"So, Kristin," Mr. Stein said without looking back as he steered the vehicle around a corner and continued onwards along the highway to Fjellsiden. "You've been bugging me about going back to Africa for the past two years. Why don't you travel with Zachary this time around? That is if he doesn't mind." He added, stealing a glance at Zachary through the rearview mirror.
"I don't mind," Zachary was quick to reply.
"What are your thoughts about my proposition, Kristin?" Mr. Stein probed, eyes never leaving the road ahead.
"Hmmm!" Kristin said, creasing a brow. "Don't I need to get a visa and a yellow fever shot before traveling to Congo? That could take a bit of time, and I don't think it's good for Zachary to delay his trip waiting for me."
"That isn't the case," Mr. Stein stated. "Since there's no resident DRC embassy here in Norway, you can travel without the documentation and obtain the visa on arrival at the airport. That's how I've always done it. For the yellow fever vaccine, you'll need only about thirty minutes to get it from a clinic tomorrow. So, I'm sure that you won't delay Zachary's journey in the slightest."
"Then I'm fine with going on the trip," Kristin said, a soft smile playing on her face. She finally seemed genuinely happy.
"But, when does your internship at Rosenborg begin?" Mr. Stein inquired. "I hope this trip won't interfere with your starting date."
"The internship begins at the start of July. By then, I should be back. Isn't that so, Zachary?"
"Yes, that's right," Zachary responded. "I should be returning to Trondheim around the middle of June to begin training with the team.
"Then, the plan is perfect," Mr. Stein said. "Kristin can travel with you to Africa and return to Norway after three weeks. I'll talk to some of my friends over in Lubumbashi to make arrangements for her when we get home. So no need to worry that she'll become a burden to you."
**** ****
At the Rosenborg head office at Brakka, Coach Johansen had just settled down in one of the conference rooms for a meeting with Ivar Koteng, the club chairman, along with a few other club executives.
"Erik, please go ahead and introduce the issue at hand today," Ivar Koteng said, leaning back into his chair.
"Thank you, chairman," Erik Hoftun, the Rosenborg sporting director, said. "A few days ago, I received a call from a representative of RB Leipzig, a German club that's going to be playing in the 3rd Liga next season. We talked at length on the phone, and he informed me his club has a great interest in securing the services of our player, Zachary Bemba. He also stated that they're willing to offer 25 million Euros if we allow him to move to their side during this German transfer window."
"Absolutely not," Coach Johansen said right away, shaking his head. "Why would we even contemplate giving up our best player during the middle of the season? Instead of thinking about possible transfers, you people should be discussing a possible contract extension for him. What's wrong with you people?"
"Coach Johansen," Ivar Koteng, the chairman, said, raising his hand in a placating gesture. "Please allow Erik to explain himself first. I'm sure he has a good reason for calling this meeting. Okay?" He inclined his head to lock gazes with Coach Johansen.
"Okay, then," Coach Johansen replied, his tone laced with a bit of frustration. "But we shouldn't be discussing this."
Ivar Koteng could only smile wryly at Coach Johansen's response. "Erik," he said, returning his gaze on the sporting director. "Please continue with your address."
"Thank you, chairman," Mr. Erik Hoftun said, nodding. "I've had a few days to do a bit of research on this club, RB Leipzig. I managed to find out that Red Bull, the energy drink giant, owns 99% of the club's shares. So, even if we request 30 million Euros, they would be able to raise it. That's why I called this meeting to put across a proposition that we consider selling Zachary."
"I know that Zachary is a great player, for sure," the sporting director continued, sweeping his gaze across the other three seated around the meeting table. "He's very talented, consistent, and a sure match-winner on the field of play. But with the fast rate at which he's progressing, I'm sure our club won't be able to keep him even for a year. So, I was thinking: why not sell him for a considerable fee? Right after doing that, we'll be able to use the resulting money to purchase several other players that'll stay with the club for a longer time."
