Renaldo (33 page)

you. Gordero and Santos are very high on your ability. They told me there

might be some problems with your mother, however. Are they solvable? It

would be a shame to let an opportunity like this pass you by on that account.”

Suarez lit another Marlboro, then walked around to the front of his desk.

He then abruptly sat down on the edge of its metal top, only inches from

Renaldo’s chair. His voice took on a more fatherly tone.

“We all have to cut our mother’s apron strings sometime, my boy! What

do you think? Can I count on you to show up here on January fifteenth for the

initial team meeting and medicals?”

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RENALDO

Suarez was right. He had to follow his own destiny, and he might as well

cut the apron strings sooner than later.

“Yes, Señor Suarez, you can count on me to be here on the fifteenth of next

month. I will have dealt with my mother by that time. Thank you for having

faith in me, for giving me this chance. I suppose I have been my own worst

enemy as far as doubting myself. I have had a secret dream for many years, since

the death of my father. I now realize that you have just given me the means

with which I can make that dream reality. For that, I am most grateful. I will

not let you down, Señor Suarez.”

Tears welled in the boy’s eyes as the emotion of the moment overcame

him. Octavio Suarez stood and rested a fatherly hand on his shoulder.

“I am thankful for that, son, for I will need an abundance of help myself

to make my dreams into reality. The road will not be smooth, and the glare

of the lights will make weak men run for shelter. Be strong, have faith, and

dreams may just become reality!”

He walked over to a large cardboard box in the corner of the room, stooped

down and pulled out a thick binder.

“This is your training manual. It will be your bible for the next six months.

Guard it with your life, for without its knowledge, your life is worth nothing

to me. Start on the training regimen tomorrow. I want you in good physical

condition by the fifteenth. Follow the dietary instruction stickly and don’t do

anything stupid with the young ladies. I have lost more than one potential

superstar with a case of the clap. Keep your fly zipped up until next July! Now,

I believe that you have a plane to catch, so I will see you on the fifteenth. I am

going to keep Santos here for the day to help me sort out this mess. That’s it!

Off with you now, and Merry Christmas.”

Renaldo rose from his chair and again shook the manager’s hand. It felt

totally different this time, strong, confident, and reassuring. The two men

walked out into the corridor that connected the bowels of the stadium.

“What is the weather like outside? I haven’t seen the sun for days,” the

older man laughed. They made idle chatter as they snaked their way through

the subterranean labyrinth, then up into the entrance plaza where the two other

men waited by Gordero’s limousine.

Farewells and good wishes for the holidays were exchanged, then Renaldo

and Astor Gordero climbed into the rear of the Mercedes, while Estes Santos

and Octavio Suarez disappeared into the darkness of the stadium. Renaldo

opened his window and stuck his head through the opening to get a last,

inspiring glimpse of the temple before it faded from sight.

What history will be written within its towering confines six months from now?

he wondered silently.
And will I be there to help write a chapter or two? Only time

will tell.

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JAMES McCREATH

The loud ‘pop’ of a cork brought him back inside the cool interior of the

limousine with a startled, curious look on his face.

“I take it from the binder you are holding that there may be cause for

celebration. Is that the case?”

Gordero extended a full crystal goblet of his trademark Dom Pérignon to

the younger man, a sly, inquisitive grin etched on his face. Renaldo sat back

in the seat and reluctantly took the goblet. He had forgotten about his early

morning hangover in the excitement of the hour. No sense in refusing the

liquid gold that his host was offering, though. After all, things had worked out

exactly as Gordero had predicted with Octavio Suarez. No cruel joke had been

played on him, and yes, he was going to be a member of Argentina’s World

Cup team, at least at the outset of training. Yes, damn it, there was cause for

celebration!

“Cheers to you, Señor Gordero. You are a miracle worker, to be sure. Never

in my wildest dreams did I think something like this could happen to me. I

am in shock! Señor Suarez told me to report back to the stadium on January

fifteenth for the initial team meeting and physicals. I still can’t believe what

you have done for me!”

“All that I have done to date still does not amount to saving a life, Renaldo,

which is exactly what you did for me in Córdoba. Now it is what you can do

for your country that really matters. So ‘cheers’ to you, my boy. Help bring the

World Cup trophy to this great land of ours!” He downed the entire goblet in

one mouthful, and then refilled both vessels with the bubbly essence.

“What about your mother? You will have to deal with her right away.

Perhaps Estes or I could come up to Pergamino to have a word with her, if

necessary. Try to convince her what a splendid opportunity this is for you.”

“That will not be necessary, Señor Gordero. I will handle that situation

myself. As Señor Suarez just reminded me, we all have to cut the apron strings

at sometime or another. That time is now, for me. I will be here on the fifteenth

with or without her blessing. I will let her have a peaceful Christmas day, and

then discuss the matter calmly and rationally a day or two afterward. It will

mean delaying the start of my university education for a few months, but the

school will still be there when I am ready to attend it. I am confident that I can

win her approval without breaking her heart.”

“I am glad of that, Renaldo. I have met your mother several times at

various charity fundraisers. She is a charming, hardworking lady. I know that

she has only your best interests at heart, but I can tell you that the prospect of

what you are about to tell her will not rest lightly on her shoulders. Especially

after the tragic incident with your father.”

A strange use of words,
Renaldo thought. He had only ever heard of his

father’s untimely death being referred to as an ‘accident,’ never an ‘incident.’

