‘Camps?’ Jasper asked.
‘Refugee camps. That’s where we stayed when we left Afghanistan. There were classes to teach us English: they were the first we’d ever been to. Under the Taliban government, girls could not go to school, and before we left, Aamir was too young to start.’
‘Is that why your English is so good?’ Lil guessed.
Nadia blushed. ‘I loved the classes and used to stay to help the younger ones. Aamir loved soccer and skipped many of the classes to play. My father also speaks English, but not my mother.’
‘Where is your dad?’ Jasper asked.
‘The library. He was a doctor in Afghanistan but he has to study and take more exams if he wants to be one in Australia.’
‘Did you play soccer too?’ Jasper asked.
‘Yes, but not like this. It was on desert sand with no shoes. For some children, it was the first time they had played sport. It was something to do to forget.’
‘Forget?’ Lil asked.
‘Forget the gunfire, the family who were taken away, the sadness.’
Nadia looked towards her brother.
‘Aamir became so good at soccer. He used to laugh and shout during the game, which he’d never done before, because at home, we spoke in whispers for fear of getting into trouble.’
‘For laughing?’ Jasper was having a hard time trying to imagine a world of desert camps, no laughter and soccer with no shoes.
‘Sometimes people were taken away in the middle of the night for doing nothing at all.’
‘How long were you in the camps?’ Lil asked.
‘Two years.’ She said it like it was no big deal. Like it was nothing more than a holiday that had lasted a very long time.
‘You lived for two years in a refugee camp?’ Jasper’s eyes flung wide open. Nadia’s fell to the ground.
‘Yes,’ she answered quietly.
Jasper felt bad. He hadn’t wanted to embarrass her. He could tell he’d said too much and needed to make it all right but Nadia got in first.
‘But that is over now. We came to Australia, and after staying in a detention centre, we are here now.’ She smiled a little shyly. ‘I want to be a lawyer when I’m older and now that I’m here, it is possible.’
She looked up at Jasper. ‘Thank you for looking after Aamir. You have made my parents very happy to see him laugh again. And now, it is time to leave.’
Jasper watched as Nadia went to get Aamir. It was strange to believe that they escaped from their home because they were scared of their own government, and now they were at a barbie laughing and talking and surrounded by soccer fields.
‘Jasper and Lil, just the two I want.’ Jasper’s dad walked up behind them, still wearing the bright apron.
‘Not sure who’s hogging all the tomato sauce but it’s all gone. Run to the canteen and see if they can spare us one til next week.’
Jasper looked over at the long, snaking line in front of the canteen full of edgy, elbow-shoving kids. With out-of-control post-game hunger, you risked your life even going near it.
‘We may not make it back alive.’
His dad patted him on the shoulder. ‘Just be as fast as you can.’
As they headed over to the canteen, the soccer fields were in full swing. There were games being played on every field, kids being picked up and dropped off, and armloads of eskies, blankets and chairs moving everywhere.
‘You wait here,’ Lil said to Jasper when she saw the bulging line-up for the canteen. ‘No use both of us fighting the crowd for a bottle of sauce.’
‘Sure. If you’re offering.’
Jasper stood a little away from the canteen and saw Aamir running towards his family, trailing his jumper behind him. His mum and sister were waiting for him in their car. The same proud feeling swelled up in Jasper’s chest knowing he had uncovered a potential future soccer champion.
A kid stepped in Aamir’s path and shoulder-charged him so that he fell to the ground. Jasper frowned as the same kid helped Aamir up with exaggerated friendliness and an overly big smile before Aamir hurried the rest of the way to the car.
The kid threw his bag on the ground near Jasper, laughing with a friend. ‘I’m sorry, it was an accident. Yeah, right.’
They laughed even louder.
‘Why don’t they go back to their own country? We don’t want ’em here.’
‘Dunno, they can’t even speak English. I heard them before.’
Jasper realised they were talking about Aamir’s family.
