Suddenly, Provo looked up, but he didn't expect Ware to glare back defiantly, making Provo feel somewhat guilty, instinctively averting his gaze, hanging his head low to stare at the bucket of murky water in front of him—
It wasn't black, but a nauseating grey.
Ware could not hold back anymore, blasting full force.
"You should be grateful, at least pretend to be, for how many bills David and I covered for you. Do you have any idea how hard it is to run David's tavern? My life's a mess too, God, I can't even find a job, I can only hope the bartender work at David's tavern can last a bit longer, just a bit longer."
"Again and again we tolerated your tantrums and rage, we're not your slaves; we don't need to bear your bad temper unconditionally, but we shut our mouths, always standing by your side."
"Because we're friends. Because our hearts all beat for the Kansas City Chiefs. Because our lives are all dreadful with no hope in sight."
"At least, at least we still have the Chiefs."
Provo gazed blankly at the bucket of grayish filthy water.
He thought he would be teary-eyed...
But there were no tears.
His eyes were dry without a hint of moisture.
"Chris, things are hard, really hard, but none of us ever gave up."
"This week, for the American League finals, even though we too wish to go to Jacksonville to support the team, obviously we can't; our wallets won't cover the travel expenses. So David decided to throw the doors open at the Old Oak Tree, welcoming all fans to come watch the game together."
"I think you should come too."
"I... I can't offer more help; I'm struggling to keep myself afloat. But at least, I can offer you a beer. Whether you come or not, that's your decision."
Ware stood still for a moment, waiting, while Provo kept his head down, as if he hadn't heard a word of the conversation, a breath of frustration stuck in Ware's chest, a thousand words churning deep in his throat, but in the end, he said none of them.
He turned and took heavy steps away.
After just two steps, he heard Provo's weary voice from behind.
Ware stopped in his tracks.
"I'm afraid that I'm a curse, the main culprit for the team's loss."
Ware turned around, ready to speak, but Provo beat him to it.
"I hope the team wins, believe me, I do hope the team can climb to the top of the Super Bowl after half a century; but still, I don't believe it will happen."
"I, dare not believe in hope."
"I worry we'll lose in the American League finals, I worry my negativity will become a discordant factor, I fear I'll be that bad omen."
Then, Provo raised his head and looked at Ware.
"Even so, do you still want me to come?"
Life is tough, really too tough. Every day they endure consumes all their energy, with no jobs, no family, no goals, no hope; trapped in a chaotic realm with no boundaries, no sunlight, they are slowly being eroded by loneliness and despair, teetering on the edge of collapse.
That's too luxurious.
Everything is just like the bucket of wastewater before them.
Ware looked into Provo's expressionless face.
Provo slightly opened his mouth, completely stunned.
West shook his head gently.
"Chris, you're not Li Wei; you're neither that important nor that great. You don't really believe you can change the course of the game all by yourself, do you?"
"You and I are just nobodies, ordinary fans, our curses won't cause the team to lose; but like droplets joining a river and eventually becoming an ocean, our support can become the strength for the team to fight."
"You still have to dream, what if it really comes true?"
Just as West was about to turn around and leave, Provo suddenly stood up, "And what if it doesn't come true?"
West stopped for the second time, "Our life won't get any worse. At least, we have fought and strived, we have believed."
"Look, we've already broken a twenty-four-year curse. No matter how the next season unfolds, it can't get any worse."
"Chris, you can choose to believe or not to believe. The choice has always been in your hands."
Without waiting for Provo's response, West turned and left once again.
Provo shouted after him, "If we have the chance to advance to the Super Bowl and fail to seize it, why wouldn't that be worse? The only thing scarier than hope is having it and then losing it. I'd rather have had no hope from the beginning, wouldn't that be worse?"
But this time, West didn't answer; his footsteps never ceasing, he disappeared into the bustling crowd in a blink.
Provo stood there dumbfounded, his shoulders slumped in dejection, watching the crowd around him cheering and celebrating wildly, and suddenly he realized something important—
Kansas City really hadn't been this lively in a very long time.
The lifeless city was slowly coming back to life; despite the winter still being cold, it felt as if you could hear the quickening footsteps of spring approaching.
A question, how far can the Kansas City Chiefs really go in this year's playoffs?
Or perhaps a different question, when the champions of the National Conference and the American League are ready to battle it out, which of the remaining four teams will look most like champions?
Silence fell over the group.
Before the playoffs began, experts had already given their opinions, declaring this season to be the most open competition yet:
Anything is possible.
Always, the biggest draw of the NFL has been the fierce competition and unpredictable scenarios, with the hard salary cap and large rosters leading to unpredictable changes every offseason, which in turn means that any team could potentially be the Super Bowl Champions each season.
The 2017 season, judging by the regular season performance, saw narrower gaps between teams than expected, and the playoffs were likely to have many surprises.
The reality proved to be a shock!
Brees-led New Orleans Saints, Brady at the helm of the New England Patriots, Pittsburgh Steelers evolving from the "Steel Curtain" to an offensive trident, Los Angeles Rams with Donald, Atlanta Falcons and Carolina Panthers who respectively made it to the Super Bowl finals in the past two seasons...
A series of teams with championship potential, hot topics, and formidable strength, all floundered! All of them!
More surprising than a surprise.
And so, we have the scene before us, the last four teams still standing in the playoffs—
Philadelphia Eagles, with the unknown 2012 third-round pick quarterback Nick Foles stepping up to the starting position after Carson Wentz was ruled out for the season due to injury.
Minnesota Vikings, with 2012 undrafted quarterback Keenum becoming the team leader after both the starting and backup quarterbacks were injured.
Jacksonville Jaguars, led by mediocre quarterback Bortles who had not made a name for himself after two seasons. Your is on My Virtual Library Empire
And the Kansas City Chiefs, led by former first overall pick Smith who had only two playoff wins after more than a decade in the league.
For a while, the experts tried to predict, but it seemed like they hardly knew where to start.