THE GREATEST OF ALL TIME

**VOLUME 4: THE ALMIGHTY BALL WIZARD**

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Tuesday, July 15, 2014.

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It was another beautiful sunrise in Bukavu, DR Congo. Everything was in honeyed tones, endearing and soothing, as the flaming orb rose from the horizon in the east. It ignited the sky, causing it to burst into a bright, passionate mix of morning scarlet and yellow.

Then, slowly but steadily, a mild heat radiated around the atmosphere, wrapping Zachary in an invisible shawl of warmth. He squinted as an easy breeze picked up and caressed his face. His mind was at peace with the world as he went through a relaxing yoga routine recommended by his therapist atop a mat in front of his late grandma's farmhouse in Bukavu.

"A few more will do for today," he thought while slowly taking in a lungful of air. He flexed his lower back and pushed his head upward to look into the distance. Then, he tilted his pelvis skyward like a "cow" in an unhurried way before exhaling deeply to force his abdomen inwards. Finally, he arched his spine and brought his head and pelvis back down like a "cat" to complete another repetition of the cat-cow yoga pose.

But he didn't just stop at that. He repeated the process and held the yoga pose a few more times as beads of sweat rolled down his forehead. He only ended his routine about a dozen minutes later when all his muscle groups and mind had totally relaxed.

He stretched slightly before jumping up from the mat and looking around to appreciate the sights. But the next moment, the expanse of his late grandma's farm in its full glory gave him shivers, causing him to recall some painful memories. His eyes glazed over, and he couldn't help but stare absentmindedly at the animals grazing in the distance.

It had been a full two months since his grandma had passed away. Those two months were the cruelest and most nerve-racking he had ever had to go through in his new life.

Two months prior, in the Zurich University Hospital's waiting room, the news of his grandma's passing had devastated him and caused him to wallow in absolute despair for a few hours. But with the help of friends and support from his always-dependable agent, Emily, he'd managed to stay sane and above the whirlpool of total self-destruction before slowly coming to terms with the tragic incident.

A day after learning of the unfortunate news, he'd regained a bit of his spirit and arranged transportation for his grandma's body back to his ancestral land in Bukavu. He had then splashed all the money he could to give her a memorable burial presided over by her favorite bishop in charge of the Catholic Cathedral in Bukavu. But even after that, he'd still felt like he hadn't done enough for his grandma.

As his grandson, he had felt inadequate and supposed he should do a bit more while sending off his grandma. So, he'd stayed in Bukavu, at his late grandma's farm, to grieve and hopefully to learn to cope with the passing of the only person he'd regarded as his sole guardian in both his lives. It had been about two months since he made that decision, but he was still living a devil-may-care life at the farm.

He had even put most of his plans, including the transfer out of Rosenborg, to a halt as he mourned the loss of the only caring parental figure he'd ever known. Fortunately, the recently concluded World Cup had forced most football club tournaments worldwide to a standstill. Even the Norwegian League, which usually commenced in March and ended late in November, had been on pause due to the most prestigious football competition between countries. Thus, his spontaneous two-month vacation in Bukavu didn't cause any breach of the terms of his contract with Rosenborg.

If he could return to Norway and begin attending Rosenborg's training within the week, he wouldn't face any penalties from the club. And that was a relief as far as he was concerned.

"Since the world cup final is over," Zachary thought, "I better get my shit together and return to Europe within the week. I must force myself to cope with the sorrow and continue on with my life. I must not blunder and mess up my football career. Otherwise, grandma will be disappointed while watching over me from heaven."

Zachary's eyes flickered with steely resolve. He slowly rolled up his yoga mat before turning around and starting off on the short trek toward the main house.

With all the money constantly pouring in from his successful football career, he had already built a big bungalow in place of the shanty excuses of dwellings he had lived in during his previous life. There were no more huts or grass thatched shacks — but a modern and elegant five-roomed house in the center of his grandma's farm.

Additionally, after concluding his grandma's burial two months ago, he'd even hired masons to build a tall perimeter wall surrounding the entire expanse of the farm to keep away encroachers and thieves. Then, after the wall was up, he'd hired three armed guards, a trained maid, and an experienced shamba boy to look after the place.

As for his relatives, like Aunt Marie and Uncle Joseph, he'd enticed them to surrender their claims to the property. After offering them a few ten dozen million Congolese Francs, they had relinquished all their rights to his grandma's farm and declared him the sole owner. In the end, he'd spent more than the actual market value of the land, but he still didn't mind. His heart was at ease after acquiring the proof of ownership of the land that held the most sentimental value in the world to him.

"Ka-chunk-creeeeeeak!"

The door creaked as Zachary entered the house and stepped into the living room. He tossed his yoga mat in the corner by the door before marching towards the kitchen.

"Boss!"

