Chapter 101: What We’re Building
Chapter 101: What We’re Building
Sunday, May 30, 2010
Niels woke to the soft light of dawn coming through the curtains of his Milan hotel room. Outside, the canal shimmered with silver and gold in the early morning.
The quiet of the Navigli district surrounded him, a peaceful contrast to the excitement of the Champions League final and the heavy thoughts Matteo had left him with the night before.
Today, he would leave for Genoa, his final stop before heading to the Netherlands, a brief visit before returning to Crawley, where the season waited. For now, he lingered in the stillness, savoring the calm before it all began again.
He packed his worn backpack with a few clothes, an old novel, and the football psychology book he’d found the day before, the pages still crisp with new ideas. With a final glance around his room, he stepped out and headed to a corner café for a quick espresso, savoring the rich aroma as a quiet moment before the day’s journey began.
The barista, a young woman with a quick smile, slid the cup across the counter, and Niels nodded his thanks, the bitter warmth grounding him as he stepped back into the morning light.
At Milano Centrale, he got on a half-empty train to Genoa. The soft clatter of the carriage was calming as the Italian countryside passed by vineyards under a pale sky, stone villages in rolling hills, and church spires catching the sunlight.
His backpack sat beside him, the weight of his notebook and the psychology book a reminder of the ideas sparking within him, kindled by Milan’s lessons and Matteo’s cautionary tale.