The End and the Beginning

December 16^th, another memorable day of my life. It was supposed to be the last day of my life. However destiny had other plans in store for me. My club nailed the final blow on my coffin when they organized a charity match in my favor bidding me adieu. This was a strong statement from the chairman to the fans that the days of Roy Lucas were officially over.

By the way if you are wondering who this Roy Lucas is, that’s me. Roy Lucas, the most successful centre back, not only in the premier league but probably also the whole world. Nicknamed the ‘Bulldozer’, I was a nemesis to the opponent strikers. It was my hard work and ability which made the club attain a record sixty nine clean sheets in the last two years.

The charity match also ended any hopes I had of making a miraculous return to the game. I wanted to serve my club and had proposed the chairman about working there as a coach for the youth and reserves. As I eventually gained fitness maybe I could have somehow made a comeback to the game itself as a player. I had also agreed to a massive fifty nine percent salary decrease. Although I would never be the same player, yet I deserved a last chance after what I had done for the club in these last few years. If I could not make a comeback which was the most likely situation, I could have at least trained the youth and reserves with my experience of the game so that they would benefit the club in future. However Chairman Dempsey had other ideas. He answered my proposal with this charity match marking the official end of my career.

I had seen enough. In the last seven months I had seen the world around me change drastically. The people around me whom I had trusted as my own had all gone missing at these tough times. The only one that still remained is John. He would still turn up every weekend to cheer me up. He would try to light up my life while I was submerged in darkness. I am really thankful to God that he sent an angel in his form to stay with me. However I had reached a point where I was shattered physically and completely broken emotionally. So, I reached at the obvious decision. It had to end.

December 16^th, the day when it was to end once and for all. I woke up early in the morning and worked out for one last time. I really wanted to end it all in a good shape. I had my breakfast- Milk, bacon and egg.

I read the newspaper one last time. Then I had my shower and shaved one last time. I put on my fleece jacket and tracks. It was snowing heavily outside with strong winds and the neighborhood looked deserted. A day meant for staying indoors except for mad men like me who had some really important tasks to be done. I took out my bike the Honda CBF600 and decided to cruise off the snow clad road. Only a lunatic would have ever dared to ride his bike in this snowstorm, but I had nothing to lose. I headed towards the river at full throttle. The roads were covered with snow and my bike was skidding………….a perfect scenario. An accident would hide the suicide bid completely and my task would be fulfilled with great ease.

The river was just round the corner. The dense fog made the situation more interesting. I was planning to get to the bridge in full speed and then jump off into the river with the bike. I tied my left leg with the bike with a rope that I had brought along. Then I speeded towards the bridge one last time. As I turned round the first corner I put on full throttle and headed for the middle of the bridge. I could see the end of my life coming up in few moments. I took one last deep breath and prepared to slide my bike towards the edge of the bridge. As I prepared to ram the bike along the railings, suddenly out of the fog a figure appeared standing there. I could not sacrifice an innocent life in the process of killing myself. So I hit the brakes as hard as I could. The bike skidded off the road and fell down. However the momentum carried the bike along with me tied to it towards the railing. All I heard was a scream from the man standing by the railing before I lost my senses. It seems that unknowingly my life had come to an end. In the process of killing myself I seem to have murdered an innocent man.

So, this was the End.

No, not exactly, this was the Beginning. This is where I began my new life.