“Thank you. I am happy you are here, thank you for coming.” “It’s no big deal.” He shrugs this off, just like he tries to shrug off everything he does that might be considered a kindness. I decide that tonight I am too tired to let him get away with it. “It is a big deal to me. I do not have family here, nor many friends that are not already on the team. Nobody comes to watch me play, Atlas. So, thank you. I wish I could explain better, but you are not so skilled at speaking German.” He smiles at me—quick and barely there, but I catch it all the same.