A young African lady standing over the sink exclaimed when Zachary stepped into the kitchen. Her figure, wrapped by a knee-length floral dress, was alluring, and her bearing refined. Her backside was a feast for the eyes, round and plump — and leading into a pair of long shapely legs. She was beautiful by any standards, and she was the trained maid Zachary had hired to take care of the house.

"Good morning, Davina!" Zachary greeted in French, nodding at her. He wasn't enticed by her gorgeous willowy body and pretty face. "How're you holding up? Any challenges yet?"

"Good morning, boss!" Davina responded, also in French, as her eyes glittered with excitement. "Everything is moving on well, and I'm settling in well. I haven't faced any challenges yet."

"That's good to hear," Zachary said, picking up a sealed water bottle from the fridge. "Keep working hard. I expect you to take good care of this house, even while I'm away."

"Don't worry, boss," she responded reassuringly. "I'll do exactly that. You can trust me."

"Good to know," Zachary said, smiling slightly. "But please, don't keep on calling me boss? You make me seem like a don of some Italian Mafia syndicate. Calling me by my name, Zachary, would do just fine."

"I understand, boss..." She smiled awkwardly after realizing her slip-up. "Sorry! I understand, Zachary."

"Has Patrick milked the cows yet?" Zachary asked, choosing to ignore the slip-up. "Where is he now?"

Patrick was the shamba boy he had hired to care for the animals and crops on the farm. Since he couldn't see him around, he decided to ask Davina about his whereabouts.

"He completed the milking early, before 6:30 AM," she replied. "He has now gone to the banana plantation to weed. You can find him there."

"He seems to be working hard," Zachary said, nodding. "I like that. Okay! You can continue with your work. I'll be heading back." Without waiting for a response from the young lady, he turned around and stepped out of the kitchen.

A few more strides took him through the dining room — and soon, he was in the main corridor of the house. Seconds later, he slowed down slightly before coming to a complete halt before what was supposed to be the door to his grandma's bedroom. Memories of his time with her assaulted his mind in waves, threatening to cause his eyes to moisten. But he inhaled deeply and willed the sad recollections away before continuing towards his own bedroom at the end of the corridor.

"I need to get myself together," he thought as he stepped into his bedroom. "I can't let past memories control my future. I must toughen my mind and return to training as soon as possible."

Zachary closed his bedroom door behind him and chugged down some water. He then undressed and took a quick shower before drying himself and settling on his bed.

A serene expression slowly outlined his face under the illumination of the morning sun rays streaming golden through the window. He sighed and picked up his phone before dialing Emily's number.

"I have to do this. I don't have to grieve forever."

Stern resolutions ran through his mind as the international call connected. He exhaled a lungful of air and slowly positioned the phone against his ear.

"Hello, Zachary," Emily's familiar voice, full of spirit, sounded from the other end of the line a moment later. "I was thinking of calling you, but you beat me to it. How're you?"

"I'm alright," Zachary replied. "I'm doing really okay." He felt like he'd to put an emphasis on that.

"Are you really okay?" Emily asked, sounding a bit skeptical.

"Yes, I am," Zachary said. "It has already been two months. So, it's time that I recover from this setback. In fact, I'm planning to return to Europe within a few days. I should be flying out of DR Congo either tomorrow but one or the day after that."

"That's really great." A high level of excitement was evident in Emily's voice. "But, have you completed all arrangements at home? Do you need my help with anything?"

"I don't need any help here in Congo at the moment," he replied. "I've almost organized everything. I now only need to complete two more tasks before returning to Europe."

"Great!" Emily quickly replied. "Go ahead and do what you have to do. I wish you all the best of luck in your endeavors."

"Thanks. How far with the transfer business, by the way?"

"Everything is still on pause until you return to Europe," Emily responded with a sigh. "And that reminds me. Have you decided on which club to join yet? Which side did you finally pick? Tottenham or Juventus?"

"Not yet decided," Zachary said. "As you know, my mind was not in the right place over the past two months. So, I'm still hanging in the balance."

There was a brief silence on the other end. "I understand. But maybe, you should meet the representatives of the clubs when you return to Europe. That'll help you decide faster."

"Meeting the representatives!?" Zachary mumbled, taking a few seconds to ponder the pros and cons of the deed. His eyes lit up, and he said, "I think I can do that. You can go ahead and organize the details of the meeting."

"Excellent! Which representatives do you wish to meet first? Those from Juventus or those from Tottenham?"

"I'm still slightly biased towards Tottenham," Zachary replied. "So, let's meet the Tottenham representatives first."

"Yeah! Tottenham it is," Emily confirmed. "I'll organize the meeting. But you'll have to pass by London when returning from Africa. That's where you'll meet them and hopefully seal the deal to join Tottenham. That is, of course, if the negotiations concerning personal terms go well."

"Okay, then," Zachary said. "Today is Tuesday. So, I'll most likely be traveling on Friday night. So, see you in London probably on Saturday."

"That's perfect," Emily intoned. "I'll set the meeting for Saturday afternoon. Let's say at 3:00 PM."

"Okay."