FOURTEEN
UDO
“Good morning, darling.”
“Hi, Mom.”
Udo perched on the arm of a chair and stared out at the garden. It had been raining all morning. Yet the clouds were parting and the sun was breaking through. He hoped that would be a good omen for the day.
“How are you feeling about the game?”
He wasn’t sure how to answer that. It had been a good week. In fact, it had been a great week. Not just because of Steven. Training had been fun. He had formed a good partnership with Adam. Even Shaun had kept most of his comments to himself.
“I don’t know,” he said. “The other lads have made an effort.”
“I told you they would. You footballers aren’t so complicated. A goal wipes out everything.”
Udo chuckled.
“I think the people in the town are coming round too.”
Earlier that day, he’d gone with Rob to open a bathroom showroom on the outskirts of Brockton. Usually he hated doing thingslike that. Howard had made it clear that they worked. Udo complied. To be fair, he’d had a warm reception.
“That’s fantastic news. You don’t sound very upbeat.”
Udo sighed. “I know this sounds stupid. Now I’ve scored once, they will want more.”
“Then give them more,” she replied. “You are Udo Holtmann, for goodness’ sake.”
“I was.”
“You still are and always will be.”
Udo always called his mother before a game. It had become a good luck ritual that sometimes worked and sometimes didn’t.
“What are you doing today?”
“Watching you, of course.”
He grinned. Ever since he had moved to the UK for his career, his mum had invited friends over to tune into the game. Of course, she would fly over for the big ones. Her presence calming him like no other.
“Thank you,” he replied. “It means the world knowing that you’re with me.”
“Always. You seem a lot brighter today.”
He also couldn’t keep anything from her. They’d been so close during his childhood that he never even tried to fib. She had an innate ability to weed it out of him.
“I am.”
“Are you dating someone?”
Unbelievable.
“How do you do that?”
“I’m your mother. It’s genetic. Who is he?”
Udo had never hidden his sexuality from her. To her credit, his mother had never had a problem with it. After an awkward conversation when he was fourteen, she had been his biggest ally.
