Chasing Dreams, Year Two

by Shawn Keys

  “Which bring us to why I got you away from your friends for a few seconds.” Daniel permitted himself a small chuckle to match hers. “To keep you all on the right path.” He considered Cadence again. “We aren’t going to know much until she starts responding to the physio. I said we’d give it a month, but we’ll probably know the truth in a few weeks. If her injury is more serious than we think, there won’t be enough time to make it safe for her to participate.” He shifted over to Irène. “But that decision isn’t going to be the first that comes around.”

  “Me?” She phrased it like a question, but a note of dread certainty hovered behind it.

  Daniel confirmed her suspicions with a nod.

  “Today?”

  “No. Not even tomorrow.”

  “But the day after?”

  Evoking all the sympathy he could, Daniel said, “I’m not here to put a firm clock on you, Irène. You don’t need that kind of stress right now. The one thing I want you to understand right now is that there is a point where it will become too late. For Cadence, it’s less critical. She’s made her mark. If she misses the FLGs and needs more time to heal, I’m confident the commission will let her go to the Pan Am games.”

  “But I don’t have time,” Irène said, not really needing any answer this time.

  “It’s horrible, I know. You need time to process all that’s going on.” He didn’t itemize it all out loud: her grandparents, the house, the mundane legal processes. She knew it better than he did. “The world isn’t going to give you time, I’m afraid. The commission is saving you a spot at the FLGs, but only if you can meet the Olympic entrance requirement of a 6420 score across the heptathlon events. They’re being kind in saying that it doesn’t have to be at a competition. The head official, Eugune Venier, set a specific time limit. We have until the week before the FLGs to validate your results. And we will need every minute. We have made some good progress re-tooling your skill set, but we have a lot of work ahead of us.

  “Which means if I don’t start training this week, I’ll be out.”

  “I’m sorry, Irène. It’s a shitty deal. But if you don’t make the FLGs, they’ll fill the roster with someone else. Maybe we can squeeze you in later if one of the rich athletes convinces their family to pay, but they’ll probably select a known athlete to take that slot when it opens. But the roster is going to get smaller. Odds are, if you miss the FLGs, you’ll miss the Pan Am Games. If you can’t show what you can do at one of those events, they won’t endorse you for being on the team for the world championships, and there’s no way you’d make the Olympics.” He sighed, then struggled back toward the brighter side. “Now, I don’t mean to say that your whole career is over. You’re young. I’d say you have at least another Olympic cycle. Maybe two. You can compete at nationals. We might even be able to do what Matteo did and find a few other competitions for you to build a reputation. But it’ll take time to get them to admit you onto the team.”

  Irène scoffed, “There isn’t a national competition! That’s why your plan was going to work, right? Because I’m their only chance to get into the heptathlon.”

  “There are ways around that,” Daniel said. “Risky ones. They involve finding a few other candidates and teaching them. Stirring up local competition will get the commission to host the event at the Nationals.”

  “Others who might kick my ass and take my spot?” Irène grumbled.

  Daniel’s first instinct was to denounce the idea, but he stopped himself. She was right. Anyone who caught on might prove better than her. He hoped she would be up to the challenge. He really thought she had the talent to be among the best. But she would have to prove that to herself and everyone else. Not to mention… today of all days, she had a right to feel sorry for herself.

  Instead, he said, “Like I said, it’s a risk. If you do well at any of the international competitions, you are going to inspire other women to follow in your footsteps. That much is inevitable. We’d be accelerating the process to ensure you have another way to prove your mettle to the commission.”

  “Lot easier just to make the FLGs this year,” Irène said lowly, almost to herself.

  “Yeah.”

  She met his eyes. “What’s your advice, coach?”

  Appreciating her trust, he was honest with her, “I think you should pick Evelyn or Azélie, whichever you trust more, and legally empower them to do all the legal crap surrounding the house and the city. Make sure you don’t have to spend time in court that you don’t have to. That’s their world. I couldn’t do what they do, and I don’t much want to.”

