The Young Lion

At noon that day, Aldrich's lunch came relatively late and was simple, but the atmosphere was very lively.

Outside Pepys Park, next to the Thames, facing the breeze, Aldrich treated everyone present to lunch, coffee and burgers.

Leaning against the guardrail by the river, he chewed the hamburger and enjoyed the taste: I like beef cheeseburger the most, even if I become a big fat man, it doesn't matter.

Oh no, Aldridge, if you turn into a big fat guy, you're screwed, and the poster in my bedroom is going to be a mascot picture.

A young and beautiful girl in the crowd smiled at Aldrich without any shyness.

Many girls nodded in agreement with suppressed smiles.

Aldridge signed autographs for them here, took photos together, and chatted like friends.

As young adults, they wondered what Aldridge's life would be like.

What music he usually listens to, whether he plays games, what movies he watches, what books are on the bookshelves at home, and some gossipers will ask him about the progress of his relationship with Melanie.

Aldridge talked about everything except his privacy. This was different from the question-and-answer interview, but a kind of communication between peers. They expressed their opinions and discussed with each other.

When talking about movies, basically young people like the 007 series Golden Eye released last year, but Aldrich said that he is not too interested in 007's handsome and heroic movies. He prefers Seven Deadly Sins released half a year ago. .

Everyone expressed their opinions and chatted very speculatively, and Aldrich was like their friend.

Near the park, there were parents playing here with their children. At some point, a ball rolled between them. Aldridge looked up and saw parents walking with a five or six-year-old boy.

Suddenly, someone in the crowd took the lead in booing and asked Aldrich to show off his skills.

Aldridge drove the duck to the rack, picked up the ball lightly with his toes, and then flipped the ball back and forth with his left and right feet, which was quite impressive.

WOW!

Everyone knows that he is a good head coach, but no one has seen him play football. This made the people around him exclaim, and they laughed and asked Aldridge to do something difficult.

Aldridge is exposed to football every day at work, and he still has some sense of the ball, but technical work is difficult.

But he tried a challenge, picked up the ball with his right foot, tried to circle the ball with his right leg before it fell, and as a result, he screwed up.

Boom, the ball was hit by him and flew directly into Brady's face.

my face!

Brady rubbed his red nose, eliciting roars of laughter.

Aldridge was not shy at all, but played football with the children in the crowd with great interest.

These children all know Aldrich, and they are very excited today. The children's clear and silver-like laughter can be heard endlessly, and the parents of the children are also very happy to watch.

Aldrich specially signed autographs for several children wearing Millwall jerseys. Just after signing, the corners of his clothes were pulled by two small hands. Aldridge looked back and found a pair of braids. The twin sisters, about six or seven years old, look pink and cute.

Aldridge, can I kiss you?

The clear eyes of the two sisters were full of joy,

Obviously, they are also fans of Aldridge.

The crowd around burst into laughter, and Aldridge stared at the crowd in disbelief, then turned around and squatted in front of the two sisters, and asked with a smile, Do you like Millwall?

I like it! Dad goes to the game every week, and my mother watches live TV with us at home.

Yeah, Dad said that he would take us to the stadium to watch the game when we grow up. He said that the stadium is a bit crowded now. Mom said that Dad is a lunatic. If he is happy, he might lose us in the stadium.

The innocent and childish words of the two sisters made Aldrich and everyone around him smile.

Aldridge continued to ask: Who do you like most in the Millwall team?

The two sisters did not hesitate, and said in unison: Ole.

Baby face.

Aldridge spread his hands helplessly and said, But now he is going back to Norway to participate in the competition.

His clothes were grabbed again, and the two sisters seemed to be afraid that Aldrich would run away. One of them said, You are asking about the team. My sister and I like you the most, and Ole is next!

Aldridge was a little embarrassed by them, so he closed his eyes and smiled, Okay, let's give you a kiss on the face.

Boo, boo.

The left and right cheeks were kissed by two little girls at the same time, and a camera shutter sounded at the same time.

Aldridge opened his eyes and found that in front of them, several reporters took pictures of this scene. One of the reporters raised his hand and suggested, Mr. Hall, why don't you take a photo with them?

Today, no more than ten years later, carrying a mobile phone is equivalent to carrying a camera. Few of them have a camera, so Aldridge took a group photo with everyone.

There was still some time before work started in the afternoon, and Aldrich planned to continue to rest. There were about 30 people in their line standing on the walkway by the Thames River, when suddenly, there was a burst of music.

Fred likes to carry a walkman with him and play some music tapes, and he also has a mini stereo, which happened to be playing at this time.

Hearing the melody of the music, these young people couldn't help singing together.

This song has been very popular.

MJ's black-or-white

This is the song that Aldrich sang the most when he got together with friends occasionally, especially in places with the most immigrants like East London, this song is very popular.

Probably because Fred is a black immigrant, he especially loves this song and always listens to it repeatedly in his ears.

Accompanied by the melody, their enthusiasm was rekindled and they sang loudly together.

