Chapter 4: A chance

Kaiser stood in front of his mother, silently watching as she yelled at him. Understandably she was upset.

The only reason he stayed at home that day was because of the heat, yet here he was running outside and playing instead of going to school.

Ever since her son's father left she had to work extra hard to take care of her son in the harsh economy. Since that morning he had been acting strange so she was worried but the worry was all gone now, the red dust all over the house was a testament to his good health.

While she kept yelling and throwing gestures up in the air, Kaiser couldn't help but notice his system's screen.

At the top right, he could see a tab saying [Mentality Monster Lv 1: Active]. He looked at his mother who was still going off at him but he felt strangely calm.

There was no sense of worry or panic at all, almost as if he wasn't even getting scolded.

"Are you just going to stand there and look at me? Don't you have anything to say for yourself?" His mother's voice finally brought him back to reality.

"I'm sorry mom, I really shouldn't have done what I did. It's my mistake and I'll do better." He said with resolve in his eyes.

His mother was shocked "Is this the same Osho I know?" She thought to herself. He was usually very rebellious and had an attitude whenever he was in the wrong. But here he was apologizing.

She was ready to teach him a lesson with her belt but it seems he already learned from his mistakes.

"Well… if you're sorry, then I'll pardon you. But what made you decide to go outside to play in today's hot sun?" His mother asked him.

This was a perfect opportunity for him to start his journey into the grassroots of football.

"Well to be honest Mom, I've been wanting to get into football for a while now. I've been playing at school whenever I have free time. I wanted to tell you soon that I wanted to join an academy." He said in one breath.

Now his mother was really surprised. And shortly after that surprise turned into anger.

"Football? You want to play football now? Osho that's how you always behave. You jump from one hobby to the next. When are you going to choose something to be focused on." She said in a single breath.

Kaiser could understand where she was coming from. When he was younger he was very hyperactive. He indulged in lots of various activities without really having anything to show for it.

Kaiser was the type to give up on anything when it got slightly hard, which was an attitude she had been trying to fix for a long time.

He told his mother he wanted to get into tech and computers, so she signed him up at a cyber cafe. A few weeks later he told her he wasn't interested anymore.

A few months later he told her he wanted to learn how to repair phones. She got him an apprenticeship and once again he quit after a few weeks.

There were several more examples she could think of. Now it was football, she would rather he just focus on finishing school and getting a job when the time is right.

She knew Kaiser liked football but she didn't think it was to the point he would want to pursue it seriously. Besides, the chances of him going pro with football were so low. It would be better for him to just focus on school.

However when she looked at him this time his eyes had a certain determination she had never seen before when he requested to try these kinds of things.

She slowly guided Kaiser by the hand to the couch in the corner of the living room and sat him down.

"Osho, you and I both know you. You always get very excited to try new things like this but you end up dumping them after a few weeks." She said while looking directly at him.

"Those kinds of things cost money, and we can't just be spending money recklessly like that. For now just focus on school. Then maybe after you'll decide what you really want to do." She said to him as convincingly as possible.

However, that wasn't an option. His best chance of picking up his football career was for him to start at a young age and choose a reputable football academy he could gain recognition in.

"Mom, how about I prove to you that I'm serious about playing football?" Kaiser asked his mother who was surprised at his response.

"And how would you do that?" She asked him.

"By training and practicing everyday. If I do it enough could I convince you?" He asked with his brown eyes piercing his mothers heart.

After a moment of silence she finally spoke. "If you can train seriously for 2 weeks, I'll consider it." She said.

"Thank you mom!" Kaiser said as he happily hugged his mother. All he needed was a chance.

***

After the conversation between Kaiser and his mother, they continued about their schedules like they normally would.

Kaiser would go to school in the mornings and she would pick him up in the afternoons. Except this time after coming back from school, Kaiser would change into sports wear and go for a jog and come back about an hour later.

He would then come back up and do squats, exercises and sit-ups. At first she thought it was a one time thing, and he would give up early.

However he kept going for a week straight, never missing a single day. He even asked her to buy him a football to practice in the field close to their estate.

He would then place stones on the sandy pitch to use as cones to practice his dribbling, and would shoot through discarded tires for target practice.

This went on for another week and eventually his mother gave in. She couldn't see her boy putting this much effort and not reward him.

So on a Saturday evening when Kaiser had just come back from the pitch where he was practicing his skills, she called him and told him to sit down.

"Osho, I've thought about it. And I've decided we can start looking for a football academy for you." She said with a smile.

Kaisers face lit up with joy immediately. "Thank you so much mom! You're the best." He said as he hugged her tightly.

"You're welcome dear, but you have to remember that these academies aren't cheap. Football equipment is also costly. I believe you're serious about it so I'm doing what I can to make it happen, but you have to promise me that you won't give up easily." She said, looking directly at him.

Kaiser's heart twitched. This was his mother, who was always ready to take care of him in any way she could. Then and there, he promised himself she would live a long life filled with ease.

"Yes Mom, I promise you. I won't give up and I won't let you down. I've been thinking about it and exercising for a while now, all I need is a chance." He said to her with determination in his eyes.

"Okay my dear, this weekend we'll go and try out for one of the academies okay?" She said as she planted a kiss on his forehead.

This was the first step towards achieving his goal. The first of many, but he would make sure to see it through to the very end.

***