You Came From Nowhere

4

He text me and the next night I walked down to meet him, “Evening Lena, you look nice” I smiled. “Thanks, you too” I said and he held the door open, we sat talking “Hey last night what did you say?” I looked at him, “When you didn’t speak English” he added “Oh erm I maybe cursed at you, in all fairness I thought you were going to drop me” I reasoned and he laughed, we went to leave and I sighed “What’s wrong?” “My feet hurt” I admitted.

“Training all day does that to you” I nodded “You walk down?” “Yep” I said and he sighed, “Come on I’ll give you a piggy back,” he offered and I looked at him “I…I don’t understand” I mumbled “Piggy back? You know, jump on my back and I’ll carry you,” he explained.

“Oh, no its fine” “No come on I know how painful it can be, promise I won’t drop you. Come on” he smiled and I rolled my eyes. He carried me back to mine and I laughed as we got to mine “Thanks and I guess I learnt something new tonight” “You’ve never heard of it before?” I shook my head as he put me down.

I went to turn my cell off before the game and saw I had messages ‘Good luck, talk to you later x’ from my aunt ‘Hi, good luck for the game! I’m sorry I couldn’t make it I’m busy:( I’ll talk to you tomorrow xxx’ from my cousin and ‘Hey, good luck! I thought you said it wasn’t going to be busy? This place is packed; I’ll give you a ride home later if you want? Xx’ from Danny.

We won the game and Danny dropped me off home, I rang my cousin the next day and we talked and once again he argued that he was paying for my law school even if he had to come and hand the money over himself in cash. I’d been out with Danny a lot more in the last 2 weeks and he was really funny, he kept trying to catch me out with words hoping I’d not understand him but it wasn’t often he succeeded.

“Lena I’ve got the day off in a couple days time, well it’s not a total day off. I have training in the morning but I’m free from like 12am onwards, do you want to go out?” he asked, “I have my interview but I should be done for 12” I replied as I looked through the law books in front of me.

We agreed that I would meet him at the ground and I groaned as I set back to reading through countless books and pieces of paperwork they’d sent me about the law courses. I was nervous about my interview and sitting waiting for it I felt like I wanted to be sick! I walked out grabbing my phone checking the time before heading to meet Danny, I pulled up outside waiting for him and he rang me as he was leaving.

“Do you want to walk over to the park a couple blocks over or something and you can tell me all about this interview?” he suggested and I nodded as he kissed me, we walked to my car and he put his stuff in it before we went to walk off and I noticed a bus pull in. “What’s all that about?” “Oh we’ve got a game in a couple days and the other team has practise” he answered me and I nodded as I saw people getting off.

“Hang on” I said stopping watching them trying to see who I thought I’d seen “Is it…” “What?” he asked, “That’s Ben” “Roethlisberger? Yeah” he stated looking at me strange. “No way! Benjamin Todd Roethlisberger!” I shouted and he looked around as he heard his name before I practically ran straight in to him, “Excuse me young lady you…” “It’s fine, honestly! It’s my cousin! Lena what are you doing here?” he asked laughing as he picked me up as I still hugged him as the guy who’d been stood with him backed off.

“Well I live here unlike you, what the hell? What’s with the keeping it a secret?” I asked as he let me go putting me down “Well it was meant to be a surprise! I was going to come over because I’m kind of hoping I could stay with you” he smiled. “Well you’re lucky because you can stay with me, I can’t believe you’re here” I laughed hugging him again and he smiled his arm around my neck “Look I hate to have to go but I really have to go train, but I need to hear about school and that interview and basketball and everything young lady! So how about you swing by here for when I’m done and you can take me home” he grinned at me and I nodded letting him go.

“What time?” “About 4 hours?” I nodded hugging him again; “Hang on why are you here?” “Oh, I’ll explain later” I smiled at him and he nodded kissing both my cheeks before walking off. “Ben Roethlisberger? That’s your cousin and you don’t understand football,” Danny said and I looked around at him nodding “Are you for real?” “Yes, Ben’s my big cousin” I laughed as we walked off together.

“So Ben’s the person who pays for your school?” I nodded as I sat down on a wall in the park “I lived with his parents when I moved out here and he offered to pay. When I say offer I mean he said he’d never talk to me again if I didn’t take his money, I tried and he stuck to his word so I caved and let him have his way” I explained.

“How are you related?” “His dad and my dad are half brothers, we share a grandfather,” I said, “So you’re not fully related?” “No but does that make a difference, he’s my cousin. We share family, just because our fathers aren’t full brothers makes no difference, he was always my cousin growing up” I argued back becoming highly defensive of him.

“So you grew up together?” “As together as you can when you’re on differing continents and don’t speak the same language! I knew he existed and I would get things from his family, every Christmas and birthday I got something from them and every 6 months they’d send mail over to us and we’d send things to them but my mother would have to translate it to me. I used to get really angry with her for not letting me read it myself, when I was about 4 Ben used to send his own letters to me when the mail came. I decided to learn English so I could understand what he was saying” I said as he looked at me from where he sat at my side.

“So he can’t speak German or anything?” “He can a bit now, he picked up from me I guess. When I first came here he made a big effort with me and getting me outside to talk to people, he was like my own little translator. His German’s pretty good, he’ll often talk with me in it” I admitted. “Cool, so you get on well then?” I nodded “He’s family” “Sorry it’s just so weird, I mean I know of Ben and I never even knew he had a cousin or that he could speak another language. You don’t look the same or anything, I mean Ben’s like well known and I never even knew” he replied.

“We’re cousins, we don’t have to look the same. People who really know me know about it but it’s not something I freely tell people, when I got here people were weird about it occasionally. Anyway can we not talk about this?” I asked and he nodded asking me about my interview. I saw the time and realised I’d have to get back, “Danny we’ve got to go. I have to take Ben home as well so I’ll drop you off on the way to mine if you want still?” I offered and he nodded “Are you sure I mean I can get a lift with someone” he suggested.

“No it’s fine, come on” I said walking off and he walked with me, we got in my car and I saw Ben walk out with his friends and he pointed over to the car before saying bye and walking to us. I got out opening the trunk “You’ll have to get in the back, we’ve got to drop someone off before we go home though” I smiled at him as he nodded.