Matchpoint

by Gus Ralthocco

  Diego wasn’t sure how they managed to do it, because he almost got mobbed when the camera focused on the Brazilian athletes. And then the picture was everywhere. And his fans wanted to know about it, but it wasn’t like Diego had a lot to say.

  At least it was a good distraction from the atmosphere in their apartment.

  If Diego was too hyped up and didn’t sleep that well, in the morning he woke up a bit more rested than he supposed he’d be. Caio was moving around in the room.

  “Breakfast?” Caio sat on his bed and looked at Diego while he tied his shoes.

  “Already?” Diego groaned with his eyes half-open.

  “We have training this morning.”

  Diego hummed in response. He tested opening his eyes to the light of the morning, and in a few moments he managed to get up and stretch his arms.

  “What time is it?”

  “A quarter to nine,” Caio said, checking his phone.

  “I’m going to wash up.” Diego yawned, rose to his feet, and went into the bathroom.

  It was after nine when they reached the dining hall. The place was packed, but there wasn’t a big line. Diego perused the buffet, chose some fruit and croissants, and then poured a coffee. Caio went for the juice, but the two ate mostly the same.

  As his mind came online, Diego became aware of Caio’s eyes on him every now and again. They hadn’t talked much about the picture from the night before.

  “So—” Diego said as they sat down. “I was wondering if we’re all right. You didn’t think the attention we got was… too much?” His question came out bathed in reluctance.

  Caio shook his head. “I don’t think so,” he said with hesitation.

  “Yeah?” Diego blew on his coffee to have something to do as he formulated his words. “I mean, it wasn’t my fault that the fans ran with it, right? It just kind of happened, and my notifications blew up overnight. I hope it didn’t make you feel awkward or anything.”

  “No, I don’t think so,” Caio said, but then he said nothing else, and Diego wasn’t so sure. When did he start doubting his partner?

  Both of their phones pinged with a message from Marina and offered a reprieve before the conversation could go any further.

  [Marina] Good morning. When are we going to meet at the arena?

  [Caio] After breakfast.

  [Diego] Fine with me.

  [Marina] Alice and I are eating at the hotel before we leave. How long is it going to take for you guys to get there?

  [Caio] Maybe half an hour. Forty minutes, if we’re counting the commute.

  [Marina] All right. We’re gonna have to fight the traffic, then. See you there!

  [Caio] Ok.

  [Diego] Bye!

  He sent his last message, and Diego eagerly put two slices of apple in his mouth and then wiped his hands on a napkin. Caio also ate the rest of his food, and they left the dining hall.

  AS they arrived at the Champ de Mars, Diego had his phone in hand to film a short video. His idea was to use the attention he got from the picture to get more followers and draw that attention somewhere else, so they wouldn’t start asking questions he had no answers to.

  But Diego loved his fans. Some of them had been there from the moment he began to post his half-naked selfies when he was still training indoors, and they stayed with him during the difficult times that came in college and during his move to the sands. There were a lot more of them now, so Diego had to give them some content every now and again.

  As he walked, his camera framed the surroundings—the people milling around, the trees in the park, and up there, the Eiffel Tower in all its glory. Although it wasn’t the first time Diego had come to Paris to play, the energy in the city was different now. Not all beach volleyball tournaments attracted attention, not as much as the Olympics. None of the arenas they played were like this one.

  The Olympic Beach Volleyball Arena rose from the ground like a colorful fortress in the shape of a cherry blossom, opening its petals to welcome the sun. It could seat eight thousand people, and Diego had never played for that kind of crowd before, so he wondered if they’d be able to attract that many people.

  Caio led their way through security while Diego let his eyes wander. He watched reporters and media personnel filming bits for television and moving cameras, getting the best images of the venue.

  “There’s Marina,” said Caio beside him as soon as they got inside the complex. He pointed ahead to where their coach waited in the middle of the central plaza. Marina was holding Alice’s hand, both of them with their jet black hair blowing in the wind.

  The main plaza was full of different seating arrangements and flower patches. Trees provided shade, and flags of the participating countries hung from poles along the promenade. Diego got a great shot of the Brazilian flag undulating in the wind.

  Alice released her aunt’s hand and came running toward Caio, who opened his arms to welcome her. Diego smiled.

  “Daddy!” Alice jumped up.

  “Princess Jellyfish.” Caio caught her in his arms.

  “Hello,” Marina singsonged near Diego as she poked him in the elbow to pull his attention away from the family moment. She gave him a kiss on the cheek before he could answer her greeting.

  “Hi.”

  “You two seem to have garnered a lot of attention last night.” She lowered her voice to say it. Diego felt a shiver running down his spine, but Marina laughed and he managed to loosen up.

  “I appreciate the attention,” he said.

  She clapped him on the shoulder, putting some space between them. “We know, Didi.” She used the nickname some of his fans used to call him, but it wasn’t in a mocking tone. Marina ruffled his hair and moved away.

  “So, are we ready for tonight?” She changed the subject.

  “Yeah.” He confirmed with a nod.

