Chapter 26

The fans of Atlético Madrid can finally get a good night's sleep after the match.

Baldur hadn’t remembered the last time he walked out of the Calderón Stadium with such a light step. Six consecutive losses were an unbearable burden for any football fan, but fortunately, that nightmare had ended in the previous match. Now, he found himself indulging in sweet dreams, and the corners of his mouth curled up involuntarily. Losing made him jump, and winning made him arrogant; this was indeed the nature of a fan.

When did he become so impatient?

Perhaps it was when Atlético Madrid started their losing streak. Losing wasn’t scary; if he counted the matches from his childhood, he had seen Atlético lose more than a hundred times. But there was only one time when he had such a strong reaction, and that was when Atlético was relegated. Even then, his primary emotion wasn’t pessimism but anger.

He was angry at how the team performed so poorly, always faltering at the most critical moments; angry at how the referees were so unfair, ignoring such obvious fouls; and even angry at how fate was so biased, giving them nothing but pain despite their equal love and passion.

This time, he was even more angry. Although he knew deep down that his anger was meaningless, as it couldn’t change the team’s losses, the referee’s decisions, or move heaven. But he was still angry, so angry that he even took some actions that now made him shudder when he thought about them.

A few fans walked past Baldur, and a couple of familiar faces greeted him. Unlike the previous times, this time Baldur smiled and responded to each of them.

He should go visit an old friend. Baldur thought to himself.

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This was a high-end store, with a prime location, luxurious interior design, and seemingly high-end customers, so it sold high-end goods. Although, in Baldur’s eyes, it was just a fruit shop. But because it was located in the center of Madrid, the prices of its goods were much higher than in other places, and the same items could easily be sold for several times the price.

Under normal circumstances, Baldur would never step into such a store, not because he couldn’t afford it, but because, as he experienced now, despite the comfortable temperature inside, he felt extremely uncomfortable.

The fat man inside had been staring at him with a strange look ever since he entered. Baldur was familiar with this look; he even suspected that if he hadn’t parked his old car outside, the fat man might have taken him for a beggar and mercilessly kicked him out.

It was a look of naked disdain!

“Damn it…” Baldur cursed in his heart, ignoring the fat man’s gaze. He looked at the array of fruits and tried to recall what his old friend usually liked to eat.

But after thinking for a long time, Baldur couldn’t remember what his old friend liked. Instead, images unrelated to fruits floated vividly in his mind.

“Do you need anything?” The fat man, seeing that Baldur had been in the store for quite a while, finally couldn’t hold back and came out, speaking in a harsh tone and omitting the polite “please,” clearly showing some contempt.

Baldur turned to look at him, paused for a moment, then suddenly smiled and said he didn’t need anything, and walked out of the store without looking back. As he pushed the door open, he seemed to hear the same curse he had just thought of: “Damn it…”

Baldur didn’t hear what the fat man said next, nor did he care. His car soon roared out of the city center and slowly headed towards the southern suburbs, the so-called “slums.” About half an hour later, Baldur’s car stopped in front of a familiar small bar.

“What are you doing here instead of going home? Do you also want to get drunk and celebrate like them?” Frank, seeing Baldur enter, was taken aback and said irritably.

“Are there many people?” Baldur glanced at the inner room and said with a sneer, “If they don’t get drunk, how would you make money?”

“Get lost.” The burly man said angrily, “The money I earn isn’t even enough to pay for the broken glasses. They act the same whether we win or lose. I’ll have to close the bar sooner or later.”

“Close it if you want.” Baldur snorted and then asked, “Do you have any snacks left?”

“Snacks?” Frank was taken aback, “I do have some, but the match just ended. What do you need them for?”

“I’m going to see Jimmy.” Baldur replied, “If you have them, give them to me. I’m in a hurry.”

“Here, take them…” Frank turned and took a few packages from a cabinet behind him and handed them to Baldur, “Say hello to old Jimmy for me.”

The items were wrapped in rough newspaper, clearly not anything valuable.

Baldur threw a few crumpled bills on the counter, took the items, and turned to leave, saying lightly at the door, “I won’t pass on the message. If you want to, go yourself.”

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Alcor Hospital wasn’t the best hospital in Madrid. In fact, if it weren’t for its large size, it could be called a “big clinic.” Despite its modest appearance, it was essential for most Madrileños, as not everyone could afford the best hospitals.

