Lucy Zeezou's Goal (10 page)

‘I didn't mean any harm earlier, I was just having a bit of fun. Hope to see you down at the Reg one day.'

‘Sure, Max. Unlucky today. See you soon,' I said, melting into his big brown eyes.

That was strange – he wanted to see me again and I kind of thought I'd like that. I didn't know what was going on, but I felt a little weird. We were very much alike in some ways, but in others very different. I thought again about Max being homeless and wondered if I could help him somehow, but then I was distracted by the celebrations around me.

The team was still jumping, singing and dancing, but it came to an abrupt end. Harry caught everyone by surprise when he limped over to Max, who was still standing on the pitch. Without hesitation or warning, Harry gave him a right hook, knocking him to the ground. Max curled up on the ground holding the side of his face while Harry towered over him yelling, ‘You idiot! You took me out on purpose. Now, let's see how you like being chopped down and humiliated, you little coward.'

‘Oooh, we'll see about that,' said Max, rising to his feet with fists poised for action.

The other boys looked on in surprise. Dylan yelled, ‘That's enough, just shake hands and get over it.' But his call for a truce was ignored.

This was definitely one time I was glad to be a girl. I didn't mind getting physical on the pitch but fighting is uncivilised, especially in sport. ‘Guys, stop it. You've got to stop it!' I screamed in desperation.

But it fell on deaf ears. Max was stamping like a bull in a ring, nostrils flaring, sizing up his opponent, ready to strike. Harry didn't even need to tease him with the red matador's bolero, although he would have been better off waving the white flag.

It all happened so quickly. Max leapt at Harry, expelling a thunderous roar and headbutting his old friend, who crashed to the ground.

Coach James came sprinting out from the change room but he was too late; the damage was done. He attended to the injured matador moaning in pain, while the victorious bull made his escape.

I don't know what came over me but I suddenly found myself chasing Max.

‘Max, wait! Please Max, wait!' I yelled urgently.

‘Wait for what? No one understands me. I had to defend myself! I'm out of here,' he screamed, as he kept running.

I desperately tried to reach him, but he was too fast. I stopped at the top of the street, hoping to get a glimpse of him and wondering if I'd ever see him again. I felt sick in the stomach.

Dylan called after me, ‘Lucy, wait …' When he caught up with me, we sat on the fence. ‘What are you doing? Why are you chasing Max? He's a talented footballer but he's a psycho.'

‘I thought I could try to talk to him. I'm the reason
he left our team, so I feel responsible for this mess,' I explained, still looking up the street for any sign of him.

‘You know, we've played football with him for years now, but we still don't know much about him. He's just very private. And I don't want to be around the next time he and Harry see each other,' said Dylan.

‘How is Harry?' I asked.

‘He'll be fine. It's more pride than pain. He wants to see you. He's worried you've already left for Italy without saying goodbye. C'mon, let's go back.'

‘Oh no! The plane! I can't be late. I've got to go or I'll be in big trouble!' I started to panic.

‘Why can't you stay and celebrate? Why do you have to leave so soon?' Dylan sounded a little upset. I looked up in surprise and saw that his cheeks had turned rosy.

‘The plane has to leave in a few hours, so I don't have long to get organised,' I said, standing up. ‘I can't wait to see my papa and my dog, Gigi, but I'm devastated that I'm going to miss most of the Champion of Champions tournament. Hopefully I'll be back for the final. Please make sure that we make it!'

We started to walk back towards the others.

‘Don't worry, Lucy, we'll get to the final. We're good enough to win it. Are you planning to catch up with your friends in Italy?' he asked, catching me by surprise.

‘Oh, um, I'm not sure. I haven't had time to think about it. I have a few football friends that I'll probably hang out with, but I want to spend as much time as I can with my papa and Gigi. Why?'

‘No reason, just wondering,' Dylan replied coyly.

‘Lucy, hey Lucy!' Bella came running towards us.

‘I'm so sorry, Bella! I've got to go. I'm running late for my flight,' I said.

‘But we haven't had a chance to catch up! I still don't know what all the fuss is about, but congratulations.' Bella looked at Dylan. ‘Hey, good game.'

‘How do you two know each other?' I asked, remembering that she had supported him on the pitch.

‘Oh, sorry Lucy, that's what I wanted to tell you earlier. This is my brother.'

‘You're kidding! That's so crazy! I wish I could stay and hang out, but I've got to leave right now. Sorry, but Mama's already put the flight back a few hours.' I hoped they'd understand.

Bella stepped in. ‘Okay, but quickly tell me, what on earth happened out there? This is why I don't like sport. It's full of thugs and crazy people, present company excluded of course. Although … that guy you were chasing was cute. Who's he?'

Dylan rolled his eyes. ‘Don't you remember Max Spitzer?'

‘Max? Was that really Max? Wow. He used to have
long dirty hair. That new haircut's made all the difference.' Bella looked at me and smirked.

Thankfully we were interrupted by Grandpa shouting. ‘Come on Lucy, we must leave immediately. Your mum is waiting.'

