Christmas

The next morning, the Kirkby dormitory was already in an uproar. The boys, with their bulging backpacks, headed out in twos and threes, chattering away about their holiday plans. Some were rubbing their hands in eagerness, planning to spend three solid days gaming at home. Some had dates with their girlfriends for Christmas, and so on. After a round of goodbyes, everyone went their separate ways. The cold December wind blew against their faces, but it couldn't dispel their anticipation for the break. For most of them, having the holiday off meant a warm, hearty Christmas dinner, presents galore to unwrap, and lazy mornings in bed with no early training. Du An walked out of the dormitory carrying a small backpack. Just as he rounded the corner, he spotted a familiar black car parked by the roadside. Dalglish was leaning against the car door; catching sight of him, he smiled and waved. Du An pulled open the door and was surprised to find Ethan in the back seat as well. Ethan grinned at him: "Kenny went to the Andersons' to pick me up first thing this morning—said we'd come get you together for the holiday!" "Thanks, Kenny." Du An got in and set his backpack down at his feet. Dalglish had told him earlier not to call him "sir," saying it was too distant and that Du An should just use his name. "No need to be so polite." Dalglish started the car. "There'll be a crowd at the house tonight. We'll have a lively Christmas Eve." "I'd like to stop by the hospital first. I'll grab a quick lunch out, then head over in the evening." "Me too!" Ethan immediately raised his hand in agreement. Dalglish glanced at the two brothers in the rearview mirror and nodded. "All right. I'll drop you two off first, and I'll come pick you up this afternoon." The car drove through the streets of Liverpool, the festive spirit rushing in through the windows. Though there had been a lot of rain this year, the shops along the street had put up their Christmas decorations early—strings of lights wrapped around the shop windows, the Christmas trees on the corners laden with baubles and bells, and now and then a passerby in a Santa hat hurrying by with gifts in their arms. The rain fell in fine threads, blurring softly against the car windows, and it left Du An a little mesmerized. When they reached the hospital, the ward was quiet. Grandma Mason lay in bed, her breathing steady, her complexion a bit more ruddy than before, yet still showing no sign of waking. Du An moved a chair to the bedside and sat down, gently taking his grandmother's frail, bony hand. Ethan was very well-behaved; holding a book, he sat on the sofa by the window and read quietly, making no fuss. The ward was so quiet that only the beeping of the monitors could be heard. Du An gazed at his grandmother's aged face, his thoughts drifting far away. Three months ago, he had still been an ordinary student at Bishop John Catholic School—studying diligently to get into university, doing odd jobs in his spare time to earn tuition, and perhaps one day finding a steady job, marrying and having children, and living out his life plainly and without incident. But now, life had suddenly shown him a different path. One that led to Anfield. He thought of his U16 teammates, of the victory at Finch Farm, of England's U17 team at the FIFA U-17 World Championship that Dalglish had told him about, of the people at the HJC shop who had worked so hard for the truth. In just three short months, everything had been turned upside down. Sometimes he even felt dazed, unsure whether any of this was real. He simply sat there, thinking about so many things. Until a little past four in the afternoon, when the ward door was gently pushed open. Dalglish looked at the boy by the bed and quietly sighed; he knew how much pressure this child was under. He came in and said softly, "The doctor says Mason's condition is very stable, all her readings are normal. She's just getting on in years, and maybe... deep down she hasn't decided she's ready to wake up yet." "Let's go." Du An stood, nodded, and tucked the blanket in around his grandmother before following Dalglish and Ethan out. The car pulled into Dalglish's yard. The moment Du An stepped inside, he was drawn to the bright lights before him. The house was warm and bustling; in the middle of the living room stood a tall Christmas tree, its colored lights glowing softly, with quite a few wrapped presents piled beneath it. "Is everyone back?" Marina's voice came from the kitchen. "Dad, did you bring them back?" someone called from the living room. Dalglish answered, then led the two into the living room. Pointing at the few people already there, he introduced them to Du An with a smile: "These are all my family. You've met Paul. This is my eldest daughter, Kelly; my second daughter, Lindsay; and the youngest, Lauren." Kelly had a capable, no-nonsense air. She shook Du An's hand with a smile. "I'm always hearing my dad talk about you. I finally get to meet you in person." Dalglish added that she was a reporter at ITV. Lindsay was gentle-natured and only nodded. The youngest, Lauren, was eighteen. In a red Christmas sweater, her eyes bright, she looked Du An up and down and couldn't help but laugh. "Oh my god, my dad talks about it every day at home—says a super genius has come to Kirkby. I pictured some tall, imposing figure, and turns out you're just a scrawny little lad." As she spoke, she opened her arms and warmly hugged Du An and Ethan. Du An wasn't used to such warmth and went a little stiff all over, but Ethan immediately puffed out his chest and said proudly, "Du An is definitely a genius! He only turns fourteen tomorrow, but he's already playing matches—and he's only been training in football for three months!" "Really?" Kelly and Lindsay both looked astonished and kept praising him. Of Dalglish's four children, none but Paul had gone into professional football, and even Paul was fairly ordinary. To outsiders this seemed a bit of a pity, but Dalglish himself never minded. At that moment, watching the children crowd around Du An asking all sorts of questions, he leaned against the side of the sofa with a satisfied smile. They all fell into lively conversation. Du An gradually noticed that Kelly always spoke with a bit of a professional habit—she asked questions like an interview, chasing one detail after another, which made him a little uncomfortable. Lauren, by contrast, was outgoing and fun to talk to, always making people laugh; chatting with her was easy. "Speaking of which, I was so silly as a kid." Lauren hugged a cushion and laughed. "A kid at nursery asked me what my dad did. I thought about it for ages and said, 'My dad stays in a little box every Saturday, waving his arms and shouting.'" Ethan's eyes went round. "A little box? Was it a TV?" "Exactly!" Lauren laughed and slapped the sofa. "It wasn't until I grew up and watched old match recordings that it hit me—that was Kenny Dalglish! Even at three, I had no idea what a treasure I had. I thought my dad was just some man shouting slogans on TV, with no clue what Dalglish meant to Liverpool, how great he really was." Everyone in the room laughed. Dalglish laughed the loudest of all, the wrinkles at the corners of his eyes easing—clearly he was thoroughly enjoying his youngest daughter's words. As the conversation went on, Du An loosened up a little too. He brought up the away match against Everton U16. "After the match we went to shower, and only once we were in did we realize they'd shut off the hot water. It was December—the cold water came down and my roommate was hopping about, frozen. Then we put our wet jerseys back on, wrapped ourselves in our jackets, and rode the coach back to Kirkby. The smell on that bus—don't even ask." "That Everton lot are too petty!" Lauren said indignantly. Du An added, "Though my teammates said that the last time Everton came to Kirkby for an away match, we shut off their hot water for half an hour too." "Well played!" Lauren clapped her hands, her eyes curving into happy crescents. The aromas of all kinds of food drifted from the kitchen, the colored lights on the Christmas tree twinkled, and the whole house was filled with laughter. Du An sat on the sofa, smiling happily. His past Christmas Eves had always meant just a simple meal with Grandma and Ethan, no different from any ordinary day. He had never known a holiday could be so lively and full of life. So this was what it felt like to be surrounded by the laughter of family.