It had been a tough day for Mutero whose career as the football coach of Tembo High was teetering on the brink of collapse after the humiliating defeat at the hands of Masii High. With a frown on his face, he replayed the events of the ill-fated afternoon in his mind as he raced up the winding road in his Toyota Premio. As the trees along the highway whirled past him at great speed, he could still hear the deafening roar of the cheering fans as the shrill of the final whistle signaling the end of the tense and foul-tempered match pierced the air.
Two players, one from either side had been given their marching orders following an altercation between the two that turned physical and almost escalated into a full-scale war among the players of both teams but for the intervention of riot police who restored order. A full ten minutes elapsed before the match could resume. By then, Tembo High was trailing by a solitary goal and looked well set to even the score before a penalty awarded to Masii High at stoppage time sealed their fate. Hardly had a minute gone by after the penalty was converted, when the game ended sending their fans into a mad frenzy of celebration.
The sky, as if on cue, had suddenly opened and rain fell in buckets but Masii High crowd was not one to be dampened by the weather and round the field they danced in the rain in jubilation before trooping back into their buses drenched to the skin.
It had never happened before in the history of Tembo High. Losing at home was simply inconceivable least of all under Mutero’s tutelage, who had been sourced from one of the country’s leading clubs. He had cost a dime but the school’s management still went ahead to okay the move. His hiring caused not a minor stir in the world of sports, some hailing it as the best move Tembo High – known for producing world-class players – could make as the school continued their tradition of being the trailblazers in football. But others thought that the school was overdoing things. Any qualified high school football coach could have done the same job for less, so they argued.
Tembo High were the reigning regional champions and now they had their sights trained on the continental cup. They were sparing no efforts towards this end. Now, after the devastating loss, even their qualification for the national finals was not guaranteed.
Mutero had less than a week to turn the fortunes of Tembo High around. The make-or-break second leg match would be played at Masii High grounds. While driving out of the school car park after the downpour had dwindled to a light drizzle, he received a call from one of the school directors ordering him to tender his resignation pending a review of his contract. Meanwhile, he had to let his assistant coach take over from there. He parked his car again in disbelief and shock at this sudden news. But what did he expect in this cut-throat world of soccer? His was a strictly result-oriented job, and it was clear he had not kept his side of the bargain and was therefore being pushed out.
He pleaded his case, promising that he would deliver the coveted trophy the following Saturday. There was prolonged silence on the other end of the line before the gruff voice of the director came back, saying he would call him back, and then hung up. He was close to tears at the thought of losing his job when he needed the money the most. He had recently taken out a huge mortgage loan on his house. His marriage, too, was going through a rough patch, the worst in his seventeen-year-old marriage.
He was just driving into his compound when the phone rang. It was the director. They had reconsidered his case and would let him stay as long as he won the next match. He let out a big sigh of relief. He had pinned all his hopes on Jack – the burgeoning striker – during the just-ended match, but it was like Jack had developed leaden feet in front of the rivals’ goal, wasting chance after chance, drawing loud boos and jeers from the crowd.
Still, he retained Jack on the field against his better judgment, hoping that he would recover his form in the few remaining minutes and turn the tables against their rivals. It was not to be, and everybody now was blaming him for failing to take charge of the situation. This was Jack’s only chance to join the prestigious Vintage University on a scholarship awarded to the best player in the final.
Yet the boy was blowing the chance just to spite him. They were not even on speaking terms since last evening after he shouted at his mother in anger, causing her to cower in her seat. The boy had gone to bed without touching his supper. Mutero regretted his actions and felt it was his duty to apologize. He had no option but to make peace with both of them to save his job and marriage.
Now he turned to talk to his son, but the boy had already gotten out of the vehicle before he could even turn off the engine.
“Jack!” he bellowed after him as he marched into the house, but the boy did not even falter in his step to acknowledge he had heard him. “Damn!” he cursed to himself. But a bright flash of lightning streaking across the darkening sky, followed by a deafening crash of thunder that seemed to split the heavens in two, made him forget his anger. He picked his duffel bag from the adjacent seat and made a dash for the house as fat drops of rain made soft plopping sounds as they struck the roof.
It rained ceaselessly with short breaks until Saturday morning – the day of the much-anticipated match – when it suddenly stopped and the sun came out in all its glory. There was a lot of kicking up of mud as the two teams tested each other’s defense on the muddy pitch, but neither yielded to the other. Mutero had benched Jack, who sat there with him looking gloomier every minute. Mutero’s efforts to make peace with his son had yielded no results, and he could only pray that his team would win this match to help him retain his job.
Unless they won this match by more than two goals, they were going home. And then something happened. One of Masii High’s defenders handled the ball inside the box, and Tembo High was awarded a penalty kick, which they easily scored, sending the whole field into an ecstasy of celebration. But from that point on, it was impossible to breach their defense, and things were looking gloomy for Tembo High as minutes ticked towards the end of the match with no sign of another goal.
The match was now in stoppage time and could end at any moment. Mutero looked at his son, who was now on his feet urging his teammates to pile on more pressure. He made a quick decision and signaled for a substitution. “Son,” he whispered to him, “this is your chance now to save the situation,” he said as he pushed him onto the field to the consternation of everybody who remembered how poorly he had played in the last game.
No sooner had Jack stepped onto the field than he received a long pass and sent a curling shot into the top left corner of the net, eliciting wild cheers from the crowd as Tembo High evened the score just before the match ended. They went into penalty shootouts, which
Tembo High won by five goals to three. Jack became the hero once again when he was announced as the player of the match.
The sun was a giant red ball hanging over the western hills as Mutero drove into the sunset. He was in an upbeat mood and smiled at his son in the passenger seat. “We did it, son!” he told him.
“Sure, Dad,” Jack answered as he smiled back at his father. Then he stared out of the window, enjoying the scenery as it fleeted past, and thought about the delicious supper awaiting them at home.
—
Thirikwa Nyingi hails from Laikipia County, Kenya. He is a teacher by profession. He likes reading and playing chess while interacting with friends during his free time.
—
Read – A Knight’s Second Chance – A Short Story by Micah Angel – South Africa
