I called JJ into my office. He arrived looking nervous, excited, and terrified, all at the same time. He was just kid who was being offered the chance of a lifetime, and he knew it. He sat down across from me, his hands fidgeting with the zip on his tracksuit jacket, his eyes searching my face for some clue, some hint, of what I was about to say.
"You've seen the offer," I said. It was not a question.
"Yeah," he said. His voice was quiet, uncertain. "Fifty grand. That's... that's a lot of money, boss."
"It is," I said. "It's a life-changing amount of money. For you, for your family, for the club."
"My dad's been calling me every hour," JJ said. He gave a nervous laugh. "He's already planning what to do with his share. New kitchen. Holiday to Spain. Maybe a new car."
I could see the weight of it on his shoulders. The weight of his family's expectations, his family's dreams, his family's financial future. It was a heavy burden for a twenty-year-old kid to carry.