‘They eat weird food. It stinks. Like they do.’ They laughed some more. A mean, vicious laugh.
‘Dad says they’re always causing trouble and should be sent back to where they came from.’
A woman pulled up in the car park and called out to them and the two kids ran off.
Jasper stood and stared as they jumped into the car.
Lil came back with a huge smile on her face. ‘There were some kids pushing in at the canteen so this dad let me go before them.’
She noticed Jasper staring into the distance. ‘You okay?’
He turned back. ‘Sorry? Yeah,’ he said unconvincingly. ‘We better get back with that sauce before the Rovers start their own riot.’
But as they walked back to the picnic, Jasper couldn’t help but feel his perfect day suddenly darken. It was like watching storm clouds smudge across a blue sky when there was still so much soccer to be played.
He knew what those kids had said wasn’t true, and maybe the best thing to do was ignore it, but somewhere inside him it burnt him up that they were wrong.
And that he hadn’t said a thing.
JOHNNY SAYS:
When I was growing up, the balls were really heavy with fat laces around the middle, quite different from the smooth, lightweight balls used today. Everyone hated going for headers. But my first goal in competitive soccer, playing for the Under 12’s, was a header. When the ball flew across the muddy field towards me, I quickly dove and hit it with the top of my head. I couldn’t believe it flew straight into the net! The big goalkeeper tried to stop the shot but fell on top of me instead, squishing me into the mud.
‘Now, kick the ball straight to me.’
Nannu stood in the backyard facing Jasper. He was taking him through shooting practice, only so far it wasn’t going that well.
Normally Jasper’s aim was pretty accurate and, after years of training with Nannu and playing with the Rovers, he was able to kick a ball within centimetres of where he wanted it to go. Today he was lucky he hadn’t killed any low-flying birds or neighbours’ pets.
Ronaldinho sat behind a garbage bin far away from the ball and Jasper’s feet. After narrowly avoiding being bowled over like a set of cricket stumps, he decided to stay well out of the way.
‘Ready?’ Nannu asked. ‘Now concentrate.’
Jasper looked down at the ball near his feet. Life had been so uncomplicated when it came to soccer, until the barbecue. He couldn’t stop thinking about those kids and that he hadn’t said anything to let them know they were wrong. He just stood there like a great lump of rock.
‘It’ll be dark by the time you line that up.’ Nannu nodded at the ball and gave him a gentle smile of encouragement. ‘Come on, then.’
Ronaldinho cautiously poked his head out from behind the bin. Maybe this time Jasper would do better. Maybe all the other times were just flukes and now he’d start kicking like he always did.
Jasper took a deep breath and tried to focus. Great players all over the world had problems they had to forget about when they were on the field, and that’s what he needed to do now.
He lined up the ball, worked out where he would hit it for the right length and direction, drew his leg back and kicked.
The ball sailed into the air.
Ronaldinho whined and ducked back behind the bin, putting his paws across his eyes.
‘Oh no.’ Jasper watched as the ball headed straight for the kitchen window.
Luckily it bounced
off with just a wobbling thud, but unluckily it came crashing down onto his mum’s favourite pot plant.
Ronaldinho slowly walked out from behind the bin and looked at the crushed green mess. Jasper hadn’t kicked that badly since he was five. There was definitely something wrong and Nannu was thinking the same thing.
‘Okay, what is it?’
Jasper wasn’t sure he was ready to talk about it. ‘What’s what?’
Nannu picked up the ball and hugged it to his chest. ‘You’re playing like you’ve never seen one of these in your life.’
‘That bad?’
Nannu nodded. ‘That bad. Now tell me what’s up.’
Jasper paused. There was no way he could avoid it, and his grandad was stubborn enough not to let it go.
‘How did you feel when you first arrived in Australia?’
Nannu frowned. ‘I’ve told you this before. It was a little scary because I was just a young kid and everything was so new, but once I got used to things it became home.’
Jasper’s heart did a weird flip. ‘I mean when you were picked on because you were different?’
