Previously
Villablanca 0-0 Astograth
Location: ???
Lineup: Anzizar, Remondegi, Yrigoy, Narke ©, Echeberz, Lekea, Gurina, Berdesagar, Malkorra, Duarte, Urdanibia
Substitutions: Urkizo for Gurina, Sorrosua for Duarte, E. Laurnagaray for Echeberz
“You don’t mind, do you?”
Lazaga shook her head, and Bibie Behety proceeded to light up her cigarette. They sat at a canalside, Donnaconan-style café in Ibarbe, a high-income city part of Greater Rumiatzi. Its vast areas of green suburban sprawl were a popular living solution for northern Rumiatzi's family-minded investment bankers, lawyers, doctors... and professional footballers. Among the latter was Azeari Duarte, star player for Royal Rumiatzi and the national team, who'd spent several million dirus to purchase a mansion in the hills of Ibarbe. An important, and often overlooked, element of footballers' lives was their families, and Lazaga had thus arranged an interview with Duarte's wife this morning. Behety had arrived in plaid trousers, a white silk blouse, a denim jacket inlaid with leopard-print panels, and a Barrertze handbag that stared at Lazaga, its interlocking Bs and laurels finely embroidered with golden thread.
“So what’s this interview about, exactly? What do you want to know?”
“I… this interview, as I explained, is for my doctoral research at Nayurrieta. It’s focussed on the people behind the national team and what it does, the social relations involved. That includes families. So… maybe we should start with a bit about you. You were born here in Rumiatzi, right?”
“Right, yeah. I was born in ’54, at Gorostiaga,” said Behety, setting down her cappuccino. Gorostiaga was a private hospital in Kondarraka, the same borough as Royal Rumiatzi’s Knights’ Stadium. “My dad was an agent for football players, he had a lot of connections with all the clubs in the city and especially Royal Rumiatzi. My mother worked for the Royal Disability Service. I have four older siblings, three sisters and one brother. What else? We lived in Kondarraka when I was younger, then grew up in Bakarnacharriba.” A neighbouring borough, on the border between Rumiatzi itself and Ibarbe.
Lazaga took a sip of her own coffee. “You went to school around those places, I assume.”
“Yeah. I was at Duchess Miren until grade 3, then The Edwards School until I graduated.” The Edwards School? A well-known private institution, with an all-English international curriculum run by expatriates from Civil Citizenry. “After that I studied Business at IEF.”
This took Lazaga by surprise, which she tried not to betray. She’d done her research, but there wasn’t much available on Behety and no mention of IEF, which was the acronym for the Business School at Astograth University VI-Ameskoa, among the best in the country.
“You studied at IEF, wow. I didn’t know that. You met Azeari around that time?”
Their waiter interrupted them, asking if they’d like something to eat. Lazaga darted her eyes to the small placard on the table and ordered a pain au chocolat, while Behety waved him off asking for ‘her usual’.
“Anyway yeah, my dad was his agent. We met at his office when I was 21, he was 22. We’ve been together since, got married five years ago.”
“And you’re his agent as well.”
“That’s right. I was never really interested in being an agent, but my dad had taught me some things and when he retired – um, nearly two years ago now – Azeari and I decided that it’d be best for me to take over as his agent.”
“Interesting. How’s that worked out?”
Behety put out her cigarette, shrugged slightly and smiled widely, revealing stark white teeth, “Just fine. We’ve had no issues so far, but the worst we’ve had to deal with is taxes. We’ve had some initial talks with Rumiatzi over contract renewal, but they’re putting it off for next season. So that’ll be interesting, when we get there.”
“You want to renew, I assume?”
Behety smirked and looked her up and down. “I was told you weren’t press,” she said, then laughed when Lazaga turned red, “I’m teasing. But no, I can’t talk any serious business.” She paused, then added “If you were press, though, I’d tell you we were entertaining some big offers from Iturributa,” and laughed again.
Lazaga laughed with her, easing slowly while the waiter served them the pastries they’d ordered. “Well, changing topics a bit, you have four children, right? How does it work, raising a family with him gone so much?”
“Good time management,” said Behety matter-of-factly, picking at ‘her usual’: a minuscule apple tartelette. “That and good domestic help. He’s a good dad, always tries to be there for the important dates, he calls a lot. We’re so interconnected nowadays, you know, that he never feels far away.” She took a bite of apple pastry. “It’s a very normal family life,” she added, and Lazaga couldn’t help but doubt that.
“Um, in your work as agent – would you say you’ve encounted sexism? Is there a problem with sexism in our football, maybe?”
Behety frowned, and looked up at the skyline around them. “Mm, no, no. I don’t think so. Why?”
Lazaga was taken aback somewhat. “I ask because nearly everyone involved in the industry is male. I’ve heard from some sources that they’ve been trea-”
“No, sorry. I think that’s bullshit.”
The researched nodded slowly, and desisted. “Well, um, in that vein, and as a woman involved in football, do you have any opinion regarding women’s football in Astograth?”
Her counterpart put on a face. “Never heard of it, really. They don’t make the news and I’m not involved beyond being my husband’s agent.”
“What would you think of women players on the national team?”
Now Behety scoffed. “Darling, do you have an agenda? It’s never going to happen. The level’s not there. And that’s not sexism, it’s biology.” She took another bite from her tartelette, then took her handbag and excused herself to the women’s room. Lazaga waited twenty minutes before figuring out she’d dashed.