  “Neither do I,” Irène rushed to agree.

  “Then don’t. Put it aside. You’ve made the call. Now, cut the anchor and leave it to them. Get it down to basics. Make it all about the two things that matter. Remembering your grandparents and the games. Give the time you need to the first. Maybe even use it to power you on. You know they would want you to go after what you want. They should be in the stands cheering you on. If this was a fair world, they would be.”

  “But it’s not,” Irène said, tears floating behind her eyes.

  “No. It isn’t. But that doesn’t mean they aren’t here in spirit. Organized religion didn’t really stick with me all that well, much to my mother’s dismay. But I’m willing to say you’ll feel their love lifting you all the way to the end.”

  A sad smile underscored Irène’s moist eyes. “Think so?”

  “We’re here for you. And so are they. Nothing can change that. You’re the only one who can tell me what they would have wanted. I hope you believe that they would have wanted you to get out there and crush it. Be everything you ever wanted to be and more.”

  She leaned into him and wrapped her arms around him in a hug. “Thanks.”

  “We’ll get through this. No matter what, we’re in this together,” he promised her, and he meant every word. But it’s her choice. I just hope she doesn’t take too long figuring out what she wants. If she wanted to quit, he would understand. So would her friends. If she wanted to press on, again… no-one would judge her. His fear was that she would linger undecided for too long and the choice would be stolen from her. That would be a tragedy. She’s had enough tragedy in her life. If I can shield her from anymore, then that’s what I’m going to do.

  Chapter 13

  “You can head in now, Mr. Jaquet. You too, Miss Van Niekerk.” The administrative assistant behind the desk said in a pleasant yet firm voice. It was the sort of reminder you got from a competent master of her boss’s schedule, inviting them in while reminding them that his time was limited and that she wouldn’t hesitate to kick them out to keep to his timetable.

  Matteo nodded, hoping he wouldn’t need that much time to make his point. Especially with Flora as back-up. “Ready?”

  “Damn right I am,” Flora said, determined enough to chew nails.

  “What’s up?” he had to ask.

  “Should have been here months ago. Never got the invite. Every application to get my official coaching badge and attend the press events has been denied. That’s what.”

  Matteo let that sink in as they walked in through the reception area. Why is she being left out? They let Daniel in the front door even before he was close to being seen as rehabilitated. How is she less palatable?

  He led the way in, not sure what was the right play here. He hadn’t expected to be accompanied by a timebomb. Whatever Guy Lafont hated about her was going to factor into this meeting. He had no idea what the sports commissioner was going to do with his bias.

  His best bet was to get the meeting off to a positive start, which to him meant being the first person Guy saw. He strode across the room, extending his hand. “Mr. Commissioner, thanks for seeing us.”

  Coming out from around his desk, the officious man put on what passed for a polite smile and he returned a firm handshake. “After what happened in San Diego, this conversation needed to happen. Though I’m not sure you’ll be pleased with the outcome.”<
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  By then, Flora was coming out from behind Matteo’s bulk. The lurking anger inside her made her South African accent emerge all the more. “Are you really not going to consider accepting them on your team when they drew even with three other Olympic qualified teams? Including the US’s second-tier team?”

  Any forced-amiability on Guy’s part turned a lot cooler. “Ahh. I see you brought the team’s coach along.”

  “The team’s coach has a name. Flora. Feel free to use it,” she snapped back.

  Well, that didn’t take long. Matteo stepped in, “Hey, I don’t know what’s going on between you two, but I’m not going to let that interfere with the team’s future.” He focused on Guy. “What the hell is your grief with her?”

  Guy frowned up at him. “Keep it professional, Mr. Jaquet.”

  “You first, Sir.” He reminded himself to hold off the swearing but didn’t back down.

