All That Remains: Day 13

Word Count: 78,102

Summary of Events:

Having spied an attractive young woman at the funeral, Will hoped to get the opportunity to speak to her later on, but it took some time before he finally saw that she wasn't busy talking to someone else at the same time that Enka was occupied in conversation, and so wouldn't notice. Unfortunately Elle dragged him into a conversation about Tristan's wardrobe he was set to inherit, but before he died of boredom because of his lack of fashion knowledge, the young woman actually came up to him and got Elle to go find someone else to talk to so that the two of them could talk together about things Will actually had knowledge of, such as himself and his family…

Excerpt of the Day:

“Oh,” Mlle. Lavoie said. “Is your grandfather determined to see you fill his boots?”
“No,” Will replied. “I do believe he played football, but I don’t know if I’ve ever heard why he only got so far. I don’t know if it was an injury he’s done well to hide, a plain old lack of talent, or if maybe his parents refused to let him pursue football professionally and by the time he was able to make an attempt on his own he was ‘too old’, but I’ve never seen him play football, and he certainly wasn’t a famous footballer.”

“But he does obviously love football,” Mlle. Lavoie said.

“Very much so,” Will replied. “If he would’ve had a son, I would probably be the nephew to, or maybe even the son of, a famous footballer, but since he had no sons he turned his attention to his grandsons.”

“It’s probably been nice to have that support,” Mlle. Lavoie said. “As in, to have family that want to see you do what you love.”
“It is,” Will agreed.

“Did you end up starting in the youth academy of your grandfather’s favourite club?” Mlle. Lavoie asked.

“Yes,” Will replied. “I was enrolled in the age-appropriate level of Feyenoord’s youth academy as soon as we moved to Rotterdam, and I stayed with them all the way to my professional début. It wasn’t bad, we were successful, I have all kinds of prizewinner’s mementoes from winning national and international youth competitions with Feyenoord and the Dutch national team, but, aside from the present, my two years with Anderlecht have been nicer.”

“Because you’re out from under your grandfather’s thumb?” Mlle. Lavoie asked.

“Yes,” Will replied. “Very much so.”
“What position do you play?” Mlle. Lavoie asked.

“Defender,” Will replied.

“Like Tristan, then,” Mlle. Lavoie said.

Will nodded.

“Were you two close?” Mlle. Lavoie asked.

“Yes,” Will replied. “Very close.”
Mlle. Lavoie nodded. Will noticed that her eyes looked a little glassy. “We were too.”

“Really?” Will asked.

“Yes,” Mlle. Lavoie replied. “We weren’t just fellow models, we had become friends as well.”

Will nodded. “Even if he was kind of a private person, we… had really become close, almost as close as family.”

Mlle. Lavoie nodded, producing a handkerchief from the little black clutch purse on her lap and dabbing at her eyes. “He was like a big brother to me.”

Nodding again, Will felt moisture coming to his own eyes, but he had a sinking feeling he’d discarded the tissue that Enka had given him at the funeral.

“It’s been very hard,” Mlle. Lavoie said. “From the moment I heard about the crash and that it involved his club this was the news I dreaded, as now they’re both gone.”

“Who else is gone?” Will asked.

“Both my actual older brother and the friend who replaced him,” Mlle. Lavoie replied.

“He wasn’t on Anderlecht, was he?” Will asked. “Your actual brother?”

“No, no,” Mlle. Lavoie replied. “He committed suicide seven years ago.”

“Oh,” Will said. “I’m sorry.”

Pronunciations:

Mlle.: mahdehmwahzehll

Lavoie: lahvwah