Wisdom woke up in the morning, feeling tired as usual. He yawned, stretched, and shuffled to the bathroom to wash up. After a quick shower and getting dressed, he decided to head to the shop to buy some bread. As he walked down the street, enjoying the fresh morning air, his phone buzzed with a message.
It was from Conner, his long-time friend from high school. Conner was an optimistic guy, always jolly and happy, which could be a bit annoying at times. Before Wisdom could even reply to the message, his phone rang. It was Conner calling.
"Yo, how you doing, man?" Conner's cheerful voice came through the phone.
"I was fine until you called. I was about to make some toast," Wisdom replied.
"You know, if you're gonna phone me, whats the point of messaging me?"
They both laughed a familiar and comforting sound.
"You do know what's going on today, right?" Conner asked.
Wisdom paused, trying to remember what Conner was talking about, but to no avail, nothing came to mind. After a brief silence, Conner sighed over the phone, sensing that Wisdom had forgotten.
"The football match with the other park," Conner shouted, his voice tinged with frustration.
Realizing what he had forgotten, Wisdom quickly apologized. "Oh, right! When is it again?"
"IT'S IN TWO HOURS! DON'T BE LATE!" Conner yelled.
"TWO HOURS?" Wisdom echoed, panic rising in his voice.
"YES!" Conner confirmed before hanging up.
Wisdom hurried to the shop, bought the bread, and rushed back home to eat. The shop was luckily only 5 minutes away, but he likes to warm up before matches, especially since he hadn't played in a while.
After a quick breakfast, he grabbed his football gear and headed to the pitch. Grove road.
"Looks who decides to show up", Conner said, with a slight smirk
Wisdom decides to just ignore his remarks and starts warming up with the team.
The kids who normally join us had come to play, exchanged friendly banter, and prepared for the match.
As soon as the game started the atmosphere changed, by no means this was a professional tournament or anything of the sort, however, it was friendly competition between two rival parks.
The games were never always fair s everyone couldn't show up, and there was no limit to who could join, due to this when Wisdom and Conner are not there they tend to lose very badly due to the unfairness but today is different.
The match between Grove Road and Green Avenue was about to start. Conner insisted on taking the kickoff. As soon as everyone was ready, he passed the ball to Wisdom. Before Wisdom could get a touch, two adults from the other team charged at them, eager to gain possession.
Reacting quickly, Wisdom let the ball go through his legs, surprising Conner, who knew Wisdom could easily outmaneuver their opponents. The ball rolled towards a young player behind Wisdom. Startled, the boy made a bad touch, allowing the attackers to snatch the ball.
Wisdom immediately sprinted down the pitch. His speed was unmatched, even at the highest levels. As he ran past the boy who lost the ball, he tapped him on the shoulder and gave him a reassuring smile. The kids on the sidelines shouted, "Flash!"—Wisdom's nickname for his incredible speed and omnipresence on the field.
The attackers were caught off guard by Wisdom's rapid advance. It was a 2-v-1 situation, but the kids, inspired by Wisdom, provided just enough distraction. One of the attackers attempted to outrun Wisdom, a grave mistake. Without breaking a sweat, Wisdom stole the ball and sprinted in the opposite direction.
Glancing up, Wisdom surveyed the pitch in seconds. He saw Conner and the boy who had initially lost the ball. Conner was running down the pitch, preparing for a pass, which startled the defenders into reacting to his movement.
Without hesitation, Wisdom sent a high cross. The ball soared through the air, seemingly headed for Conner. But then it swerved, heading towards the young boy instead. The boy, initially shocked, remembered Wisdom's warm smile and felt a surge of trust. As the defenders swarmed him, he performed a surprising move, kicking the ball over the player instead of taking a touch. The kids on the sidelines cheered in amazement, making him smile.
However, he hadn't thought this far ahead. As the ball came down, he looked for a pass, but everyone was marked. Panic set in again. The boy glanced behind and saw Wisdom's encouraging gaze for a split second before he looked away. Trusting his instincts, the boy kicked the ball down the line.
