Chapter 20: The brick wall

“Wanna try some more?” the boy said again as he threw the ball towards me.
“Definitely, but by what name shall we call you?” I asked him.
“Call me ‘muro infranqueable’…”
“Can’t we shorten it??” Sam asked him before I could.
“Ok call me Louis…” he replied.
“What language was it?” Danny asked.
“Not English definitely…” Johnny added.
“No definitely not… Do I look like being English?” Louis said.
“Then?!” Max asked.
“I am Spanish… I came here last week and play for…” he didn’t say more.
“Play for??!!” Sam almost fell down from his bench.
“Later dudes… I will tell you later… Let’s get back to training shall we?” Saying that Luis brought us to the field.

“What I saw from your game was that you guys do like the passing game but lack the craft, you guys are not skilful enough to penetrate the opposition defense…” Our new friend gave us his view about our playing style.
“And what makes you say that??” Sam interrupted him.
“I watched everything, whatever you guys were trying to do…”Louis replied.
“So what must we do to improve?” Sam asked again.
“It’s simple you can’t improve… the reason I came here was for Miroku, I have to help him get back his clinical finishing…”
“Miroku?! You came to help Miroku?! But how do you know that he requires your help???!!!” Sam asked again, this time he was very much eager to know.
“Miroku wouldn’t have been training with you guys if he was alright… Besides I know what happened to him… I know it all…”
“And may I know how??!!” This time Max joined the interrogation.
“Am I some thief or some terrorist that you guys are asking me so many things? I won’t answer any of your questions; at least not now… anyways let’s get back to training… Miroku now you try to put in a goal from the penalty spot…”
“But…” Danny was going to ask something but everyone ignored him.

I placed the ball on the penalty spot and went back a few steps… I saw Louis’s face before starting the run up… he wasn’t looking at me but at the ball… his confidence and concentration could be seen easily in his face… the look in his face was very much familiar… it was almost like Jack’s… that same level of concentration I saw in Jack’s face years back was there in his face…

I kicked the ball aiming at the top right corner… I kicked with all my power…

“Looks like you have totally lost your finishing skills” Louis said after saving my shot.
“Yeah, you are right… I have lost all my skills but surely it isn’t too late is it?! It can’t be too late…” I consoled myself after thinking about my sorry state.
“No, there is still time… you just have to keep the faith in your abilities only then you will rediscover yourself as a player… as the poacher…” Louis read my mind.

“Enough you guys… now I wanna have a go at you…” Danny snatched the ball from Louis.
“Me too…” Johnny joined the queue of penalty takers after Danny.
“Ok… try as much as you can…”

Danny was going to shoot but Johnny came from behind and stopped him… and both of them started fighting for the ball…

“Here we go again… Johnny and Danny simply can’t stop fighting…” Alex told the eternal truth.
“Can’t you guys quit this? You have passed out of high school now… about time you guys grew up…” Sam tried to stop them.
“Sam, we haven’t received our results yet…” Danny and Johnny together gave Sam his answer.

“You guys fight and when you have decided… let me know…” Louis was opening his gloves.
“We both will take the shot…” Danny said.
“Alright make it quick…”Louis again pulled on his gloves.

Danny and Johnny had already done weirder stuffs in school as well as while playing… they didn’t leave any other weird stuff to be done… starting from entering the girls toilet while fighting with each other to kicking the headmaster’s head instead of the football during training we have seen it all… another one of those acts were going to be added… the guys were holding their breath to see Danny and Johnny back in action…

Danny ran up from the left while Johnny ran up from the right for kicking the ball… they connected superbly… but the ball flew over the bar…

“WHAT THE??!! AY YOU FOOLISH BOYS, WAT IS YOU DOING HERE?? CAN’T YOU SEE I IS DRINKING??!! IS YOU BLIND??!!” it was the voice of Mr. Arkus Buros.

Arkus was supposedly the Greek sailor who was said to have been found in the English shores after his ship, the “DRUKEN” had sunk in the English Channel…

“Run guys it’s the OLD FOOL… run or he will catch us…” Sam already started to run.
“WHO IS YOU CALLING THE OLD FOOL? I IS BUROS THE GREAT… A MASTER SAILOR… A LEGENDARY MAN OF THE SEAS… HERE TAKE YOUR BALL… I HAS GOT BETTER…”
“Take the ball and run guys… run we still have time…”
“WAIT! LISTEN TO ME POEM…”

Saying that Arkus again started his same old poem…

“WHEN THE OCEANS RISE,
WHEN THE THUNDERS STRIKE,
WHEN BALLS FALL,
WHEN STONES ROLL,
WHEN DRAGONS FLY,
WHEN WOMEN CRY,
THAT IS THE TIME WHEN PEOPLE DIE,
BUT STILL I SAY ‘WHAT CARE I!!’
‘CAUSE INDEED WHAT CARE I!!
WHAT CARE I!! WHAT CARE I!!
WHY CARE I?!”

“SO YOU YOUNG PEOPLE SAY HOW YOU LIKES ME POEM??”

“Good poem… but we have to go now… good bye…” Sam was almost out of the field when he said that.

We ran away too… we could hear the old man talking rubbish as usual… he was indeed the OLD FOOL!! Always dead drunk…

muro infranqueable - brick wall (figurative meaning: insurmountable obstacle)