‘I'm coming, Grandpa.' I turned to Dylan and Bella. ‘Sorry I have to race off, but I'll text you as soon as we land. I'm not going to have time to say goodbye to Harry. Please tell him I'm so sorry but if I don't leave now my mama will go psycho!' We hugged quickly and then I raced off with Grandpa.

We made it back to the shop without a minute to spare. Mama was enjoying a final chat with Nanna as I ran in and gave them both a kiss.

We grabbed our suitcases and were ready to go, but then Mama's phone rang.

‘Lucy, can you get that, please? I left it upstairs on the coffee table.'

I ran up and grabbed it. ‘Hello, Lucy speaking.'

‘It's great to hear your voice, my beautiful girl. I called to say I can't wait to see you and I have a few surprises waiting for you. Gigi also misses you.'

I could hear her barking in the background. I couldn't wait to hold my little Gigi.

‘Papa! I miss you, I can't wait to see you either. But I have to go, we're running late.' It was so good to hear his voice.

‘Okay, Lucy. Lots of kisses. I love you. Can you please put Mama on?'

‘Of course. See you soon! Love you, ciao.'

Mama pounced on the phone, sounding all giggly, like a schoolgirl talking to her first boyfriend. It was funny to watch her in action.

I gave her some privacy and joined Nanna and Grandpa.

‘Nanna, I'm so glad you're out of hospital. I just wish we weren't leaving now, I want to spend more time with you. My team won the match today – I couldn't have done it without you and Grandpa supporting me. Thank you!'

‘Congratulations, sweetheart. And don't you worry … I plan to spend all my time with you when you return.' Nanna squeezed me tightly, then whispered, ‘Don't worry, Lucy. We'll talk my stubborn Frida around somehow.'

‘Thank you, princess,' Grandpa said. ‘Now let's get your mother off the phone or your pilot may miss his clearance. Then there'll be trouble.'

Mama came down the stairs, still gasbagging to Papa.

‘Frida, it's time to go. You'll be seeing your husband soon enough,' said Grandpa, as the driver came in to take our bags to the car. She blew kisses into the phone and finally hung up.

We all hugged as the tears started to roll. I couldn't believe it – I'd just started to settle here and I was off again.

‘Don't worry, we'll be back before you know it,' said Mama, who looked as if she'd surprised herself with such an emotional departure.

 

Once we were in the car, I realised I didn't even know where we were heading first. ‘Mama, where are we going, Milano or Lake Como?'

‘First stop is Milano. Papa is at the Milanello training grounds preparing for a game, although he'll be able to join us at home for the first week. That's when we'll work on the Love Lucy photoshoot.'

‘Great, it'll be so much fun.' I tried to inject some enthusiasm into my voice.

Mama, on the other hand, couldn't contain herself. ‘It's so exciting, my daughter the face of our teen label. I can't wait to get to the studio and see you work your magic in front of the camera again. It's been a while.'

Yeah … I couldn't wait!

‘And if you like, Papa said you can watch him in the local derby on the following Sunday. This time I'll come with you. I haven't seen him play for a while. I should show my face! And we'll make sure that we spend some time relaxing at Lake Como. And of course we must go shopping …' By this stage Mama was on a roll. ‘I miss the Galleria Vittorio Emanuele and Via Della Spica, and I can't wait to dine at Cracco Peck again. We're also going to
catch up with Giorgio. I need a new gown for a ball we're attending. I can't wait to get back home,' she announced with a huge smile.

Never mind the shoot, I was bubbling with excitement about the game. Watching the local derby between AC Milan and Inter was my favourite thing, besides actually playing.

We arrived at the waiting jet without a minute to spare. Our passports were checked while another officer combed over our things with a metal detector. The flight attendant greeted us warmly.

‘Good afternoon, Signora and Signorina Zoffi, welcome aboard. Please take your seats for immediate take-off.'

I hadn't realised quite how much I'd missed Papa until he entered the room. His thick brown hair was swept back and his green eyes crinkled up with his huge smile. You couldn't help but love him.

I greeted him with a matching smile, knowing that I had him all to myself while Mama dolled herself up to make her grand entrance. I ran into his arms, hugging him tightly. I couldn't contain my excitement.

‘Papa, I missed you so much. Did you beat Roma? What was the score? I'm coming to your next game.'

‘That's what I love about you, Lucia, your lust for life. Of course I missed you, my darling girl. And yes, we did win – but more importantly, look at you,' he said dotingly, caressing my cheek. ‘I'm so proud that you're going to be the face of Love Lucy.'

‘I love the sound of it, Papa. It's an honour', I said, trying to hide my disappointment that he wanted to talk about that straight away. Oh well, I wasn't into the fashion thing, but I was extremely touched that he and Mama had named the label after me.

‘We've organised your favourite photographer, Enzo, for the shoot, so it will be lots of fun. And this time, since it's featuring you, I've asked him to mix fashion with sport. It's more suited to the youth market. I haven't told your mama about that yet … let's surprise her. We may even use a football in the shoot. What do you think, gorgeous?'

I was completely taken by surprise. Did Papa know that I'd been playing football again, or was this some lucky coincidence? Finally, I could really enjoy a photoshoot.

