THE GREATEST OF ALL TIME

Zachary finally managed to talk to his grandma when she awoke later that evening. Her eyes and pale face gained some color when she noticed him beside the hospital bed, and she immediately started asking about his life, career, and plans.

Her mannerisms were just like he remembered. She was her typical self, forever worried about other people while forgetting herself. But, of course, that was why Zachary respected and admired her from the bottom of his heart.

Even though her voice was a bit hoarse due to the illness, it was as if it was music when it sounded in his ears. Like when he was still a child under her care, it assembled into Swahili words that comforted him and compelled him to forget his worries. His mood lightened, and he began answering all her questions with zest as he sat there by the hospital bed.

Minutes passed by quickly, as if in a flash, as he recounted his experiences to his grandma. He narrated some bits and pieces of the highlights from the matches he'd played during the past six months. He then talked about the goals he'd scored and ended his account by mentioning the trophies and individual awards he'd managed to win as a Rosenborg player.

"I'm really proud of you, Zachary," she said right after hearing his story. "With the way you're playing and scoring goals, you might soon become like Maradona or those great African players — Jay-Jay Okocha and Nwankwo Kanu. You might even surpass them."

Zachary could only smile in response after hearing his grandma's comment. Ever since he could remember, she'd always admired the three football players - Maradona, Okocha, and Kanu. As far as she was concerned, they were the best footballers ever to walk the earth. To her, they were at the top of the scale of greatness. So, he wasn't surprised when she mentioned them after hearing about his career.

"Football aside," his grandma continued after coughing slightly, "Did you finally commence your university studies?"

Zachary forced a smile. "Grandma! It's not like I don't wish to continue studying. However, I really don't have the time at the moment. I've to focus all my energy on my training if I wish to achieve great things during the course of my football career."

His grandma narrowed her eyes, shifting slightly on the bed.

"Don't worry, grandma," Zachary hurriedly said to soothe her. "I'll ensure to enroll in a University this year."

He didn't understand why his grandma always insisted that he had to attend university, even when she was well aware that he was doing well as a pro footballer. But to appease her, he figured that he could enroll in a university for an online program that wouldn't take much time.

"Let's first put studying and football aside," the old lady said, a small smile playing on her parched lips. "Haven't you met any girl that has impressed you yet? When do you plan to get married? I really can't wait to hold my great-grandkids in my hands."

"Eh!"

Zachary was a bit startled. He was just nineteen, with many youthful years to enjoy still ahead of him. So, how could he start thinking of getting married?

Even though he'd been dating Camilla for more than six months, the notion of marriage had not yet taken root in his mind. Since he had bitter experiences from his past life, he was hesitant. He didn't wish to rush into a life-long commitment only to live the rest of his years in sorrow.

"Well," his grandma asked again, her eyes filled with expectation.

"Not yet, grandma," he replied, sighing. "You just advised me to enroll in a university for a degree. So, how can you ask me to start looking for a wife? Don't you know that it's not good to get married while still in school?"

His grandma narrowed her eyes. "Now, you're going to use school as an excuse. People don't get married while still in university because they don't have money. However, if you have the money to support a family, why not get married?"

She sighed weakly. "Zachary! I'm telling you, your life would be more enjoyable and fulfilling if you could find a girl who cares about you and marry her when you're still young. She would support your growth in everything you do while keeping your life in line. You would be able to develop together as a couple without most worries."

Zachary could only purse his lips and smile at that. He couldn't bring himself to make any promises to his grandma on that very topic.

"Okay, let me stop teasing you," she said, raising her head slightly from the pillows.

Zachary got a scare. "Grandma! What are you doing? Please, lie back down." He hurriedly got up from his seat to support her.

"Don't worry," she said in a placating tone. "Now that I have talked to you, I feel fine. But there's something else I need to tell you."

"Don't worry about anything else," Zachary said while rearranging the pillows to elevate her head slightly. "We can talk more when you recover."

"This can't wait," she replied, shaking her head slightly. "Do you remember when you asked me about your biological mother back in Lubumbashi?"

Zachary nodded, settling back in his seat. She'd shown him a photograph of her mom and dad and a letter with their names. He'd forwarded the information to a private investigations firm and tasked their team with uncovering the whereabouts of his biological mom. But even after eight months, the detectives had not yet produced any results. As a result, he'd eventually given up hope and pushed the matter to the back of his mind.

