football
Title: four things silva understands that patricia never did and one thing she does that he never could
Focus: David Silva/ David Villa
Word Count: 315
Notes: Prompted by boyfolk, originally posted 08/09/10.
1. What it's like to love football; really, truly love football, so much that nothing and no one will ever compare.
2. Why it's so easy to leave everything behind and just go, whether it's to a different club or a different country; a different league or just another tournament. Patricia doesn't understand a footballer's love for football, la joga bonito (although to her credit, at least she tries).
You have to be one to know one, to know how it feels, like a kind of rushing heat just underneath your skin, pushing pushing pushing you forward toward all the trophies and goals and toward everything you could possibly win - and at the same time, like a slow burn that never lets you forget who you are: a football player first, everything else to follow.
It's easy because... what's hard would be the alternative. Not playing football.
3. Why Silva never accepts any of Patricia's invitations to dinner, even though he and David play for the same club and the same national team. Silva figures that "always together" is as close to always together as he dares. (Cares for, some days.) Any more would just be rude, really.
Silva doesn't want to intrude.
4. Why David doesn't want to go to Gran Canaria on vacation.
(Once, when they were tipsy on the way to drunk, Silva brought up Gran Canaria, home, how it was beautiful, how he missed it, how he'd love to take David there, how David would love it there. Arguinegín. And Silva was sure that David would love it because how could he hate it? He couldn't; no one could, plus Silva had grown up there, and if David loved him-)
Some things aren't meant to be shared.
Some things can't be shared.
*
5. What it's like to love your children; really, truly love them, so much that nothing and no one will ever compare.
Title: five things villa would say to nando if it wouldn't end up making headlines
Focus: David Villa/ Fernando Torres
Word Count: 149
Notes: Prompted by pause, originally posted 08/09/10.
1. Grow up.
2. I hope I don't regret moving to Barça the way I feel like you must, at least sometimes, regret moving to Liverpool.
3. I'm sorry about all the injuries.
4. I used to be jealous of you - Fernando Torres, star striker.
5. It's not the end of the world when your career ends. Especially not for you, everybody loves you.
And, the B-sides: five things villa wouldn't say to nando even if they wouldn't end up making headlines
1. You're so talented, but so fucking useless when you pout.
2. But at least I left Valencia for a lot of reasons other than trophies and big wins.
3. You're not that young anymore, and sometimes I wonder if you'll recover at all.
4. Are you jealous of me, now?
5. But you could have all the love in the world and it would still hurt, because you wouldn't be able to do what you love.
Title: five things becks says to iker in spanish
Focus: David Beckham/ Iker Casillas
Word Count: 262
Notes: Prompted by envoler, originally posted 8/24/10. This one is truly quite awful - my apologies.
(lo siento, I'm sorry; te amo, I love you; sonreír, smile; te echo de menos, I miss you; quizá, maybe)
1. Lo siento.
David feels like this is what he says the most, more than anything; I'm sorry. And he is, for not speaking better Spanish, for not scoring more goals, for hurting Iker's feelings (but God damn his feelings), for so many things. Mostly, for leaving.
2. Te amo.
Though he is sure that the first time he says it, Iker mistakes his meaning, or it perhaps it gets lost in the rush of winning, the joy -
Iker, so young; so easily says it in return. And David tries to explain, no, no, te amo, but his emphasis is lost.
3. Sonreír.
This is something David says a lot, especially later on. Iker grew up serious, and David thinks, I miss: that smile, that laugh, that easiness.
(Iker, San Iker. Life is more than football, and it is too short for this seriousness. Not that it is okay to concede, only that it sometimes is - )
4. Te echo de menos.
Not that David actually ever calls, but sometimes he has conversations with the Iker in his head, who he is pretty sure is far removed from the Iker of real life. Still, it's good practice for his Spanish.
5. Quizá.
When Iker says, Here there is still room for you, David wants to say, Maybe. Maybe a million things: maybe I should have stayed, maybe you were right, maybe someday. (But I am thirty-five, there is no someday anymore, or, barely; no one wants a washed-out David Beckham, or, at least not Real Madrid.)
But he can't remember the Spanish, and so he just smiles.
Title: five things david villa could have said to keep silva from going to man. city but didn't
Focus: David Villa/ David Silva
Word Count: 235
Notes: Prompted by pause, originally posted 08/24/10.
1. Don't go.
(David thinks about tagging on an "I love you," but he was never one for false sentiment.)
So, he settles for:
2. Don't go; I won't go if you don't.
(Which may, in turn, be a lie, but. But. Barça. Barcelona.)
3. It's Manchester fucking City. Why -
(David starts to say this, stops, files it away, tells it to the papers weeks later; what Fernando Torres won't do, what David Silva has done. Except, in less words, with less names. But, everyone still knows.)
4. Will you miss me?
(He's not actually sure, if he asked this one question, that Silva would stay, but. Sometimes you just need to know.)
5. I don't want you to go. I don't want you to leave Valencia, but above that - I don't want you to leave Spain. How will I see you.
(It always comes down to what David wants, in this non-relationship of theirs, so why should this time be any different? Surely, Silva expects no less than utter selfishness and inconsideration. Surely, Silva is used to it, to him, to this -
David can't do it. The one time it matters, and he can't; maybe because it matters.)
And in the end, the one thing he does say:
6. (He cannot bring himself to mean I hope you will do well there, I hope Manchester City will be good for you, so he does not say it.)
