Translator:
Nyoi-Bo Studio
Editor:
Nyoi-Bo Studio
After the training session, Van Nistelrooy did not go to the parking lot after showering in the changing room, as there might be hardcore fans waiting for his signature. He went straight to the head coach’s office and knocked on the door.
After training, the players could take a bath, change their clothes and go home, but the coaches often gathered and handed over the report of today’s training to Twain so he could understand the situation of the team firsthand.
Now, as Twain was looking at the reports, he heard a knock at the door and thought it was Dunn. He said without looking up,
The door isn’t locked, just come in.
Van Nistelrooy pushed the door and said,
Sir.
Twain looked up and found it was van Nistelrooy, and he was a little surprised:
What’s the matter, Ruud?
Van Nistelrooy nodded,
Well, there is something I’ve been thinking about for a long time. I think it’s better to tell it to you, sir.
Twain put down his training report.
My contract with the club doesn’t expire until June 30 , 2012, right?
Twain nodded.
Yes. If your performance is stable, I’m going to extend your contract for another year…
Van Nistelrooy shook his head,
No, sir. I have decided to retire after this season.
Twain startled in his seat. He thought he misheardTwain, sitting in a chair, could feel his body moved on its own as he thought he had misheard:
Sorry?
I said, I’m going to retire after this season, sir.
Van Nistelrooy had no choice but to repeat himself.
Twain felt like he would like to ask loudly once again, not because he misheard but out of a mix of disappointment, anger and shock which induced his impulse.But he abandoned the idea and stood up.
Today isn’t April Fool’s Day, Ruud.
He smiled with a little reluctance.
I’m not kidding, sir.
Your body is recovering well and I can’t figure out why you’d want to resign in advance.
It only looks good on the surface, sir. And retiring at thirty-five isn’t early.
If your injury hasn’t healed, I can continue to let you heal. I’m not in a hurry, you do not have to worry…
Van Nistelrooy laughed,
This is exactly what I’m worried about, sir. I’m a professional footballer, not a guy sitting on the bench or in the stands, on the injury list, drawing a salary without playing any games. I’ve been out for a whole season and a half, and if I were to continue to be absent, it’s better for me to announce my retirement now.
Hey, Ruud.
Twain’s tone was a little harsher.
We’re allowing you to miss more than a season of games now so you can play longer in the future.
Sir, why would a 34-year-old striker want to play longer?
Van Nistelrooy’s rebuttal stunned Twain.
Yes, at thirty-four, it was basically a season-by-season situation where you could either get injured or retire at any time. Why would he want to ask van Nistelrooyto play till he was thirty-six or thirty-seven?
Hey, Ruud. If I say I don’t want you to retire and that I wanted you to keep kicking, would you believe it?
Van Nistelrooy smiled and didn’t answer, obviously he did not believe it. It was just not something a head coach would say.
Twain laughed too, treating it as a joke.
I think your experience can aid the team.
Van Nistelrooy believed this explanation, but he shook his head.
I’m not the only one who has experience. The Gypsies are good. Before moving to Nottingham Forest, I just wanted to prove to Ferguson how bad it was to let me go, but I never thought we would be champions in the future. Now I don’t want to prove anything to anyone, I’ve got everything I needed to,; my career is perfect. To be honest, sir, I don’t have the motivation to keep playing. And you hate people who don’t have the motivation to play, right?
Van Nistelrooy stood in front of TonyTwain with a crooked smile under the afternoon sun.Twain opened his mouth as if there was something he wanted to say.
I don’t need to use honor to push myself. I don’t think it’s wise to stay with NottinghamForest without a sense of honor. It’s better to retire and give up the opportunity and my position to the younger players.
Did you make this decision because I bought Ibišević?
No. I thought it over as I was lying in my hospital bed in the United States. Don’t you think it’s a way to help the club ease its financial burden?
He laughed.
Twain could not smile as he looked at Van Nistelrooy with a serious face.
Anyway, I’ve decided, sir. I’m not going to play another season. I want to spend more time with my family in the future. Sir, you’re also married, can’t you understand where I’m coming from? Whether it’s football or not, the point of doing anything is all about making money, and the point of making all that money is so I can spend time with my family family. I felt like I’ve reached this last stage.
Van Nistelrooy had a smile on his face throughout.
Twain knew he couldn’t convince the Dutchman. Retiring was one of the most important decisions of a professional footballer’s life, and his ability to say it out meant he had thought about it for a long time. This consideration was not easily influenced by others.He sighed, a little disheartened..
