Renaldo (111 page)

“I have received no final instructions from either Renaldo or Ramon due

to circumstances beyond our control, and the purpose of this meeting was

really for them to meet face-to-face with you and your daughter. I am sure they

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have questions to ask you, for it is a drastic change in lifestyles that they are

contemplating. Why don’t we turn the table over to them, and you can speak

to their queries directly? Ramon, why don’t you go first? Do you have anything

you would like to ask Lord and Lady Russell about your playing for the Canary

Wharf Football Club in England?”

Wolfgang Stoltz finished translating his employer’s words for the Argentine

striker, then sat ready to relate his response. Surprisingly, the Boy from Boca

replied in fractured English.

“No, I have no . . . question?”

He turned to Stoltz and spoke rapidly in his native tongue. Stoltz nodded

his head in affirmation to the several inquiries Ramon was obviously making.

Satisfied with the answers that the German had given him, Astor Gordero’s

newest client looked directly at Mallory.

“OK, I go play football. In England. Nice women!”

Ramon’s fragmented acceptance and compliment caught everyone at the

table off-guard. Mallory Russell, far from being insulted, laughed graciously

and extended a hand for the swashbuckling Latin to shake. Ramon grasped

the delicate object rising to his feet, bent forward from the waist, and kissed it

with a flourish. His contract, for all intents and purposes, was signed, sealed,

and delivered. Laughter and a congratulatory round of applause greeted Canary

Wharf’s newest transfer as he returned to his seat.

It was Lady Russell that continued on with the negotiations. “And how

about you, Renaldo? How do you feel about joining your friend in England?

The two of you working your magic together in our first division would make

a sight to behold. We have big plans for the Canary Wharf Football Club. Our

stadium is under construction at this very moment. When finished, it will be

one of the finest facilities in all of England! We want to field a team that will

pack the grandstands by offering exciting offensive football. You and Ramon

are exactly the players that can do that for us.”

Mallory paused to see if she could read the young man’s eyes for an

indication of how hard a sell this was going to be. He was certainly transfixed

on her every word, but she could decipher no clues as to his thoughts. She

pressed on.

“Our ultimate goal goes far beyond just competing well in our newly

promoted surroundings. We want to win the league championship, and of

course, even the FA Cup is possible. But our ultimate goal is to be the champions

of Europe. To win the European Cup as the premier club-side on the continent

is the one feat that the Canaries have never achieved in their existence. That is

our true goal, and you two gentlemen can help us to accomplish it!”

“An envious, but difficult goal to achieve, Lady Russell!” Wolfgang Stoltz

made his first direct statement of the day to the gathering.

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“Winning the first division championship in your own country will be

a tremendous accomplishment in itself, something a newly promoted second

division club has never done before, if I am correct. But to challenge the great

teams of Europe such as Real Madrid, Athletico of Milan, and Bayern Munich?

Well, do you not think that you are putting an unrealistic amount of pressure

on these young gentlemen?”

Lord Russell was quick to respond to the arrogant German. “Herr Stoltz,

it would seem that we have more faith in your homegrown talent than you do.

What these ‘young gentlemen’ give us is an element of surprise. If we mold our

team around their playing style, our English competition, frankly won’t know

how to react. Each and every one of them plays the same monotonous long

ball game. There is little or no innovation, and the only thing that changes

are the names of the players. We have missed two bloody World Cups because

of this constipated philosophy, and Mallory and I want to show the Football

Association that they need to adjust their tactics or remain perennial also-

rans!”

“What about Liverpool’s recent successes abroad? Have they not won the

last two European Cups, the second less than a month ago?” responded Astor

Gordero.

“True enough, Señor, but realistically, the team they beat, Brugges of

Belgium, was not a great side. Add to that the fact that this year’s competition

was watered down considerably. Many of the club sides in the running were

forced to give up their best players to their national teams competing in this

tournament. The final game was also played in England, right at Wembley

Stadium, of all places. It was basically a home fixture for the Reds. The truth

of the matter is that those Mersey-Men should have won by four or five goals

instead of just one!”

Lord Russell took a large gulp of the neat Scotch that he had hardly

touched since the meeting began. The point of all this mindless babble was

drifting away from his central theme, and he wanted to get the golden ball into

his closet and be done with this whole business.

“No, gentlemen, we do not intend to put unbearable pressure on your

players. That would drive them back across the Atlantic faster than any of us

want. It will take time to build a team that is compatible with the new tactics

we plan to adopt. The first season will be a learning experience for everyone.

But, by the start of the second campaign, if things work out the way Mallory

and I hope they will . . . well, Señor Gordero, by that time, with a lot of hard

work and a bit of luck, all of us should be headed to the continent to take on

Herr Stoltz’s ‘great teams of Europe.’”

