THE GREATEST OF ALL TIME
Meetings With Emily And Ryan

When Zachary got off the bus, he pulled his hat visor further down to hide his face. He does not want to be held back by other Rosenborg fans who want his signature.

He glanced at his watch and noticed that it was 10:16, just 14 minutes from the scheduled time for his meeting with Emily. So, without further ado, she quickly began walking towards Trondheim Square, where she was supposed to meet Emily and her friend.

As she walked in the morning sun that warmed her skin, she felt that the day was perfect. Pedestrians walked like flocks of fish in various directions, not a single one of them in heavy clothing. Zachary smiled as he looked at the surrounding scenery. He preferred Trondheim with warmer days.

A few minutes later, she reached the cafe near Trondheim Square, where she usually had meetings with Emily. But to her surprise, Emily hasn't come yet. So, she sat down on one of the corner table chairs and ordered some cherry juice while waiting for her agent to arrive.

But he didn't have to wait long. Emily arrived with her friend shortly after. Zachary was surprised to see the man beside him.

He is a typical Brad Pitt who is similar to a perfect square jaw, blue eyes, and perfectly styled Achilles golden hair. He could have been an ideal male model with his androgynous appearance that could easily fascinate women. But he has one shortcoming. He was short, maybe 5 feet-three, according to Zachary's estimates. The man's height betrayed his beautiful appearance.

"Sorry we're late" Emily said as soon as the two of them arrived at Zachary's desk. "We're stuck in traffic."

"Don't worry" Zachary replied, standing up and extending his hand to greet him. "Just a few minutes. So, I don't mind."

"That's great" said Emily, grabbing her hand. "How was your morning?" She asked.

"Slowly," Zachary replied, smiling at him. "I'm off today. So, kind of bored."

"Then, let's help you overcome that boredom," said Emily, turning to the short man beside her. "This is the friend I mentioned earlier. That's Ryan Bellmore, a race car driver. He spent a lot of time in Norway."

"It's nice to meet you" Ryan Bellmore interjected, extending his hand to greet.

"It's nice to meet you too" replied Zachary, grabbing her hand. "I'm Zachary Bemba."

"Oh, I know who you are" said Ryan, a bright smile adorning his face. "No need for introductions. I'm watching your match yesterday and your viral post-match interview video is viral this morning. You are something."

"Viral post-match video!?" Zachary investigated, sitting back to the comfort of his chair.

"Yes, your post-survival video is making headlines all over Norway" Ryan said, sitting next to Emily in a chair opposite Zachary.

Zachary's eyes turned around hearing the short man's answer. She tilts her head and looks for confirmation on Emily's face while wondering when the post-match video became so popular that it went viral in Norway.

"Geez, Zachary!" Emily exclaimed, seemingly aware of her shock and incomprehension. "Don't tell me you haven't seen it!" He investigated, holding Zachary's gaze.

"No," Zachary replied, shaking his head. "This is the first time I've heard of a post-match video going viral. It was just a pointless interview in which journalists asked me a few questions about my club and its aspirations. I didn't even expect it to make the news because I felt it was boring."

Ryan and Emily laughed at him, shaking their heads as if their ears caught the funniest joke in the world.

"Here, go ahead and watch," said Emily, extending her phone to Zachary from across the table. "Tell me how ignoring one of Norway's most developed teams could fail to make the news. You have to learn that the press loves chaos. If you say something controversial, they'll take advantage of it because that's what makes good headlines. Your post-match interview is exactly that."

"Oh, but that wasn't my intention" Zachary said, receiving a call from Emily's outstretched hand. She then began watching post-match videos on Emily's phone.

"Do you understand now?" Emily asks when she realizes that Zachary has finished watching the video.

"Yes, I know," replied Zachary, handing the phone back to him. "The person who edited the video was a professional. That explains the incident on the bus when I was on my way here."

"What incident?" Emily asked, narrowing her eyes.

