Perception

3. Dolphin

"Stop calling me that." she said, looking sternly at him.

"I'm going back to Barcelona on 13th this month. I'm looking forward to this match. Actually all of us are." He said.

"Us?" she asked.

"Fans. We fans. Fans who follow a football club? Don't tell me you don't know this." He said.

"Yes, yes I know now." she said.

"I follow FC Barcelona. Heard about them?" He asked.

"Nope." she replied.

"Well, you would've seen kids play football around here in their jerseys. Very vibrant blue and red ones." He described.

"Oh yea." she said. "Yes now I remember."

"I started following football from the age of ten. And the style of football Barça plays has always been mesmerizing. They don't just play ordinary football you know?" He explained.

"Barça?" she asked.

"The club is more familiarly known as Barça." He said. "The whole team is like a family. The team and us fans. Very loyal to the club. They play for the city, for the fans."

"Wow, you're obsessed" she said, checking her phone.

"Yea, I get that a lot." He said, giggling. "Were you raised up here kid?" He asked.

"Stop calling me that." she said, emphasizing on the THAT.

"No seriously, were you raised up here in Spain?" He asked.

"Uh, yea." she said, adjusting my curls behind her ears. "But, how does that matter?"

"It does." He said, looking at her interestedly. "It's like, such an important sport here. Almost everyone watched football, or plays football."

"Well then, I'm not like your 'almost everyone' then." she said, smiling. "Although I do know like a couple of footballers."

"Go on. Name whoever you know." He said.

"Uh, there's Messi and Ronaldo, then Iniesta? That's all I know." she said. "I don't know which clubs they play for. I only know the respective countries they represent and play for."

"Aye kid, so you do know something." He said, chuckling.

"You're going to have to refrain from calling me that, boy." she said.

"Boy?" He asked, laughing like a maniac. "That's your comeback?"

"I have a name." she said.

"Alright then, tell me your name child." He said, coming closer.

"Abigal. Abigail Santaló." she said firmly. "Why were you calling me a kid?"

"Because you look so short, and young, and, I don't know, tiny." He said, and got her to laugh at it too.

"You really are a bummer." she said. "How do your friends handle your annoyance?"

"Well, let's just say they got used to it." He said, looking outside the window. "Oh, my drop is here."

"That was the first time I had a good and normal  conversation with someone, in a long time." she said to herself.

"Sorry what? Did you say something?" He asked.

"No, nothing." she said immediately. "Goodbye, Stefano."

"Uh hey. Here's my number. Just, call me if you feel like?" He asked, as she watched him turn a little red.