Snapshots of the lives of the people involved in Adabian football and those associated with them
For a full list of chapters click here. To read all the chapters in one go click here
For an (incomplete) list of major/prominent characters in this story click here and scroll down to the ‘Football’ section
Chapter 24: Fame
June 20, 2034
Bikarish, Poafmersia
Independents Association Championship 13
“He’s nice, Alu, but he just isn’t my type, and I guess I’m not his type either,” Emma Arthur sighed through the laptop screen. “I don’t know if I ever will find love, or if I’m even able to feel love at this point. I just feel numb to all that.”
Alulim Sinmuballit shifted in his hotel bed, rising slightly against the headboard. The crumpled blanket covered him from feet to stomach, the laptop lying on the latter. “But why? I mean you’re beautiful, and you’re, like, the most popular girl in the country. Everyone loves you.”
“They may love me, Alu,” Emma retorted, “but I don’t know if I love them, or if I even want to. I mean, this last guy that I was with, I don’t know, but I feel like he sees himself as… beneath me, you know, if you know what I mean.”
“He’s intimidated by your fame?”
Emma shook her head slightly, as if reluctantly. “Well, I guess, at least that’s the impression I got from him. Look, let’s not fool ourselves here. We’re probably the most famous young people in this country and, well, we’re in a position, a situation that most people will never reach in their lives. It’s like we’re in a different plane of existence.”
“Yeah,” Alulim nodded, mumbling, just barely clear enough to be heard on the other end of the conversation. Then he raised his voice somewhat. “So what do you want? Like, what kind of guy do you actually want?”
“Someone who sees me for who I really am, Alu,” she answered, pointing at her chest, emphasizing the last few words, “as Emma Arthur, not as a star, a model, or whatever label they slap on me.”
“Well I see you for who you are,” Alulim winked, managing a smile.
“Real smooth there, mister,” Emma sighed, rolling her eyes, but could not prevent herself from breaking into a half-suppressed laughter. “Well you’re right, I’ll give you that.” She fell silent for a moment. When she resumed speaking it was in a softer, quieter tone. “Can you imagine us being an actual couple?”
“It’ll be a disaster,” Alulim said, craning his head slightly upwards and exhaling, beaming. “You’d get bored of me pretty quickly.”
She giggled, pulling away a bit from the screen. “God knows I need a dose of boring sometimes.” He found himself giggling back, and for a while they just giggled wordlessly. “But seriously, Alu,” she resumed, “I wish more people would be like you. Sometimes I wish I were you. You don’t seem very affected by all the fame and circus. You’re still the same guy that I’ve always known. I want your life.”
Alulim shook his head. “You wouldn’t want my life. Your life is so much better than mine, and you deserve it.”
“You’re too sweet,” she said, gradually beaming. “But thanks.”
Rashid Abbas sat stooped on the edge of the bed, phone in his hand and next to his ear. His eyes cast a wistful look that pierced through the window and into the night sky. His sister was on the other end of the line. “If only Dad and you could be here. You’d love the view.”
“It’s fine, big bro,” Kara Abbas said, her voice at times reduced to a half-whisper. “You know, whenever Dad would sit and look out at the stars, I wonder if he still understands what he’s looking at.”
“Does he not remember what stars are?”
“I don’t know.” Her words came out slowly, seemingly slower and more resigned with each word. “I mean you’ve seen him. He’d just sit there and say little, say it’s good, it’s beautiful. And I don’t want to ask him because I don’t want to know if… if he can no longer answer at all.”
Rashid breathed out deeply, finding no answer or solution in his head. “You still take him out on walks?”
“Every day. Me, Sabiha, Maria,” – the latter two being their father’s nurses – “you know, we’d take him on a walk around the condo, as usual. Yesterday we even took a taxi to the beach! That’s the farthest from home he’s been in a while.”
“Oh, that’s good! Sunny day at the beach, I trust?”
“Yeah, it really was.” Kara’s voice picked up. “We sat on the beach for a while, walked along the beachfront, Dad didn’t say much but he would stare at the waves rolling in. He felt good. He actually said that.”
“That’s great,” Rashid said. “You know, sometimes I don’t know why I even agreed to be assistant manager, or manager of the under-21 team, or even to play in the World Cup of Masters. I feel like I’m just doing whatever they tell me to do.”
“You’re still the same Rashid I know. You’re duty-bound,” Kara replied. “That’s not a bad thing. Just… take care of yourself, you know, and don’t go away for so long again. You have a family, you know. You have us. You have me.”
“I know,” Rashid smiled. “We’re family.”