the Devil and the Sea

1| Welcome to my world

Love brings pain.

How many times have I heard these wise and yet banal words?

In relationships. In sex. In football. The only three things that matter in my life.

I repeat these words once again as I fall to the ground with a loud thump. 

Shit. That hurt.

"Watch out, you moron!" I shout to a player from the opposing team, who tripped me just as I reached their goal.
But, just like in real life, there is no referee on the soccer field right now. It's every man for himself, doing what he wants, but there's no one to complain to.

I wrap my left knee with an elastic bandage, fixing the end above the knee with one hand, and with the other, I stretch it, doing several rounds around the joint. Finally, I secure it with tape.

I move my foot to make sure the bandage fits well. I raise my head to look at the small beach soccer field where they've been waiting for me. I press my feet deeper into the sand, smelling the Mediterranean Sea, and expose my face to the wind that smells of salt and seaweed.

Today is the twenty-third of June. The day in Sitges turned out to be too hot, making the slight coolness of the evening breeze a welcome relief. The sun moves lazily towards the horizon, painting the sea a shimmering orange hue.

Like every Tuesday, my friends and I gather at St. Sebastian Beach to play beach soccer. This beach is located on the north side of the city. It is still a lively area, but it is further away from the hustle and bustle of Sitges that appears in all tourist guides. Yes, there are a lot of beachgoers here in the middle of the day, but by the evening the place calms down and becomes our best and cheapest place to play football.

It's a beautiful beach, about half a kilometer long. It has a few chiringuitos (seaside bars for those unfamiliar with Spanish) selling great beer and tapas. Behind the chiringuito line, there is a wide promenade lined with beachfront restaurants: mostly seafood and rice paired with classic tourist food... nothing fancy. They all now begin to prepare for the always busy dinner time.

We love this place: on the southern end of the beach is the church of St. Sebastian, the perfect symbol of this city that everyone remembers. On the other hand, Aiguadolç, the main seaport of Sitges. And for us, this is the place to go: good location, good sand and lots of bars to hang out when the game is over.

"Vic, we are waiting!" Ricky screams. He's all sweaty, looks at me with tenderness in his eyes, even though his voice carries a displeased tone. Covering the upper part of my face with the visor of a black cap and squinting, I look at the black-haired guy: his bright green eyes are fixed on me, waiting for my answer.

Ricky is my boyfriend, he lives with his mother in Barcelona and confidently gnaws his way into the modeling business, because it seems that God himself loved him by giving him an incredible appearance. A mixture of Spanish and Syrian, I think this is the best thing that could happen to Ricky despite the fact that his father left the "family" barely Ricky had time to be born.

Unlike Ricky, and most of my acquaintances, I still have not realized who I want to become. Why does society force you to choose your path for life right after graduation, when you have no experience and lack a holistic vision of life? How can you expect people to make informed choices about what they will do, when their life is just beginning? I was among those unfortunates who find it difficult to decide which of their addictions is their favourite.

And as strange as it may be, I did not begin to build a career as a football player, no matter that I am more than good at it. My father has been projecting his love for football onto me since I was born. However, my father's love for me burned out, because he caught fire with another love - for his son, my younger brother. Still, thanks to diligent studies and persistent attempts to draw the attention of my father to myself, I have reached the level that I now own.