Super Bowl Domination

Chapter 908 Final Farewell

In Kansas City in February, the sky is covered with a light blue-gray color, high and far away. Looking into the distance along the sky above your head, it seems that there is no end in sight, extending all the way to the limit of the horizon. The world expands endlessly in your imagination in your mind.

The sky was cloudless and the sparse sunlight was filtering down slowly. It was neither scorching nor hot, yet not cold nor biting either. My body couldn't help but relax a little.

"It's so calm in this weather, it's hard to imagine the rough seas last month. The day of the federation final will be unforgettable."

"I'll tell you a secret. That day was the first time I realized that we had no control over the game. Even when we lost the game before, we didn't feel this powerless."

"We don't really have any control over the weather. It's like a disease, right?"

"That's when I finally understood what you and Felix were feeling. You were fighting harder than anyone could imagine. Even just breathing, walking, running, something as simple as that, you had to use all your energy to fight for it."

"So, when people praise me for this or that, I always think that I am not that great. Every ordinary person who works diligently and lives diligently in his or her daily life has his or her own greatness."

"I'm just a normal guy running around with my football."

As I spoke, laughter began to rise gently in my chest and I felt relaxed.

The cemetery was quiet and peaceful. Only Levi was lying on the lawn, with his legs crossed, holding a dogtail grass in his mouth, muttering to himself.

Behind me is where Anne Galas is buried.

Levi was not talking to himself, he was chatting with Annie, complaining and joking, and they were having a great time. Nothing seemed to have changed. They sat on the steps, in the chemotherapy room, and outside the training base, laughing and chatting, sharing every bit of their daily lives.

Outside, it was still noisy.

Kansas City is still in party mode, celebrating its Super Bowl title, and the revelry may last until March.

However, the hustle and bustle has nothing to do with the quietness here.

Levi thought that Anne would not be used to it, as she loved being lively, always laughing and joking, and could not stop.

Just like now.

Anne's silence was just a game of hide-and-seek. She might be laughing secretly with her hands covering her mouth at this moment, waiting for Levi to let down his guard and then seize the opportunity to jump out -

Levi was really scared.

then.

"Haha. Hahaha. Got you!"

"Well, I'm still the best, right? I knew I could catch you."

"Hahaha."

Cheerful, brilliant, and unrestrained.

Levi had an illusion that he seemed to still be able to hear Anne's laughter, and that everything before his eyes was just a joke Anne played on everyone.

He knew it was an illusion.

Anne passed away, and the illness ruthlessly took away her life and vitality; however, she no longer had to face chemotherapy, no longer had to have her physical indicators monitored by doctors, no longer had to worry about losing all her hair and becoming bald, and no longer had to worry about staying awake all night because of pain.

At this moment, he was lying on the grass in the cemetery, with the tombstone behind him. He was conscious and relaxed, and he was as clear-headed as could be. He knew it was just his illusion, but he couldn't help but imagine -

What if not?
What if Annie was still here?
Time seemed to be forever frozen in that early winter afternoon in Kansas City. After they finished training, they saw fans coming to cheer them on at the back door. Anne was among them. So they stood there laughing and chatting. Other players also came to join in the fun, and the atmosphere was harmonious.

"Hey, Annie, can I tell you a secret?"

"Actually, I've never liked football." "It's not that I hate it, it's just... unfamiliar. I don't know anything about football."

"Coach Burns tapped me because he was desperate and the team had no substitutes."

"I agreed to join the Red Tide because I accidentally broke a mugger's bone during a tackle. The school agreed to help resolve the lawsuit in exchange for me joining the team."

"Look, everything is so simple, without dreams or romance."

"I continued to play rugby just because I could and it looked like it was a pretty lucrative job. It was just a normal job."

“That’s why I was able to be so calm, because I never really cared.”

"but……"

The words stopped here.

Levi looked up at the sky quietly, his heart was turbulent, and it took him a lot of effort to calm down again.

“But you guys made me realize that this is more than just a sport.”

"It is a hope, a belief, and also a dream. I should thank you, just like I should thank the Old Oak Tavern."

"It is you who make team spirit real, it is you who give meaning to the game, and it is you who make dreams become reality."

"Annie, I'm not that great, nor that special. I can't bear the weight of your dreams, and I'm really afraid that I'll mess it up."

The American League Finals was the first time Levi truly felt that the situation was out of control. It was also the first time Levi was truly afraid. He was afraid that he would let down Annie's dream, that even if he tried his best he still would not be able to face the result of the game calmly, and that he might always have regrets.

I suddenly closed my eyes, and a warm feeling surged up. The scenes of the game appeared in the darkness again. My heart was beating wildly and almost exploded.

But it was precisely at that moment that Levi felt for the first time the specialness of this sport. He was no longer a passer-by, nor did he choose football because of the system, but he truly became a part of football.

That is the weight of dreams and also the weight of faith.

Levi is connected to this city and its fans like never before.

They marched side by side and fought hand in hand.

“Now, when I run on the court, I’m not alone.”

This is a secret that has been hidden in the bottom of his heart and he dare not speak it out. As the captain of the team, Levi believes that he needs to bear such pressure and face such a test——

If you want to wear a crown, you must bear its weight.

It was not until today, until the end of the season, that Levi quietly shared it with Annie.

In an instant, a ray of sunlight fell on Levi, gentle and warm, like an embrace. A breeze came and gently patted Levi's shoulders, as if comforting him.

Suddenly, Levi opened his eyes and stared blankly at the sunlight in the sky, as if he saw Anne's figure again. She was still smiling, still running, and still yelling.

"You'll never walk alone, rookie."

Then, Levi finally realized, more clearly than ever before:

Anne is gone. The girl who used all her energy to light up a small corner of the world, the girl who looked forward to her own graduation ceremony, withered away before her twelfth birthday.

This thought grabbed Levi's heart and he clenched his fingertips tightly.

(End of this chapter)