The conversation Darren Keet had with his wife Sandra about moving back to Joburg was different to the one they had just before going to Belgium five years ago.
She was his girlfriend then and Keet told her he was going to Europe and it was up to her whether she joined him or not. She went with him.
But this time he had to get her blessings first, before returning to Bidvest Wits. Keet discussed the move with her. After she agreed, they started looking for a school for their son, Leighton, who was born in January last year.
“Back then I was still a kid,” Keet said.
“I was 21 when I left for Belgium. I was with my wife but back then we weren’t married. We had just moved in together. We thought we would see how it goes.
“Obviously we had long-term plans. We had to mature. I had to mature a lot because, as you know, most goalkeepers like their childish behaviour.
“It’s been great dealing with fatherhood and being a husband. It helps you in your career. You take it seriously because you see your son and wife each day and it reminds you what you are working for.”
Sitting in the stands at Sturrock Park, where Wits train, Keet has a good view of the precinct that houses the club in Milpark inside the University of the Witwatersrand.
He can see all the changes that took place while he was abroad. His return is part of those changes, bolstering a goalkeeping department led by Moeneeb Josephs in a campaign where Wits are looking to go one better than last season's second-place finish.
The expectations are no longer just about finishing in the top eight.
Keet turned down Uefa Champions League football with 14-time Belgian champions Club Brugge, who were also after his services, to be a part of this ambition.
But if he is ambitious, why would he move backwards by returning to South Africa after already laying the foundation in Europe?
“I had mixed feelings about returning to South Africa,” Keet said. “When I started my career I wanted to go to Europe, do well and move forward. I went to Europe. I did well. I didn’t end up moving forward in Europe.
“But coming back to Wits isn’t a step backwards. I am only 27. I think it’s a step in the right direction. The club is ambitious. I am also ambitious. I would have liked to move forward in Europe. If things come up and that’s not what you want, why move forward?”
He has to start the battle for the No1 jersey all over again, against Josephs, who is nine years his senior and has played close to 400 more games than him in the domestic league.
It’s nothing new to Keet. He had to compete against a 2.08m giant - Kristof van Hout, who jointly holds the record for the tallest professional footballer - as first-choice goalkeeper at KV Kortrijk.
Keet has constantly had to prove his worth, from the time he was rejected by Ajax Cape Town when he tried out for their Under-13s to fighting to reclaim his place with Bafana Bafana, where he was first choice after the death of Senzo Meyiwa.
A few mistakes in the 2015 Africa Cup of Nations against Algeria saw Keet struggle to get even a call-up.
If he can be No1 at Wits, the baseball enthusiast who juggled that sport with football while growing up in Cape Town would hit a home run.
*Wits host Orlando Pirates in an MTN8 quarter-final at Bidvest Stadium today (8.15pm). - Saturday Star