Chapter 6: The Quiet Table
By the time Luuk got home, the intensity of the "Spatial Scan" had left him with a dull headache. He pushed the door open, expecting the usual silence or the drone of the TV.
Instead, the kitchen table was set. Two plates. Two glasses of water. And a pot of stamppot—his favorite—steaming in the center.
Hendrik was sitting there, his hands folded. He looked tired, his face lined with the grime of the docks, but he had cleaned up.
"Eat," Hendrik said. It wasn't an order; it was an invitation.
Luuk sat down. He didn't check his Status Screen for the nutritional value. He didn't look for the "Optimal Intake" prompt. He just picked up his fork and ate.
"I saw you this morning," Hendrik said quietly. "On the hill."
Luuk paused. "I didn't see you."
"I was in the truck, heading to the early shift. You looked..." Hendrik searched for the word. "Driven. I haven't seen you move like that since you were ten years old and I bought you your first pair of boots."
Luuk looked down at his plate. The "coldness" he usually felt—the shield he used to protect himself from the rejection—cracked just a little. "I'm trying, Dad. I'm not just playing around."
"I know," Hendrik said. He reached across the table and briefly touched Luuk's hand. His skin was rough, calloused from years of manual labor. "Just... don't lose yourself in it. Football is a game. Don't let it become a prison."
Luuk looked at his father's eyes. He saw the worry there, the genuine love that he'd been ignoring in favor of the "Bio-Grind."
"I'll be okay," Luuk said, his voice softer than it had been in days. "I'm just... I'm building something. I have to finish it."
Hendrik nodded slowly. "Then finish it. But remember to breathe, Luuk. Even the best engines need to cool down."
They finished the meal in a comfortable silence. No talk of academies. No talk of stats. Just a father and a son in a small apartment in Amsterdam, while the rain washed the city clean outside.
As Luuk went to bed that night, the Screen flickered one last time.
[Spatial Synchronization: 15/100]
[Mental State: Stabilized]
[Deep Sleep Protocol: Initiated]
For the first time since his birthday, Luuk didn't dream of the pitch. He just slept.