THE GREATEST OF ALL TIME

"That's good to know," Emily said, beaming. "I'll keep that in mind. But putting endorsement deals aside, will you be returning to your home country during the upcoming break in the Tippeligaen season?"

"Yes, of course," Zachary replied matter-of-factly. "I haven't been back even once ever since I arrived in Norway to start my training at the academy. So, I'll surely be going back this time around."

"Oh," Emily said, sipping on her coffee. "But I've recently heard some news that there's a rebel conflict going on in DR Congo. Are you sure that it won't affect you when you go back?"

Zachary smiled. "The rebel conflict is currently taking place in the eastern part of DR Congo," he elaborated. "It is mainly around the regions of North Kivu, Goma, and Beni. But, I'll be heading to Lubumbashi, which is in the southern part of the country. The two places are over 1,500 Kilometers apart. So, there isn't a chance that I'll get affected by the civil strife."

"That's reassuring," Emily said, running a hand through her wavy dark brown hair. "What about Lubumbashi? Is it safe?"

"It's very safe," Zachary was quick to reply with a confident tone. "The city is one of the safest in DR Congo. You have to know that it's in the far south, close to DR Congo's border with Zambia. It's quite peaceful and hardly ever experiences any armed conflicts."

Emily sighed. "Then how come that I recently chanced upon some news of a militia group consisting of one hundred fighters attacking Lubumbashi and seizing a United Nations compound?" She queried, her brows drawing together into a frown. "Moreover, this attack was only two months ago, in March. From what I heard, the attack was a deadly one. It even resulted in an armed face-off between the militants and the Congolese soldiers. And there were even some fatal casualties and deaths from the fighting."

Zachary's eyes widened on hearing that. "You know quite a lot about Congo, for someone that is from the UK," he said. "Are you a part-time journalist or something?"

Emily chuckled. "You're my client," she replied, her voice softening. "So, I conducted a bit of research about your home country. And what I discovered was quite worrying. It's my wish that you avoid the place until thing things settle down."

"It's my home," Zachary said, shaking his head. "I've got to go back and visit my grandmother this time around. You don't have to worry, though. The situation in the country always looks worse in the news than what is actually on the ground. The conflict is not as serious as the press is making it out to be. So, I'm sure I'll be safe there."

"Let's hope so," Emily said, nodding. "But you've got to be careful when you go back. We don't want anything bad to happen to you when you are just starting to solidify your status as a pro athlete."

"Don't worry," Zachary replied. "I'll be extra careful. Moreover, no one should recognize me when I'm back there. The locals don't watch the Tippeligaen matches. So, I shouldn't have any trouble moving around since I'll almost be anonymous."

"Then, I'm assured."

For the next few minutes, they continued making small talk as they ate their light meals. They discussed how Zachary would train during the break and made plans for when he would be returning to Trondheim from DR Congo. They even laid strategies on how to attract more endorsement offers. That way, they slowly emptied their cups and plates and then said their goodbyes.

Zachary immediately headed to the Lerkendal gym to put in some light exercise. As an exercising maniac, he always felt like he wasn't complete on the days he didn't work out and expend some sweat. So, for the next hour, he stretched his muscles on a foam roller and did some weight lifting to quicken his post-match recovery. He only stopped when he felt light-headed and almost out of breath. But Zachary could already feel his mind becoming more active due to the intense exercise. He was pretty pleased with the results of the session.

After the gym work, he immediately headed to the training ground. Since he was already on the pitch at Lerkendal, he decided to add a bit of exercise. He came across a few of his teammates, mostly those on the second team, on the field. They were also putting in some hours of extra training with undivided attention.

Zachary waved to them in greeting before concentrating on going through agilities and endurance-enhancing drills close to the goalposts on one side. As usual, he put all his focus into the routine—until he was sweating all over.

At around 2:00 PM, he ended his session by practicing his shooting from different angles in the final third. He then took a shower and cruised back home to rest for the day.

He spent the rest of the day lazing off in his apartment until it was six in the evening. Without any dilly-dallying, he took a shower, donned one of his better-looking tracksuits, and headed downstairs to Kristin's apartment for dinner.

He didn't expect much when heading there. He was even anticipating that he would have to make an excuse and escape after spending a few minutes at Kristin's. But he was pleasantly surprised as the dinner progressed. The evening was pleasant and even made him forget the passing of time.

Zachary got to eat a very well-cooked sumptuous feast in the company of two beautiful girls. One was Kristin, herself. The other was her flatmate, Monica, a professional skier working hard to make the Norwegian team for the Winter Olympics scheduled for the following year. He enjoyed their company since they were also quite interested in sports—his principal hobby. They talked at length about the previous year's world cup, the Tippeligaen season, and even delved into discussing Rosenborg's prospects in the following Europa League tournament.

That way, the hours quickly passed as Zachary enjoyed himself for the first time in quite a while. By the time he was saying his goodbyes to the two girls, he'd already recovered from the post-match fatigue. Zachary felt as light as a feather while moving up the stairs back to his apartment. His mood was lighter, and his mind refreshed. He couldn't believe that talking to people over a meal would cure fatigue almost as well as a massage. But he was glad that he'd discovered another way to deal with mental burnout.