The ball zoomed towards Wisdom, but it was too fast. The boy thought it was going out of bounds. But something awakened in Wisdom. Just as the ball was about to cross the line, he slid, making contact and keeping it in play. The opposing team, thinking the ball was out, had stopped chasing. This brief hesitation gave Wisdom enough time to run towards the box unchallenged.
The goalkeeper, a reluctant kid filling in, stood no chance. Wisdom aimed for the corner and scored. He let out a heavy breath and high-fived the boy, the team celebrating as if they had won the championship.
Conner watched in awe. He realized Wisdom could have passed at the start or continued to Conner later, but instead, Wisdom trusted the young player. "It's like he doesn't care," Conner muttered to himself. A twinge of annoyance surfaced but he pushed it aside.
Later, Grove Road Park gained another scoring opportunity. One of the kids passed to Wisdom, who immediately passed to Conner running down the right wing. Conner took a perfect touch, evading two defenders and approaching the box. He saw a kid open down the line but chose not to pass. Instead, he faked a pass and shot, scoring in the bottom right corner.
Conner celebrated, joined by Wisdom and the kids, but the excitement wasn't as intense as when Wisdom scored. The kids seemed indifferent, which angered Conner. His frustration led him to play more selfishly, and despite their two-goal lead, Grove Road ultimately lost the game.
Wisdom noticed Conner's distracted demeanor. He seemed off, perhaps bothered by something beyond the game.
"Sorry, guys," Conner muttered, his face red with embarrassment. Wisdom put a reassuring hand on his shoulder, but he could see the disappointment in Conner's eyes. It wasn't just about the missed shot; it was about something deeper.
despite the setback, and them ultimately losing, they kept their heads up high, but he could tell the kids were upset especially with them enjoying their victory too much, mocking our whole team.
"Good game, Conner," Wisdom said, trying to lift his friend's spirits.
"Yeah, thanks," Conner replied, forcing a smile. Deep down Conner knew he played a part in their loss, he normally doesn't care this isn't a proper match however seeing how down the kids were, he'd been lying if he said it didn't affect him.
As they walked off the pitch, Wisdom's phone buzzed again, reminding him of Amelia's art exhibition the next day. He and Conner had planned to visit her, but an unexpected text from his boss changed everything.
"Hey, Wisdom. Can you cover a shift tomorrow?" the text read.
Wisdom sighed, knowing he needed the extra hours. He reluctantly agreed, realizing he wouldn't be able to make it to Amelia's exhibition. He felt bad, but he had to work whenever he could.
"Conner, I need to tell you something," Wisdom said, turning to his friend. "I can't make it to Amelia's exhibition tomorrow. I have to work."
Conner nodded, understanding. "I get it, man. Work comes first."
"work comes first." the bitterness in the sentence made him feel even worse, but he had his reasons.
That evening, Wisdom decided to call Amelia. She picked up rather quickly.
"Hey, Amelia. How are you doing? Excited for tomorrow?" Wisdom asked, trying to sound cheerful.
"Not really. I'm so nervous I don't think I'll be able to sleep tonight," Amelia admitted.
Wisdom laughed softly. "You'll do great, don't worry. But there's something I need to tell you."
Amelia asks concerned "What is it?"
after a brief silence, Wisdom goes on to say " I can't make it to the exhibition tomorrow. My boss asked me to cover a shift."
Amelia's heart sank, but she tried to keep her voice steady. "It's okay, Wisdom. I understand."
After the call ended, Amelia put down her phone, her feelings of disappointment washing over her. Yes, she was worried about the exhibition, but secretly, she had wanted Wisdom to see her work.
As Wisdom prepared for bed, he couldn't shake the feeling that he had let Amelia down. He promised himself he would make it up to her somehow. Tomorrow was going to be a long day, but he was determined to find a way to support his friends, even if it meant making sacrifices.