School had started for Catalina and although she tried to feel motivated and calm, everything went down when every class was spoken in German, obviously. She tried to pay attention and force every nerve cell of hers to understand and integrate herself in the class. But she couldn't. And that was eating her alive.
One Friday afternoon, two weeks after she had had her first class, Joachim found his daughter laying in her bed covered with papers, books and dictionaries.
He had been busy and far from Catalina, trying to solve out some problems of him.
'Catalina? Are you ok?' he asked, shaking her shoulder softly.
The teenager woke up suddenly. She saw her father's eyes looking at her with interest and worry.
'Yes, I'm ok. Just trying to figure out all these things' she answered 'There's nothing to worry about'
She turned around so she could go on sleeping.
Joachim could see the fatigue in her face, the kind of fatigue that doesn't show itself with the lack of sleeping but with the one that comes with the every day living.
'Germany is upon you shoulders, isn't it?' he asked.
Catalina opened her eyes and looked at him surprisingly.
'Since the minute I came here, I think'
'Would you let me help you? I know I've been absent this weeks, it just old people like me have problems too' he said forcing a smile.
'Mm... I'm sorry, I just don't know how to get help from you' she answered sincerely.
'Um.. let me think. I can see you're having problems with homework, am I right?'
'Yes'
'It's my chance to gain a little of your trust then'
Joachim took the math book and started reading, opening his mouth to explain what he had understood.
'I don't think it's gonna work.' she said bad tempered 'I don't even know the numbers'
The German looked at her confused.
'I tried to read and study them, I just can't'
'Yes, you can dear! I've seen your marks from your school back in your country and you were a very good student'
'Becuse everything was in Spanish, now even English it's not enough'
'Hey, Cata, it's a matter of time. Let's start with the numbers ok? I think I've found a way for you to remember then, at least until twenty'
Joachim took a piece of paper and wrote the numbers from 1 to 20, one below the other.
'This is gonna be like football, each number is a t-shirt, so each t-shit has to have a player that you'll choose'
'Do you realize that if you let me chose the players they will be from the Argentina NT, don't you?' she asked, joking.
'Yes, but as Die Mannschaft's coach and your father, you'll have to accept my players too'
My father, Catalina thought.
The clock struck 10 pm while father and daughter were still playing with numbers. Between laughter, they argued about which player put in each number.
'I said Di Maria first' she shouted taking the pen and her pillow.
'But you are closer to Schweinsteiger hey! what are you doing?' he exclaimed as Catalina hit him with her pillow.
Joachim grabbed another one and a pillow fight was started.
'Schweinsteiger only have the number seven in Germany! Di Maria have it in both t-shirts!'
'Don't say seven!'
'Sorry... sieben' she corrected herself, trying to pronounce the new word.
'Ok ok! I give up! You win!'he said raising his arms as a signal of surrender 'Look, we almost finish the list'
Jochim got closer and showed her the list with all the numbers and the players, which was something like this:
1 eins Neuer
2 zwei Garay
3 drei Ginter
4 vier Zabaleta
5 fünf Gago
6 sechs Biglia
7 sieben Di Maria
8 acht Ozil
9 neun Higuain
10 zehn Messi
11 elf Tevez
12 zwölf Orion
13 dreizehn Muller
14 vierzehn Mascherano
15 fünfzehn Durm
16 sechzehn Rojo
17 siebzehn Mertesacker
18 achtzehn Kroos
19 neunzehn Gotze
20 zwanzig Agüero
'Ok, I'm surprised by the amount of German players you let me write down' he told her 'You let even put Gotze!'
'Yeah, the German air is getting to my heart I think'
Joachim laughed 'So poetic'
The looked at each other. The tension had grown between them again.
'Sooo, maybe I should go to sleep' Catalina started 'All these numbers take out you energy'
'Maybe you should' he said getting up of the bed.
'Thanks for helping me' she exclaimed looking to his eyes.
He opened the door and smiled to her, but suddenly, he turned around.
'Hey Cata, look, next week we will have this party about the Die Mannschaft film, and the Media have been really annoying and irritant about you and I and the defeats of the team' He was talking too quickly, taking a big breath he continued 'Sooo... would you like to come with me?' he finished with tired eyes.
Catalina didn't want to go but he looked at her father's eyes and she could feel the weight it was upon him.
'Yes...sure' she said with a merciful voice.
That night she would dream about numbers, German hand-writing and the Media following her.
-♥-♥-♥-
Hi! It's been a while since I've been here, but here I am again. Hope you like it :)
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September. || mario gotze ✔️
Fanfiction'Good luck, oh, and one last thing, enjoy the life, miss Low' A story where a seventeen-year-old girl finds out she's Joachim Löw's daugther. Complete. A/N: the story takes place after Brazil 2014 World Cup.
