2 Story
by
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The Cup Final tickets had gone on sale at Upton Park that morning and Winston had left home at 5 o’clock in the morning to make sure that he got some for him and his boys. He cashed in his last pay check and spent the lot on three tickets at the tunnel end. He knew that Diane would be angry and that they would have to tighten their belts for the next month but it would be so worth it to have a day out at Wembley and see Bonzo lift the Cup for the Hammers. He knew that they would win and he and his boys just had to be there to share in it.
“Diane” he said. “Please don’t be angry. You surely don’t begrudge our boys and I this one day out? You know how bad I felt when we couldn’t go in ’75. It’s been five years since the Hammers were at Wembley, it may be years before they get back there again.”
“Where did you get the money, Winston?”
“I cashed Mike’s check.”
“You did what? I was going to go food shopping with that. Now what are we going to do?”
“We’ll be OK, Diane. I’ve got another job starting tomorrow. I’ll ask him for an advance. Come on, let Mark and Danny have a nice day out away from this filthy tower block. Let them see the other side where football can take them. You want them to get out of here, don’t you?”
“Of course I do” replied Diane. “But football? Here you are, Winston, filling their heads with a glittering world that they’ll probably never see. Do you know how hard it is to make it as a professional football player? Yes our boys are good, but are they good enough? What’s going to happen when a scout or coach tells them that they are not going to make it? What’s going to happen when their hearts and dreams are broken and they’ve no qualifications to fall back on? They’re better off concentrating on their school work and using education as their ticket out of this place.”
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About the Book
Danny Stevens was the second child. The soccer jersey he coveted growing up was the number 2. As he went through his teens, twenties and thirties he would have many ups and downs but the ups were always better the second time around.
From the east end of London, to the north of England, to Turin Italy and back home again, 2 Story follows Danny on his mission to be the soccer star of the '90s that his dad promised him he would be. Through the '80s, '90s and 2000's, Danny experiences dizzying highs and excruciating lows but eventually learns that he can have the best of the two different worlds that his two very different parents envisioned for him.
Experience what it was like to grow up in Thatcher's England, learn about life with a small English soccer team before and after the introduction of the Premier League changed everything, and relive the real life joy of Euro 96 when football came home to England.
Follow Danny as he deals with the conflicting views of his parents, love and loss, injury and alcoholism, to the moment when he is able to bring two worlds together and enjoy the life he has built for himself and his family. Meet his parents, brother, mentors and friends plus the girl who helped him achieve it all, and experience the musical moments that provided the soundtrack to the last 28 years.
About the Author
Jo Dillman is a native of
Jo came to the
Jo’s major literary influence is Thomas Mann. She studied German literature at high school and at college and was particularly inspired by Thomas Mann’s “Novellen” (novellas). These short novels featured leitmotivs (a phrase or action repeated at different moments within the book) and a main character that was exceptionally gifted but also psychologically flawed. Thomas Mann believed that these flaws were what made the character so special but ultimately they caused the character’s demise. In her book Jo has the main character work through his flaws and although it is a struggle he does succeed in the end.
Jo is very excited about her first book and hopes that it will be read and enjoyed by many different people. She has many more stories to be told and looks forward to writing them in the future.