long live football

A week before Christmas, Carl received a call from Sarah who invited him to spend Christmas with her family in London.It happened that Laurie was also planning to go to the United States with his current wife, Clara, for the New Year, so Carl agreed to his mother's invitation.

But before leaving for London, he also picked out a lot of Christmas gifts in Munich and sent them one by one by courier.

The Fergusons were the first to receive gifts. Katie called and asked him if he was planning to go to Lancashire this year.

Carl apologized: "I'm going to my mother's house for Christmas this year, so I won't be able to visit your house."

Katie regretted saying a few words that she missed Carl, and then said with a smile: "The cashmere scarf you gave me is beautiful and soft. When I received the gift today, someone praised me for looking good on it. There's Alex's lambskin gloves, and I was just saying his old ones are worn out and need new ones, Carl, you're always so thoughtful and thoughtful in choosing presents."

Carl touched his nose and asked with a smile, "Where's Uncle Alex?"

"I'm working in the study." Katie sighed: "He's been busier than before in the past six months. I want him to rest more, so I forbid him to bring the team's files home, but I bet he must secretly That's what I did! Because every time he gets home, he locks himself in the study and won't let me in."

Half a season has also passed in the Premier League, but Manchester United has been overwhelmed by Chelsea and Arsenal. There is also a big gap with these two teams in the standings, especially against the champion Chelsea. Manchester United is worse than them more than ten points.So Karl can understand the pressure that Ferguson felt very well. He comforted Katie and said: "Whenever you encounter a challenge, doesn't Uncle Alex always like to bury himself in his work and refuse to rest until he sees the results? It is because of his This kind of character can lead Manchester United to such a success! At this time, it is up to you, Aunt Katie, to take good care of Uncle's health, and when the season is over, you should take the lion's share of his bonus."

Katie was amused and giggled: "Oh, Carl, look at your sweet mouth!"

Not long after, Ronaldo also called.

"Thank you for the Christmas present," said the young Portuguese, somewhat awkwardly. "I mean, I like those models."

"It's fine if you like it." Carl smiled.Munich is the hometown of BMW. Although Karl has no money to give his friend a BMW, he can still afford the original car model.He knew that few men didn't like cars.

"Uh, what do you like?" Ronaldo asked a little coyly, "I don't know your address in Munich yet."

"I'm not in Munich now, I'm in London." After Karl replied with a smile, he didn't hear the other party's reply for a long time. He asked suspiciously: "Cris?"

After a while, Ronaldo dryly replied: "What a coincidence, I'm also in London now."

"Oh, where are you?"

"Harrods."

Carl looked around at the bustling crowd and laughed loudly: "That's indeed a coincidence! Because I'm also in this mall."

Ronaldo: "..."

……

Ten minutes later, the two met.

Karl pointed to the big bags in Ronaldo's hand and burst out laughing: "Are you going to sweep up the whole shopping mall?"

Ronaldo rolled his eyes at him, and then put the dozens of bags he was carrying on the ground at once. After picking and picking inside for a long time, he took out a packaging bag with the Armani trademark: "Here, your Christmas present."

"...The way you give gifts is really unique." Carl said blackly: "As a normal procedure, shouldn't you repack it and send it to me with a greeting card?"

"Who knows where you will go on Christmas." Ronaldo pouted and said, "If you want my autograph, just tell me, and I can give you one."

"Forget it, that's it." Carl took the gift bag and looked inside. The box was probably in the shape of a belt or a tie: "It's you who stayed in London the day before Christmas and didn't stay with your family?"

"My parents, older brothers and sisters are all in Portugal for the holidays, otherwise why do you think I would come to the mall alone."

Carl shrugged and said, "Didn't you really like the star-gazing pie baked by Katie last year? You can go to BOSS's house, at least it's lively."

Ronaldo's face turned ugly in an instant: "I'm not going to the BOSS's house."

Carl didn't know if he had made a mistake: "Didn't you receive the invitation?" It stands to reason that if Ferguson knew that Ronaldo was staying in the UK alone, it would be impossible not to invite him. According to what Carl heard from Katie Look, Ferguson has always liked Ronaldo.

