Paul Todd was driving on the highway. The drizzle outside the window was as gloomy as his mood. Coupled with the rare traffic jam on this road, Todd felt even more irritable.

There was a railway next to the highway. Watching the train speed by, Todd could only suppress his emotions. What else could an unsatisfied middle-aged man like him do except endure it, all for the sake of living.

It's a 400-kilometer drive from Rome to Parma. The air tickets are too expensive, and trains are also a good choice. But damn Italian train tickets are too expensive, and they are always delayed for no reason. In addition, the train tickets are too expensive.

Meal prices are comparable to luxury restaurants.

So driving for five or six hours became a compromise that Todd had to make, all for the sake of living.

The road was open again, and the dashboard of the old Fiat Panda showed that it was about to run out of fuel. Fortunately, there was a service area two kilometers ahead, and Todd also needed to eat something to replenish his strength.

The service area in Florence has a lot of traffic, and it seems that everyone is having a hard time.

Gasoline costs 1.5 euros per liter, which is not cheap in Europe. Fortunately, Todd's old Panda does not consume much fuel, but it costs almost 60 euros to fill the tank. It took Todd three credit cards to find one.

The one that was maxed out.

After refueling, Todd went to a nearby restaurant to have something to eat. In the past, when the market was good, he would order a Zaza steak every time he came to Florence. Unfortunately, the best restaurant was far away in the service area next to the supermarket in Florence.

Of course there is none.

Of course, if you can order zaza steak Todd in the service area, you may not patronize it. In comparison, another delicacy in Florence, tripe buns, is more suitable for today's Todd. It is cheap, has a large portion, and can be enjoyed alone in the car.

The fat middle-aged man in the car next door was also enjoying his tripe buns. Looking at him devouring it, he was obviously really hungry.

Todd's personal finances are very bad, but he still wears a suit every day and considers himself a business person, so he is more elegant when eating tripe buns. This is the only dignity he has left in the past six months.

A "bang" sound came from the car next door. The fat man slammed the car door hard, and then slammed a cup of coffee to the ground. The brown coffee was scattered everywhere. Todd estimated that his car must also have been damaged.

He spilled his coffee, but he didn't want to get into an argument with anyone. He was already irritable enough today, and he was afraid that he would waste more time at the police station.

"Trunimati instant coffee, this is Italy, great Italy, when did Italians start drinking instant coffee!

Qunimati Berlusconi, Qunimati Monti, Qunimati Letta, you are the ones who ruined Italy..."

The obese man cursed everything he thought was responsible for his terrible life, and then walked to the restaurant. Ten minutes later, when Todd finished the last bite of the tripe bun, the obese man returned to his car carrying a cup of coffee.

.

Judging from the packaging, the cup was the same as the one in Todd's car, an authentic freshly ground cappuccino. The two men, who were unhappy with their lives, raised the same type of coffee in their hands to signal through the window, as if they had found the same kind.

In fact, this cup of coffee was more expensive than the tripe buns, but Todd still didn't choose instant coffee, even though the advertisement said there was almost no difference in taste.

With the weak Italian economy, rising unemployment, social welfare that has not changed for many years, and messy immigration policies, Italy finally became a front wave after its prosperity in the 1980s and 1990s, and then became shallower and shallower in the puddles.

Eventually it became a pool of stagnant water.

Just like the once glorious Little World Cup compared with today's Serie A.

People who have stood on the top of the mountain are proud, and it is difficult for them to accept inferior treatment. This may be why Todd and many Italians refuse instant coffee.

Sociologists call this behavior "glory perseverance," although they themselves don't know the meaning of such perseverance.

After eating and drinking in the Florence service area, Todd spent three hours and finally arrived in downtown Parma. It was already dusk.

Todd parked the Fiat Panda in a paid parking space in front of an old apartment. Parking in small cities is not expensive, which allows his customers to see his car parked there from home, which lets them know that he is a guard.

A well-behaved guy, and he should be doing well, because no one can park in a well-behaved manner, right?

Todd carefully checked whether there were wrinkles in his tie and suit, and used the rearview mirror to see if his hair was neat. When he felt everything was ready, he practiced his smile.

Good, this time he was really ready. Todd took out the gift from the back seat and walked into an old apartment.

The doorbell reminded me that Maria, who was busy at the dining table, placed the knives and then looked gently at her daughter sitting on the chair.

"I'm going to open the door for the guests. Little Greedy Cat, you are not allowed to eat secretly, you know? This is for you and the guests to enjoy together."

Six-year-old Sarah nodded obediently. She didn't know how important today's guests were to the family, but she knew that if she didn't behave, she would definitely not be able to get the chocolate, so she swallowed and nodded to show that she would not steal it.

eat.

Maria straightened her clothes and smoothed her hair before opening the door with a smile, thanking God that he was finally here.

"Hi Maria, thank God you are still so beautiful."

"Hi, Todd, thank you for coming to Parma in person. Please come in. I've prepared Parma ham for you. Mashki said this is your favorite."

