ONLY THE STRONG ONES SURVIVE

Stefan was now playing well in the Albania league and was keeping up with consistency. He was also training well and was watching his diet in order to keep fit. The management was happy with the performance of the player they brought on loan. The money they invested in him was now paying off. They lacked a player who creates chances and assists consistently. One of their biggest players brought in and stepped up. By the time the season was half way through there was winter. The Albania football federation had to halt the league to protect the players from getting sick. Stefan who had been to Spain and England had experienced snow before and the league was never stopped because of winter. He was wondering why in Albania the league was being halted. He had a lot of questions. The head coach told him after the winter break they will resume but the weather after the winter break is not good. Stefan nevertheless went home and had no other option but to stay at home and wait for the winter break to be over. There at home he was constantly getting bored since he was doing nothing at home. He got time to call his parents frequently. He got to talk to his parents and share the good news about his performances and how he was settling in well. He got to notice that there was something wrong at home but he could not figure it out. He noticed his father voice was very low as if he was sick. Whenever he asked Marcus if he was alright he dodged the question. Back there in London Marcus was slowly getting sick without him knowing. He was constantly coughing. Victoria had noticed that her husband was coughing and he needed to see a doctor. When ever he asked Marcus to go and see a doctor he declined the chance and said it was something minor. He constantly kept coughing. He was constantly taking hot lemon and hoping to get better. One day Victoria was at the sink and saw blood and she knew Marcus needed help. She immediately called an ambulance for Marcus. In less than 10 minutes the ambulance came and was ready to pick Marcus. Victoria told Marcus she had a called an ambulance and he is going to the hospital. In no time Marcus was taken into the ambulance as he got treatment. The doctors started operating on him while in the van to know what was wrong with Marcus. They reached the nearest hospital and Victoria was told to wait outside as they operation Marcus. Victoria had to be patient and wait to hear from the doctors as she said her prayers. Inside the operation room the doctors realized that Marcus is asthmatic. They then tried to treat him in the mean time as they looked for an inhaler for him. After the operation on him the doctors had to break the bad news to her wife Victoria. At first she could not believe what she was told Victoria was very anxious. She was getting paranoid. The doctors had to drug her so that she gets some sleep by the time she was awake she was now calm and relaxed. They had to look for a counselor to help her. Meanwhile the doctors also told Marcus of his situation and the required medication. By the end of the day both of them were good to be discharged. Victoria called an uber and they both went home. She was instructed Marcus will be receiving treatment at home. Victoria told Marcus he needs to rest she will be the one to provide for the family. That would be a tough task for her but she was up for it. Victoria asked Marcus if they should tell Stefan about it? Marcus did not want his son to know about it since he feared it would interfere with his performance on the pitch. He said when the right time comes. In Albania Stefan was busy fighting for the league title in his new club. He was constantly trying his best to put in great performances and help the club. The advantage his team had was it won the league title many times and they had experience. The only good thing was Stefan complimented their style of play. His confidence was also growing at a young age. Stefan now cemented his position at the starting line up. Back there in London Victoria was handling a lot on her own. She was working at the hospital for almost 24 hours and she was spending a lot of money on her husbands medication. She was also in charge of the bills in the house. Doing everything on her own was making them poor. Nevertheless she still tried her best to balance everything around her. As time went by they found themselves moving into a cheaper house and living a terrible life. Stefan got to finish his loan spell at Albania with 7 goals and 13 assists in just 18 matches. He got to lift his first silverware which was officially recognized. The ones he won before as a kid were not recognized. He could not believe he could play well just aged 16. He got to lift the big trophy and celebrate with his teammates. He now felt welcomed and comfortable. He even got to pick an award as the young player of the year in Albania thanks to his work rate. The season had come to an end and Stefan wanted to go home immediately he did not want to celebrate the title win with his teammates. He wanted to go home and spend his festive season with his family. He wasted no time and went to book a flight which leaves in the evening. He had time to say goodbye to his teammates and did so. At exactly 8 pm he took a flight and he slept in order to pass time. By the time he was waking up the plane was landing in the next 10 minutes. He woke up and prepared himself. After the flight landed he took a bus which was headed to London. When he arrived home he found it looking different. Then he found an old lady at the doorway. He asked her "where are his parents she said she does not know them? Stefan found it being odd, he went to ask his neighbors of their whereabouts? He was told they moved to west London a long time ago. Stefan wondered why he was not told about it, he started to feel betrayed. He went straight away to their new home in west London. When he saw where they had moved in he knew something was amiss. As he walked in he heard the doctor saying to his mother " he wont live long".