“What?Dealing with them?Not wanting to jump on their necks and stop their jugulars from pulsing?”
“To watch your family become someone else’s.”
I don’t know how the words come to me.Where the fuck were they hiding?Why am I saying them now?Why am I saying them to him?
The Doctor turns towards me.I look away, but I can feel his gaze, his eyes searching for something, as if trying to uncover a secret.
No, Doctor.There is nothing worth finding here.
“Is that how it is for you?”he asks quietly.
I shrug.“It was just a…”
“A comment,” he finishes for me.“I understand.”
He turns to the pitch, and I feel able to take a breath again.Just one.I can’t do more, not so close to him.I’ll try to make do with it.I’m quite good at holding my breath.
“It’s difficult, but I can’t help it.”
Ah, Doctor.Why did you have to fall for it?
“You can always do something.”
“Do you say that in rugby?”
“Nah.”I turn to him.“You really don’t know anything about rugby, do you?”
“While you children were busy running half-naked on the grass, I was trying to make something good.”
“So, being a doctor makes you better than a player.”
“I didn’t say that.”
“It looked like that to me.”
“I had no time for anything else.The studies, the internship, then the job…”
“And Evan.”
He nods, but doesn’t seem convinced.
“So busy chasing the goal, so focused and… I missed everything else, including fun.”
“You could try it now.”
“To play?”He asks in a panic.
I laugh; I can’t help it.
“Let’s not get carried away, Doctor.Even though you’re in decent shape, you still wouldn’t make it.”
“What?I…”
“You could learn something, though.About the rules, about tactics, at least learn the names of the national team players.”
“I don’t have much time, and I don’t have anyone to help me.”
“I could.”