Nannu’s face flinched. ‘I’ve never told you I was picked on.’
‘I know. Dad did,’ Jasper explained.
The way his grandad looked at him, Jasper thought he was in trouble. Nannu walked over to the back step and patted the space beside him. ‘What’s this got to do with how you’ve been kicking?’
Jasper gave a glance towards Ronaldinho for support and the small Maltese terrier carefully walked over and sat down with him.
‘There’s this new kid on our team and he’s really great.’
‘Yeah, you told me. His name’s Aamir.’
‘Yeah, and he had to escape from his country because his family was in danger and then they lived in camps in the desert and when they got here, they were kept in jail but now they can finally live like us.’
‘Only he’s being picked on,’ Nannu worked out.
‘Yeah.’ Again the same anger Jasper felt yesterday bolted into his chest. ‘And they haven’t done anything wrong. They’ve already had a hard time and now they have to put up with this. It’s not fair.’
‘No, it’s not,’ Nannu said quietly.
He didn’t say anything more and, for a second, Jasper saw the same look on his grandad’s face as Aamir had when he was standing in front of the class. Maybe he shouldn’t have asked. Maybe what his dad had told him was true and it was too painful for Nannu to remember.
‘Kids did give me a hard time, some adults too. About how I looked, what I ate and even the way I couldn’t speak English properly. So I kept my mouth shut and learnt to get on with what I thought was important, which was one reason I threw myself into soccer. I was really good at it and not one person picked on me when I was on that field scoring goals.’
It made Jasper angry to think someone would pick on his grandad. He wished he’d been there so he could have stood up for him.
‘But didn’t you ever want to yell at them?’
‘Sure, lots of times, but life’s like a game of soccer: if you lose it, you risk throwing the game. And I didn’t want to do that.’
Nannu often said life was like soccer, and one of his most important beliefs about the game was to treat it with respect, which meant always following the rules and never, ever losing it.
A wailing sound warbled out of the house and floated over them. Ronaldinho hit the dirt and covered his ears.
‘What is that?’ Jasper winced.
‘Your mum and dad have decided to enter the talent show.’
‘What as, werewolves?’
‘They’ve borrowed a karaoke machine and want to sing a duet.’
Jasper was horrified. ‘But they can’t sing.’
‘You and I know that, but they’ve got their hearts set on it. Are you going to tell them they can’t sing?’
Jasper slumped. ‘No, I guess not.’
Nannu stood up. ‘Come on. I’ve got some earplugs in the flat, then we can try and work on improving that kick of yours. Don’t worry about your friend. If he’s as good at soccer as you say he is, he’ll be fine.’
Jasper followed Nannu down the back of the yard to the flat. He was proud of his grandad. He came all the way from the other side of the world to a strange country and ended up playing soccer for Australia.
What he said was true. It was better to concentrate on what was most important, and maybe one day he and Aamir could both play for Australia. But until then, they were part of the Rovers, one of the best teams in the comp, and no one could take that away from them.
JOHNNY SAYS:
Winning isn’t everything. Soccer is the beautiful game – it has skill, integrity and grace. When you lose your head, you do all the wrong things, and the beauty is lost. It’s not good for anyone.
‘Welcome, sports fans, to another perfect day for soccer. Don’t you think, Richy?’
‘I think every day’s a perfect day for soccer, Higsy.’
‘In just a short while we will witness the big match between the Eastville Kings and the Rovers. The Kings are known for their cunning and strength, but the Rovers are shaping up to be one of the finest young teams in the world today.’
‘Lots of people would agree with you there, Higsy. Their will and determination could teach a thing or two to some of the older teams. A team of champions can often beat a champion team, as our old mate Johnny Warren used to say.’
‘And one of those champions is young Jasper Zammit. He’s had some troubles off-field recently, but being the professional player he is, he’ll put it all behind him and play like the champion we know and love.’
