Adnan

High on the closet’s top shelf, half hidden under old blankets, Adnan finally finds it!!

his torn, worn-out football.

With his grandfather’s big wooden cane, he stretches, struggles, and finally was successful to bring it down.The ball bounces off the shelves, falling to the floor.

Adnan grins a quick, bright grin  then instantly covers his mouth. He can’t let anyone hear.

He tiptoes to the door, opens it carefully, and sneaks out towards the backyard.

On his way, he snatches his ripped jeans, the ones with holes at the knees from the hanger.

He pulls them on in a hurry, shoves his muddy sneakers onto his feet, and bursts into the alley.

The hot, sticky and humid summer weather wraps around him like a blanket, but he keeps running faster, faster, and faster until he reaches the corner of the shop.

He grabs a cold milk  from the fridge, tosses a few wrinkled bills and coins onto the counter, and gulps it down. Gulps the entire chocolate cake in only one whole breath!

Then a big bite of a chocolate cake, another gulp, and  rushed “Thanks, Mr. Khajeh!”

He is heading out again towards the old dusty football field, in two hours.

On the way, he keeps yanking up his jeans so they don’t rip more.

Finally, sweaty and tired, he reaches the minibus stop. The air feels like it could melt steel so freaking easily.

After half an hour, a shaky old minibus arrives. He jumps in.

From the window, he sees the dusty fields appear in the distance.

He spots his coach, Mr. Shahriari, shouting and giving them orders to the boys.

Adnan runs to join them. The coach warns “Hurry up! We don’t have much time before the match starts!”

Adnan throws on his mismatched gear red shirt, black shorts  and sprints onto the muddy ground.

The whistle blows. The game begins.

He falls again and again, sliding through the dirt, but keeps fighting.

Then a dribble, a pass from Number 12 and Adnan strikes.

The ball sails, hits the net GOAL! The crowd explodes and is cheerful!!!

Adnan runs around the field, laughing, shouting.

His teammates lift him onto their shoulders, a hero covered in dust and joy.

The match ends: six to four. Victory.

Adnan checks his watch and he's late. He must get home before Captain Jordan his father, returns.

Mr. Shahriari wants to give him a ride. Adnan hesitates, then nods he doesn’t have a choice.

The old car passes through narrow alleys. When they stop, Adnan jumps out and runs towards home.

He bangs on the metal door. No answer.

He has forgotten his key.

He climbs the side wall, jumps down inside the yard.

The smell of fried eggplant and garlic fills the air.

He sneaks a bite from the pan, burns his tongue, and rushes to his room.

He spreads his torn schoolbooks on the floor and pretends to study.

A little later, his mother, Halimeh, comes home with groceries.

Then, the heavy sound of a key turning Captain Jordan is home!!

A tall, broad man in white clothes enters, shouting and saying greetings as he throws himself onto a mattress.

Adnan freezes, and heavily breaths, and listening, then lays his head on his books and drifts into sleep.

The Dream of Ronaldo

Only a few days left until Cristiano Ronaldo comes to Tehran.

Adnan wakes early, heart pounding. He rushes to school, shoving a crumpled and torn photo of Ronaldo on to his pocket. Knocks at the shiny white wooden class door and after taking the permission, jumps in to his chair.

He gigges and prowdlyshows it to his classmates.

After school, he and his best friend Ahmad talk of nothing else, how they’ll see Ronaldo, how they’ll save enough money to go to Tehran.

Both boys work at Seyed Ali’s autobody shop.  After school, their hands were covered in oil and grease.

The boss yells, but they only laugh, still stubornly dreaming of football, not car engines, not billion dollars of money, or a fancy house!! 

At night, Adnan eats silently. His father’s eyes are sharp, heavy with control.

Adnan barely breathes. One mistake, and the peace will vanish. It might even vanish for ever…. 

Later, in his room, he hides the small money he has saved inside a piggy bank, smiles by himself, and returns to his books. Tones of books… Days are passing… day by day… one by one… Ahmad helps him out with his studying… And not that much of time left…

Adnan has failed many subjects five in total !! Unless he passes them, he won’t be allowed to travel. Without breaking through this, there would be no other way around!!!

Without Tehran, there will be no Ronaldo.

He studies anywhere he can at the dusty field, in the garage, by candlelight at home.

Exams are coming!!

Each test feels like a mountain, but he climbs them all.

After every exam, he’s exhausted, falling asleep over his papers.

Sometimes he and Ahmad walk to the Persian Gulf shore, eating samosas and watching the sunset  silent but hopeful.

At last, exams are over.

With their small bags packed and two bus tickets in hand, they run to the terminal before sunrise.

The bus to Tehran rumbles forward.

Adnan still can hardly sit . His dream is just hours away. Maybe minutes away!!!!

In Tehran, they climb a hill and there he is.

Cristiano Ronaldo.

The crowd screams, rushing towards him.

Adnan and Ahmad run with everything they have.

Their hearts pound.

But they keep on going until they reach the bus.

Ronaldo steps out, smiling. He shakes their hands, signs their shirts.

For a moment, Adnan forgets to breathe.

His dream, the dream he’s carried through dirt, heat, and fear, anger, blood and tears, is finally real. 

He can’t believe what is going on before his eyes…. They both are crying… 

He feels flawless. His eyes are in tears.

As if the world itself has stopped, just for him. Adnan will come back with a signed shirt, an amazing autograph and a lot of hope to turn the dusty, muddy field of a suburb to a brilliant brand new succor field… even with 5 failiours in a row!!! Then no one cares about those little tiny and sneaky F grades!!! 

Adnan wake up! Nane Halimeh said to him.

You're gonna be late for your exams darling!

Hurry up! Adnan opens up his eyes and see the torn picture in his hands , while fall asleep on a pile of books ….

The sun is shining through the little window of his bedroom…