Firelighter | ✓

zwei

12 months ago,

'Tobi, slow down'

Kick

'Tobias, I mean it slow down'

'Lewy, you are no fun.'

Even thought Robert Lewandowski is a professional footballer, it took awhile for his body to response after 4 months of no training. Plus, he wasn't that interesting of playing football today.

He rather sat in the house laying in front of the fireplace nursing a glass of warm milk and his mama's homemade caramel cookies with chocolate rice.

But his 6 years old nephew, Tobias thought it would be great to play football in the cold day of Dortmund. Because Robert was too lazy to drive and took him to the nearby football field, he settled for the front yard.

'But Lewy,'

Little Toby frowned and tried to stop the ball with the heels of his feet. Instead the ball slipped and flew outside of the wooden fence of the front yard.

'But, Danni. Listen to me--'

Elle Hernandez just wanted to go home and rest. It was a rough today on construction site where she worked as a site engineer. 'Please come by,' Her sister, Danielle begged through the loud noise in the background, 'I've made you lasagna with extra meat and cheese.'

The younger girl laughed.

'You are trying to get me fat!'

'Now that you are talking, woman, I need to complain.' Danielle muttered, 'You, kleine schwester, need to eat something. All this work is killing you softly. What did you eat today, Ellie?'

Elle laughed and took a right turn at the next exit. 'Well, I had some french toast today for breakfast and McDonald's double cheeseburger for lunch and lots of lots of latte.' She glanced at the cold Crispy Caramel Frap in the cup holder, 'Did you know that Starbucks' Crispy Caramel Frap tasted hella good with a small touch of cinnamon?'

She listened as her older started laughing at the end of the call.

'Only you who think everything with a dash of cinnamon is hella good.'

She giggled, 'Hella true.'

All of sudden, something hit the windshield startling the girl. 'Holy shit.' Elle quickly hit the brake pedal (bless her habit of wearing seatbelt unlike her sister)

The car skidded and hit the grass verge.

'Do kurwy nędzy! (Fuck!)' Robert's eyes went wide as his eyes witnessed the little accident. 'Lewy!' Toby pushed him; ushering to go and checked the driver. Robert was glued to the grass, startled.

'Toby!'

'I wan to see and say sorry!'

The little boy ran out of the front yard.

'Ellie! Ellie, gottverdammt, answer me!' With shaky hand, Elle reached for the phone that had slipped down on the floor of the passenger's seat. 'I-I'm okay. Shit my legs are shaking.'

'Are you okay?' Danielle asked, panicking.

'I'm okay. My car just skidded a little. Fuck, I need to take a deep breath. I'll call you back okay?'

Turning the keys in the ignition off, she unbuckled herself and exited the car.

'Are you okay?'

A voice startled her and she turned around; greeted by a brown haired boy. She cussed and nodded, 'Yeah, I'm okay.' She glanced at the ball (it was Adidas brand; that must have cost a lot on that)

'Schatzi, is that your ball?'

The boy nodded and his expression fell, 'I'm sorry for kicking the ball. I swear I didn't mean too.' She smiled weakly and ruffled his hair.

(I'm just glad it wasn't you, schatzi, she thought)

'Where are your daddy?'

'Tobias Lewandowski, I swear to god.'

Speaking of the devil.

Wait, Lewandowski? 'Your father is Robert Lewandowski?' She blurted out in surprised. Of course, she knows football. She grew up in Dortmund, city of Borussia Dortmund. She literally can list all the players in a blink of an eye.

'Nah, Lewy is my uncle.'

'Tobias.' She watched as the footballer twisted the ear of the little boy (not enough to actually pain him) and scolded the boy in Polish.

'I just want to check if she's okay.' Toby frowned and crossed his arms across his chest and puffed.

'I'm alright. Thank you for your concern, schatzi.' She laughed, playfully pinching the boy's cheek. The boy giggled.

'You are pretty.' The boy said with a bright smile, 'Do you want to marry my Uncle Lewy?'

Robert's eyes widened and Elle flushed.

'Tobias.'

'Mama said you need to get a girlfriend soon and she's really pretty.' Milena; Robert's sister did a little too good job in teaching her son on being honest. He cursed her quietly.

'Take your ball and go inside now.'

Robert ordered the boy; a slight tone of nervous hinted in his voice. 'But, Lewy, I didn't even know her name.' The little boy tried to whisper but he clearly noticed that the girl was listening.

'My name is Elle.' She muttered, smiling softly. She picked the ball and kneel in front of him, 'It's nice to meet you, schatzi.' She muttered handing the ball.

'But, Ellie my name is Tobias not scha--shatz--' Clearly Tobias was not exposed to German as he struggled to pronounce the word. 'Well, it's schatzi is a German word. It's a word for sweetheart.' The boy giggled.

'Toby.' Robert's voice startled both of Elle and Tobias from their little conversation.

'It's nice meeting you, kochanie! Buhbyeee!'

'You stay careful okay?' She waved the boy goodbye.

The little boy squealed excitingly and ran towards the house across the street. 'Tobias is your sister's kid?' She asked, smilling, 'And what is kochanie? Is it polish?'

'Yeah, he is. He came here to visit me. I live here.' He said and mentally slapping himself. Too much info, Lewy, too much, he thought.He nodded, 'Kochanie means sweetheart too.' He watched as she blushed. Her spine tingled as if he was calling her sweetheart.

Who can help, this boy is gorgeous.

'Oh wow, my sister lives 3 blocks away. I'm here to visit her too.' She stopped and covered her mouth, 'Wait, schieße, did I just tell you where my sister lives? For fuck's sake, you could be a serial killer.'

His eyebrows crunched and he laughed, 'I can assure you, I'm not a serial killer. The only thing I kill is my opponent's clean sheet.' He joked and she began to laugh, nodding.

'You did great in the last game.' She held her hand up and smiled, 'My name is Elle.'

He smiled too, 'Robert.'

-

Present

He smiled as the memory of their first meeting came as flashback in his mind. Peeling the comforter, he flipped the lights on and rushed to where the letter is.

Ripping the envelope, he grabbed the pen and scratched out the post script and wrote a new one.

P/s: Do you remember how we first met? Because apparently I do remember Elle, I do.