"Well, it's something small and not too serious" Zachary replied. He then went on to tell them about how he spent most of his time on his bus trip to the city to sign autographs for some of Rosenborg's loyal fans.

Emily chuckles after listening to her account. "Then this video is good for us" he said. "The more your fame increases in Norway and among the Rosenborg fans, the better our situation will be. We'll be able to get a better support deal if there's nothing controversial about your reputation."

"Maybe" Zachary replied, smiling back at him. "But I still don't understand why this went viral. What I said in the interview is well known to every Tippeligaen fan. Rosenborg are the best team in Norway. Think about it this way: would Dutch fans react if a player said that Ajax Amsterdam is the best team in the Eredivisie? I don't understand why the fans here overreact!"

"Well, they'll ignore it if it's another time of the season" Ryan interrupted, mopping his golden hair as if to straighten it further. "However, only eleven days are left for the most hot games of the season. It was one of those games between Rosenborg and Molde. At the moment, Molde fans are sensitive to anything said about their team by any Rosenborg player. They are even more restless as their team has been performing poorly since the start of the season. That's why your statement makes them so upset that they are taken to social media to defend their team. So, be prepared to face the music and scorn when your team is up against Molde. The Molde fans have marked you as an outlet of their discontent."

Zakaria smile. "I'm not afraid of them, not even their team" he said, shaking his head. "Not the way they're playing this season."

Ryan laughed at it. “You know they have that guy, Ole Gunnar Solskjaer, as their coach,” he said as he stroked his shovel-shaped beard. "The guy has an incredible way of improving the morale and performance of his team, especially when there are big games. I don't know how he did it. You have to be careful."

"Don't worry" said Zachary. "I'll let the coaches worry about beating him. By the way, don't you guys want to order anything?" He asked, sweeping his gaze to Emily and Ryan.

"No," Emily was the first to answer. "Don't waste time and go straight to business. Ryan!" She added, turning around to look at the short man beside her.

Ryan nodded and smiled. "So, Emily told me that you should buy a nice car right away," she said, leaning her head slightly to look at Zachary's face.

"Yes, I want to buy one," Zachary replied as he nodded. "Emily assured me last night that you are the right person when someone needs to buy a good machine. But I still feel guilty for taking up your time. Are you sure this will not affect your schedule! As racing? car driver, you must be very busy."

"Not at all" replied Ryan, his smile widening into a grin. "Emily must have said that car shopping is one of my hobbies. Moreover, he forgot to say that I am also a part-time dealer. I'm the one you call the middleman when you buy stuff."

"Brother!" Zachary investigates, raises an eyebrow and turns to Emily for confirmation. The latter nodded, validating the statement.

"Yes, an intermediary" Ryan continued. "When I'm not at the race track, I work as a sort of middleman. I help people buy things. Be it housing, cars, art—I can find everything as long as they are in Europe. So, if you need to buy anything in the future, you can always find me. I'll always be able to help you. That's on commission, of course."

"Oh, now it makes sense since you are the intermediary," Zachary said as he nodded. "I feel comfortable now. But how do you balance racing with being an intermediary? As far as I know, every sport is quite demanding, especially with regard to time."

"Yes, it's hard to balance the two" Ryan replied as he shook his head. “But I had to do it because I had to raise money for my dream, which was racing. Finding an organization that is interested in sponsoring motorsport is becoming increasingly difficult. Last year, I had to fund myself through four races. Had I not made some good money on the side through my intermediary business, I would have gone broke until even sleeping on the streets. Anyway, besides, if you need my help this time around, I'm ready to help.

"Okay, I think I need your help in this," Zachary said with a smile. "But what's your commission?"

"We offered 1000 Norwegian Kroner for this," Emily interrupted before Ryan could answer. "Because this is the first meeting, you shouldn't ask Zachary for help."

"A man should eat, but that's enough" replied Ryan, a timid smile adorning his face. "Zachary, what kind of vehicle do you need? Sporty or sleek? Do you have a preference for any manufacturer? And what's your budget?"