  “We’re ready,” added Caio from the side as he put Alice on the ground.

  She turned to Diego and looked up at him.

  “Why aren’t you coming on the boat trip with us today?” She raised her arms to him, a pout on her lips.

  “I’m not sure?” He hoisted her up, using his forearm to support her backside. Then he glanced at Caio, who shrugged a nonanswer.

  “Your parents are going out, and they offered to take her while I have a meeting.” Marina motioned with her hand for them to walk toward the backstage area as she explained what Alice was talking about.

  “I didn’t even see them, and you guys are already planning stuff without me?” Diego wanted to feign indignation, but the smile that escaped his lips made Alice laugh and bat her lashes.

  “Maybe it’s just because you’re a grown-up and can’t do fun stuff anymore.”

  He was almost offended, but he had to laugh it off when Marina snorted beside him. Alice had them all wrapped around her finger.

  “So, you’re going to cheer for us tonight?” Diego asked Alice.

  She nodded.

  “Aunt Marina helped me paint the shirt I’m going to wear,” she told him as she reached a hand to touch his hair. It was something Alice did often.

  “I want to see it, then.” Diego adjusted her in his arms for the walk to the training area.

  With their passes they got inside the complex. The court where they were assigned to train was in the back, on the far end of the arena. As Marina and Caio began a quick exchange of words about what they needed to review before the match, Diego asked Alice about the ceremony last night.

  “It was fun. But too many people were in the stadium. We still got to see you two on the big screen, but it was like, for a second.” Alice moved her hands as she talked. She counted on her fingers the flags she’d recognized during the parade, and she was a lot smarter than he in that department. He’d never been good in geography class.

  Diego and Caio bypassed athletes, coaches, volunteers, and people working inside the arena. They waved at the team from Uruguay, who were training on one of the courts. Since they lived close
by, they shared the same sand in friendly matches during the off-season. Diego loved those road trips to Montevideo, which were only possible because he lived in Porto Alegre, the southernmost state capital in Brazil, where he trained with Caio.

  With no time to stop and talk, they made their way to one of the empty courts.

  Diego put Alice down, and she went to sit on the bench by the side of the lines and kicked her shoes off so she could feel the sand on her feet.

  “Cardio, stretch, then fundamentals.” Marina proceeded to give more detailed instructions. Then she pulled out a hat from her bag and grabbed her phone to time their run. Caio and Diego parked their bags on the sand and took off their flip-flops.

  It was easy to fall into a rhythm during training. They did a few dozen loops around the court and then moved on to stretching. There were more teams working alongside them on the other courts, and Diego welcomed the ambient sound. It almost seemed like an everyday training session.

  Marina got some volleyballs from one of the volunteers, and when she came back with them, Diego grabbed one and passed it from hand to hand to get a feel for the weight and give of the material.

  “Get your fingers ready before we start playing,” Marina advised, although they knew well what to do.

  Volleyball players usually need tape for their hands. Some use braces for articulations and special attire to protect from the weather—sunglasses and caps. Diego was still only at hand-taping, while Caio already used ankle and knee braces, depending on the day. That morning he put an ankle brace on his left foot.

  They finalized their prep and moved onto the court again to work with the ball. With the heat, it didn’t take long for them to start sweating, but Diego liked it.

  It was most important that he couldn’t feel any outside interference between him and his partner on the court, and following directions from Caio and Marina helped cement their connection. During those moments he almost didn’t feel the pressure of the competition, although he had no idea how his body would react when the whistle blew for their first match.

  With the ball in motion, Diego could rely on his instincts to know when Caio would pass it to him so he could spike it down or when he needed to plunge into the ground to save the ball and give it back to his partner. They each held their halves of the court and acted on their roles—blocker for Caio, defender for Diego. Yet the game demanded versatility and full cooperation, so they built their partnership on that.

  By the end of the training session, even Marina was sweating because she had to get on the sand to throw some balls at them. Alice came to help gather the strays that ran away from the court, and all together they moved like a well-oiled machine.

  Diego welcomed the exhaustion, which wasn’t close to what it would be on a full day of training, but it was enough to tire him out. As he walked to the shade with Caio, the exchange of glances between them held the promise of full trust inside the court, and that was exactly what Diego wanted.

  “Some thoughts,” Marina said when they reunited under the shade. She handed them water bottles. “I don’t want to see that loss of timing on your passes. It doesn’t happen a lot, but you need to be aware of each other on the court all the time. If you’re off, anyone on the other team is going to block your attacks.” She directed her words at the two of them, but Diego knew he was the one who had slipped a couple of times.

  “My fault.” He raised his hand, but Caio shook his head.

  “I didn’t read your movements a few times and jumped up late. We’ll get the timing right for the first match.”

  “I’m counting on that.” Marina looked at them with a serious face but then relaxed. “Lunch?”

  “Yeah,” Caio agreed and huffed out a tired breath.

  Diego nodded. “Let me check if my parents are around. Though I should probably ask you about that, since it seems like they don’t even talk to me anymore.” Diego raised an eyebrow at Marina, who only rolled her eyes.

