THE PLAYERS SERIES : S.M. {book 2}

I

Life is unpredictable

it changes with the seasons

even the coldest of winters

happens for a good yet hidden reason

and though it feels like eternity

spring always end up by coming

and with it, brand new leaves in the trees

Six months ago, if a stranger stopped me on the street to ask me a simple question such as 'are you happy', I would've told them that I had achieved my dream life : small house, loving husband, successful soccer career, healthy family, and so on. But if life taught me anything, it was that time is a troubled concept, a way of measuring our lives, but it never is self-explanatory or evident. Sometimes, six months can feel like six years, and with them come the many changes of such a lapse of time. 

You know this weird feeling when you see your life slipping through your fingers, as if every bad choice you had ever made was coming right back to your face? Well, this is exactly what I am feeling when the plane touches down Barcelona, Spain. 

You may wonder, 'how did World Champion Samantha Mewis, incontestable USWNT star and Kansas City co-captain, get from being the brightest star in the sky to a vulgar spark left from old explosions?' Well, let me tell you one thing: time passes, and it can destroy even the strongest of minds. 

And yet, I smile, not thinking about everything that happened in the past six months - basically, the end of my sorry-ass life as I knew it. I couldn't think about it, otherwise I would spiral into depression and just give up. No, instead, I just pray every night that this second chance here in Europe would be my rebirth, such as Venus coming out of the sea in that famous painting.

The Uber driver from the airport to the apartment I would be sharing with two of my teammates was quiet, and it felt like it lasted three hours rather than 45 minutes. Although the landscapes and sights of the city were extraordinary, I couldn't wrap my head around the fact that I had to leave everything and everyone I love behind in the U.S. to come here. Barcelona represents both a dream and a cemetery to me. 

The chessboard buildings paraded before my eyes until the car stopped in front of a lovely suburban building, in front of which two women were waiting for me, obviously, holding very dramatic yet adorable signs where one could read: 'welcome, Sam!'. I immediately recognize Swedish star Fridolina Rolfö, whose path I had crossed more than once during international duty, as well as Swiss sticker Ana-Maria Crnogorčević, aka the other two internationals who Barça were offering a place to live to. 

As soon as I get out of the Uber, both women come to salute me.

"Bienvenido a Barcelona, Sam!" Ana greets me with a perfect Spanish accent. 

Smirking, I immediately respond:

"Although my level of Spanish probably equals the one of a fifth grader, I got that, so gracias!" 

"How was the trip?" Fridolina asks, while she and Ana each grab one of my luggage to help me out. 

While I start telling them about my misadventures with the vending machine, and then with the security check where I had to undergo a full drug test that lasted a whole hour, we get my luggages to my new room.