A boy from Zeeland and Chicago

[Thunfish 72]

It didn't take much time after he left the arena he'd be playing in for his phone to ring and loud noises to come from the other side of the call. His family was certainly excited by the news, even if they had been rather sudden to pretty much everyone. The whole thing went by like a blur: Saturday saw him still in the comfort of sweet Cologne, Sunday had him talk contract details at Chicago with a couple of suitcases while some of his belongings were on their way to his temporary home in North America.

 

Unlike previous circumstances at Mexico City (which served as a way for him to study abroad and learn new things) and Cologne (which he was already certain he'd be living in once his playing time was over), Chicago was not a destination that he probably wouldn't stay in for long. Not like it was a bad place or anything like that, he'd never say such a thing from an organization or anything of the kind. Rather, he knew he would only be allowed to play another five seasons before he had to call it a day. As a Dutch gentleman, he still preferred to attend university near his home and Cologne remained as his preferred destination.

 

Much as he hated to think of it this way, his time in the United States had an expiration date and he knew that very well. Funny, come to think of it, he couldn't feel himself being that old or that hurt. He celebrated a birthday when Luz and him moved to Cologne but that was about it. Then again, he couldn't help but wonder how much of a wreck he could end up as if he stuck around for far longer than those eight seasons. Was time supposed to be that slow? Was it supposed to feel like a mere cup of coffee of sorts? He couldn't really tell.

 

Still, Luz remained optimistic as ever. Surely, she rationalized, the city would have some sort of fun attraction that they could both enjoy while they were staying there. Besides, if three seasons flew so quickly, another five probably would take just as fast to pass by. Besides, it's not like they were entirely alone in this new land - Luz was sure the two would make quick friends with the team's roster and soon enough, they would be calling this place a home away from home.

 

That and they were quite literally not alone indeed, they were staying at the mansion of a Dutch businesswoman from the village. They weren't exactly sure who this really was: in retrospect, she was an old friend of Sunrise's father but she had left at a young age and only really kept tabs with her home village via letters and only somewhat recently, she had been able to talk in video call. Alas, the two weren't around when that happened, so they really were going on luck.

 

And thus, the two waited outside of the hockey arena for this person.

 

What a way to arrive.

[Greg_Di 1,028]

Review:

Great article and liked reading about your players thoughts on going to Chicago and his overall thoughts on playing in North America. Article was a good length and paced well. The only real addition I would add is some sort of picture to make the article stand out more. Overall it was well done and wish you the best of luck in Chicago. Keep up the great work! 9/10