‘Yes, I think it's a great idea, Papa,' I responded carefully. ‘I'm sure kids my age will love it. And I promise I'll do my best at the shoot and make you proud.'

‘I'm already proud of you Lucia, I mean, Lucy. Mama told me you are doing very well at your new school and your dancing classes. She mentioned something about a dance concert in Sydney that you're performing in soon. You know I can't promise anything, but I'll try my best to be there. It's about time I took a trip to Australia.'

‘Oh, Papa, really? That would be great.'

‘And you've been doing a great job helping your grandpa. He tells me that you've made some good friends, although he did let it slip that they're mostly boys. You know you're too young to be interested in boys.' His eyebrows knitted together as he threw me a concerned look.

‘Papa! I'm not interested in boys, I just like hanging out with them. Anyway, I've made a very good friend at school, called Bella.'

‘Ah, that's good to hear.'

‘She's a bit of a bookworm but we get on very well. And she's the daughter of a politician. Your club president knows her family.'

‘Well, I like the sound of a friend who has her head in books … it's the best place for girls, especially mine. You should spend more time with her rather than the boys. They're trouble – believe me, I was young once and I know what they're like.' He gave me a cheeky grin.

‘It's not like that, we're just friends. We have a lot in common,' I replied.

‘But what can you have in common with a bunch of boys? You love fashion and modelling and girly things like your mama. That's what I love about you. You're wise beyond your years, and sometimes very stubborn, but every inch a young lady.' He announced this proudly, while I crumbled inside at his vision of me. Maybe it was his way of holding on, pretending that I was still just a little kid.

Couldn't he see that I was different, especially from Mama? How could he be so off the mark? Maybe he just didn't want to recognise that his little princess was a tomboy. I didn't really fit into his ideal world. I was always in jeans or my favourite trackpants, but I suppose
he didn't see that very often, since he was always playing football or keeping up with sponsorship commitments.

I could hear Mama bolting down the corridor. Her heels banged purposefully towards us, then she arrived looking radiant and immaculate, dressed in a low-cut, perfectly fitted red Valentino dress. Papa was extremely pleased to see her – his eyes goggled out of his head as she threw herself into his welcoming arms. They embraced and started to get mushy … yuck, yuck, yuck, I was out of there. I went to make my exit, but Papa wrestled himself away from Mama.

‘Lucia, er, Lucy, wait. I have something for you. I'll be back in a minute – stay right where you are,' he ordered.

He soon returned carrying a big box covered with a blanket. I couldn't work out what it was until I heard a familiar noise.

‘Gigi, my little Gigi. Oh, I've missed you,' I blurted, feeling tears come to my eyes. Papa opened the box and my chihuahua jumped into my arms, covering my face with welcoming licks. Gigi and I had a lot of catching up to do. Cuddling her now reminded me of Nonno Dino, because he'd bought her for me on my sixth birthday.

I started to relax as I headed to my room with Gigi. It was great to be home again – I was a lot more excited than I'd thought I'd be. Then I remembered: usually at this time of day the boys would be playing football at our local park. I decided it was time to put on the boots
and unleash the real Lucy. Jet lag would have to wait.

I quickly packed my bag with my football gear and Gigi, and shouted, ‘I'm just going up the road for a gelato with a few friends.'

‘Okay, we'll go out for
aperitivi
then,' Mama said. ‘Why don't you meet us at our usual place for dinner later? Call us when you're ready, but don't be too late. We'll leave the driver with you.'

‘Oh no, that's okay, I'll be fine.'

Mama quickly bounced back, ‘No, it's not up for discussion. We still have to be careful – we're not taking any risks, and that's final.'

Mama might have been glad to be back in Milano, but the freedom she'd given me in Sydney was starting to slip away.

 

‘Come on, Pino, pass the ball … what are you doing?' I yelled out. I'd managed to shake off our driver. He was happy to have the night off.

Pino kicked the ball out and ran over with the rest of the boys. ‘Ciao, Lucy! Good to see you back home. How long are you staying?'

‘Just a few weeks, I think. I'm desperate for a game, can I play?'

He nodded.

We got stuck in and played for a couple of hours, as
if I'd never left. That was the great thing about football: words weren't necessary. Even Gigi enjoyed it, barking like crazy. It felt so good being on my home turf, but deep down I knew that this could be the last time I got to kick around with the boys for a long time. I was in my element, loving every minute of the game.

‘Zeezou, you're on fire. Sydney must agree with you!' Pino yelled after I scored my third goal.

I couldn't get enough. I passed the defenders with ease, stalking like a panther towards the goal. I was on a mission, thinking about how I could get my papa's approval. I wanted to show him the footballer within, I wanted him to see Lucy Zeezou.

After the game we went to our local hangout, a gelato bar across the road from the park. We talked about Sydney and its football scene as I ate my favourite chocolate gelato, and Gigi enjoyed her own version.

A sudden flash of light distracted me momentarily, but I was too involved in the football discussion to pay attention. Then one of the boys yelled, ‘Hey you, get out of here.'