Glory Glory Rebels

Chapter 8 Familiar but Stange

Just outside Market Street was a bus stop that took passengers into the city. Rudy knew that he had the options to take a cab, but for reasons he couldn’t explain he felt like catching the bus today. Maybe because it was familiar to him, he was used to catching the bus, it was almost a habit for him.

The bus was almost completely empty, Rudy wondered if the buses were always this deserted or was it just luck that he got a quiet bus. He had his choice of seats, he picked a seat in the middle of the bus, next to the window.

He sat down and opened the window, as the bus drove off a gentle breeze blew the hair back from his face, enjoying the pleasant sensation. The sites going past the window were both familiar and strange, Rudy had mixed feelings about it.

He felt strange because although the town was familiar to him, the buildings were very different to what he remembered. But as the bus went further and further towards the city, Rudy began to feel more comfortable and at ease with his surroundings.

The thing that threw him the most was the lack of sky scrapers and tall apartment buildings. Usually on his way to work, the sky was partially blocked by the buildings. He would usually pass dense industrial areas and packets of land, building another block of high rise apartments.

But seeing Manchester like this, made Rudy think that he was somewhere else, he could have been in a developing suburb by the look of it. The bus rolled through the outskirts of the city and now Rudy caught his first glimpse of a skyscraper, it still was nowhere near as tall as the building he knew, but it was still an impressive sight.

The building stood out on the skyline, it was relatively modern. The buildings surrounding it were short and squat, with an antique feel to them. However the city was structured in such a manner that was appealing to the eye, easy to navigate and had a somewhat calming air about it.

The last stop was Piccadilly Park, Rudy got off the bus but he was not in a rush to get home. Instead he caught another bus to Old Trafford. Trafford Park was located on the outskirts on the other side of the city, it was a very spacious area that contained Europe’s largest shopping mall and Manchester United’s home field.

Rudy walked through Sir Matt Busby Avenue intersection toward Trafford Park. The intersection was in the middle of the shopping centre, with a massive parking lot. On match days it was difficult to find a parking spot, other than that the centre was relatively quiet.

Rudy stood at the intersection for a moment, from here he could clearly see the huge billboards outside the stadium. He saw a poster of Ryan Giggs and he had to laugh.

“My god those brothers look alike! Maybe I should hang a poster of Ryan Giggs at our stadium, it might attract it might confuse some people and attract more fans.” Rudy murmured to himself and laughed again, he wouldn’t be deceitful to his fans but it was amusing.

Rudy’s dream had always been to visit the home field of every major league football team across Europe, he had always been a massive fan of the game. However, he did not expect the mixed feeling he had now.

He was here, looking at the home ground of Manchester United. He was in awe but it also put a fire on his belly, Manchester United would soon be their opponents. For now, Manchester United probably wouldn’t even notice them but Rudy would make sure that his team made their way to the Premier League.

He knew that it would not be an easy task but he was determined to make this work, he was not going to give up without a fight. Rudy was obsessed with football, ever since he was little and although he had tried to play he found that he had no talent whatsoever. So he became a massive supporter instead.

However, it seemed that Rudy had been given another chance to be involved in the football world in a different capacity, he was not going to let this opportunity go to waste. He saw this as an added bonus now, most people only get one shot to follow their dreams, but Rudy was being given another go and he resolved to make the most of it.

Out of the blue, a train came rattling past, startling Rudy. He watched as the carriages whizzed past him, when the last carriage went Rudy felt a sense of relief and purpose, as if the train had through and clean the slate for a brand new chapter in his life. He had a goal to not only play against Manchester United, but to beat them.

Rudy took a deep cleansing breath and saw a familiar, lone figure standing beneath the statue of Sir Matt Busby. The figure was looking up at the face of the statue with a serious look.

“Do you like Manchester United?” Rudy asked quietly as he approached the person.

“I do. I came all the way from London to come and see this statue. I have a lot of respect for Sir Matt Busby, he is a legend!” Curtis Davis smiled sincerely.

“I see, if you like Manchester United so much, then can I ask why you were at the Rebels trials and registration today?” Rudy asked but not impolitely.