Page 15 of A Merry Little Christmas

‘Ahem!’ Nell swigged her wine and the alcohol hit the back of her throat. This was good; naughty but nice. She was going to have another after this, she could already tell. ‘Come on!’

‘A scout came to watch the Wetherley Lions play on Saturday,’ said Max, unable to keep the joy from his face. ‘I’ve been spotted.’

‘OK, go on.’ She gave him an enquiring look, willing him to continue; it sounded good, but she didn’t know enough about football to understand what this meant. Although the sight of Olek’s puffed-out chest was a bit of a clue.

‘He was scouting for Derby County!’ Max continued. ‘And he’d come especially to see me play.’

‘Can you believe that, Nell?’ Olek marvelled. ‘A professional scout came to see my boy.’

‘I scored as well, Dad. From a free kick.’

Father and son high-fived each other and Nell’s heart melted to see the excitement bubbling out of them both.

Max had been football-mad since he was little. His bedroom at their house was a shrine to his beloved Liverpool Football Club. Even when they’d upgraded his bed from a single to a double this year, he’d asked if he could still have the official LFC bed linen. He played for his school side, but also played for the local team. He’d confided in Nell once that his dream was to be a professional footballer but that he didn’t think he was good enough. He was like his father in that respect; adorably humble and never one to shout about his talents. Fortunately, it seemed that someone might have noticed them anyway.

Olek wasn’t a huge football fan, but just like with Max’s music, he took an interest in it because it was important to his son. He went to as many Wetherley Lions matches as he could and took Max to see Liverpool for the odd game too.

‘After the match, the scout asked for my contact details. Our manager gave him the landline number. He phoned tonight when I got in from school. Viktor answered and thought it was a scam at first.’

Nell quickly glanced at Olek and saw the twitch in his jaw. How he’d have loved to have been the one to receive that call from Derby County instead of his replacement. He caught her eye and smiled sheepishly. I love you, she mouthed across the kitchen.

Both of them listened as Max delivered the rest of the story in garbled half-sentences; Nell sipping her wine and Olek shaking his head in wonderment. Max would be starting a three-week trial at Derby County immediately.

‘And listen to the best bit. My final trial will be a friendly match against—’ Max paused for effect. ‘Liverpool! Which means I’ll get to play at Anfield. The actual Anfield pitch. I can’t believe it. It’s … like a dream.’ He punched the air, his face turning red with a mix of pride and disbelief.

Olek abandoned his dough, grabbed his son around his shoulders, and the pair of them leapt up and down. They were so alike in many ways. Max had the same shock of blond hair, the same vivid blue eyes as Olek. But their build was totally different. Where Olek was broad and muscular, Max was slim and wiry. Nell had always put it down to Max’s age, thinking that he had time to fill out as he got older. She hated the fact that she now found herself scrutinising every feature, looking for evidence that Max might not be Olek’s. However, there was no mistaking how much the pair loved each other. And that was what really mattered.

‘But it’s not a dream, boy, it’s real because you’ve earned this, and you’ve got the talent.’

‘You two look like you’re on the pitch celebrating already.’ Nell laughed and pushed her way in between them to give Max a hug. ‘Well done, Max, I’m so proud of you.’

Olek was right; he deserved every bit of his success. He put football above everything, would rather go training than go out with his friends, and Nell was thrilled for him that his sacrifice was paying off.

‘This is just the start,’ said Olek, taking his son’s shoulders. ‘You could go all the way to the top.’

Max exhaled and his eyes sparkled. ‘Imagine if I get to play at Wembley one day. Would you come and watch me?’

‘Just you try to stop me.’ Olek’s voice cracked with emotion. ‘I’ll be the proudest dad in the stadium.’

Max’s frow furrowed. ‘I could still play for England, even though I’ve got Polish parents, can’t I?’

Nell was starting to think that Olek needed to step in and manage Max’s expectations at this point, but he simply threw his arms out.

‘Of course you can. You’re a British citizen. And you have the added bonus of dual citizenship, you lucky lad!’ Olek extracted himself from the hug and turned away.

Nell noticed him surreptitiously wiping his eyes. How glad she was, she thought, that the consultant was interrupted before she managed to tell him the truth. Otherwise, the sweet joy of this evening might never have happened. Olek might have been as tormented by ‘what if’ as she was.

‘Right.’ Olek blinked and turned back to his dinner preparation. ‘We’ll eat in half an hour. And, Max, if you’re not already too important to help, you can start grating the cheese.’

‘On it,’ Max replied, sliding over to the fridge to remove the cheese.

Nell looked at them, drinking in the bond that they shared. She’d never have that with a child, she mused, and felt herself on the verge of tears.

‘I’m going to have a bath,’ she announced, topping up her glass again. The wine was already starting to make her woozy.

‘OK, darling,’ Olek said warily.

She hadn’t drunk this much since they’d been at Merry and Cole’s barbecue earlier this summer. She felt his stare on her back as she left the kitchen and escaped to the sanctuary of the bathroom to avoid further conversation.