The Rising Star - Alexia Putellas

Part 90

"I remember she called like over a year ago. It was the game you played with your national team against England. You won two against one with one goal and one assist if I remember correctly. She called me and all she could talk about was that game and you. How good you had played, how you single handedly won that game and how she wished you would play for Barca." She told me while preparing dinner. Not once did she look up from her task. 

"It wasn't all me." I blushed at the woman's revelation. 

"Yes it was and it wasn't the only time that you helped your team out like that." She abruptly stopped and sternly looked at me. It amazed her how much I downsized my achievements. 

"How do you know?" I crumbled under her gaze and went back to cutting the vegetables. This made the older woman chuckle.

"I have a daughter whose life is all about football, I try to keep up." She laughed, making me look up once again. 

"I started following you and as time went by the calls revolved more and more about you. Although she never mentioned a name it wasn't hard to put two and two together. I'm a mother, we know things." She placed the vegetables that she had just cut into a pot as did I. 

"She told me about your first meeting, her trip to London to visit you, when you came to Barcelona to sign your contract, and the world cup. One thing was constant, the smile on her face and you." She placed the pot onto the stove and looked up with a big smile. 

"Well I'm glad I can make her smile like that." I softly told her when I couldn't help the blush from creeping up on my face again. Eli took a step closer to me and placed her hand on my shoulder. 

"You definitely can Ella, don't worry." She smiled sweetly at me but the use of nicknames made me freeze. Eli immediately noticed that something was wrong. 

"Did I say something wrong?" She worriedly looked at me. Her hand was still placed on my shoulder. She started to look me over by the lack of response she was getting from me till I finally snapped out of it. 

"No no you didn't. The nickname caught me off guard, that's all." I shook my head, trying to get a grip on reality again. 

The woman visibly relaxed once I assured her that everything was fine. Still she felt bad for using the nickname and overstepping my boundaries. 

The woman's hand slit down my arm until she took a step back letting go of my hand completely. She turned around a bit and leaned her back against the counter but her gaze never once left mine. She had a feeling there was more to the story that I had led on. 

"Lo siento, I heard Alexia call you that so I assumed that was your nickname. I'm really sorry if I overstepped." She apologized again but I waved her off. 

"No no you didn't. It's just that Ale is the only one who uses it. Only one more person used to call me that." It left my lips even before I had comprehend what I was saying but there was something about this woman that made me feel at ease but of course my words had peaked her interested, more specifically the words:

"Used to?" She furrowed her eyebrows, trying to make sense of what I had just said. 

"Yeah, used to. Cory. He is my sister's best friend, well was, he was my sister's best friend. He died in 2013. He was the first one to believe in me. Said I would play for Arsenal and Barcelona because we both were big fans of those teams. He would say that I would go on to play for the national team, that I would win tournaments, awards." I chuckled thinking back on all the good times we had spent together but my smile was soon replaced by a somber look. 

"Now I did and he isn't even here to see it. How's that fair?" I looked up from the ground in front of me and looked Eli right in the eye. There were tears slowly welling up in them. He believed in me. He was there, always and now he isn't. He never got to see it.