A DREAM MOMENT, a short story by actung. Date added: 2009-06-25. Times viewed: 1346.
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- Intro: Liam came from a poor background, but how will he handle being faced with his ultimate dream.
To say football was an obsession to Liam was an understatement. It was his life, the one thing that truly made him happy, something that gave him so much joy that words just cannot describe.
Liam spent the first ten years of his life growing up in Ballymun. He lived with his mum. They didn't have very much but they got by. She worked in a launderette for a few hours each day five days a week while Liam was in school. He didn't get to see his father very often and Liam preferred it that way as when his father was around he was usually drunk and violent.
From an early age Liam followed Liverpool FC, and often dreamed of one day getting to be like his hero Ian Rush, but the only time he would really get to see Liverpool play was on a T.V through a shop window. Football was all Liam could think about, it was all he ever talked about.
Every Saturday afternoon, Liam got to play with the local football team and it was clear that even at a young age that he had talent, he was good. On one particular Saturday afternoon, a match was organized for Liam's team to play another team from the same club; the other team were two years older. Liam scored a goal early in the second half to give his side a 2 - 1 lead, a goal so good that anyone one the other team would have been delighted to score like that. The game finished 2-2. His team would actually draw a fairly large crowd to the sidelines each and every week, the team as a whole were that good, and even with that Liam always stood out.
During the weekdays, if it was bright enough, Liam's mum would leave him out to play until six o' clock. Liam was a good kid and loved his mother so much, he always, well close to always anyway, done what he was told. His mum would just come down each day at six and Liam would head in. It was a little after six one day and there was no sign of his mum yet, so Liam thought it would be ok if he had a few extra minutes of playing football outside. It was almost 6.45 and there was still no sign of his mum. Liam didn't want to get himself into trouble so he thought he'd head inside.
As Liam entered the building to which his flat was on the top floor, he heard a scream. He immediately knew it was his mum. He quickly made his way to the top floor, the screams got louder and more frequent as he did so. Nobody, not one person had come to his mum’s aid. His father was arrested and Liam was placed into foster care.
Liam’s dreams were to be haunted by his mothers screams. Over the following years, football remained a constant in Liam’s life. He was good, so good he was to get picked up to play with the youth squad of a major club in England, and here he began to make money, something he never had before. He had come from such a poor background than the money he was now making began to overpower and corrupt him. Even though he loved his mother so much and absolutely despised his father, Liam was now becoming his father in so many ways, so much so he even began to hit girls that he met. His personality changed a lot, it lead him to lose the position he worked so hard to get.
Liam moved back to Dublin, where his haunted dreams worsened. He cleaned himself up and got back into football, and eventually began playing league of Ireland football. He would stand out so much that it lead to a call up to play under 21 football for his country. Even though he was now clean and still so young, his former substance abuse took its toll on his heart and ended his football career before it really could take off, and his dream to one day play for Liverpool FC was shattered.
Life changed for Liam but he devoted the rest of his life to helping kids from dis-advantaged backgrounds, and to use his experience to teach them not to make the same mistakes he did. Once a week every week, Liam wrote to Liverpool FC hoping to arrange a charity match in Dublin against his former league of Ireland club and just when he was about to give up on this ever happening, he got his reply and he also got his match.
Liverpool announced Liam as an honorary member of the Liverpool squad, even though he had a weak heart he pleaded to be let play in the game. He was told he'd get a run towards the end of the game in the Liverpool colours but his persistence would lead to Liam starting the second half for a team that would include some ex Liverpool legends including Ian Rush.
In the 83rd minute, Liverpool went on the attack; Liam ran into the box as Ian Rush ran out wide and crossed in the ball. Liam could see the ball coming in towards him and he noticed he had moved slightly ahead of the ball and things seemed now to move in slow motion. Liam turned and with his back to goal he closed his eyes, jumped, and with a bicycle kick connected with the ball. His heart was pounding, as he twisted in the air and landed on his front to see where the ball went. It was in the back of the net.
Liam got up and ran the full length of the pitch and purposely slid onto his back, and after he received his congratulations, things did not seem right. Still on his back, everything began to move around him. Dizziness overwhelmed him as his eyes began to roll into his head. At the same time Liam felt that a great weight had been lifted from him, he knew he would no longer hear any screams and as he drew his final breath he smiled and said one word, there were no more screams, no more pain. Liam was happy, he had his dream moment and with his final breath he said.... ‘Mother'.
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