Oct 3 Protagonist Voice

They call me Nick, but I was born Nicholas Regis Xavier Deyman, the son of a member of the now Mohawk Nation of Akwesasne and an Acadian woman. I didn’t set out to be a private investigator, not many do. I had dreams of being a professional athlete, first as a baseball player, but when I discovered soccer, my dream changed.

I spent several years after graduating college toiling in the indoor soccer leagues across the country, even returning to the Capital District for two seasons to play in the short-lived outdoor league. I received an invitation to the United States Men’s National team in 1989, but was left off the final 23-man roster.

It was a freak accident in the summer of 1995 that caused me my professional career, what little was left. My daughters and I were visiting a local park when the wind blew down a branch. It struck me in the face, scratching my left cornea but causing a concussion. I could not recover well from that, the headaches and vertigo didn’t allow me to continue to play.

We moved back to Schenectady, where family friends helped me find a job working in health care, as a computer programmer.

We had a great life. I say had, because it all ended one night when my Katerina was taken from me.