The sun was hot on his broad shoulders, sweat dripped off of his dark skin. Short shadows meant the day was young and he had many hours left to work. He wiped the sweat from his face with his cracked hands that looked like they’ve seen many more years then the boy’s age. His body was built and solid with long, dense muscles from tending to the fields since the day he could hold a machete. He stood chopping down the sugar cane estimating the time it would take him to finish up the rows of cane he had to harvest that day. From there his eyes tried to gauge the distance from the horizon to sun, then for the first time that day Anthony smiled, because he knew he would have a few hours of daylight left at the end of the day to sneak away to the empty dirt fields where he could play soccer with the other kids from the surrounding sugar cane fields.
Football came natural to Anthony; it seemed to liberate him from the fields. He played the game like a dance, the steps he had known since birth. The way he played was choreographed and flowed effortlessly for him. He was so superior to all the other kids in size, strength, and speed. His feet were as quick as a hiccup from catching rabbits that ate the sugar cane in his fields and cooking them up for him and his father. He was a perfect storm of an athlete that had the drive of a dream behind him, and the kick in the ass of poverty to motivate him to become a big time soccer player on an international team. All the stars aligned for him except an opportunity to get a look from scouts of big clubs.
It was very rare that players would come out of the fields. They needed the necessary coaching of the fundamentals to play big time soccer. But Anthony was just a natural with the ball and never had time to be on a team with a coach. Anthony watched players on the T.V. in the village on trips with his father to sell his sugar cane, and laughed at the way they tried to glorify the game he loved. Anthony would then imitate them, taking the best players styles and adding them to his game in stride. He looked up to these players, but in the back of his mind he knew he was better than them, and just needed an opportunity to show his talents. Hope was found in a rumor Anthony overheard of a man in town that claimed that for $500 dollars he could get you a tryout with one of the lesser clubs and from there you could work your way up to a top tier club.
After hearing this Anthony’s mind churned out ideas and dreams of becoming famous, but he knew his father would not be happy if he knew that Anthony was fantasizing about the paying $500 for his silly soccer game. Anthony was smart though, he knew a way he could get his father to save up the money to get him the tryout and that was by assuring he get more money back on the deal. He tried to convince his father by telling him of all the money that the soccer players made and about the man in town that could get him a look with the team. His father was not convinced and sent him out to the fields. Anthony then stormed out of their small home that was his dad’s pride and blew off steam in the fields. Curious about Anthony’s thoughts, his father snuck off to town to talk to the man with the soccer connections, because he knew his kid had talent and was built for the sport.

The man in the town said he had been watching Anthony and said he could easily make it on the top tier clubs. He enchanted Anthony’s dad by talking about Anthony’s speed, strength, and athleticism being something that only comes around once in a decade, and 1 in 100,000 in boys coming from the cane fields. The man had the whole song and dance down and by the end of the conversation had Anthony’s dad eating out of the palm of his hand. Anthony’s dad was surprised at the man’s claims about Anthony and imagined the riches that would come along with Anthony’s success. He then thanked the man and began his journey back to find Anthony.

Once Anthony’s father found Anthony on the soccer fields, Anthony and his father stood face to face. Anthony looked into his eyes, they were bright and he could tell his father was in a good mood. This pissed Anthony off, he was still mad at his father for telling him off after presenting his idea about the scout earlier that day. Anthony’s father looked into his son’s eyes and saw his frustration and anger. Being someone that likes to add dramatic effect to situations, his dad told Anthony that they had bought new land to work, while saying this he knew that would bring Anthony really low at the realization that that means more work and less time to play soccer. He finished buy saying you need to stop playing your silly soccer game and come help me inspect our new land. Now Anthony c0.lenched his fist and was ready to swing, he could easily take his father in a fight and anyone who tried to break them up would be tossed off like a rag doll. Anthony’s dad saw his fist clench and then gave a nervous laugh and quickly relayed to Anthony that it was one of his jokes he likes to pull. He was done fooling around with Anthony and told him that with all his savings and two years of hard work, he could get Anthony a shot at a tryout. Anthony’s eyes softened in disbelief, he tried to quickly read his father’s eyes and saw he was telling the truth. Anthony started laughing with joy, and so did his dad. He thanked his dad ten times and wrapped his arms around him and squeezed him until his dad needed to tap out for a breath.

Anthony was elated, he knew it would be hard work, but the sun didn’t seem so hot those two years of exertion, and the days not so long, because Anthony had a future and a dream he could catch. He and his dad went to the man in the town and bestowed him the money after two years of hard work. Then Anthony and the man drove and got other kids and their money in others towns.

He said they would stay the night at this big town, and then the next day they would wake up early for the tryout. Anthony could barley sleep he was so nervous for the tryout, but he convinced himself he need the sleep to do well the next day. That night he dreamt of success and fame and the end to his life slaving over the land in the fields. He awoke determined and ready to go. He looked for the man that would take him to the tryout. He was nowhere to be seen and the car was gone. Anthony’s heart skipped a beat reminiscing of all the work in the fields he had to do in the past two years, being given away. He pictured the disappointment on his dad’s face when he found out his savings had been gone for good. Then he just thought that maybe the man went out to get coffee and would be back with the car, but he never came back and Anthony and his newly met roommates with dreams of being soccer stars understood their loss.
The second realization that Anthony came to was that he didn’t know how to get home or where to go. He also had no money to his name, so he had no way of receiving transportation or information on how to get home. That was the darkest morning of Anthony’s life, the realization stole his breath, the morning eclipsed the sunny day he had the day before. His hope had disappeared, and his dream became just that, a dream.