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[7th day, Date: 26/02/2020, Time: 16:22 PM – Rose Church, Orlando, FL]
"So you’re saying that a pandemic is coming based on China going into a lockdown?" Dad asked for the umpteenth time, seemingly not believing what I was saying, even after I showed him proof.
"Yeah, one of my fans told me that the entire Wuhan county and surrounding cities have been in lockdown since the 23rd," I explained as I showed them some of the screenshots from chat rooms that I had prepared. "I didn’t believe it at first, but I noticed that people were getting sicker, exhibiting the same cold-like symptoms."
Dad blew out a slow breath, "Let’s assume you’re right for a moment and didn’t watch too much of The Walking Dead, why order so many supplies?"
"It was cheaper to buy in bulk, plus I figured if it gets bad, we can some to the church and make up care packages for our neighbours," I responded, unwilling to admit that I had gotten carried away when remembering the fear the pandemic had first caused.
As someone who had died from the diseases in my past life, I know firsthand how bad it can get if left untreated at the beginning. "(Sigh) Well, do our research before deciding on what to do," Mum finally said after seemingly internalising my words.
I wasn’t worried, though, since the evidence was clear as day for anyone looking to see. "That’s fair, even if I’m wrong, we’ll have enough health supplies for the next few years."
[14th Date: 05/03/2020, Time: 16:22 PM day]
That was just a small interlude in our lives, as I soon left for Leverkusen the very next day. Since my medical boot came off, the club required me to come back to complete the rest of my rehab there. I, of course, splurged to charter a PJ unwilling to risk flying in an Airbus carrying over a hundred people.
My scans following the removal of my boot were clean, allowing me to begin more complex mobility drills and jog once again. I can still remember Dad’s face when he realised I wasn’t going down a rabbit hole. He looked like a man who was told that 1+1=3 only to find out that’s true.
However, it only took him about an hour to go into full-on crisis management mode for both our family and his company. Mum was the hardest hit after realising that her gym would probably be shut for quite a while if we really did go into a lockdown. Rolling with the punches, they focused on informing their friends and family, making sure they had all the information needed to prepare.
Their worst fear came true on the first of March when the state of Florida went into full-blown lockdown. Germany and the rest of the world took a more laid-back approach to the cold taking a wait-and-see approach. On my side, I was busy going through the recovery drills the trainers had prepared for me, trying to get back on the pitch as soon as possible.
I still made sure to wear a mask whenever possible, and long sleeves during training. May moved back in with me after figuring that it would be safer with just us two in the house than a student flat. It was weird living together again, taking us a few days to get used to each other’s new habits again.
However we enjoyed each other’s presence again, and in no time, we got into a new routine. It feels like we both now make more effort to do the little things, emptying the dishwasher first, or leaving little notes for the other when one leaves early or comes back late. I reluctantly learned to share my speakers with her new Tennessee-inspired playlist in the mornings. While she shared her specially ordered Schwarzbrot—something I’d once had to plan a heist to obtain.
None of that matters, though, as today is the day when I return to full training, and I am currently only waiting for Dr Muller’s go-ahead. He had insisted I come in early so they could do another scan just to be sure, despite my beating my recovery goals with flying colours. It almost felt like the club staff was more worried than I, that I would reinjure myself.
"Alright, son, the results are in, and I have good news and bad news, which one do you want to hear first?" The good doctor asked as he walked in with an iPad in hand, which I assumed had my results on it.
I sank a little deeper into the exam table paper, fighting the urge to drum my fingers against my thigh. "Bad news first," I said, trying for bravado. "Rip the plaster off."
Dr Müller hooked a rolling stool with his foot and sat. "Fair enough. Sour grapes first. This will be the last day you will see me in a while. You’ve made a full recovery and barring any unforeseen circumstances, you should be cleared to play in a week’s time."
I looked at him for a second, trying to figure out how or why he thought making such a joke was appropriate at this moment. "If that’s the bad news, what’s the good?"
"Oh, that I’ve been invited to give a symposium at my alma mater to you aspiring orthopaedic doctors." He responded with the brightest smile he had seen the old man sprout all week. Getting a smile out of this man was almost impossible, so seeing him so excited left me little room to be annoyed.
"(Ahem) Congrats, I think?" Those were the only words I managed to form. "So I’m good to train with the team tonight, right?"
"Yes, you can train, but take it easy; not rushing is the best thing you can do for your body right now." He said as his smile turned serious in an instant. "You know your body best, so trust it to let you know how much you can push it too."
"Cheers and I promise to take it easy," I thanked the man before immediately heading for the door, unwilling to hear another of his lengthy life stories.
Arriving at the training field, ten minutes later, I was met by Haverts who had arrived early for some extra training. He was going through cone drills at the side of the field with his personal trainer keeping watch. He was probably the only person in the team who trained almost as much as I do and the fact that he has a personal team probably helps a lot.
Waving in greeting, I pulled a set of ladders and small hurdles, setting up a simple mobility drill. I squared the last hurdle before taking off in a jog around the grounds to loosen up. The turf felt springy under my studs, which was a good sign, but it still felt like weights were strapped to my ankles. When I circled back, Kai Havertz was already drifting toward me, his training kit already soaked as he chugged down the contents of his water bottle.
"Der Amerikaner zurück aus dem Lazarett," he teased, a grin slicing the early-spring chill. "The physios kept bragging you’d hack their schedule in half."
"Didn’t I tell you that we built different down in Florida? You gotta be a different breed to turn Gator country into a party destination." I shot back. "Nice of you to warm the grass for me, though."
He chuckled and tipped his head toward my ladders. "Mind if I jump in? Jannik will kill me with one of his training methods if he sees me take a rest."
"Be my guest." And for the next fifteen minutes, we moved in sync—two beats quick-feet through the rungs, one-stride hops over the hurdles, decelerate, cut, back-pedal. My ankle hummed quickly, warming up, but it felt stiff, quite an unnatural feeling for me. Kai set a ruthless tempo, and I didn’t bother trying to match him; after all, he was at peak fitness, and I was just returning from an injury. Discover more novels at novel⚑fire.net
"Clap, clap, gather around, lads,"