THE GREATEST OF ALL TIME
Incidents On The Bus

Zachary felt the difference when he was on the bus to meet Emily and her car driver friend the morning after the game. People did just that where he would glance in their direction, and they would pretend not to see him. When he was about to throw his face away and focus on the passing scenery outside the bus window, he would again feel their gazes locked onto him. The situation inside the bus remained awkward for a while until a brave blonde boy, possibly men aged 11 to 13, walked over to his seat and patted his arm.

"Hello, sir," said the boy, staring at his face with the puppy's eyes.

"Yes, hello, young man," Zachary replied, slightly leaning his head and making the boy grin. He could see that the child was agitated and did not want to scare him. "How can I help you?" He asked, making sure his voice was as soft and gentle as possible.

"Sorry to bother you, Sir," said the boy, moving his weight from one leg to the other while glancing at the floor. "But may I ask if you are Zachary Bemba, Rosenborg number-33? You look so much like him?"

"Oh, it's me" Zachary replied, surprised for a moment that the boy recognized him. Most of his face— was covered by the hood of his jacket and the protector of his hat. He did not expect that anyone would be able to guess his identity.

"Good," said the boy, clapping his hands excitedly. "I told my friends there that it was you. But, they all argue that it is unlikely you, claiming that there is no chance for a Rosenborg player to be on the same bus as us. We're all big fans of you and Rosenborg. It's nice to meet you in person." The boy spoke the words at the speed of a machine gun, grinning from ear to ear.

"It's nice to meet you too" replied Zachary, patting the boy on the shoulder. "I'm glad you're a Rosenborg fan. By the way, what's your name?"

"Josh" replied the boy. "Joshua Simonsen"

"Oh, nice to meet you, Josh," said Zachary. "Are you playing football?"

"Yes, I know," Josh quickly replied. "I'm one of the kids under 13 at NF Academy. Everyone there thinks of you as an idol. They'll die of envy if I tell them I met you on the bus."

"Oh!" Zachary said, at a loss for words. "It's great" he added, just trying to keep the conversation flowing. He just realized that talking to a fan was not an easy task. Too many compliments can make anyone, even the bravest celebrity.

"Zachary," Josh said after a while. "Is it possible to get your signature?" He asked, his voice taking on a pleading but formal tone.

"Yes, of course," replied Zachary, wanting to immediately sign for the boy and send him back to his seat. "Where can I sign for you?"

"Thank you, this is the marker" Josh said with a grin. He took off his jacket and turned around. "You can sign on my shirt." He added, pointing a finger at his back.

A wry smile adorned Zachary's face when he saw that the boy wanted a signature on his well-ironed white shirt. At that moment, she could not help but remember the times when her grandmother pulled her ear because she had soiled her school uniform. Although the child in front of him was not in uniform, Zachary still hesitated to ruffle the boy's neat clothes.

"Don't worry" said Josh, without turning around. "My mom won't even notice. I got a lot of shirts. After all, notebooks do not last long. Signatures on the shirt are much better."

"Oh!" Zachary said, stroking his chin. “Then we don't need to stain your clothes with marker ink. I have one of Rosenborg's jerseys in my gym bag. I'll sign my name on it and give it to you. How's solution? isn't that better than staining your clothes?"

"Wow," said Josh, finally turning around and facing Zachary once more. "You gave me an autographed T-shirt? Is that number-33?" He asked, his voice rising to the point of attracting some curious gazes from the other passengers on the bus.

"There's no need to be loud" Zachary said with a smile. "This is the number 33 jersey, the only one I have at the moment. Well, what do you think? You'd better decide quickly because I'm almost at my goal."

"Of course, I want it," said Josh, his blue eyes glittering with pure excitement. "Thank you, Zachary. My teammates at the academy will be very jealous."

"Okay, then I'll take his jersey," he said, taking his gym bag from the side. He then took out the only shirt number-33, carefully wrote a few encouraging words to Josh, and finally signed his name.

"This is it" he said, folding and handing the signed jersey to Josh. He only realized that he had finally started acting as a role model for the young players in his former academy. He feels good inside.

Josh carefully received the jersey and unfolded it before giving it away once more. He then grinned at Zachary, saying, "Thank you very much, thank you very much ..." He muttered a few thanks uneasily. The boy looked completely happy, and Zachary dared to swear that he had seen a tear or two in the corner of his eye.

"Keep working hard at the academy" said Zachary, patting the boy on the shoulder once more. "You'll play for Rosenborg in no time if you stay true to your football."

"Thank you" said Josh, his eyes still on the jersey. "I'll appreciate your words." He then folded the jersey as if it was his most prized possession in the world before returning to his seat.

Zachary breathed out as soon as the boy left. Dealing with emotional youngsters who are also passionate fans is not part of his craft. But he has to try because the boy likes football. Perhaps, his words could help the boy mature into a highly skilled footballer in the future. That was his intention. As his grandmother often said: "Good deeds will never go away in time. The one who sows politeness by doing good always reaps friendship, while the one who plants kindness gathers love." Zachary is happy that he has sown another piece of good karma in his new life. Perhaps, he would soon see the benefits.

A gentle smile graced her face as she leaned back in her chair to enjoy the rest of her bus ride to the city square. He just had to meet Emily and her race car driver friend that day and there were no other plans. But surprisingly, she felt relaxed and grateful for the day off from her busy schedule. He finally learned to appreciate his day off after playing three intense games in the span of a week. If it had been a month ago, he would have still been on the field or in the gym even on such days.

He will wear his headset to enjoy the music for the rest of the short trip to Trondheim Square. To his dismay, however, several fans began to appear beside his chair, asking for his signature systematically. Inevitably he wonders how his fame exploded in one night to the point of attracting fans even when he was on the bus. He understands that it takes time for every player to build a reputation among the fans. Even though he is in Trondheim, Rosenborg's hometown, fans shouldn't easily recognize who he is because he has only played three games for his club. Zachary was in confusion as he signed his name on several passionate Rosenborg fan notebooks, both old and young— until he reached his destination.