The contempt directed at Gordero’s assistant was thinly veiled. Stoltz

pretended to ignore the comment and continued his translation for Ramon

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Vida, but the German was seething with indignation internally. Patience had

always been one of Wolfgang Stoltz’s strongest attributes however, and he would

be careful to choose the perfect opportunity to put this self-righteous weakling

in his place.

Renaldo had listened politely to the verbal jousting going on around him

without paying any of it much heed. He wanted the English lady to talk to

him again, to personally reassure him that she would be accessible if he were to

travel to England. That her warmth and charm were not just an act to lure him

from Argentina. That her sparkling smile and incredible voice would rekindle

the same newfound urges that had all but convinced him to sign the contract

and fly to England.

Each phrase that she uttered throughout their two-hour luncheon brought

him closer to the undeniable realization that he just had to be close to her.

Simone had unlocked the vault containing his latent male sensuality, and the

young man now wanted to capitalize on the unimagined riches therein. He had

to constantly refocus his thoughts out of the carnal and into the current as he

fantasized about their future together in England.

Reggie Russell had had his fill by the time the main course was all but

consumed, both of the food and of the idle football gossip that had replaced

the essence of the entire meeting. He wanted to force the issue by confronting

the good-looking youngster that had not yet committed to playing in England.

A simple answer would do. Are you coming or aren’t you? Yes or no? Make up

your bloody mind! It was time to play the trump card.

“Mallory, why don’t you tell Renaldo about the phone call that we received

from England this morning. Perhaps that news might help convince the lad.”

“My word, I’d almost forgotten with all his talk of football and the like.”

Mallory focused her attention on the enamored gentleman to her left.

“Renaldo, Señor Gordero has informed us that your mother is most

concerned about you continuing your education, specifically in the medical

field. Well, we have many highly placed contacts in London, and with a little

legwork, we received a call this morning from the Registrar of the University

of London Medical School. He is an ex-marine corpsman that served in Europe

with my father in World War Two. Apparently, if your grades are as good as

Señor Gordero has led us to believe, he will be able to secure an undergraduate

exchange student placement for you in the school’s pre-med first-year program.

We will need transcripts of your school records to send to England, of course, but

if everything checks out, your mother should be pleased with this opportunity

to combine football with your continuing education. How does that sound to

you?”

The charmer still held the cobra in her hypnotic trance. Renaldo had only

heard about every third word that Mallory related, so consumed was he by her

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presence. The embarrassing silence that followed her question finally prompted

a response.

“That would be wonderful, I suppose. I must admit that my mind has not

been focused on my education of late, but if enrollment in a medical course can

be used to convince my mother, so much the better.”

So what is your bleeding answer, you little pantywaist?
Reggie Russell pondered

while doing a slow burn.
Enough of this rubbish! We have kissed your mother’s

derrière, so let’s have an answer. Come on, you little pansy, out with it. Make up your

own mind for the first time in your life!
The words were on the tip of Lord Russell’s

tongue, but he managed to temper his question in deference to Mallory.

“So, young man, what shall it be? Adventure and an education abroad,

or continuing to live under your mother’s shadow here in Buenos Aires? We

really must have your answer today, for Mallory and I fly back to London in

the morning. Our season commences in less than a month, and if you decide

to join us, we would require you to arrive in England in the very near future.

Say a fortnight, at the absolute outside. I would like to retire to Señor Gordero’s

office now to work out the details. Things like flights, type of lodging that

you require initially, a down payment of salary, everything that will make the

transition to your new life in England as comfortable as possible. But we must

have your answer. Now!”

“Perhaps Renaldo would like to take some time alone with me to discuss

his future in private, Lord Russell.” Astor Gordero did not appreciate the

bluntness of the Englishman. It was a trait that he found tactless.

“No, that will not be necessary, Señor Gordero. I only have one question

to ask of Lord Russell. Who actually runs the Canary Wharf Football Team,

Sir? Who will Ramon and I be dealing with on a daily basis once we arrive in

England?”

“Well, Randal Horton is our team manager, or coach, as you sometimes

call them in South America. A splendid chap, old Randal. Used to play for

the Canaries a few years back. Very bright and in full compliance with the

change in tactics that we plan to institute if you and Ramon join us. There is

also Mallory here. As team executive vice-president, she has taken an active,

hands-on role in the club’s operations. Far too active to suit many of the old

chauvinist farts at the FA, I might add! And I will be around a fair bit as well.

On the whole though, it’s Randal Horton for ‘on-field’ matters and Mallory for

‘off-field’ matters. Does that answer your question?”

It certainly did! All Renaldo wanted to hear was that this vision of beauty

seated beside him would be actively involved in his new career. That was

enough for him to place his future into her hands.

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“Yes, Sir, it does. I am prepared to sign your contract and to travel to

England as soon as possible to play football for the Canary Wharf Football

Club!”

“Good show, young man!” a triumphant Lord Russell bubbled with glee.