556: 200: What’s truly valuable is the journey of dignity and courage (Request for monthly tickets!)_2 556: 200: What’s truly valuable is the journey of dignity and courage (Request for monthly tickets!)_2 “No, Roger, he’s not cured and coming home; he’s beyond help and has come home to die.
I don’t know if he can see it.”
After the fat man said this, Roger and Stevie Smith both froze in their chairs.
Then, there was a long silence.
To welcome the boy home, his family had filled the house with balloons, cake, and various decorations.
But in the face of the cold, harsh reality, all of it seemed to lack warmth.
At that moment, the shout of the boy’s aunt broke the silence: “Hey, Andy’s ambulance is here!”
The fat man stood up and opened the door to the boy’s room: “Roger, Steve, thank you for your efforts.”
The boy came home with the support of his mother, and although his whole family greeted him with smiles, his face was like still water, devoid of life.
He was 12 years old and was not ignorant of everything.
He knew what he was about to face.
At this moment, Roger and Stevie Smith hidden in the boy’s room were both attracted by the room’s decoration.
His bed was made with sheets and a quilt bearing the Hawks logo, the walls were covered with Stevie Smith posters, and there was a number 8 Stevie Smith jersey.
Next to the number 8 jersey, there was a note: “Save up to buy a number 14!”
Besides, some newer posters of Roger were hung on the wall, presumably purchased recently, and there were not many of them.
One could infer that before Roger came to Atlanta, the boy was a loyal fan of Stevie Smith.
After all, he was the star of the previous Hawks team.
“I really did not expect someone like you to have fans,” Roger teased.
“Damn it, shut up, don’t you feel anything at all?
Never mind, Roger, there is something I want to tell you.” Just as Stevie Smith was about to say something, the boy walked into the room with the help of his family.
Seeing Roger and Stevie Smith in the room, for the first time, a smile appeared on the boy’s face, which had been like still water.
The boy broke free from the family supporting him, endured the pain, and ran to Roger and Stevie Smith, hugging them both.
Roger looked at the boy, who was emaciated from suffering, touched his head, then put a Hawks cap on him: “How do you feel, Andy?”
Stevie Smith squatted in front of the boy, giving him a signed jersey: “Keep fighting, Andy.
Do you have any wishes?
Roger and I will try our best to fulfill them.”
The boy gripped Stevie Smith’s hand excitedly: “Really!?”
A theme park, ice cream, watching a game live, it’s usually things .
But the boy’s answer was beyond Stevie Smith’s expectations.
“I want to see the Hawks lift the championship trophy!
That’s my greatest wish!”
Stevie Smith hesitated for a moment, and Roger, infuriated, pushed him aside:
“We will try our best, Andy!
But do you know what?
The glory of a championship is just a fleeting firework, what really matters is the journey about dignity and courage.
Andy, do you want to be a true champion?
Then don’t give up, muster the courage to persevere until the end!
We’ve got a deal, you have to see me win the championship.
On the day of the finals, I will invite you to the game.”
With that, Roger extended his fist.
“Yeah!” The boy lifted his arm, thin as a bamboo pole, and bumped it with all his might against Roger’s fist.
Stevie Smith, after hearing what Roger said, bit his lip tightly.
It was a tender moment, the little boy who had lost hope in life, rekindled the courage to walk through the last part of his journey with the encouragement of NBA stars.
In the evening, Roger and Stevie Smith prepared to leave the neighborhood after having dinner with the little boy and his family.
On the bus, Roger and Stevie Smith didn’t speak much, as there was nothing for them to say to each other.
Roger was utterly disappointed in the guy who didn’t even have the courage to say “champion” in front of the little boy.
He had always thought the issue between himself and Stevie Smith was personal, but lately, Roger realized it was because Stevie was the one with issues.
But suddenly, Roger seemed to remember something, “Stevie, didn’t you say during the day that you had something to tell me?”
Initially, Stevie Smith had planned to say he was going to request a trade and leave.
But he wanted to make it clear to Roger that it had nothing to do with personal grievances.
“Yes, I have something to say to you.”
Roger nodded, signaling him to continue.
Stevie Smith looked into Roger’s eyes, the first time he dared to make eye contact with Roger, “I won’t let the team down anymore.”
He had changed his mind.
“No, you don’t understand.
I won’t let the team down again!” Stevie Smith was adamant.
The boy looked up to him as a hero, but he was always thinking of running away.
He wasn’t even as brave as a little boy fighting disease!
Countless such boys, countless families, were all yearning to see the Hawks lift the championship trophy.
And yet he thought of deserting his post.
Perhaps, even with all his effort, he couldn’t win the championship this season.
But as Roger said, the glory of a championship is just a fleeting firework.
He wanted that little boy, and all his fans, to see him play like a courageous champion!
“Stevie,” seeing that Stevie Smith was serious, Roger decided to say a few more words in the end.
“To be brutally honest, you are the biggest damn wimp of a teammate I’ve ever seen.
But remember, we are the heroes to countless boys like that.
It doesn’t matter to me whether you let me down or not, but don’t let them down.”
The lights of this city have turned on and off for a full thirty years, hope drifting further away like a small boat in the raging storm.
Many people may never see the moment they’ve been longing for in their lifetime, and that boy is one of them…
We’re nothing more than basketball players, Stevie.
Even though we earn tens or hundreds of millions of dollars a year, in the end, we’re just basketball players.
Our influence on this world is minimal.
But today, coming out of Andy’s house, do you know what I was thinking?
Damn, I can help countless boys like him and families of fans to realize their dreams, to give them courage, to add a touch of color to their miserable lives.
Have you ever thought about that?
This is the greatest thing we can do!
I am going to chase the championship with all my might.
Whether you come or not, that’s your choice.”
That night, Andy sat in his room, looking at the posters on the wall, filled with hope.
His days were numbered, but he didn’t feel oppressed.
Because he believed that, in the last stretch of his life, he could wear Stevie Smith’s or Roger’s jersey and proudly shout:
“Atlanta Hawks are the champions!”