not feel that way.
Two days ago, Kerslake, who was on vacation at home, suddenly received a call from Tang En. In the call, Tang En asked Kerslake to do him a favor. In the past, Tang En had done it himself. But now that Tang En was far away in Spain, he could not abandon the team and fly back to Nottingham alone. He could only ask a friend in Nottingham for help.
The next day, Kerslake received a special delivery with a ticket inside.
Today, he came here to deliver the ticket to Gavin Bernard.
Of course, he did not forget to buy a bouquet of flowers. This was not Tang En's request. Since he came to visit Gavin, it was a necessary etiquette to send a bouquet of flowers.
As he carefully placed the flowers in front of the tombstone, Kerslake also noticed the small line of words below the tombstone.
He suddenly felt that the world was fickle. Nottingham Forest's most loyal fan was laid to rest here, while he himself had left the Forest team, where he had worked for more than a decade, and was still idle at home.
Tang En did not know if he would return, but perhaps the time in his life belonging to Nottingham Forest had come to an end. He had to start seriously considering the invitation of several other clubs.
"Gavin. This is the first time I've chatted with you. I didn't expect it to be under such circumstances. " Kerslake laughed self-deprecatingly. "Tony asked me to deliver the ticket to you. I also wanted to take this opportunity to say goodbye to you. Thank you for your support of the team. But seeing the Nottingham Forest of today, you must be sad, right? I've tried my best, but it's a pity … This is also good. At least we're still in the Premier League. Think about it 14 years ago, when we were still struggling in the First Division. Perhaps this is Nottingham Forest's position. No team can win for long periods of time without losing. No team can always dominate the European football scene. We've done it before, so there's nothing to regret. "
He fished out the ticket and lit it with a lighter according to Tang En's instructions. He waited until the flame reached his fingertips before letting go. The ticket was burned to a pile of black ash and floated down, landing on the flowers and completely turning into ashes.
"It's pretty good to just be a fan … Goodbye, Gavin. Remember to watch the final."
Kerslake waved at the tombstone and turned to walk toward the exit of the cemetery.
A gust of wind behind him blew the flowers in front of the tombstone and the black ashes. The dense forest rustled, as if saying goodbye to Kerslake.
※ ※ ※
Tang Jing sat on her husband's lap and acted coquettishly. Their son had just been taken back to their hometown in China and handed over to his grandparents to take care of. The couple could enjoy a world of their own. In her plan, she was going to have a romantic candlelit dinner with her husband tonight. Then, she would put on her newly bought sexy lingerie and make love to her husband in bed.
But her husband stopped her before she could say her plan.
"We can finally watch the game without being disturbed at night." Dunn suddenly said while holding Tang Jing. Tang Jing's heart suddenly turned cold.
"It's not the China team's game. What are you looking at?"
"I'm a football coach. I have to grasp any information related to football." Dunn wondered why Tang Jing would ask such a low-level question.
Tang Jing rolled her eyes at him. "But tonight …" She wanted to say something but stopped. Dunn must know what she meant.
Sure enough, Dunn knew, but his reaction made her furious.
"You can do it every night. The UEFA European Championship final only happens once every four years …"
Tang Jing was seething with anger, but she had to admit that there was nothing wrong with the sentence itself. They could indeed have sex every night, but the next UEFA European Championship final would have to wait four years.
"You … Can't you watch the video!"
"Of course I have to watch the video, but the live broadcast of the game is also important …" Dunn still insisted on his principles — football was more important than sex tonight.
Tang Jing angrily stood up from Dunn's lap and did not forget to give Dunn a hard pinch on the shoulder. Dunn grimaced in pain, but it did not ease Tang Jing's resentment in the slightest.
She had decided to interfere while Dunn watched the game.
For the simple-minded Dunn, tonight was football night. But for Tang Jing, tonight was a hand-to-hand battle between her and football for her husband. She wanted to see if her charm was greater or the charm of football.
Snatch my man? I'm going to show you. Football!
※ ※ ※
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