Children of the Mist

Part II: Acceptance for a change.

I thanked you, Dexter, sorry that I neglected your advice. My parents were both in jail; only my sister is in charge of looking at my siblings and me. My sister unable to make both ends in the city, I was forced to do the sinful jobs. My life has evolved in the squatter and stopped attending the classroom. In my encounter with the gang, I let someone put a tattoo on my left forearm: run Lemuel run. One can bear to know my first name through my forearm and the word run means a bad mission to make a living. This time I will change my mission by accepting your proposal. I will join your team and will train hard to be a good soccer player.

Lemuel's confident smile and terse answered "yes" was enough to make me believe that he was willing to change. We dropped by to the mall and bought some clothes and groceries to share with his siblings and we proceeded to Lemuel's house. I dismissed my beating around the bush and told exactly what was on my mind: If you will agree, I want you and your siblings to come to my house and live there for good. Only my mother and I live there and sure my mother will welcome you. It is no more safe living in this house, anytime if bad weather comes; your house is not strong enough to withstand the storm. Let me take you, as my own family and we will visit your parents to talk about my offer.

Lemuel and his siblings agreed. I told them to pack up all things and from there and then we left the place. Lemuel and his siblings were happy to leave behind the real nightmare and stepped in a new door of hope. My mother greeted them and hugged them as like her own children. You may stay here as long as you want and do not be shy to ask what you need. My mother told them.

I have nothing to worry now as Lemuel and his siblings were under my care. Tomorrow we will visit your parents to seek advice for allowing you to come under my care. Lemuel and his siblings have a few visits on their parents' prison cell. The children have rested and that night I saw them in the state of very deep sleep for tomorrow will be more excited as they will visit their parents. In the morning, we prepared food to bring to their parents. Their parents' prison cell were located separately, their father was in the New Bilibid Prison located at Muntinlupa City while their mother was in the Correctional Institute for Women located in Mandaluyong. We headed first to their mother. As the siblings approached their mother, their rendezvous was so emotional that they embraced each other with tears in their eyes, no words as everybody broke down and sobbed at full of their heart. I am happy to see all of you, sorry for I was not with you all the times. I promised that I would patch things up when I come out in this place. It is like a hell in this place that you will curse the first day of coming in this place. We need to compress ourselves into the small bed to lie down. It bothered me most to be separated from you, not knowing what is happening to all of you. I can only see your father during the time of court hearing and this hearing is slowly dragging us to uncertainty. Your father will be happy to see you all. Their mother said.

It is a lonely house without you and father; it hurts a lot to spend days and nights without both of you. We are locked-up in misery. I have no one else to turn to when I have a problem that is why I run to my friend. We are lucky that Mr. Dexter found us and would like to offer his home for us; would you agree to his offer. Lemuel asked.

I have to suffer the consequences of my sins. I am not sure when we will be reunited again, forgive me but I have to entrust you to Mr. Dexter, I can feel that he has good intention to your welfare, that I am allowing you Mr. Dexter to take care of my children. Their mother replied.

I promised that I will take care of them and will provide for their welfare. I replied to their mother.

The next thing we did was go to his father's cell. The same poor provision that we heard from his father: each taking turns to fit their body on small space whether it be on the floor, staircase steps, or hammocks made out of old blankets. His guilt-ridden father has promised making up for the lost time for his children. The most painful of all was to be away from you and every single day it stripped my sanity how to live another day without seeing you all. Their father sadly said.

The children while scarcely sobbing bade goodbye to their father. Their father agreed that their children be under my care. As we arrived home, my mother handed me a letter informing me of the start of the new season for registration of new aspiring football player. This is your big chance now Lemuel, this is your chance to prove your guts and it is happening this season. Your exposure inside the academy will give you chance to be spotted by dedicated scouts operating in local, national and even international level. You must go through many challenges along with your training sessions so the first thing you need to do is to pass their tough trials. Tomorrow, we will be at the playing field/pitch at least 30 minutes before the actual training. I will help you fill-up the application form and submit the accomplished training card. This is the way to hone your skill and keep track of your development. I explained to Lemuel.

As a football trainer, I need to stoke interest to my player, my whole knowledge and skills I need to share with them to start with the basic skills like dribbling, passing, shielding, trapping, tackling, shooting and goalkeeping must be practiced. More time to spend inside the playing field to determine which player I need to put in a certain position by observing where their skills put to best playing. I am more impressed for the central midfielders; they hold most of the playing field running back and forth to secure and recovering the team's position. The game played in rhythm with the ones carrying the ball and among his teammates. Close to perfection means carefully handling the ball from passing and switching to the other side to achieve their goal. What I saw to Lemuel was a good potential to become a central midfielder because he can run up and down in the whole field. He could be everywhere. I have to teach the children the importance of the responsibility of their position in the game that they need to be on their own spot to realize the importance of teamwork. The most important mindset that I need to teach was how they can lift themselves up when things went wrong and that the opposing team was better that day for winning and getting back to the field to play again was the spirit of recovering from the heartbreak of losing.

At one point of being a trainer was to see how to identify different skills of whom among them has the caliber to run fast as with the one who can do endurance run and the one with an accurate pass. Yet behind my mind, as much as the training was concern, it was still the right choice of the kids to know what they are capable.

The next morning, I have seen all the players; I began teaching them the philosophy of winning. I usually offered the first week for conditioning, evaluation of player and installing the playing field. They need to know each other and the team rules and expectations. It was my duty to evaluate the participants of what position they will serve well. To execute a victorious pacing practice means assessing the player's physical ability along with mental ability.

Lemuel's capability for sprint and endurance run was something to watch for. Lemuel needed the proper way of handling the ball, correct balance of arms harmonizing with the body. The Dedication was the sensible effective approach to improve player skills. It was normal for a child to be curious about what he sees around; inside the registrar's office was a picture of the first batch of the team "Dingal," which means elegance. Maybe someday I will see your own picture paralleled with these pioneers. I said. Who is this? (Pointing to the little boy of his age seated in the middle). Lemuel asked. His name is Rommel. I found him on the street, abandoned by his parents. I took him here and taught him how to play football. His passion to this game has improved his skills which led him to compete internationally, now he was at Davao city working as a trainer in one of the football club there, once in a while we talked about our lives. This boy in the wheelchair is Junjun, he suffered from polio in his teenage years, rather feel miserable, he joined our team and volunteered to assist with the players need. Junjun now became a dedicated volunteer for a charity program. He usually travels to places from which cannot be reached by government assistance. And this one is Meshari a half Filipina a half India, she was the one who enjoyed making lots of friends that when his father from India will take her back home, she decided to stay and finish the last football season. This picture has so much to tell a story about friendship, hardship, and success. I recounted.

On the first day that Lemuel stepped on the football pitch, his bare feet felt the difference of a tread on the dirty ground of their place and on the artificial turf made to look like natural grass. Lemuel excitedly lay down flat on the ground with both hands on the side. I knew that Lemuel was building his composure and trying to get up from the failure in life. Lemuel tried to run back and forth across the pitch to gauge his stamina. This time he was no longer running, snatching, and stealing along the highway, preferred instead to run for true greatness. Lemuel knew that this would be a tough game, running out of breath, and have to prolong his capacity inside the game.