"No, I refused." Ronaldo replied lightly with an unhappy expression.

Karl wanted to ask why, but he always felt that if he had to get to the bottom of it, maybe the other party would blow his hair, so he was about to find something to change the focus, but he suddenly thought: "Oh, right! You can spend Christmas with me !"

Ronaldo stared at Carl with wide eyes, as if he was playing some terrible joke.

But Carl said to himself: "If it's just my mother's family, I don't think it matters, but I heard her say that there are relatives from Luo Lin who spend Christmas together-oh yes, Luo Lin is me My mother's current husband. He and his daughter are very strange to me, and I probably can't say a few words when we sit together. It would be great if you could accompany me there! My mother will definitely feel happy. She once mentioned I’ve been here, I’m welcome to bring my friends there…”

Is the parents divorced?Or his father already... Ronaldo originally planned to reject Karl outright, but when he heard it later, his sympathy overflowed for some reason, and he couldn't help but ask: "Is your mother's cooking delicious? I can't stand it." A traditional British meal."

As soon as the words were out of his mouth, Ronaldo wanted to take them back, but Carl had already clapped excitedly and said: "Then it's settled! You go to Christmas with me. Don't worry, my mother's cooking skills are very good, and her current husband runs the business. with a restaurant."

"Okay then." Ronaldo said helplessly, "Help me with something, I need to buy some more gifts."

Carl smiled and said, "I bought it for my mother? Come on, I know what she likes."

……

Sarah showed a warm welcome to Ronaldo's arrival.

Perhaps there is a more appropriate word to describe it, that is "surprise".

"I'm so happy that you can bring your friends here, not to mention that the other party is a star!" Sarah kissed Carl on the cheek: "Of course, Carl, you are also very famous now, every newspaper that mentions you I bought them all, you don't know how happy your mother is to see you being so successful now..."

Maybe nagging is the natural skill of every middle-aged woman, but Karl didn't want to be hugged all the time. He pulled Ronaldo by the shoulders and pulled him to him, successfully making Sarah let go of himself: "Mom, This is Cris. Cris, and this is my mom Sarah."

"You can call me Sarah dear." Sarah stared closely at Ronaldo with a pair of blue eyes, revealing great expectations: "Don't call me Mrs. Rollin, that would make me look too old-fashioned. "

Ronaldo blushed, he opened his mouth, and when he was about to shout something, there was a voice calling Sarah outside, and Sarah responded and walked out.

Carl sat down on a random sofa and started playing with his fingers.

Ronaldo glanced at the lively garden and asked, "Why don't you go outside?"

"Because I don't know any of them." Carl stared at his right hand, and replied in a flat voice: "Did you see the embarrassed expressions on Rowling and his family when they greeted me just now? When Sarah and Laurie divorced when I was a child , I was sentenced to Sarah's custody, and after she married Rowling, I was very at odds with him, and his family even more."

"Could it be..." Ronaldo couldn't help swallowing, and began to wonder: "He abused you?"

Carl gave him a strange look: "That's not true, but we are not too friendly to each other."

"Oh." Ronaldo replied dryly, he could understand the meaning of "not very friendly".In fact, when Carl first came to Manchester United last year, he always mistakenly thought that the other party was a proud man who was different from him. Aside from being a little better, other places are probably not much happier than him.

When the restaurant was full of delicious food and a dozen people were having Christmas dinner together lively, Ronaldo finally understood why Carl insisted on accompanying him to Christmas, because no one else in the room seemed willing to do so except himself. What a heart-to-heart exchange with Carl—not counting Karl's mother, Sarah, a lovely woman who is so warm and ready to greet everyone.

Glancing at Carl with somewhat complacent and complicated eyes, Ronaldo muttered in his heart: Look at how important I am to you, without me tonight, there are not many people left who are willing to talk to you!

Rollin, Carl's stepfather, maintained extremely polite manners with Carl all night. Ronaldo watched coldly, feeling that the tone of their conversation with each other made him feel sick to his stomach.

