Zachary woke early the following morning after a good night of sleep in his comfy room at the J Hotel. He immediately went through his yoga routine before taking some time to meditate and clear his mind. He was, of course, trying his best to overcome the feelings of guilt and desolation that had started weighing him down after he committed the mistake that cost his team a game the previous day.

He had played football for more than ten years over a span of two lifetimes. He understood that failure was part of the sport and knew that if one party won a tournament or a game, another would have to fail and come out as the loser. That was just how the sport worked.

A footballer couldn’t share trophies, championships, or medals with any other party aside from teammates. Instead, he would have to work tirelessly with his teammates to beat down all the other opponents without feeling compassion for them. And even then, his team might still not realize its goals and fail to become the victors of any meaningful contests.

The same was also applicable to individuals in the sport. Sometimes professional and experienced players would have bad days and perform below par due to a lacking mental fortitude or physical fitness problems. It could even be a slight change in lifestyle or a shift in their surrounding environment that could throw off their concentration and cause them to perform poorly on the pitch. But, of course, those couldn’t be the only reasons for failure in sport. There were also inexplicable cases of top athletes committing basic mistakes that would cause their teams to lose crucial games even after training tirelessly for months. The sport was just that weird.

Zachary, on his part, had long understood all that. He knew there would be times when he would commit mistakes during games since he was only human but not a machine. But even though he was aware of all that, he still couldn’t allow himself to get used to the habit of committing errors that could result in failures during his football career.

As an individual who relished the feeling of competition and self-improvement, he was all about perfection. He feared that he might fall from grace and return to his pauper status if he committed errors repeatedly and got too used to failing. That was why he’d been harsh against himself after losing the ball to Sulley Muntari during Juventus’ game against AC Milan the previous day. And that was why he couldn’t continue smiling and acting normal after comprehending that he was the person who had cost his team a game. His nature wouldn’t allow him to be that carefree after disappointing his teammates and coaches.

However, after having a good night of sleep, he eventually calmed down and started thinking about his circumstances in a logical manner. He resolved to work hard to learn from his mistake and become a better player before the commencement of the new Serie A season.

He had even decided to delay everything else, including purchasing a house, until he got his shit together and started performing well on the pitch. He would only focus on training himself with the intent to regain his peak fitness in the shortest time possible.

“Bzzt Bzzzt! Bzzt Bzzzt!”

Zachary’s phone vibrated from a nearby table while he was about to complete his yoga and meditation routines. He got up from the training mat and wiped his face with a clean towel before taking a few steps across the room and towards the table. Without wasting a second, he scooped up the phone from the table and then glanced at the screen before pressing the accept button.

“Hello, dear,” Camilla’s voice sounded from the other end of the line after the call connected. “How’s your morning, and how are you doing? Is everything going on well?”

“Camilla, it’s nice to hear your voice,” Zachary responded. “My morning is fine, and everything is progressing okay. What about you? How was your night?”

“I can’t say it was a blissful night,” Camilla responded. “I thought about you for many hours and ended up not getting much sleep. I really miss you.”

“Oh!” Zachary was a bit surprised. “Is everything okay on your side? Is work going on well?”

“Everything is okay,” Camilla responded. “But when I watched the sports news yesterday, I realized many people were not shy while criticizing your performance during yesterday’s game. That got me worried, and I found it hard to sleep. So tell me: are you really okay?”

“Thanks for worrying about me,” Zachary said. “But I’m really okay. It was only a single mistake in a pre-season game. It will not define my career at Juventus. I’ll learn from my mistake and work hard to improve myself and become a player. So, there’s no need to worry about all the criticism from the press.”

“I’m glad you’re remaining positive,” Camilla said from the other end of the line. “But aside from training, you should also take some time off and relax every once in a while. For instance, you could walk around Turin and visit some museums or other historical sites to reset your head. Doing all that will often help you recalibrate, relax and rejuvenate. As a result, your mental condition will improve, especially before matches. Remember: As the saying goes, almost everything will work if you unplug it for a few minutes. That includes you.”

“Okay, thanks for the advice,” Zachary responded. “I’ll try to get some few hours of rest on the days when I don’t have any training with the team. That aside, when are you planning to visit me in Turin?”

“I’m glad you finally asked,” Camilla said. “I plan on visiting you next Friday. I also wish to watch your match against Chievo Verona on Saturday. Can you get me a match ticket?”

“Of course, I’ll get you a ticket,” Zachary responded. “But please note that the game against Chievo will be played at an away ground. Moreover, I might not be in Juventus’ squad. The coaches still doubt my fitness, especially after I committed a mistake during the game against AC Milan yesterday.”

“All that doesn’t matter,” Camilla said. “As long as I manage to spend time with you, I’ll be able to return happy from Turin. It will even be better if the coaches don’t include you in the squad. We can then only focus on ourselves and forget about everything else.”

“Please, don’t jinx the next few days for me,” Zachary hurriedly said. “I really wish to be in Juventus’ squad for the opening game.”

“Hear yourself getting all serious, all of a sudden,” Camila remarked, sounding amused. “I was only joking. I really do hope that you make the squad. But please, don’t overwork yourself.”