Till There Was You

Steven found his seat aboard the Lufthansa plane and took out his German phrasebook and sent a text to Xabi. Lucky this is a short flight, I can't wait to see Xabi and the family again, he thought.

The flight touched down in Munich barely two hours later and Steven grabbed his bag as he followed the passengers off the plane. He smiled in relief when he saw Xabi waiting for him, the tall Basque man looking dapper as ever in his black peacoat over black slacks, white buttoned down shirt and black tie with shades, his brown hair neatly combed and his ginger beard trimmed. "Kaixo, amigo. Nagore is preparing lunch and the kids are with her, maybe we can do a bit of sightseeing", he said in his soft Spanish-accented English.

"I've never seen much of Germany before, you're learning any?", he asked.

"Si, it's close enough to English that I get it. The kids are going to a German language school and Nagore is taking lessons, since we all speak Basque, German ought to be easy", he chuckled.

"I'm learning Spanish, the blokes make me put money in a pot when I use English and it's working", he laughed.

Xabi nodded in approval as he took out a set of keys and opened the doors to a sleek black BMW. "And you have a new girlfriend, verdad?", he asked.

Xabi laughed at the startled look on Steven's face as he got in the driver's seat and turned on the engine, Coldplay coming over the speakers. "Amigo, you look happier than since the divorce. It has to be a woman", he teased.

Steven blushed. "Aye, Xabi. This is my girl, she's Luis's sister", he said, showing him a picture on his phone.

"Si, ella esta bonita. Just don't make Luis mad at you, he could bite your face off", he joked.

"That's better advice than what Carra gave me, he said not to have Luis catch me shagging her", he said dryly.

"Carra always had a strange sense of humor, amigo. But that is good advice, I wouldn't like catching a guy with my sister like that either. And make sure to use protection, if she's a good Catholic girl and you get her pregnant, Luis would get the shotgun out", he joked.

"All right, Mum. It's a bit early in our relationship for that, I think she's stll a virgin since she never had a boyfriend before, Luis scared all the boys away", he chuckled.

"Si, verdad. Nagore and the kids miss you, we'll try to catch your games on the telly", he said.

"You still talk like a Scouser, Xabi", teased Steven.

"I lived there for four years, that's an accent you never leave behind. If I stil played in Madrid, I'd be able to see you more often Munich is good. The guys are great and they speak English so that helps, but my German is improving", said Xabi.

Steven nodded in understanding as Xabi drove on the autobahn out towards the suburbs of Munich. "Some of the boys recommended I take the family to the mountains for a holiday, many of the guys have holiday houses in the Alps. Bavaria is very scenic, there's a lot of mountains and lakes and forestes", he said.

"The boys said I ought to visit the Costa Brava, many of them got holiday homes there. My pale English self can't tolerate the hot sun", he joked.

"Me neither, Donostia isn't nearly as hot as down south. I never got used to Madrid summers, I need rain", said Xabi.

Xabi parked in the driveway and opened the door as Ane grabbed Steven's leg. "Tio Steven!", she yelled.

Steven chuckled as he picked up the little girl, rubbing their noses together and kissing her cheek. "Hola, Ane. Donde esta Jon?", he asked.

"Hola, Tio Steven", said Jon, shifting the football under his arm.

"Hola Jon", he replied.

Ane let go of Steven as Nagore embraced her husband kissed each of his cheeks. "Hola Steven y bienvenidos a Munich. Lunch will be ready soon", she said.

"Gracias Nagore", he replied graciously.

"You never got a chance to see the baby, Steven", said Xabi, leading him upstairs.

Lying in a cot inside the nursery was a baby girl taking a nap, her wispy brown curls framing her tiny face. "This is our daughter Emma", he whispereed.

"She's gorgeous, Xabi", he replied.

"Verdad, lucky the girls look like their mother', he chuckled as they left the room.

Steven was thoughtful as he sat at the kitchen table, watching Jon and Ane through the window as they kicked a ball around. That reminds me of my girls, Emma is just like Lourdes when she was a baby, he thought with a sigh.

"You can't keep thinking about her, Stevie. You have a new girlfriend, a new club, a new country and a new start. Think of the positive and get rid of the negative", said Xabi.

"I understand that in a logical sense, but getting a divorce after eleven years of marriage is hard. Part of me will always miss Alex, but I have to get on with me life", said Steven thoughtfully.

"Then do it, amigo. You're in a new country, a new league, a new city and you have a new girlfriend. I can tell you like her a lot, Stevie", teased Xabi as Steven blushed.

"Tienes novia, Steven?", asked Nagore.

"Si, Nagore. This is Aracelis, Luis' sister", he said, showing her a picture from his phone.

"Ella esta bonita, Stevie. Don't do anything stupid to make him mad at you", she teased.

"Everyone bloody tells me that, Luis is my mate and I know better", he grumbled good-naturedly.

"Si, but South Americans are very protective of their women, even more than Spanish guys. Just warning you", said Xabi with a grin.

"I really miss your cooking, Nagore. I have to ask the guys where to find good Basque food", he said, grabbing a plate and helping himself to several bite-sized pieces of bread topped with various kinds of fish and sausages.

"Gracias, I knew you were coming so I did some shopping, I know how much you love Basque food", she chuckled.

"And we are having bacalao tomorrow, I'm going to boil the fish after lunch", she said.

"And don't say anything, Steven. I know you English are a cold bunch, but us Spanish are known for our hospitality", teased Xabi.

"When my nan had company, she would put on the kettle and make tea and set out biscuits, it's an English thing", he chuckled.

Steven took one last sip of wine and smiled in thanks. "We're going to have our siesta", said Xabi.

Steven nodded in understanding as he helped Nagore clean up the dishes. When the family went upstairs, he sent a text to Aracelis and opened his German phrasebook. Steven felt his phone vibrate when he saw she had texted him back, sending her another as they had a little chat. I feel like I'm back in maths class passing notes, he thought with a wry chuckle.