章節 14: The Prince of Munich
A few months later~
Maxi had moved up to the U15s. Sometimes he started in matches, and other times, he came off the bench as a super sub. Nonetheless, he maintained solid stats. However, his footballing success didn't exempt him from attending classes.
The only good thing about school for Maxi was his friends.
Seeing them after arriving at school with Isa always made him smile.
"What's up, guys?" Maxi greeted his three new friends this year: Sydney, Willy, and Elias.
"What's up!"
"Sup."
"Yo. How did your games go yesterday?"
Elias, or "Eli" as everyone called him, immediately asked the three about their matches. He loved football but was only slightly above average in skill. Because of this, he was always interested in hearing about the games of his friends.
"We won 4-1 against Nürnberg. I scored two goals, and Willy assisted one," Sydney said, smiling. Hearing the mention of his assist, Willy grinned broadly.
Now, all three turned to Maxi, eagerly awaiting his results. He was usually the last to share since his games were often the most exciting.
"We played against Unterhaching," Maxi began, his heart swelling a little as he noticed the expectant stares from his friends. "We won 7-1. I scored two and assisted one," he finished, a small smile creeping onto his face. Pride bloomed in his chest, but it was tinged with a familiar sense of pressure. Every time he spoke about his games, he knew they expected brilliance, and sometimes, he wondered if one day, he'd let them down.
The eyes of his three football-crazy friends lit up. Even for Maxi, this was a great result. After all, he was playing in the U15s.
Maxi couldn't help but feel a little smug inside.
"WOW! Isn't Maxi the best?" Isa chimed in from behind, suddenly hugging him.
Maxi, however, wasn't too pleased, as he could hear the sarcastic tone in her voice.
"That's a great stat. I even got Man of the Match," Maxi said, trying to undermine her sarcasm with facts.
"Didn't you score almost every goal for your team last season?" Isa teased, mentioning something all his friends already knew since Maxi often reminded them.
"Why'd you get so much worse?" Isa added with a laugh.
"Seems like you're slipping, Maxi. I'm sorry," Melina, not picking up on the sarcasm, genuinely tried to comfort him. This only darkened Maxi's expression.
"What would your past self say to the current you?" Sydney said with an exaggerated sigh, clearly poking fun at him.
"Looks like I need to set an example," Maxi said, laughing as he let himself fall back.
"AHHH!"
Isa, caught off guard, fell lightly to the ground with him.
"Hahaha! You jerk," Isa laughed, playfully punching him in the back.
"Pssshhht! Mrs. Pace is coming," a classmate on lookout shouted.
The class immediately fell silent.
Maxi and Isa quickly scrambled to their seats.
Mrs. Pace was Maxi's strict Catholic teacher.
"Good morning, class."
"Good morning, Mrs. Pace."
"As you all know, Easter is approaching. During this time, one of the most important Catholic events in your lives will take place."
"Most of you will be receiving your Confirmation."
"Now, let's talk about the history of Confirmation and all the details surrounding it."
Mrs. Pace began her lesson, and soon, everyone grew bored.
Most students, however, had to pay attention since they would need to share the details with their parents.
Maxi was one of them, as his father was a devout Catholic, and his mother was also Catholic.
When the lesson finally ended, the students resumed chatting during the following classes, where most teachers were more lenient.
Soon, school was over.
Maxi took Isa's hand, and the two headed to Sophie's car.
"Hi, Mom."
"Hi, Aunt Sophie."
"Hey, kids! How was your day?"
"Great!" Isa answered enthusiastically, though it wasn't entirely true.
"The same as always," Maxi replied honestly, though withholding some of the truth.
"You told me you'd be learning about Confirmation today. Tell me what you'll need. I'll need to start preparing," Sophie asked with a smile.
Maxi recounted everything he learned, but Sophie's smile faded at one point.
Cough
"Did you just say you need to be baptized to be confirmed?" Sophie asked, her voice sounding off.
"Aren't I baptized?" Maxi asked, confusion written all over his face.
"Well... your father wasn't in Germany for long, and I was young and stubborn. I didn't want to ask anyone, and we sort of... forgot to baptize you," Sophie admitted with a wry smile.
Pfft! Isa started laughing but was quickly silenced by glares from both Maxi and Sophie.
When they got home, Maxi and his mom immediately started researching how to get him baptized as soon as possible. When Carlos got home and heard the news, he joined in.
"So, in summary: Fortunately, baptizing Maxi isn't too complicated. We just need to find him a godparent," Carlos said, but the relief in his voice was palpable. The tension that had filled the room earlier seemed to ease. Sophie sighed quietly, a soft smile touching her lips. The guilt she had carried since Maxi's question earlier still lingered, but now it felt manageable, like a weight that could finally be lifted.
"Well, who could we ask?" Sophie pondered aloud.
"My sister is too far away, and Angelika and Tom are already busy with Isa. Those are the only options that come to mind," Sophie said, running through a mental list of possible candidates. The choices were slim.
They thought about it for half an hour until there was a knock at the door.
"Go answer it, Maxi," Sophie instructed.
Maxi opened the door and was surprised to see Beckenbauer standing there.
"What are you doing here, Gramps?" Maxi asked, curious since he didn't have training that day.
"Wait! MOM! I FOUND THE ONE!" Maxi shouted before Beckenbauer could say anything.
"Who did you find?" Beckenbauer asked with a kind smile.
"It's a secret," Maxi responded slyly.
Soon, Sophie came around the corner. Upon seeing Beckenbauer, she immediately greeted him.
"Why did you scream, Maxi?" Sophie asked.
"I know who can be my godfather."
"Gramps!"
For a moment, Sophie and Beckenbauer were both stunned.
"I'm sorry, Mr. Beckenbauer. I'm sure you have other plans and can't do this," Sophie quickly apologized.
"Maxi isn't baptized?" Beckenbauer, quick on the uptake, understood the situation with just a few words.
Sophie nodded, embarrassed.
Beckenbauer's next words took her by surprise.
"I wouldn't mind."
Sophie was shocked. She immediately pulled Beckenbauer and Maxi to Carlos, and they discussed the details.
Beckenbauer had crossed Sophie's mind, but she dismissed the idea, thinking he would be too busy or too famous.
And so, the plan was set in motion.
Maxi soon had both his baptism and confirmation.
However, during the events, a few pictures leaked to the press.
The next morning, several newspapers mentioned it in their articles, with some minor outlets even putting it on the front page.
The most eye-catching headline read:
"The Prince of Munich."
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