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[Date: 12/03/2020 | Ti: 01:15 AM | Location: Holiday Inn, Liverpool]
The team bus pulled into the small parking lot behind the modest Holiday Inn. The usual post-match chatter had faded during the ride, replaced by yawns, sighs, and a sense of confusion. No one had prepared for this. Not even the ticulous logistics team, who were now on the phone with three airlines at once.
To their luck, due to their "fa", the airport higher-ups organised a booking at a nearby hotel, so they didn’t have to sleep in the airport like many others. Peter Bosz was already off the bus before it ca to a complete stop. He paced along the covered entrance, phone pressed tightly to his ear on yet another phone call.
Their not getting on the flight raised alarms back ho in various departnts. Most were confused and were asking for clarification, especially since they had an aeroplane crash scare earlier in the year. "Yes, Simon, I’m looking at the place now. No, it’s not a proper hotel, but the best available at this hour... Ja... they’ve booked the entire top floor; at least they can do if you asked ."
"Just hang in there; we’re working overti to get an answer and figure out a solution to get you ho," Simon responded, already standing in the club’s HR office that had now turned into a situation room. "Sir, we managed to get through to Chairman Wenning, though he is less than pleased to be woken from his sleep."
"Give 10 minutes; inform him of what we know so far," He responded to the staff mber before going back to his call with Bosz.
"I need you to handle the rest now. Because if this is as bad as I’m hearing, us staying here is not an option; you know how emotionally unstable footballers are." The Dutch manager said with a light frown as he waved the last of his staff into the lobby.
~~~
[Inside – Holiday Inn Executive Floor | Room 412]
Rakim dropped his duffel bag by the side of the bed, exhaling through his nose as he looked around the room. The room was plain: beige walls, twin beds, and a distant view of the terminal’s glowing lights. He took out his phone, unlocked the "Rex Family 💛" group chat, and thumb-typed a quick ssage:
---
Rakim: Reached the Hotel, so no dusty airport benches for your boy.
May: You good, tho? Like... really?
Rakim: Yeah, I’m fine, more tired than anything, really; despite barely playing 15 minutes, it feels like I played the whole ga.
Dad: You did go all out from the first second. We couldn’t believe you did that to a grown man. 🤣🤣🤣
Mom: That’s no way a Christian should act.
Dad: I saw you repost the video on all your social dia, and even your girls’ night out group chat wasn’t spared.
Mom: 🛏👉🏽🛋
Emma: If you’re stuck in England, you can co down to Scotland and stay with Jenna, and we’re planning on driving down to their farm to join the rest of the McKinnon clan.
Rakim: I should be okay; the club won’t let us rot here. I can check if you can tag along on the flight, and then you can join and May in Cologne.
Emma: No, I will be fine staying with Jenna; it beats being cooped up in the city. I hear they are talking about lockdowns.
Rakim: Fair enough, but I wouldn’t really call where we live as being cooped up. Mom, & Dad, will you two be okay alone in Orlando?
Mom: Don’t worry about us, sweetie; we’re staying busy diversifying our business into remote working.
Emma: How do you work out at the gym remotely?
Mom: I’m paying my personal trainers by letting them post workout videos on our app so that people can do them from ho or in their garden. They also get to host live classes once a week, earning a portion of the commissions. Still, I’ve been working on a al ingredient delivery service that your Dad is helping with, so in a way, I’m busier than before the lockdown.
Dad: I just switched from custor service to B2B, and people will eventually get bored, so we shifted to marketing goods that can be used at ho, think board gas, darts, etc.
Emma: Okay, we get it; you two are too busy to miss us (sniff).
Rakim: It’s Okay, Emma; we will always have the mories of the good days.
Mom: Sigh, how neither of you chose to beco an actor baffles ?
Dad: Let’s try again.
Rakim: -_-
Emma: -_-
May: -_-
Mom: I will set out the couch for you.
Dad: But we have a free guest room
Mom: -_-
Mom: The couch it is.
---
~~~
Rakim slid open the stiff glass door and stepped out onto the balcony in his YEEZY slides, which he carried in his duffel bag for every ga. The air was sharp with the late-winter chill, or what British citizens might call a regular Thursday. Below, the empty car park shimred under the pale orange hue of the floodlights. A few other players had lights on in their rooms, but the building had mostly quieted.
