Page 30 of The Player in New Zealand
Tane leaned back on his hands. “South Africa. During apartheid, when the New Zealand team toured, some Maori and Pacific Islanders players were purposefully left out of the tour because their government didn’t allow mixed-race teams.”
“Oh my God,” I said, aghast.
Tane lifted an eyebrow. “There’s more to sports than just the game,” he teased. “But it’s better now that apartheid is gone. It’s a friendlier rivalry now.”
“I couldn’t imagine bringing racial tension onto the field too. Rugby already sounds pretty rough.”
“It is,” he agreed.
“How is your leg? You said before that it still hurts.”
He shrugged. “It’s all right.” He looked down and rubbed his knee, and I noticed a faint scar over his kneecap.
“Would you be able to play at all? Even just a fun game?”
Tane frowned before opening and closing his mouth. Finally he said, in a sad and distant voice, “I’m not sure I would want to.”
“Well,” Nina interrupted us, “Nora’s getting cranky, so it’s time to head home. Ready, Claire?”
“I can take her back,” Tane said, rising to his feet.
“You sure, bro?” Nina said, relief in her voice. “That would be great. You don’t mind, right, Claire?”
I shook my head, and Tane and I helped Nina pack up the chairs while Hemi strapped the girls into the car.
“See you tomorrow,” Nina said, before reaching up to bring Tane’s face down to her level. “So proud of you. You make a great coach.”
“Yeah, thanks,” Tane said, kissing her cheek.
Nina drove off and I followed Tane to a black truck in the near-empty parking lot.
Tane started the engine up while I crawled into the passenger seat. It was a big vehicle, befitting a guy his size.
“Did Nina tell you,” he said as he pulled out of the lot, “that we picked a nonalcoholic beer from the distributor?”
“Yeah?” I said, perking up. “That’s exciting.”
“They only carry a few choices for beers, so I picked the Bavarian. It would be nice to have variety, but I think I’ll be the only one drinking them.”
“You never know,” I said. “What about the gin?”
Tane’s face scrunched up. “Yeah, nah. That’s harder to do. I’m working directly with the company myself.”
The company I’d gotten the gin from had other options too, and Tane and I debated which one would be best to stock the bar with.
“If no one’s going to drink it besides me, then I should just order whatever I want.”
“But margaritas are the most popular cocktail. So if you want someone to randomly come up and order a non-alc,” I argued, “you should go with tequila. Plus, you can flavor it easily. There are tons of choices with tequila.”
“I don’t like tequila” was Tane’s response.
“Well, what is your favorite, then? I’ve never seen you order a cocktail.”
“Gin and tonic.”
I flopped over onto the window and pretended to snore. “BOR-ring!”
“What’s your favorite?”