  The commissioner’s jaw chewed at nothing as he worked through his frustration. Finally, he growled, “My staff and I decided it was wise to limit access to those who are not invested in the long-term well-being of Portesara’s national team.”

  Flora was stunned.

  Before she could lash in with something a lot less polite, Matteo rushed to say, “Other coaches that were invited to come here from other countries have been given access. That can’t be all of it!”

  “Every one of those that we’ve accepted have signed multiple-year contracts.”

  “That’s because they’ve been hired by the wealthiest families on the island!” Flora protested.

  Guy faced her down, “Don’t try and make it look like you don’t have an ulterior motive here. Our investigators say you have about a month before your team’s funds dry up. If your team doesn’t earn a place at the FLGs, then they won’t be getting any of the national subsidies. You fly home economy, and they go back to doing whatever it is that they did before they contacted you. Desperation is not a good argument.”

  “You can’t be serious!” Flora exploded. “Do you think I’d just leave them like that? I’ve been working with them for nearly two years. They barely have any family. Do you know their backgrounds? Two from foster homes. Two were at an orphanage until they were too old to stay. Ran away and lived on their own from the age of fourteen. All of them took jobs where they manage to scrape together enough money to get into the rec center! That’s where they came together. Where their dream began.”

  “They had enough money to buy lottery tickets!” Guy argued.

  “Spoken like a true rich person,” Flora sniped back. “Not everyone has a cushy pension like yours. Lottery tickets are the retirement plan for half the people on this island. You’d know that if you ever walked outside that gated community you live in.”

  “Aren’t you a white woman from South Africa?” Guy snorted. “Something tells me you don’t have a tragic back-story.”

  “Guess I’ve learned to have a little more sympathy for the less fortunate than you have over the years.”

  Matteo had to say, “You told me to keep it professional, Commissioner. Time you do the same. Discrimination isn’t a reason to make any decision. She was hired to do her job and she’s done it. She’s done it so well that you have a winning team prepared to do you a lot of credit. Oh, and by the way, they’ve already been on live television. Mentioning the commission in a positive light. They think you’ll believe in them. I’d suggest you shouldn’t turn them into liars.”

  Flora jumped back in, “When these girls won their money, they didn’t waste it. They didn’t flush it down the toilet, smoke it or pump it into their veins. They hired me. That’s how much they want this. Guess that’s rubbed off on me. Don’t question my motivation. Don’t you dare. I want to see them go the distance. That’s it.”

  “They could have gone the distance without you,” Guy insisted.

  Flora’s mouth opened and closed a few times. “I… I don’t know what to say to that! Are you saying they’d be better off without a coach rather than having me?” She was stunned at the blatant insult.

  “No, that’s not what he’s saying.” Matteo searched Guy’s face. “Flora… could you do me a favor?”

  “What?” she snapped, understandably waspish, even with him.

  Matteo met her eyes. “Step outside for a moment.”

  Rebellion flushed instantly across her face.

  He tried to head off her understandable outburst. “Please? Trust me.”

  Flora didn’t want to. The last thing she wanted in that moment was to leave her fate in anyone else’s hands. But she also couldn’t ignore what Matteo had done for her team. If anyone had earned that trust, it was him.

  Without another word, she stalked out of the room.

  Guy looked ready to toss him out as well. “What is it?”

  Matteo glared back at him. “You bastard.” Before the commissioner could object, he gave the man his best sneer. That sort of thing wasn’t natural for him, but he was hoping it would shut the man down. “You are damned lucky she is an outsider. Otherwise, she could have your butt in a sling.”

  “I have no idea what you’re talking about!”

  “You should have quit while you were ahead, Sir. Well, guess I shouldn’t say that. Discrimination is ugly no matter how it shows up. But who’s going to call you on discriminating against a Caucasian from that country, huh? That wasn’t enough, though. She didn’t storm out like you wanted her to. Instead, she pissed you off enough that you had to go and say it.”