  His parents knew he’d be at the Champ de Mars that morning, so if they wanted to have lunch with him, they’d have to come to the arena. Diego checked his phone, and there was a message from his mom amid a bunch of notifications. He only read his mom’s message.

  [Mom] We’re in a cafe by the arena. Tell us when you leave training.

  “We’re going to have lunch around here, right? My parents are just outside.” He pointed in the direction of the main plaza, phone in hand.

  “I think so,” Caio answered. “Let’s go find your parents.”

  Diego moved to grab his backpack, Caio did the same, and Alice jumped up. The sun was hot, so Marina placed a yellow snapback on Alice’s head, which the girl turned backward, eliciting an eye-roll from her aunt. One look at Caio showed him doing the same with his own cap.

  “We can have lunch here,” Marina reiterated as she led Alice forward with a hand on her shoulder. “Then you guys should go back to the village and rest for a few hours before coming back for the match. I have that coaches meeting in the afternoon, before the game, so I’ll have to stay around.”

  Those meetings were set to divulge the important proceedings of the competition, so all teams knew about the general schedule and how the arena functioned during the event. It was important to be aware of the current decisions of the Organizing Committee.

  “And Alice?” Caio asked, some lines appearing on his forehead.

  “My parents are taking her around town,” Diego reminded him.

  “Ah yes. But are you sure they’re willing to stay with her?” Caio glanced down at his daughter, who wasn’t paying attention to the conversation.

  “Well, I can bet Mom was the one who suggested it. She’s always bugging me about kids. So let them get tired of one, and they’ll stop bothering me.” Diego shuddered.

  Caio laughed at him. “You like Alice.” He lifted a shoulder as his laughter died down. The lines around his lips and eyes were still deep.

  “I do, but she’s not my kid, so it’s different.”

  Caio looked like he wanted to disagree, but he said nothing and reached out to squeeze Diego’s shoulder. From that point of contact, warmth spread like a blaze, and even though they were under the sun, a few hairs on Diego’s arm stood on end.

  They left the training area and made their way toward the main plaza. There was a game underway, but it seemed to be one of those without many stars competing or a French team, so the big crowd wasn’t there yet. With a look around, Diego found his parents easily. Roberta and Júlio Torres were sitting at a table in the food court, but when they saw Diego from afar, they both got up. Diego’s mom raised her hand in a wave.

  Diego slipped away from Caio and went to greet his parents. He missed Caio’s touch immediately but tried not to dwell too much on that.

  “Hey.” Diego opened his arms for a hug as he reached his parents. When they moved toward him, the two didn’t seem to mind that he was almost too sweaty for close contact.

  “Hello, my love.” His mother engulfed him into her arms as though they hadn’t seen each other in a long time.

  “Son.” His father patted him on the back.

  “Hi, you two.”

  In their presence Diego felt his chest expanding freely. His mother’s scent always calmed him and brought a sense of protection he needed at times. And his father was strong and silent but always there for him.

  Diego knew he took after both of them, although he looked more like his father. They had the same light brown eyes and dark hair, but Júlio had fairer skin, most likely from not being under the sun as much as Diego. On the other hand, Roberta had given him her thin lips and the bony fingers of his hands and feet. She was taller than both Torres men—so tall that she could only kiss Diego on his dirty hair.

  “Have you settled in all right?” his mother asked. She stepped back from the hug but didn’t leave much space between them.

  “Yeah, Mom.” Diego nodded, looking up.

  “Are you eating enough food? Are the people here
treating you well?”

  He nodded again and then moved aside when he heard the rest of the group coming up behind him.

  “Oh, hello!” his mom said, and she didn’t spare him another glance as she went to greet the others.

  Diego and his father exchanged a look that talked about how much they knew Roberta. As always, she made the rounds with hugs and kisses—from Alice to Marina and then Caio—while Júlio was more subdued.

  “It’s so good to be here together,” Roberta commented when the reception was over. She looked around the arena at the colors of the sunset as they played with the architecture of the stands.

  “Yes, it is, Mom.”

  “And this place is just beautiful.”

  “It doesn’t hurt that we’re in Paris,” Marina added. “Although I don’t even have time to eat a decent meal, let alone do something else.” She seemed tired for a moment, but Marina put on a brave face as she always did.

  “So, about taking Alice with you—” Caio pulled the focus to himself as he looked at Diego’s parents. His brows were set in a worried line. “Thanks for helping us out, but I don’t want to make my daughter your responsibility here.”

  Roberta batted a hand at him. “It’s fine, Caio. We’re going on a boat trip on the Seine today, and we’re going to have fun. You all can do the things you need to before the match without having to worry about your daughter.”

  Even though Caio hadn’t been consulted about it, it was easy to see how grateful he was for their help.

  “I’ll have to make it up to you later.”

  “Can it be on a trip with all of us together? Like a real one, not like this?” Alice looked up with excitement on her face.

  Caio shook his head with a smile. He and Alice never did anything special just as a family. All their trips were sports related in some way. And Diego was also always around.