Arriving At The Harlem Academy Grounds

The days went by in a blur for Benjamin.

The doctor had taken off his leg braces a month after he had been steadily recovering. He had progressively increased his training, and his left leg was mostly recovered.

He tested the limits of what his leg could handle by pushing himself a bit more each day. He had even started going back to the HFC Haarlem Youth Academy grounds, re-acquainting himself with the former atmosphere.

However, there was a problem.

On one of those days, Benjamin stood with the ball at his feet in front of one of the academy's smaller practice goals. He had always relied on his dominant left foot, but it felt... strange.

His mind was no longer as easily connected to that foot as it once was. when he attempted to hit the ball with the same force and accuracy as before, it felt stiff and unnatural, almost as though the foot wasn't his anymore.

He inhaled deeply and pushed the frustration away. Immediate perfection was not the goal. It was about putting forth the effort and turning up every day, no matter what.

Benjamin shifted to his right foot and concentrated on passing, dribbling, and control. Much to his amazement, it felt good, better than he had ever experienced.

It seemed as though his right foot had become his new dominant foot after he had trained it over the previous few months to make up for his left foot's weakness.

He grinned to himself, pleased with his own development. "Maybe this wasn't the worst thing after all."

Coach Jansen joined him on the academy field later that week.

Since that day at the hospital, the two had not spoken much, and Benjamin sensed that there was something weighing on the Coach's mind, but he didn't press the issue.

He had faith that Coach Jansen would provide him with info he needed at the right time.

"You're looking good out there," Coach Jansen nodded as Benjamin completed a series of dribbling drills.

"Thanks, Coach," Benjamin said as he wiped off the sweat from his forehead. "I've put a lot of effort into improving my right foot. It feels much better now compared to before."

Coach Jansen's eyebrows went up. "You mean your right foot? I recall that you used to avoid using it like the plague."

Benjamin chuckled, "Yes, I suppose the injury compelled me to start making use of it more. It feels like my stronger foot right now."

"That's good," Coach Jansen remarked with a thoughtful expression, "That adaptability will be necessary in the scouting trial. Players with adaptability are highly coveted by scouts."

When the match was mentioned, Benjamin's heart skipped a beat. The opportunity to show that he still had what it takes was the one goal he had been pursuing since the injury.

It was the end result of each training session and every minute spent on the field. But still, there was a nagging doubt; What if, his leg gave up in the middle of the trial? What if the training had been insufficient?

"You'll do just fine," Coach Jansen said as though he could read Benjamin's mind. "Just play smart and stay true to what you know. Avoid overthinking it."

Benjamin nodded, trying to push the doubts out of his mind. He had faith in both his training and his coach and that had to be enough.

***

Benjamin found time to relax and clear his mind while he wasn't training.

In the evenings, he would walk around the city in the company of Diane who had taken care of him during his recuperation in the hospital.

They would stroll beside the canals and also grab something to eat while discussing everything about football.

He found out that she was an avid supporter of the club in Amsterdam, Ajax, which was kind of depressing because they were one of the clubs who pulled back their interest in him.

When he was with Diane, he was oddly at ease in her presence and for a short period of time, it was easy to forget about the pressure of football, and Benjamin was grateful for that.

"How's the leg holding up?" Diane asked one evening when they were enjoying their drinks in a tiny cafe.

"It's getting better," Benjamin replied, "My left leg is still a little stiff, but I'm getting by. However, I've improved quite a bit with my right foot."

Diane smiled warmly, "I had faith that you would manage to make it work. You're too stubborn to allow anything to hold you back."

Benjamin laughed. "Yeah, stubborn's one way to put it."

They remained in a comfortable silence before Diane spoke again, "So, the scouting trial... you nervous?"

"To be honest with you, I'm a little nervous," Benjamin said, "It's big moment for me and It is also important that I show to those scouts that I am still the same player I was prior to the injury."

Diane firmly stated, "You're more than the player you were before. You have matured, Benjamin, and you should remember that."

As they concluded their evening together, her words stayed with him. Diane seemed to have the perfect thing to say all the time.

***

Benjamin would go to the graves of his parents and little sister Ayo on calmer days.

He found peace standing there amid the gravestones and conversing with them in his mind. He had taken up the practice after they passed away as a means of staying connected to with them even though they were gone.

"I'm doing okay," he muttered one afternoon as he gazed down at the little gravestone with Ayo's name etched into it. "My strength is increasing and I have an scouting trial coming up in the near future... I wish you all could be there."

He closed his eyes for a while and imagined what it would be like to have them supporting him in the stands.

His sister and parents had all been quite supportive of his desire to play football. In times like these, even though it was difficult to believe that they were gone, Benjamin felt as though they were still there by his side, keeping watch over him.

"I won't let you down," He whispered and turned to walk away.

***

July 20, 2012, came sooner than Benjamin had anticipated. The day of the scouting trial had finally arrived.

Benjamin woke up with a refreshed feeling of positivity and preparedness for the challenge at hand. He ate a light breakfast before packed his kit bag, and going through his mental checklist.

Cleats? Check. Shin guards? Check. A bottle of water? Check.

Benjamin took a quick look in the mirror. He wasn't narcissistic, but he couldn't help but admire the dutch prince in front of him.

He was a really handsome young man with light-brown eyes, a firm jawline, medium skin tone, and a curled, dark-brown haircut that goes well with it.

However, that wasn't his most attractive quality. At the age of 17, he stood a bit over 6 feet and his athletic and slim build, which concealed muscle power from his regular physical exercises gave him an extra 5 points.

Benjamin smiled wryly and whistled at himself. Even he was smitten, too.

Benjamin felt ready, strong, and prepared. Even though his left leg wasn't feeling well, he wasn't going to let that deter him. He had put in too much effort to allow fear to stand in his way now.

Coach Jansen showed up at his residence just before noon, and they packed Benjamin's belongings into the vehicle. Excitement was in the air as they drove toward the grounds of the HFC Haarlem Youth Academy.

"You ready for this?" Coach Jansen looked at Benjamin and asked.

"Yeah," Benjamin said in a composed tone. "I'm ready."

As they pulled into the Academy's parking area, few other athletes were already gathering.