  “What are you –”

  Matteo barked a laugh. “Enough! I’m not an outsider. What’s more, I’ve been matching up athletes with coaches and facilities for a long time. I know who’s out there.” He locked eyes with the commissioner. “Yeah, I know all the personalities. Including your sister who happens to be a diving coach.”

  Guy’s eyes turned frosty. “Be very careful, Mr. Jaquet. Don’t make accusations you aren’t prepared to back up with facts.”

  “Does it sound like I’m accusing anyone of anything? I’ve spent a little time with Flora’s team, you know. I’ve heard their stories. There isn’t a single coach anywhere on the island who teaches artistic swimming. That’s why they had to go abroad. But they’re local girls. Poor local girls. Do you think they jumped right onto the internet and went seeking coaches around the world? Especially when they knew it would be the most expensive way to go? I’d say it’s a lot more likely they asked around the island. Maybe they even had a few interviews. Sized up the coaches who thought they could make a difference. Then… decided they couldn’t.”

  Guy clenched his teeth, biting back any words.

  “Yeah, it’s tough. You want to defend your sister, don’t you? Give yourself reasons why she could have taken this team as far as Flora. That’s the real reason you won’t give her any slack. You honestly hope she’ll fly out of here in disgrace and leave the team open for your sister to swoop in and save the day. Take credit for all the work that Flora’s done.”

  “I don’t have to listen to this,” Guy steamed back at him.

  “That’s good, because I don’t want to talk about it anymore. Makes me want to spit.” Matteo shook his head. “I’m not going to pressure you. I sent her out because if I said anything while she was in here, there would be no other way but to get the lawyers involved. Lawyers that this team can’t afford. Lawyers that I don’t want to waste my money helping them to afford.”

  “What then?”

  “You’re going to give them what they earned. A place on the national team.”

  “That’s extortion!” Guy blustered.

  “It’s a threat.” He shrugged, then tried to make him see reason, “You are ignoring who these women are! Are you that blind? They weren’t trying to hurt your sister. Flora didn’t come here to mock her. She came here to help and turned this team into a real prospect! Remember that great speech you gave in front of all the coaches? Practically begging us to push hard and give you athletes that could s
tand tall in front of the cameras? This team’s already done that!”

  “It’s four spots! Four out of thirty. For one sport!”

  “One sport with three events. Team. Duet. Solo.” Matteo didn’t mention the hope that they might take on a speed swimming event. That was a long-shot and none of the quartet had committed. “And it could be out of thirty-five.”

  “I told you, the government is hoping we won’t use those extra spots.”

  “Saving money?”

  “Cutbacks are everywhere.”

  “Small price. People’s dreams.”

  “Oh, spare me the sob story.”

  “Theirs isn’t one and you know it.” Matteo held up the flash-drive with the recording Daniel had prepared for him. “You have a team ready for international competition who has already made a name for themselves and Portesara. People are going to be looking for them at the FLGs. Looking for the story and how it continues.”

  “Or ends!”

  “Yeah, maybe so. But we need to give them that shot. You should be able to see that. Make room for them on the 50 going to Bordeaux. If that messes up your plan for thirty people, then fight for the 35. They’re worth it.”

  Guy fumed, hating being called out and showing it. “Who are they to you? Why are you taking a risk for them? You know what I could do to your career. And you’re right. You don’t have the money to hire the sort of lawyers who could fight off mine.”

  “Couple months ago, I didn’t even know their names. A friend asked me to step in and help.” He shrugged. “I did. When I help, I don’t do it halfway.” He hauled back on his own anger, knowing that with a man like Guy, he needed to leave him feeling like he was still the one in charge. “Tell me you can’t see that this is the right thing to do.”

  Guy had returned to a clenched jaw, hard enough that it seemed like he might start breaking teeth. At last, he said, “I won’t guarantee them an Olympic berth. Whether we go for the 35 or not.”

  “I know you haven’t promised one to anyone else. I’m not looking for unfair treatment.”