I said if you want to be my baby, it doesn't matter if you are black or white, I said if you want to be my brother, it doesn't matter if you are black or white...

Like a carnival, they bounced and danced, repeating the climax of the song.

When their lung capacity reached the limit, the singing gradually stopped, and then, everyone seemed to have accomplished a feat, laughing and clapping each other in celebration.

Aldrich looked at his watch. It was time to work in the afternoon, and he called out to Nordman on the periphery of the crowd: Sir, I'm starting to work now.

Nordman shook his head with a smile: No, you should go to work now, you have already cleaned the surrounding blocks in the morning.

Aldridge chuckled, took a deep breath and said, Okay then, I'm in a hurry, do some exercise.

After speaking, he started to jog with his legs open, and a group of people behind him also ran with him.

Throughout the afternoon, with Aldrich at the center, they became a special landscape in East London.

Many media came to interview and record, and the reporters were thinking about how to title this news.

If they come to consult Aldridge, Aldridge will definitely tell them directly: pass on positive energy.

When the sunset came, Aldrich, who had been picking up trash all afternoon, announced after supervisor Nordman adjusted the time: today's eight-hour work is over.

The young people who were with Aldrich burst into cheers, but Aldrich just smiled and didn't take it as a great achievement, which is what he should be, but this day can purify the environment and bring happiness to others, he feels that today is very fulfilling And meaningful.

Just as he was about to leave, a young woman came to Aldridge and asked with a sad face, Mr. Hall, can I ask you for a favor?

Aldridge looked at the crowd around him, and stretched out his hand to signal the young woman to make an excuse to speak. The other party's request must be a private matter, and it is impossible for the public to speak directly.

Coming to the secluded place, Aldrich calmly listened to the young woman's request.

It turned out that her eight-year-old son fell down on a bicycle and injured a bone. He will have a minor operation tomorrow, but the little boy is terrified to death. The mother hopes that Aldridge can encourage him, because the little boy is from Millwall. Fans, most admire Aldridge standing on the sidelines without fear of everything like a general.

Aldridge agreed without even thinking about it.

After waving goodbye to the others, Aldridge and his three partners, led by the young woman, arrived at her home, an ordinary small apartment.

When Aldrich pushed the door and walked into the child's bedroom, the listless little guy lying on the bed instantly petrified, and he opened his mouth wide and stammered for a long time before asking: You, you, you are, Aldrich, yes, yes ?

Aldrich nodded, came to the bed and sat down, he saw the little boy's arms wrapped in gauze and hanging on his chest, he was indeed injured.

The little boy was delighted, and he continued to stammer about his love for Millwall.

Aldridge could tell that in the little boy's bedroom, Millwall's family portrait posters of this season were hung on the wall beside the bed, and there were also pictures of many players, Nedved, Larsson, Trezeguet , Makelele, etc., are all photographs of a certain moment of the heroic stadium.

Hey, you have surgery tomorrow, right?

The little boy turned pale when he heard this, and nodded in fear.

Aldridge lowered his head, pointed to his forehead near his hair, and said, Do you see a scar here?

The little boy looked carefully, and sure enough, he saw a small scar near the root of the hair. He replied, Yes, how did it come about? Is it a birthmark?

No, I fell when I was ten years old, and I was going to have an operation. I was also very scared, and I cried. You are braver than me, at least you haven't cried yet.

Aldrich's words stunned the little boy for a long time.

However, he still said worriedly: What if the anesthesia doesn't work tomorrow? It will definitely hurt.

Are you a man?

of course!

Do you love your mother?

Of course I love it! The world's favorite!

Okay, listen to me carefully, before I went to the operation, I was scared to death, but I saw my mother shed tears because of worrying about me, so, I told myself, I can't make her worry about me, because I have grown up, the real man is not how strong he is, but the courage and confidence that can give others, if you are really a man, do you know what to do?

The little boy stared blankly at Aldrich, and in the eyes of the other side's encouragement, the little boy's expression became serious, and he jumped off the bed suddenly and ran out of the room.

Aldridge heard the boy's firm words from the living room in the bedroom.

Mom, I'm not afraid at all. It's just a minor operation. It will pass after I sleep. You don't have to worry about it. It's nothing, it's a small thing.

The corners of Aldridge's mouth raised, and when he walked out of the room, Ivan, who was standing outside the door, gave him a thumbs up with his mouth pursed, and then asked in a low voice, Did you cry in fright?

I just fell and passed out. When I woke up, the operation had already been done.

Aldridge suppressed a smile and blinked his left eye at her.

Evan laughed dumbfoundedly.

The little boy's mother knew that Aldrich's encouragement had played a big role, so she kindly persuaded Aldrich to stay at home with his friends for dinner, but Aldrich declined the enthusiasm of the mother and child, so she and Ivan, Vaughn Ryder and Brady stayed together, but they didn't have the self-consciousness of the guests, and offered to help cook the dinner.

A modest but very pleasant dinner in this small apartment...