Even the children of Rowling's relatives like him more than Kaldor - because he is a star of Manchester United and often appears in the newspapers.

After patiently accompanying several boys to play football in the brightly lit yard, and signing autographs for each of them, these children were carried home by their parents and went to bed.

Ronaldo wrapped his coat and went back to the house, poured a cup of tea to warm his hands.He wondered idly where Carl had gone and when they could get out of here and go home.

The clock in the living room struck twelve, and outside the window came the sound of fireworks, singing, and the bustle of people.

Sarah suddenly appeared at the door: "So you are here, have all those naughty ghosts gone home?"

"Yes, they were all taken away by their parents." Ronaldo turned his head and greeted the other party, and suddenly remembered that his gift had not been delivered, so he quickly took it out of his coat pocket and handed it over: "This is for you Christmas gift."

"What a caring child, you even brought me a gift!" Sarah happily accepted the gift, and then affectionately greeted Ronaldo to sit down with her: "Cris, can I call you that?"

Ronaldo nodded.

"I haven't found a chance to talk to you alone all night. I'm really dying." Sarah looked at him enthusiastically: "Come on, tell me about you."

Ronaldo frowned: "My what?"

"Anything is fine. Tell me about it. It's rare that you are so free now. Come and chat with me."

Ronaldo spoke with some hesitation: "Uh, my father is a worker for Andreha, an amateur team in my hometown, and my mother is a housewife. I have two older sisters and an older brother. They are all in Portugal now..."

Sarah listened with a smile all the time, interjecting a few questions from time to time. Her attitude was very kind and not aggressive at all. Ronaldo told her a lot before he knew it.

"Carl has never brought anyone home for Christmas except you. How did he treat you? Well, I mean when he was still in Manchester." Sarah winked at Ronaldo and asked with a smile : "Now one of you is in Germany and the other is in England, do you still keep in touch?"

Ronaldo answered honestly: "Karl treated me...very nicely when he was an assistant coach. He gave me a lot of guidance and avoided some detours. I am very grateful for his, cough, concern." His face was a little hairy It was hot, Ronaldo suddenly lowered his head and took a sip of tea, and said: "Now I occasionally send emails to each other, and sometimes I make phone calls."

There was some measure in Sarah's voice: "He called you?"

"Mostly." Ronaldo blinked in confusion: "What's wrong?"

Sarah was silent for a while thoughtfully, then smiled again: "Although it's a bit abrupt, can I hug you?"

Ronaldo was a little flattered: "Yes, of course." He quickly stood up and put the teacup on the table.

Sarah gave Ronaldo a serious hug. When her head touched Ronaldo's shoulder, the middle-aged woman said in a brisk tone: "I wish you and Carl happiness, child." Then she let go the other side.

Ronaldo froze for a moment: "What did you say?" He was doubting his hearing.

Sarah winked at him: "Oh, look at you guys, do you want me to point it out?"

"Mom!" Carl suddenly appeared at the door of the living room. He walked quickly, with a face full of tears and laughter: "What did you just say? I really wonder if there is something wrong with my ears!"

Sarah said frankly: "I wish you happiness, Carl." After a pause, she asked doubtfully, "Isn't that what I thought you meant when you brought Cris back for Christmas?"

Ronaldo glared at Carl viciously: It turns out that the questions Sarah asked just now were not innocent... this is the culprit!

"I brought Cris back because he is my friend, we are not lovers." Carl raised his hands helplessly: "Have you read too many romance novels?"

Sarah took a deep breath and looked at them questioningly: "Aren't you?"

Ronaldo reacted at this time, and Carl said in unison: "No!"

"Okay." Sarah said to Carl with a disappointed face: "Then if you have a date in the future, you must explain it to me first."

Carl agreed with embarrassment.

When Carl and Ronaldo bid farewell to Sarah and finally drove out of the house, the young Portuguese gritted his teeth and said to the dingy Carl who wanted to be invisible immediately: "I will never spend Christmas with you again! Never!" Compassion or whatever, go to hell!