if you could only see // ficlet
There’s something no one knows about the career of the Spanish superstar footballer Fernando Torres. Everyone knows how he was one of the youngest captains La Liga has ever had, the way he gave the Eurocup to Spain with a goal in the final and how he shone brilliantly at Liverpool.
But only a hand of people knows he almost didn’t make it pro. And that he only made it pro because of another Spanish superstar footballer.
Here is how it happened.
He was eight and super sad at his best friend. They had been playing football at school during Physical Education and Fernando was one of the chosen last. And the fact that one of the team captains was his best friend didn’t weight on the other boy’s decision.
So Fernando asked his mom when she picked him up. He muttered the words while sobbing, “Why didn’t Sergio choose me, mama?” and the woman could do nothing but tell her son to ask the other kid the next day, but to “Don’t you worry nene, Sergio is your best friend. He loves you. He must have a reason.”
So he did. As soon as he met the other boy at the cafeteria (they didn’t have any classes together except for PE) he threw the question to the sevillian boy.
“You never do what is supposed to, Nando.” He said with an apologetic smile.
It wasn’t enough to quiet Fernando’s whining though, “I’m you best friend! You should always choose me!”
“But niño-”
The boy either pretended not to hear or was too caught up in making his point clear to pay attention to Sergio’s attempts at apologizing, “Even when I’m not in you team, I always give you the ball. Because you’re my best friend and that’s what best friends do!”
And it didn’t take four seconds until Sergio smiled and kissed him. It was just a peck, something he had seen his brother do to his girlfriend and that made them happy. And Sergio wanted more than anything to make Fernando happy.
Next week on PE, Sergio chose him first. But of course, he taught him the rules the previous day.
Ten years later, Fernando was made captain of Atlético de Madrid. He called Sergio that night. He said, “You do too, you know.”
Sergio didn’t understand. “What?”
“You come first to me. You always did.”
Sergio smiled. He would have kissed Fernando, a kiss full in the lips, the way he always did to his boyfriend. “I love you.”
There’s something no one knows about the career of the Spanish superstar footballer Fernando Torres. Everyone knows he has dorky tattoos in the elves language and that he really likes the number nine.
What only one person knew was that Fernando was made captain of Sergio Ramos’ heart a long time ago.