‘That’s right, Higsy. A champion called …’
‘Jasper! Wait up.’
Lil caught up with Jasper and tugged at his shirt.
‘I’ve been calling out to you for ages. Why didn’t you turn around?’
Jasper knew Lil had said something but all he could hear was ‘Ieeeoooooaaawwwwowooooooooaahooouuuurrrown?’
‘Sorry?’ Jasper winced and leant forward, unable to hear Lil properly.
Lil pointed at his ears. ‘What are they?’
Jasper frowned before he remembered. He pulled out two yellow earplugs. ‘My parents were practising their karaoke number in the car. This talent show had better be over soon or the neighbours are going to call the police and have us kicked out of the street.’
‘It can’t be that bad,’ Lil scoffed.
‘You know our big tree down the back of the yard?’
‘The one with all the lorikeets?’
‘You mean the one that used to have all the lorikeets. They’ve flown away. I only hope the singing didn’t kill any.’
‘You can’t kill a bird by singing.’
‘You haven’t heard my parents.’
Jasper and Lil made it to where the rest of the Rovers were getting dressed for the game. They sat on the ground and started tucking in their shin pads and pulling on their boots.
Noggin walked up and sat beside Jasper.
‘What happened to your eye?’
Noggin’s left eye was circled by a black and purple bruise.
‘The Jolly Pirate trick went a bit wrong.’
‘A bit wrong?’ Tricky asked, staring at his eye. ‘So if it had have gone a lot wrong you wouldn’t have a head?’
Josie gave Tricky a look that told him to be quiet. Quickly.
‘Noggin, you have to tell your dad you can’t be his assistant,’ Jasper pleaded.
‘But he has his heart set on it.’ Noggin took his boots from his bag. ‘You know how parents are when they get an idea in their heads.’
Jasper sighed. ‘Yeah, I do.’
Coach Wallace walked over to the Rovers. Normally he was a serious man when it came to training, but this morning he almost seemed happy. Coach never believed winning was the point of the game, but now that they had a real shot of being in the finals, Jasper knew he couldn’t help feeling excited about a poss
ible Rovers’ victory.
‘Come on, team. We won’t get much soccer played sitting around here.’
‘Do you have to go?’ asked Tricky sadly from the sidelines, hating the idea of having to sit through another match. ‘Don’t you have a pep talk to do first? You could do it here.’
‘Gotta go,’ Josie shrugged. It wouldn’t hurt Tricky’s ego to sit out one more week.
The Rovers followed their coach to the middle of the field where he took them through a warm-up session that was fit for a World Cup game.
Jasper looked around at his team. They were one of the finest and he was glad Aamir could be a part of it. Nannu was right, it was better to focus on the things that were important. And soccer was definitely one of them.
In their huddle before the game, their arms on each other’s shoulders, Coach reminded them, ‘Play well, play fair and play as a team.’
‘And no daydreaming,’ Jasper added.
Coach smiled. ‘No daydreaming.’
They broke up to move into position.
Aamir grinned at his team-mates like they were about to offer him a lifetime’s supply of chocolate. He not only looked a lot happier than he did on his first day of school, he could hardly stop smiling.
During the week, Aamir had confessed to Jasper and Lil that he did know more English than he’d been letting on, but it wasn’t very good and he was embarrassed to use it. Besides, his new friends were teaching him lots of new things. He’d been learning words from Diego that no teacher had ever told him.
‘Diego?’ Jasper knew Diego could teach words that would put Aamir in detention for a year.
‘You will not tell anyone?’ he asked.
Lil shared a worried look with Jasper.
‘As long as you promise not to use any of Diego’s words in front of any of the parents,’ she warned.
Aamir gave Lil a wink ‘OK’, and it was a deal.
Jasper looked onto the hill and saw his dad waving his arms around and probably talking way too fast to Aamir’s family. This time Aamir’s dad had come too.
Jasper’s dad saw him and gave a proud smile that hung around a little longer than usual.
The Striker Page 5