Chapter 77 - 75 - An Afternoon of His Own

Chapter 77: Chapter 75 - An Afternoon of His Own

Rafael was finishing lunch when Alker sat beside him in the hotel dining room.

Most of England’s players had already returned from their morning recovery work, and several were discussing what they intended to do with the free afternoon.

Tavares and Kavuma-McQueen were planning to stay downstairs with a few teammates, while Alker was considering going out for a walk.

Rafael listened as he finished eating.

He had barely seen anything of Nyon since arriving in Switzerland. Between training, matches and team meetings, most of his time had been spent at the hotel or the Centre Sportif de Colovray.

His phone vibrated beside his tray.

His mother was calling.

Rafael picked it up and stood.

"I’m heading upstairs. See you later."

Alker nodded, and Rafael left the dining room.

He answered as he reached the lift.

"Hi, Mum."

"Hello, sweetheart. Are you busy?"

"No, just finished eating."

"Good. How are you feeling today?"

"Fine. A bit tired, but nothing serious."

His mother asked about the morning’s recovery work while Rafael walked toward his room. He gave her a brief account before asking how things were at home.

She had just returned from the hospital and was preparing something to eat before heading back for another shift that evening.

They spoke about her work for a while, including a colleague who had swapped shifts with her and the kitchen cupboard she’d finally arranged to have repaired.

Rafael remembered promising to fix it himself several weeks earlier.

His mother reminded him of that promise, and he laughed before admitting that she had been right not to wait for him.

The conversation drifted toward Switzerland.

"Have you actually been anywhere outside the hotel?" she asked.

"Mostly just training."

"Rafael, you’ve been there nearly a week."

"We’ve had matches, Mum."

"I know. I’m not saying you should miss training. But surely you’ve had some time to look around?"

Rafael glanced toward the window.

"We’ve got this afternoon free."

"Then go somewhere. I looked up Nyon yesterday. It looks lovely."

He smiled.

"I might go out with one of the lads."

"Good. You can tell me what it’s like when you get back."

She moved on to asking about his teammates and whether he was getting along with them.

Rafael told her about Alker and a few of the other players he’d been spending time with. She seemed pleased that he had people to talk to, particularly since he’d joined the camp later than most of the squad.

Eventually, she asked when he expected to return to France.

"Probably Sunday, depending on the travel arrangements. We’ve still got two matches."

"Then another league game when you get home?"

"Not straight away. We’ve got Dijon on the twelfth."

"At least you’ll have a few days."

Rafael reached for the England programme lying beside his bed.

He was checking Wednesday’s reporting arrangements when his mother spoke again.

"Rafa? Are you listening?"

He looked up.

"Sorry, Mum. What did you say?"

"I was asking whether you’re getting enough sleep."

"Yeah, I am."

"You sound tired."

"It’s been a busy week."

"I know." She paused briefly. "Are you enjoying yourself, though?"

Rafael lowered the programme.

"Of course."

"Good. Every time we speak, you seem to be preparing for something else."

He glanced at the dates printed on the page.

After scoring against Egypt, he’d spent most of Sunday evening thinking about the remaining fixtures. Monday had brought recovery work, and tomorrow would be their final preparation for Korea Republic.

He placed the programme on the bedside table.

"I’m enjoying it, Mum. It’s just moving quickly."

"Well, you’ve got the afternoon free. Make something of it."

Rafael smiled.

"I will."

They spoke for another minute before his mother needed to get ready for work.

He promised to call again when he had time, then ended the conversation.

Rafael remained seated for a while.

An England notification was waiting near the top of his phone. He dismissed it and opened his messages instead.

Rafael: Still going for that walk?

Alker replied a few minutes later.

Alker: Yeah. You coming?

Rafael: I’ll meet you downstairs.

Rafael changed into a clean shirt, pulled on his trainers and headed out.

They left the hotel after checking with the team staff.

Alker had already found a route toward the older part of Nyon, so they followed the streets away from the hotel, passing small shops, cafés and people enjoying the afternoon.

The weather was pleasant, and Rafael was glad he’d left his jacket behind.

They spoke about their clubs as they walked. Alker asked about Metz, while Rafael wanted to know how things were going at Leeds.

Their conversation moved between academy football, places they’d travelled for tournaments and what they usually did when they weren’t training.

Neither had seen much of Nyon.

After checking the directions twice, they eventually reached the old town near the castle.

Rafael slowed as the street opened onto a viewpoint overlooking Lake Geneva.

The water stretched beyond the rooftops, with boats moving across its surface and buildings lining the opposite shore.

Several people stood near the stone railing, taking photographs.

Alker stopped beside him.

"That’s nice."

Rafael nodded.

"Yeah."

They walked toward the railing.

A small boat was making its way across the lake, leaving a narrow trail behind it. Farther along, a couple were taking photographs while their young child wandered between them.

Rafael took out his phone and photographed the view.

He checked the picture before taking another from farther along the railing.

Alker asked him to take a photograph as well, then returned the favour when Rafael stepped closer to the edge.

They spent a while looking around before continuing through the old streets.

Alker stopped at a convenience store to buy water, and Rafael joined him.

Afterward, they wandered through several quieter streets, occasionally checking the route back to the hotel.

There was no particular destination once they’d left the castle.

They stopped when something interested them and continued when they felt like moving.

Rafael passed a family entering a café, a group of students sitting near a fountain and an elderly man walking a small dog along the pavement.

By the time they headed back, the afternoon had begun cooling.

They reached the hotel with plenty of time before dinner.

"Going upstairs?" Alker asked.

"Yeah. Got some schoolwork to finish."

"All right. See you later."

Rafael nodded and headed toward the lift.

Inside his room, he sent one of the photographs to his mother.

Rafael: Finally got to see the lake.

He placed the phone on his desk and opened his school folder.

A few minutes later, her reply appeared.

Mum: Beautiful. I’m glad you went.

Rafael smiled before returning to his work.