Noel Noa hadn’t had a good start in life.

Being born in France’s slums, having to strive for basic necessities and a chance to survive, he quickly learnt that he had no one but himself to depend on and it was his job to turn his life around.

It was easier said than done. He had a fascination with soccer, and in his mind he truly hoped that he would be able to make it pro. His mind never dwelled on corporate jobs— good education wasn’t readily available and he didn’t have much opportunities to gather experience. Besides, he was good at soccer, why focus on anything else?

But apparently he wasn’t good enough to achieve his dreams.

Years later, his life had only improved by a little bit. He took on whatever jobs he could get, rented a small apartment on the outskirts of the city, and stuck to the same dreary routine daily. It was suffocating and exhausting and Noel was quickly reaching a point where he wondered if he should even keep going. Clearly, his life had no indication of changing. Was it worth living?

The answer came in the form of a child he found one lonely night. You’d been presumably abandoned, dumped into a filthy alleyway. When he’d heard your cries, he had immediately checked up on you; it was all too common to find kids abandoned by their parents in these parts. Now he was left with a baby on his hands, and he wasn’t sure what to do. He couldn’t leave you there but taking care of you would be.. costly. Still, looking at you, at the way that you seemed to hush and calm when he cradled you, he knew his mind was set already.

He’d just cut back on some of his expenses. He supposed it would be worth it to have someone to live for.