The atmosphere in the stadium was quite lively almost electric as the sound waves coming from a crowd of about 60,000 plus fans in the stadium led to a sort of a mini earthquake after the blast of the final whistle from the referee. The football fans cheered their players on from the beginning of the match to the very end, they were impressed with the players performance despite the opposing team leading in the first half by two goals to nill but their players never relented and eventually gave a good account of themselves as they came back from the two goals deficit to win the match by a 5 - 2 final scores.
The fans erupted in cheers, as some of them got on the pitch and had to be controlled by the security men. The team's captain’s name, Kelvin, was herald by the fans to the high heavens in the cold dark night, as they showed their appreciation for this player who shone like a million stars on the night. He dazzled and brought the team single handedly back from the cusp of defeat to victory. He scored a hat trick and assisted in one of the goals.
In the locker room, his team mates were all beaming with smiles as their coach spoke to them excitedly. He ended his speech by wishing them all a wonderful Christmas, though the holiday break is a brief one he wished them all the fun in the world and hope they all come back refreshed as they continue their title challenge of the league.
That same night, Kelvin boarded a flight home. The journey to Cape Verde was an uneventful one as he slept all through it.
The refreshing air and wonderful atmosphere outside the airport after they landed, brought joy to his face as he was flooded with memories of his childhood on the streets. On his way home, he stopped by the mall and bought a lot of things in addition to what he already brought from England. It was a four hour drive from the mall to his residence in Praia.
To his surprise, when he got home, everywhere was quiet which was unlike the usual lively environment he grew up to know. He quietly walked up the stairs and opened the door, only to hear voices coming from the sitting room. Many thoughts flooded his mind as he gradually approached with a hammer in his right hand which he picked up from a tool kit by the window. His breathe quickened as his heart beats increased.
Inside the well decorated sitting room, the smell of crispy chicken and other local delicacies assaulted his nose. He saw everyone, from his grand parents, siblings, his wife and children and some of the neighbors gathered around the television set, focused. He chuckled as he noticed the movie showing on the screen, “it's a wonderful life.”
He looked for a seat in the corner of the room and quietly sat down with the people inside unaware of his presence. He soberly watched with them the classic evergreen 1946 movie which always brought tears to his eyes. His mind travelled back to the wonderful holiday memories he had with his parents until their untimely demise in a car accident on their way home for a Christmas holiday which eventually led to him and his siblings growing up in the care of their grand parents. It took sometime but he eventually got over that painful event in his life.
He suddenly felt two slender arms wrapped around him from behind, as his wife, Molly, hugged him tightly and gave him a peck on the cheek. She gently wiped off the tears rolling down his face with an handkerchief in her hand. The sight of his lovely wife dressed in a bright red blouse all smiles looked heavenly and at that moment the troubling memories which engulfed his mind earlier melted away.
“Welcome home, darling.”
Kelvin smiled.
She got up from her kneeling position and mischievously smiled at him. Suddenly she shouted, “ he's back!!”
Everyone's attention was finally turned from the television set to Kelvin who sat at the corner of the room. Loud happy screams could be heard across the street as everyone happily welcomed him home.