A faint click followed behind him. "Figured you’d be out here," Wirtz murmured, pulling the door closed behind him as he joined Rakim, dressed in a hoodie and joggers. "Kinda surreal, huh?"
Rakim didn’t answer at first. He just stared off at the glow from the airport in the distance, thankful he wasn’t stuck there. "Yeah," he said finally. "It’s crazy how slow the governnts are to react. Florida went into lockdown at the start of the month. Yet, the president is still denying the existence of the pandemic."
Wirtz leaned against the balcony rail. "(Sigh) You think they’ll cancel the league?" he asked, clearly not willing to talk about the failure of the governnts.
"I think..." Rakim hesitated, tapping his fingers against the railing. "I think if this virus spreads to the point they are cancelling flights, no one will care about grown n chasing a ball around the pitch. You should probably stock up on toilet paper."
Wirtz blinked. "Wait—what does toilet paper have to do with the pandemic?"
Rakim glanced over at him, one brow raised like it should’ve been obvious. "Nothing, well, you could call it a master stroke of fear marketing. People are lining up to pay $5 for a set of 3 rolls of toilet paper just because so genius started a rumour and idiots picked it up; now it’s like war zones. #No2 and #WeNeedAShit are trending on Twitter next to drinking bleach can cure the virus."
Wirtz shook his head in disbelief, letting out a soft chuckle. "Man, we’re living in a simulation."
Rakim smirked. "Nah, if this were a simulation, I wouldn’t be stuck in a Holiday Inn with you. I’d be on a beach in Bora Bora with May feeding grapes."
"That’s oddly specific," Wirtz noted, then squinted out into the car park. "You think this is gonna ss with our season? Like—really ss with it?"
There was a pause with neither of them speaking. Both already knew the answer to that question, and despite understanding it, neither liked it. They were on the way to winning major silverware this season with a team whose chemistry clicked like ten thousand dominos set up.
"They might let us continue the season after lockdown, though I doubt our form will be the sa," Rakim responded after pondering the interest involved by the teams currently doing well. "It will be a ssed-up schedule with the 2020 Euros set to be played later in a couple of months. Basically, we’re f$@£ed,"
Wirtz inhaled sharply through his nose, then leaned forward, elbows braced on the railing. "I was just starting to get minutes, man. Like real minutes. I feel like everything’s just beginning—and now..."
He didn’t finish the sentence, but Rakim nodded in understanding. "Don’t worry, I don’t say this a lot and an it, but you, my friend, are the real deal. Just use the lockdown as a chance to improve further, ready to steal a starting spot when the old n in the squad feel the fatigue."
Wirtz gave a slight nod, his breath visible in the cold. "Yeah. No pressure, huh?" he muttered with a dry smile. "Just beco the best version of myself while the world burns outside."
Rakim snorted. "That’s the best ti to level up."
A beat of silence passed between them, with both of them enjoying the comfortable silence. The rumble of a plane engine far off in the night, marooned between sky and earth, as it descended onto the landing tarmac. Then their phones buzzed against the tal railing, causing both of them to snatch them up instinctively.
---
[Simon Rolfes: Group Email to All Leverkusen Players & Staff | Sent: 01:39 AM]
Subject: Situation Update – Return to Germany
Dear Team,
Firstly, let start by congratulating all of you on a magnificent performance tonight. Your effort, discipline, and unity made everyone at Bayer 04 Leverkusen proud—thank you.
Now, regarding the situation we currently face:
As you are aware, your scheduled return flight was cancelled due to increased travel restrictions and safety asures related to COVID-19. While this is an evolving situation beyond our control, rest assured, we are actively working on a resolution.
Our club, in coordination with Bayer AG’s executive network, has escalated the matter to the relevant diplomatic channels. This includes ongoing communication with German health and border authorities, the Foreign Office, and relevant stakeholders in the UK governnt.
In the anti, you have all been accommodated at the Holiday Inn – Executive Floor. Please remain in your rooms and avoid contact with non-club personnel unless authorised. We understand this is frustrating, but your cooperation is essential for your safety and the Team’s.
Further updates will be sent via email and team group chat. If you feel unwell at any point, report it imdiately to our dical staff.
Stay calm. Rest. And know that everything possible is being done to bring you ho swiftly and safely.
With respect and appreciation,
Simon Rolfes
Managing Director of Bayer 04 Leverkusen
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To be Continued...
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