I smile, despite myself. “Is that what happened to you?”
“More or less.”
“Don’t you like rugby?”
“I like it, it’s just that…”
“What?” I encourage.
“I’m no good.”
“Nobody is born good.”
“They don’t let me play at school.”
“Rugby?”
“Anything. They say I’m too slow, I have no coordination, that I’ll make them lose if I’m on their team.”
“Have you ever thought about proving them wrong?”
He looks at me, curious.
“You know, training, getting better…”
“How?”
“Well, you’re here for fuck’s sake!”
“Did you just say ‘fuck’?”
“No! Hell, no!”
“You did. You said—”
“Okay, I said it, but that’s beside the point.”
“Whatisthe point?”
I stand up and gesture for him to do the same. “Come with me,” I tell him, jumping down from the stands. Then I turn to the other bored-looking kids sitting there. “Okay, guys. So you’re all losers. And that’s fine, it’s not a problem. You see?” I point to myself. “I’m a loser too. The one who has to sit on the stands and help. But you know what I say? I’m tired of watching. It’s time to get up and do something.”
They all look at me, shocked. Maybe I was a bit too harsh.
“Come with me. Uncle Nick is going to give you a few tips to make you less nerdy – or, at least, to make youseemless nerdy.”
“Seriously?” asks the boy next to me.
“You can count on it, mate.”
“Cool.”
I look at this boy, so scared and insecure. But, in his eyes, I see he’s looking for payback, and an old image starts to flare up inside me. It’s faded over time, but it’s still there, right in my chest.
“Yeah. Really cool.”
7
Nick