I think I’m a failure, Rudd. Whether it’s you, or Demi, or David, I’ve tried persuading all of you but I’ve never succeeded. You never let me do what I want.
Van Nistelrooy smiled and did not respond to Twain’s words. He knew that Twain had already agreed, but this stubborn man did not want to accept so easily.
Can I ask you what do you plan to do after you retire?
Go home, back to Holland to spend time with my wife and children.
When Twain heard him say so, he suddenly had a feeling of being a
landowner
. He laughed,
If the weather is good then, you would lie in the yard under the sun?
Maybe I’ll plant some flowers, teach my children to play football, go shopping with my wife, travel around…
Van Nistelrooy laughed as well. Life as a retiree seemed very attractive to him=. He could finally stop thinking about training, playing matches, how to stay in shape every day, thinking about the game, thinking about how to stay in shape, thinking about ruthlessly fighting with someone for ninety minutes… about the premier league’s current record of the most goals and the second-most goals in Champions League history, these auras will be away from him, and he would not care.
It’s an enviable life…
Twain sighed, put away the report on the table, and walked up to Van,
Let’s go home.
※※※
Watching Van Nistelrooy driving out of Wilford, Twain was still leaning on the Mercedes Jeep that Shania had given him. Today’s weather is good, the Nottingham’s vicinity was vibrant, although it was still hot, but it is better than constant raining day till night.
He suddenly wanted to bask in the blazing sun.
He never thought about what he would do after leaving football. Not to think about training and the opponent of the next round as the first thing to do every day, most of the day just sitting in the sun doing sunbathing and playing with the kids till the evening.
He felt that he would be very old when that day comes.
The phone in his pocket rang.
Hey, Uncle Tony!
Shania’s voice popped up just as Twain received a call on his phone.
Ha, Shania.
Is it two training sessions today?
Well, no. What’s wrong?
I was waiting for you until the lunch got cold!
Shania was very angry.
Twain then raised his wrist to look at the watch, discovering that it was already one.
Ah, I’m sorry, Shania! I was dealing with things and being so busy I’ve forgotten, I’ll come out right away…
Twain said, while he was holding the phone and hurriedly driving towards the door.
Van was right, he is also a man with a family, he could understand this want to be with his family.
I am hanging up, Shania. I promise…
Shania interrupted him:
Slow down, don’t be hastily until you run into something bad. I’m just a little worried that you haven’t come back yet. Now, I’m okay, you drive slowly.
Twain opened his mouth but said nothing.
See you later, Uncle Tony.
Shania was visibly in a better mood, as she gave a little kiss on the phone and hung up.
Twain was still holding his cell phone and keeps his same stance as he got onto the car.
Why play football?
In order to make money.
Then why make money?
In order to be able to have time with family.
But in order to make money, there is no time to spend with family.
Then…
Players can play until the age of thirty-four or five and choose to retire, and they have most of their lives to spend with their loved ones. What about a head coach? Ferguson is 70 years old and still in his position as Manchester United manager…
Former Liverpool manager John Houlier was only home twice a year, once on his wife’s birthday and once on Christmas during his busiest period. He stayed at the hotel most of his time with the team.
England’s head coach is the world’s highest-paid coaching position and also the
perfume
in the eyes of many but in fact many England’s head coaches have been avoiding this position. Aside from the extraordinary pressure, it is the fact that being england’s head coach is more busy than a club manager – an England manager is almost as busy as a head of state. As a club manager every day there will be some time of his own, if this person is good at time management. But as England manager, he must stick to his job 24 hours a day.
Twain thought he was lucky, and he had helpers like Dunn and Kerslake to help him with matters, so he could share some private moments with Shania. If he is the head coach who must handle everything, there might not even be time to flirt with Shania. But even so, when he’s busy, Shania will retreat to a small corner of his life. Even so, he knew that he would sometimes neglect Shania. Especially when taking the team to play away from home, or a week with two matches, in order to conveniently facilitate the management of the team, and study tactics with his colleagues and work, he would stay in a hotel. Even if he was in Nottingham.
It would be good if Shania was busy outside as well. If Shania returns to Nottingham, waiting for her would be only a big house in black paint and desertedness.