"The thing is," his grandma said, inclining her head slightly on the pillow to face him, "I chose not to tell you some things about your mother when you previously asked about her." Her voice had a hint of helplessness.

Zachary's expression flickered slightly. But he chose to remain silent and wait for her to complete her account of things.

"To be honest," she continued, "I had already discovered her whereabouts from one of your father's diaries. However, I wasn't sure whether the two of you meeting each other would be a good thing. So, I kept the information to myself, hoping to protect you. But now that I'm in this state, I have to disclose all I know."

"You don't have to feel pressured to tell me anything, grandma," Zachary said with a sigh. "If you feel I shouldn't meet her, I'll follow your advice and forget her."

"That should be your choice, Zachary," she said, smiling weakly. "Her full name is Céleste Kouame, and she should be from a city called Yamoussoukro, located in Côte d'Ivoire. If you get time to travel back to Lubumbashi, check the left side of my metallic suitcase for your dad's diary. You should be able to find more information about her in there."

Zachary's heart palpitated slightly, but he forced it to calm down by inhaling deeply. "Thanks for telling me, grandma," he said. "For now, just focus on recovering and don't think about anything else."

She nodded in response before letting out a breath. It was then that the door creaked open, and a uniformed nurse marched into the room. "It's about time the patient gets some rest," she said, her tone professional. "So, can you say your goodbyes and step out of the room, please?"

Zachary nodded in assent. He then said a few encouraging words to his grandma before waving her goodbye and stepping out of the room. His heart was again in disarray after recalling that she would undergo surgery the following morning at eight. However, all he could do was wait and pray for her full recovery.

The next morning.

The dawn brought a new freshness, bathing the streets of Zurich City in golden light. However, Zachary was in no mood to enjoy the beautiful morning since he was already in the designated area at the University Hospital Zurich, waiting for the outcome of his grandma's surgery.

He could feel his heart hammering hard in his chest as he paced the entire length of the otherwise silent room. No matter how hard he tried, he couldn't calm down while knowing that his grandma was on an operating table in a nearby theater. His thoughts were all over the place, and he felt like he should do some intense shuttle runs to cool his brain down.

"I think you should sit down for a bit, Zachary," Emily said from a nearby seat while glancing at him worriedly. "She has only been in the theater for four hours. So, there's one more hour of waiting to go."

"Your agent is right, Zachary," Marie, his aunt, echoed. "I believe that everything will be okay with grandma. So, please, calm down and sit down for a while."

Zachary nodded, stopping his pacing suddenly. He flashed Emily and his aunt a forced smile before settling down on another seat. He then counted from a hundred going backward a couple of times until he felt himself relaxing completely.

It was then that he managed to push the worries to the back of his mind. He then started to think about other things.

One important lesson he'd learned when dealing with his grandma's case was that his agent really had his back. She had traveled all the way from London to Lubumbashi immediately after hearing that his grandma was ill. She quickly arranged her transfer to Zurich to ensure that the old lady got proper medical care. As far as Zachary was concerned, she was the best agent in the world. So, he resolved to treat her even better in the future.

Many disorderly thoughts whirled through Zachary's mind as the minutes flashed by slowly. He even started considering whether to request his grandma to shift to Europe after she recovered. He could organize a residence for her and hire a couple of nurses to aid her during her recovery. And since she would be living nearby, he would be able to visit her often.

However, Zachary couldn't help but compel himself to forget the whole notion after recalling his grandma's character. He was sure that she would never shift from DR Congo, even if he got on his knees and begged. The old lady had chosen to stay in her homeland even when the country was experiencing savage wars. So, how could she up and shift due to some illness?

"The doctors are finally back," the voice of Emily sounded in his ears, suddenly breaking him out of his reverie.

"Already!?"

Zachary was startled and immediately glanced towards the entrance of the waiting lounge. He trembled despite himself when he noticed Dr. Brian Sanders walking through the doorway and approaching them.

The next moment he would know the outcome of his grandma's brain surgery. Was it good or bad? He had no idea as he was no prophet. However, he couldn't stop all the possibilities, whether good or bad, from flashing through his mind as he rose up to meet the surgeon in charge of his grandma's case.