Good luck.
Focus: David Silva/ David Villa
Word Count: 315
Notes: Prompted by boyfolk, originally posted 08/09/10.
1. What it's like to love football; really, truly love football, so much that nothing and no one will ever compare.
2. Why it's so easy to leave everything behind and just go, whether it's to a different club or a different country; a different league or just another tournament. Patricia doesn't understand a footballer's love for football, la joga bonito (although to her credit, at least she tries).
You have to be one to know one, to know how it feels, like a kind of rushing heat just underneath your skin, pushing pushing pushing you forward toward all the trophies and goals and toward everything you could possibly win - and at the same time, like a slow burn that never lets you forget who you are: a football player first, everything else to follow.
It's easy because... what's hard would be the alternative. Not playing football.
3. Why Silva never accepts any of Patricia's invitations to dinner, even though he and David play for the same club and the same national team. Silva figures that "always together" is as close to always together as he dares. (Cares for, some days.) Any more would just be rude, really.
Silva doesn't want to intrude.
4. Why David doesn't want to go to Gran Canaria on vacation.
(Once, when they were tipsy on the way to drunk, Silva brought up Gran Canaria, home, how it was beautiful, how he missed it, how he'd love to take David there, how David would love it there. Arguinegín. And Silva was sure that David would love it because how could he hate it? He couldn't; no one could, plus Silva had grown up there, and if David loved him-)
Some things aren't meant to be shared.
Some things can't be shared.
*
5. What it's like to love your children; really, truly love them, so much that nothing and no one will ever compare.
Title: five things villa would say to nando if it wouldn't end up making headlines
Focus: David Villa/ Fernando Torres
Word Count: 149
Notes: Prompted by pause, originally posted 08/09/10.
1. Grow up.
2. I hope I don't regret moving to Barça the way I feel like you must, at least sometimes, regret moving to Liverpool.
3. I'm sorry about all the injuries.
4. I used to be jealous of you - Fernando Torres, star striker.
5. It's not the end of the world when your career ends. Especially not for you, everybody loves you.
And, the B-sides: five things villa wouldn't say to nando even if they wouldn't end up making headlines
1. You're so talented, but so fucking useless when you pout.
2. But at least I left Valencia for a lot of reasons other than trophies and big wins.
3. You're not that young anymore, and sometimes I wonder if you'll recover at all.
4. Are you jealous of me, now?
5. But you could have all the love in the world and it would still hurt, because you wouldn't be able to do what you love.
Title: five things becks says to iker in spanish
Focus: David Beckham/ Iker Casillas
Word Count: 262
Notes: Prompted by envoler, originally posted 8/24/10. This one is truly quite awful - my apologies.
(lo siento, I'm sorry; te amo, I love you; sonreír, smile; te echo de menos, I miss you; quizá, maybe)
1. Lo siento.
David feels like this is what he says the most, more than anything; I'm sorry. And he is, for not speaking better Spanish, for not scoring more goals, for hurting Iker's feelings (but God damn his feelings), for so many things. Mostly, for leaving.
2. Te amo.
Though he is sure that the first time he says it, Iker mistakes his meaning, or it perhaps it gets lost in the rush of winning, the joy -
Iker, so young; so easily says it in return. And David tries to explain, no, no, te amo, but his emphasis is lost.
3. Sonreír.
This is something David says a lot, especially later on. Iker grew up serious, and David thinks, I miss: that smile, that laugh, that easiness.
(Iker, San Iker. Life is more than football, and it is too short for this seriousness. Not that it is okay to concede, only that it sometimes is - )
4. Te echo de menos.
Not that David actually ever calls, but sometimes he has conversations with the Iker in his head, who he is pretty sure is far removed from the Iker of real life. Still, it's good practice for his Spanish.
5. Quizá.
When Iker says, Here there is still room for you, David wants to say, Maybe. Maybe a million things: maybe I should have stayed, maybe you were right, maybe someday. (But I am thirty-five, there is no someday anymore, or, barely; no one wants a washed-out David Beckham, or, at least not Real Madrid.)
But he can't remember the Spanish, and so he just smiles.
Title: five things david villa could have said to keep silva from going to man. city but didn't
Focus: David Villa/ David Silva
Word Count: 235
Notes: Prompted by pause, originally posted 08/24/10.
1. Don't go.
(David thinks about tagging on an "I love you," but he was never one for false sentiment.)
So, he settles for:
2. Don't go; I won't go if you don't.
(Which may, in turn, be a lie, but. But. Barça. Barcelona.)
3. It's Manchester fucking City. Why -
(David starts to say this, stops, files it away, tells it to the papers weeks later; what Fernando Torres won't do, what David Silva has done. Except, in less words, with less names. But, everyone still knows.)
4. Will you miss me?
(He's not actually sure, if he asked this one question, that Silva would stay, but. Sometimes you just need to know.)
5. I don't want you to go. I don't want you to leave Valencia, but above that - I don't want you to leave Spain. How will I see you.
(It always comes down to what David wants, in this non-relationship of theirs, so why should this time be any different? Surely, Silva expects no less than utter selfishness and inconsideration. Surely, Silva is used to it, to him, to this -
David can't do it. The one time it matters, and he can't; maybe because it matters.)
And in the end, the one thing he does say:
6. (He cannot bring himself to mean I hope you will do well there, I hope Manchester City will be good for you, so he does not say it.)
Good luck.