"But none of those players will have half the technicality and brilliance of Zachary on the pitch," Coach Johansen grumbled, shaking his head. "So, why in hell are we even discussing this?"
"Daniel!" Ivar Koteng said, choosing to ignore Coach Johansen's grumbling. "What's your take on Erik's proposition?"
"Well," Mr. Daniel Malvik, Rosenborg's chief legal advisor, said, leaning forward to plant his elbows on the table. "This time around, I'm also totally against selling Zachary within the course of this year."
"Thank you," Coach Johansen said excitedly.
"Daniel, please elaborate," the club chairman said, choosing to ignore Coach Johansen's antics once more. "Why do you think that we shouldn't sell Zachary?"
"The reason is actually simple," Mr. Malvik said, smiling and looking around. "Zachary has a two-year contract that ties him with us until March 2015. So, there is no need for us to rush into selling him right now. Moreover, if we remain patient, his value might significantly rise over the next few months. That way, we'll be able to fetch a higher fee out of his transfer."
"Oh," Ivar Koteng said, caressing his chin, looking deep in thought. "Coach Johansen! You've been grumbling for a while regarding the issue of Zachary. What's your take on this?"
"Of course, I'm totally against any idea that involves selling Zachary," the coach was quick to reply animatedly. "Over the past few matches, Zachary has been exceptional on and off the pitch as a professional athlete. In all those games, he has been the deciding factor that has helped us to continue winning and achieve a seven-match unbeaten run. He's the sort of player that comes along once in a generation. So, we should be thinking of offering him a more lucrative contract to tie him to our club for a longer period of time rather than coming up with ways to make a quick buck off him."
"Do you think that we'll be able to match the sort of money that a club backed by Red Bull can offer him?" Mr. Erik Hoftun, the sporting director, queried. "Why would he sign a contract covering a longer period if we can't match the terms that our competitors can offer him?"
"Are you forgetting football is not all about money, sometimes?" Coach Johansen said, shaking his head. "As a coach, I've been observing Zachary. He has grown more comfortable on the team and doesn't seem to have any intention of leaving any time soon. So, why don't we let him be so that he continues playing for us? Remember: it's significantly easier to win games and tournaments with him on the squad. So, gentlemen, please! Can you stop this absurd discussion about selling our best player?"
"Oh," the club chairman said, smiling a bit. "You do have a point, Coach Johansen. But so does Erik. So, after some deliberation, I've decided that we put off the selling of Zachary until further notice. Since he still has almost two years on the contract, we can at the very least afford to wait until the end of this season. Hopefully, by then, a better offer will have come along."
"What about we consider offering him better terms so that we can extend his contract?" Coach Johansen queried, matching the chairman's gaze.
"Not yet," the chairman replied, shaking his head. "We can only consider doing that when he does a bit more for the club. Otherwise, we may cause some dissatisfaction among the rest of the squad. Isn't that right, Erik?"
"Yes, those are my exact thoughts," Erik Hoftun, the sporting director, replied. "We shouldn't offer him any wage increments until after he has helped the club win a lot more games and possibly a tournament. But that aside, what should I tell the RB Leipzig representatives after the meeting?"
"Tell them that Zachary isn't for sale," Ivar Koteng said, tone firm. "You can go ahead and warn them not to approach him at any given moment before getting our consent. That's unless they intend to trigger his release-clause of 50 million Euros. Tell them that we shall sue them for sure if they ignore our warning and approach our player. You have to make sure they understand our position clearly since we don't want their representatives putting errant thoughts in our players' heads. Okay?"
"Okay," Mr. Erik Hoftun confirmed, nodding. "I'll call them tomorrow morning to relay our stand."
"Good," the chairman said, nodding. "Since it's a Sunday, I guess we should end this impromptu meeting and go rest. That's unless someone else has another issue to discuss."
Everyone remained silent, without bringing up any other issues to review. So, the meeting between the Rosenborg Club executives ended shortly after.
**** ****