Since there was no place to park and parking was not allowed, Baldur had to park his “old” car in a nearby paid parking lot, which made him frown. However, when he arrived at the hospital, the growing heaviness in his heart had already pushed away the trivial annoyance.

The hospital was the intersection of hell and heaven. It could bring joy and laughter to countless people, or make them weep bitterly. Baldur wasn’t there to see a doctor, although he wished he was. In fact, he was there to visit an old friend.

A friend who would exchange life and death with him.

Baldur looked up at the tall building in front of him. The red cross in the sunset was particularly prominent, but that red reminded him of the color in the team’s flag…

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The scene before him felt familiar, but… this didn’t mean he could face it calmly.

Jimmy Sanchez’s heart felt as if it was being tightly gripped by an invisible hand, and even his breathing seemed to stop, but his eyes were still fixed on the green field…

When the ball hit the post with a loud thud, the momentary suffocation almost made him dizzy. But a figure, almost flying out of nowhere, saved him. The figure accurately found the rebounding ball and corrected its original wrong path.

The moment the ball hit the net, the people around him jumped up like springs. As he opened his arms to cheer, he suddenly found himself in another place.

“To the championship!” A familiar yet somewhat strange figure raised a glass to him.

“To Atlético Madrid!” He raised his glass, his eyes already misty.

Such a scene, he would never forget!

Wasn’t this the night Atlético Madrid won the championship?

Jimmy’s heart was filled with joy, but why was he also so sad?

“When will I be able to get drunk like this again?”

Yes, he had said that then, and his eyes had been as misty as they were now…

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A dream, for over a decade.

Jimmy slowly opened his eyes. The scene before him was still white, without the passionate cheers, the intoxicating wine, or the familiar figures… No, there was a familiar figure.

Jimmy’s head turned with difficulty, and he saw the figure sitting by his bed, yes, the one from his dream.

“…Baldur…” Jimmy finally managed to say the name of the person in front of him.

“You’re awake, old man.” Hearing Sanchez’s voice, Baldur immediately smiled, “Really, why didn’t you wake up earlier? Paul just left…”

How could he have come?!

“Ha…” Jimmy said in his heart, but remained silent, only the corners of his mouth twitched slightly.

“I really don’t understand what you’re thinking, going to such a poor hospital instead of a good one. I think you’re just being stubborn…” Baldur continued to complain.

“I…” Jimmy listened to Baldur’s complaints in silence, and after a moment, said softly, “It’s not suitable for me.”

“You…” Baldur laughed bitterly and then sighed, “You’re just a stubborn old man. Hospitals don’t have suitable or unsuitable places.”

“Why don’t you tell me about the team?” Jimmy smiled again, “How is it?”

“We won. I just came from the stadium.” At the mention of the team, Baldur seemed to transform, his face beaming with joy, “2-0. You were right, Fran is a great signing. He’s already scored almost twenty goals this season. Oh, and I have another piece of good news. You always wanted me to quit AAA, right?

I quit. So, you have to get better soon. Without you, watching the matches is much less fun.”

Jimmy nodded slightly, but when he heard that Baldur had quit AAA, his smile grew wider, and his previously dull eyes suddenly lit up. Baldur immediately noticed the change and, following Jimmy’s gaze, saw a bitter smile on his face.

Jimmy’s eyes were fixed on a package on the bedside table.

“…Snacks?!” Jimmy’s voice was urgent.

“Yeah.” Looking at Jimmy’s eyes, Baldur nodded subconsciously. Yes, it was the package he had brought from the small bar.

“Quick… quick…” Jimmy’s voice was like that of a drunkard who hadn’t had a drink for days and suddenly saw a barrel of fine wine.

“Wait…” Baldur laughed bitterly, “I’ll peel them for you…”

“No, no… no need to peel, no need to peel.” Jimmy shook his head repeatedly.

“Uh…” Baldur was taken aback, nodded, and turned to take the package. Inside, there was just a pack of ordinary sunflower seeds.

Jimmy eagerly grabbed a seed and put it in his mouth, but didn’t crack it, just held it, then closed his eyes…

Yes! This was the taste! The strong, unforgettable taste!

Holding that seed in his mouth, if anyone saw Jimmy’s expression, they would never guess what he was holding. It was like the expression of a drug addict in the throes of addiction. But Baldur knew that, in a way, it was indeed a kind of drug. The drug that always caused the most trouble for the cleaners after each match at the Calderón.

Its taste was very salty! The kind of saltiness that could make you close your eyes and tremble for a long time after putting it in your mouth!