Page 86 of Waiting for Ru
“I suppose.”
A group of excited women came and sat in front of them, using the programmes as fans and chattering about Buenos Aires, Florida and Paris.
“I hadn’t expected this to be quite such a…” Ru sighed.
“What?”
“Big occasion. It’s like a huge party. All those stands selling stuff, the sponsors’ tents, the alcohol and food and smart people.”
“A party for the elite.”
“That sounded like you don’t approve.”
“It is what it is. I’d have no interest in it but for Leigh. Oh, look. They’re about to start. The game’s fast and furious. I can’t help but like that element, it’s this…” He gestured around him. “…that I’m less keen on.”
The four players in each team lined up facing each other. A horn sounded, an umpire in a striped shirt threw the ball in, and everything looked a jumbled mess as sticks banged together and riders jostled for position. Ru found himself holding his breath as he watched. Then the ball flew free and Jasim was right behind it, and it was his team, in red and white, racing towards the goal. Though they didn’t score.
Even though Ru had known it was a fast game, he was still astonished by the speed of the riders and the aggressive way they rode. Jasim dummied past one of the other team, leaned right out of the saddle and hit the ball to Nicolás, setting him up perfectly to score, and the patron slammed it between the posts.
Ru wanted to watch everyone, but he only had eyes for Jasim, who even galloped looking backwards so he could watch where the ball was heading. The guy had lightning reflexes, and seemed to be there just in time to whip a ball away as one of the opposition was about to hit it. He and the horse were in perfect harmony, flying together. It was beautiful to watch. Most of the time though, Ru tensed when Jasim had control of the ball, and when Jasim and another rider thundered down the field side by side, he held his breath. Newt gave his fingers a quick squeeze.
“He knows what he’s doing,” Newt said.
It looked dangerous and when Jasim was knocked off his path by the other player who crossed in front of him, the breath caught in Ru’s throat in an adrenaline-filled rush.
“Foul,” Newt said. “Once a player’s hit the ball, he’s entitled to the chance of hitting it again unless another horse shoulders him out of line. And that was too close.”
The foul was given and Jasim went on to score.
The commentary over the loudspeakers was occasionally hilarious. When one of the riders was bucked off by his pony, a droll voice said, “And Vincent Sola, who doesn’t yet have his pilot’s licence, makes a shaky landing and appears to be doing a close inspection of the grass, no doubt blaming it for his unorthodox touchdown…” When Nicolás swore, the same commentator said, “What a wonderful command of the English languageNicolás Andrade is showing. His teacher must be so proud.”
With a minute to go, the score was tied. Ru’s heart was pounding. He was desperate for Jasim to win. The throw-in looked vicious and Ru winced. Ponies and riders had been clouted with the mallets. When the other team got possession, Ru thought it was all over, but Jasim somehow managed to get the ball and he thundered up the field.Nicoláswas screaming at him but Jasim ignored him and he was right to, because one of the other team was about to get between Jasim and his patron.
The ball sailed through the posts and seconds later, it was all over. Newt and Ru both stood up and cheered. Jasim and his team had their helmets off and held them in the air as the ground erupted in applause.
“Jasim will be busy schmoozing. Shall we find Leigh?”
Ru picked up his backpack followed Newt out of the stands. They went in the opposite direction to most of the crowd, down towards where the ponies were being hosed and groomed, and loaded back onto the trailers. Ru took in the excited faces of Julio, Diego and Rodrigo. Paolo was beaming ear to ear.
Leigh emerged from the far side of a horse Ru didn’t recognise and smiled when he saw them.
“What a game,” Leigh said.
“Our four-legged friends all okay?” Newt asked.
“Yes. Just a few more to check and we can go and get a drink. Well, you can. My turn to drive.” He turned to Ru. “Enjoy it?”
“It was amazing.”
“Jasim will be in a good mood. Well, he will when he’s finished with the press.”
And maybe it would be better if Ru was nowhere around.
Jasim hated this part of the game, talking to the press and guests. But mingling was mandatory and he smiled and repeated the same inane comments in slightly different formats time after time. Yes, he was delighted to have won against such a great team. Yes, it had been a hard-fought battle and he gave all credit to the other team. Blah, blah, blah. He felt sorry for the captain of The Saints who also had to smile and make conversation when Jasim knew Serge, The Saints’ number Three would be feeling bitterly disappointed, mentally dissecting the defeat, wondering what they could have done better, how they could have won.
Nicolás was holding court, his wife on his arm, puffing up under sycophantic praise for his solitary early goal. One that Jasim had only given him because he was fairly confident that he wouldn’t miss. For much of the rest of the game, Jasim had to play his heart out to make up for Nicolás’s mistakes. But the Russian patron of the other team hadn’t played as well as Nicolás. That was the conclusion Serge would already have come to. Threes were doomed to be disappointed by their patrons.
Still, it was a win for The Eagles and that was all that mattered. When he saw Leigh and Newt coming into the tent, Jasim made himself look the other way because if Ru was with them, he’d want to hug him. He hadn’t spoken to Leigh since that night. He felt…almost ashamed that he’d not told Leigh himself. He assumed Ru had told Leigh and Newt everything.