The two of them greeted each other at the door and entered the house, and then Todd presented the door-to-door gift he had prepared.

"This is the red wine I brought back from Bordeaux three weeks ago. It is a stock in a player's private cellar. It is not available on the market."

Maria happily accepted the gift and gave her another kiss on the face to express her gratitude.

"Where is Mashki, what is he doing?"

Todd's words made Maria's happy face instantly turn to sadness. Now was her husband's lowest moment, but she could do nothing to help him except accompany him.

"He was on the phone in the room, talking to the union, and I don't know what they were talking about. It's been almost half an hour."

While they were talking, the door of the room opened, and an unshaven man with an ordinary appearance walked out. He was holding a mobile phone in one hand and a two or three-year-old child in the other. He was the male owner of the family, Mashki.

Maria took the child, Mashki waved hello to Todd, and then chatted a few words with the other end of the phone. Three minutes later, he hung up the phone, his face full of exhaustion.

The atmosphere at the table was good, Parma ham and Bordeaux red wine were a perfect match, little Sara attacked the steak on the plate and ate it with gusto, while the adults talked about the latest news.

Todd was here to work, so he was the first to speak to break the apparent ease.

"Is it true that Parma Club is beyond hope?"

Mashki and Maria were startled at the same time. Mashki put down the knife and wiped his mouth with a napkin. He looked up at the chandelier, as if he was caught up in the beautiful memories of the past.

"President Manetti's lawyer expressed his inability to do anything at the club's internal meeting. The court will soon convict him of money laundering charges. Coupled with the debt of nearly 300 million euros, no one is willing to take over Parma at this time.

Last week, a consortium from the Middle East sent people to investigate in secret. However, they were worried about Italy's economy and the overall strength of Serie A, and in the end they preferred the Premier League team.

So Parma is actually bankrupt, and Serie A has begun to discuss countermeasures, but the outside world is still waiting for the official announcement."

Mashki was born in 1981, and his father took him to watch his first Serie A game at the Tardini Stadium when he was 4 years old.

Throughout Mashki's childhood and teenage years, Parma was said to be a strong team in Europe. Parma, one of the seven sisters in Serie A, dared to fight against the all-powerful Real Madrid in the Champions League.

A Coppa Italia, an Italian Super Cup, a UEFA Cup, a European Super Cup, and a European Cup Winners' Cup, Parma shined in Serie A's most glorious period.

As a local resident of Parma, the Tardini Stadium and the yellow and blue jersey have become Mashki's spiritual beliefs, almost as high as Jesus.

Later he became a player in Parma's echelon, then the second team, and then the first team. Although he was a substitute in all coaches' tactical systems and often failed to make the squad, he had a good temper and obeyed the tactical arrangements.

The salary was low and he was a native of Parma, so he could always escape the purges and replacements.

But it doesn't work anymore. Once bankruptcy and liquidation is declared, the Italian Football Association will force Parma to be kicked out of the professional league. They can only play in the amateur league, or directly announce the dissolution of the club. From now on, there will be no Parma.

The great slogan "One man, one city" is only suitable for superstars like Maldini and Totti. Mashki never thinks of himself as a star, he only thinks of himself as a player, but he also wants to stay in Parma and never leave, even if

Even if Parma really left the professional league, he would not want to leave.

However, in the cruel reality, an old soldier's last wish is so difficult to achieve.

Mashki's contract still has more than one year left, but as soon as Parma declares bankruptcy and liquidation, his contract will be invalidated, and the compensation provided by the club will be extremely limited.

What's worse is that Parma Club has been in salary arrears for half a year. If no one really takes over and declares bankruptcy, there will be questions about whether he can get the remaining salary and compensation.

Todd is Mashki's agent, so he also knows the difficulties involved, but he is just a small agent. Although the company behind him is very good, the company's resources will only be tilted towards those giant agents, such as

The company's top management probably has no impression of small-player players like Todd and Mashchi. It would be almost impossible to put pressure on the Italian Football Association for them.

"What did the union say?"

The union became Todd's last hope, and it had been Mashki's hope just an hour ago.

"The union said that if Parma enters bankruptcy liquidation, our hope will be very slim. According to the order of compensation, the city government will be first, then the major creditors, then the players and other creditors, but the Parma club has long been insolvent.

"

Speaking of this, Mashki closed his eyes in pain, with tears in the corners of his eyes. The Palma whom he had believed in, loved for half his life, and dedicated all his childhood, youth and youth, actually abandoned him like this!

His wife Maria stood up and hugged her husband, pressing his head into her chest to express comfort.

"I'm very sorry for Mashchi. I asked the Italian Football Association before I came here. They said there was nothing they could do. Moreover, your chairman Manetti was involved in risky money laundering, so his personal assets will be frozen indefinitely. Even after the verdict is announced, it is estimated that

He will not be included in the assets of Parma Club. He is an old fox and has been cut off a long time ago."

Todd's words were like the straw that broke the camel's back, and Mashki was desperate.
Chapter completed!