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RENALDO

Surely just a champagne-induced slip of the tongue. He put the matter out of

his mind, as Gordero continued his oration.

“I also have your best interests at heart, Renaldo, for I am the one

responsible for leading you to the edge of the cauldron that you are about to

be thrown into. Your life will change totally for the next six months, maybe

forever. It will be like living under a microscope. The press, the fans, they will

want to know everything about you. Your privacy will disappear. There will be

so many distractions, so many temptations. A clean-living young man such as

yourself has no idea what is in store for you. That is why I want to stay close to

you, to look after your affairs for you. I can keep the distractions away as much

as possible while you concentrate on one thing. . . football!”

Renaldo’s partially fogged mind was having trouble figuring out exactly

to what the older man was alluding. He simply listened in silence as the

presentation continued.

“I have handled many other players in the past, but you are the only

one I am interested in now. There will be an assortment of sleazy hangers-

on that will come knocking at your door the instant that you are named to

the preliminary team. These people are professional bloodsuckers. Your name

becomes their calling card for an endless string of shams and rip-offs. I want

to keep you from falling prey to these people. I will negotiate your contract

with Suarez. You cannot expect a great sum of money, initially. But once you

have proven yourself on the world stage, well, then, the sky is the limit! Huge

contracts are being offered to Argentine players to play the game overseas.

Combined with lucrative endorsement deals with worldwide corporations, it

boggles the mind to even think about the possibilities. The one thing that is

imperative in this whole equation is that your public image, your reputation

as a man of character, remain unsullied in any way. You must be a saint in the

eyes of the public. Then, and only then, will the major corporations open their

vaults to you.”

The Fat Man stopped talking long enough to replenish his goblet. His

passenger’s had remained full and untouched.

“Renaldo, I can guide you down the right road. I know that the money

is not what really matters to you now, that you are wealthy in your own right.

But it is the public’s perception of you at such a young age that can be shaped

and contoured to your maximum benefit. We have had players on our World

Cup teams compete under the shadows of horrendous personal scandals. Game

fixing, wife beating, extra-marital affairs, even homosexuality! The foreign

press in particular will dig up any dirt that they can to throw us off our game.

They are absolutely ruthless people, especially the closer a team gets to the

championship game.

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JAMES McCREATH

“I am offering my services to you as a sort of, let’s say, guardian of your

career. I have at my disposal the means and the wherewithal to keep the public

perception of Renaldo De Seta on the straight and narrow. And should, heaven

forbid, a small indiscretion occur on your part, well, let’s just say that I am a

man of many contacts in the less glamorous side of the business world as well.

Sometimes, events need a little cosmetic surgery to keep a career wholesome.

Almost anything can be arranged for a price. But I know that none of that will

be necessary as far as you are concerned. Allow me to tell people that you are

represented by Astor Gordero, and I promise you smooth sailing right up to the

victory podium, where you will hold aloft the World Cup trophy!”

The man has delusions. He is a dreamer of the grandest scale. I cannot take this

piffle seriously
, Renaldo’s mind was saying.

Nevertheless, the more Gordero talked and the more Renaldo drank, the

more legitimate seemed the reasons for entrusting his future to the Buenos Aires

lawyer. Gordero had done everything that he said he would do for Renaldo. He

had the connections, the esteem, the knowledge. He also had a certain young

actress/singer as a client. The distractions would be tremendous, he knew that.

Who else was there to turn to, to guide him, to show him the path to glory?

The limousine was now approaching Ezeiza Airport. Gordero persisted.

“Think seriously about what I have said, Renaldo, while you are relaxing

in Pergamino over the holidays. Talk to Estes Santos about the potential of my

representing you. I trust his judgment. But once you return to Buenos Aires in

the New Year, it will be decision time. You must have dealt with your family

matters by then, as well as come to an understanding about my participation in

your future. I can help you, Renaldo, make no mistake about that.”

The Mercedes had entered the private aviation compound and was

pulling astride a sparkling white Learjet, the graphics “A.R. Gordero and Sons”

prominently displayed on the fuselage. The chauffeur popped the trunk, then

ran to open his employer’s door.

The pilot and an attractive flight attendant stood at the bottom of the

plane’s staircase. Gordero greeted them warmly, then introduced Renaldo to

them both. The chauffeur handed the boy’s luggage to the flight attendant,

who disappeared into the aircraft to stow it away for the flight. As was often

his habit, Astor Gordero had a surprise to bestow upon his guest before they

parted company.

“Oh, by the way, Renaldo, I almost forgot this.” He reached into the inner

pocket of his sizable white linen jacket and brandished a pink envelope in

front of the departing passenger’s face. “You made quite an impression on a

certain young lady at our luncheon yesterday. She insisted that I give this to

you without delay, and I was advised to tell you that she expects you to follow

the enclosed instructions succinctly and to the letter of the law. That’s legalese

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RENALDO

for ‘you better do as I say!’ So, have a good holiday and come back ready for

your new life. Here is my business card with my phone numbers on it should

you want to talk about anything, anything at all, over the next fortnight. Have

a safe trip. Adios, my boy.”

He embraced a startled Renaldo and kissed him on each cheek. Then his

bulging torso withdrew as he motioned to the pilot with a wave of his hand.

“Please join us, Señor De Seta, and we will be on our way to Pergamino.”