These times he will be full of guilt, but only guilt. He could not leave his job to spend time with his wife, and he could not even make additional phone calls. The players only needed to think about matters on the training ground and in the game, the manager needs to consider ten times more, as long as Twain was free he would be always thinking about things like this, like a machine which functioned forever.
Sometimes even with Shania, he would be absent-minded. It was not rare for Shania to be angry with him about this.
It is impossible for no conflicts in the life of a married couple, Shania and Tony are both very rigid people. But in every quarrel, Twain always gave in to Shania, once Shanai got mad, he would immediately soften down, anyway he just needed to be hard in bed just like during that call.
Because he knew that Shania was a very sensible girl, and she was unhappy because he gave insufficient concern usually — his mind was always on football, and it has been like this since they just met until now. Before their relationship was uncertain, she would be jealous quietly, but now it was openly envy.
Of course he can’t leave the job, so he could only take the initiative to admit that he was wrong every time Shania is unhappy. As a gentleman, one should be able to have an open mind, what is the big deal!
Van Nistelrooy’s reason for retiring gave him a push today, making him want to have that kind of days as well. Not needing to think or worry about anything, just needing to be with his family, he could even be content under the blazing sun of summer.
He began to think very carefully – when would he choose to retire?
※※※
Shania waited at home Twain to come, and she was going to turn around and take the cold meals into the microwave to heat up. But she was hugged by Twain from behind instead.
Hey, Uncle Tony?
Shania was able to feel Twain’s nose coming and going around in her back, and she was a little surprised by Twain’s sudden gesture of affection.
Do you have any plans for the afternoon?
Twain buried his face on Shania’s shoulder and asked.
No, I do not.
Do you have anywhere you want to play at?
What’s wrong with you, Uncle Tony? I’m not angry about what happened just now…
Shania struggled gently, but she felt Twain hugged with greater strength.
Ruud was retiring, and I advised him to stay but did not succeed. He said he wanted to spend more time with his family. I suddenly felt a little envious of him…
Twain lay behind Shania, sniffing her hair and muttering.
Where do you want to go?
He asked again.
Shania let him lie on his shoulder and said,
Don’t want to go anywhere.
Twain rolled his eyes.
You still said you weren’t angry.
If you continue to hold me and not let me go and heat up the food then I’ll really get angry!
Twain hurriedly loosened his hands, but still sniffed with a little affection.
There’s an idiom in China which meant looking at beautiful women would allow one to forget about hunger… actually I’m not hungry.
Gynophagia?
Shania frowned.
Twain was in a state of shock.
The word can also be translated literally in English as
beauty dining
, but it is represented in the Chinese idiom
beauty dining
as a whole different scenario.
Chinese idioms say
beauty dining
to praise women or beautiful scenery. But in English the word
Gynophagia
literally means –
eat a woman
, which is not romantic at all, it simply meant eating. This is a kind of fetishism, which often leads to sexual fantasies with violent and rape fantasies.
Ah! Uncle Tony, you’re a pervert!
Shania cried.
Nonsense! I’m talking about ‘xiusekecan’ of Oriental culture, not ‘Gynophagia’! They mean two things! Twain was in a hurry to defend. Even when he was married, he sometimes had an unstoppable sexual fantasy about Shania, but in all the fantasies he never fancied that he was going to cut Xenia’s head and then dismember her. . .That’s disgusting!
Shania looked at Uncle Tony, whose face had changed, and laughed slyingly:
Uncle Grey Wolf is hungry. She set the food aside and began to unbutton her shirt.
Halfway through, Twain could already see the seductive rounded chest behind a thin shirt, with the sunlight coming in from behind the window and reflecting it in a hazy. It was like two jelly cakes wrapped in a layer of cream, and a gentle touch would cause it to wobble…Shania isn’t wearing a bra today.
He unwittingly swallowed a gasp.
Shania laughs even more when she sees him like this. She put her hands down, like walking on a Cat-shaped stage, walking cat-walking to Twain, who was standing at the kitchen door. She had a sexy and seductive smile which meant trouble as well.
When she walked up to Twain, she relaxed her arms around the neck of Twain and put her face onto him. Her eyes were covered with a layer of water vapor, which was blue, voice being like the honey sprinkled onto the butter cake, being excessively sweet.
How does the Uncle Grey Wolf who is excessively hungry want to eat me?
As Twain buried his face, his three last clear thoughts were,
This type of life, on an afternoon, was too dirty!
But if I retire now, there would be a lot of such afternoons …
Oh my God! It is really delicious…
