THE GREATEST OF ALL TIME
Emily's Worries

"That's good to know" Emily said, beaming. "I'll remember it. But leaving aside the endorsement deal, are you going to return to your home country during the upcoming Tippeligaen season break?"

"Yes, of course," Zachary replied without further ado. "I haven't been back once since I arrived in Norway to begin my training at the academy. So, I'll definitely be back this time."

"Oh," said Emily, sipping her coffee. "But I recently heard the news that there is a rebel conflict going on in DR Congo. Are you sure it won't affect you when you return?"

Zakaria smile. "A rebel conflict is currently underway in the eastern part of DR Congo" he said. "It is mainly around the North Kivu, Goma, and Beni regions. But, I will head to Lubumbashi, which is in the southern part of the country. The two places are more than 1,500 kilometers apart. So, there's no 't chance that I'll be affected by civil strife."

"It was soothing," Emily said, ruffling her dark brown wavy hair. "What about Lubumbashi? Is safe?"

"Very safe," Zachary quickly replied in a confident tone. "This city is one of the safest in DR Congo. You should know that the city is at the southern end, near the DR Congo border with Zambia. Quite peaceful and almost never in armed conflict."

Emilia sighed. "Then why did I recently get news about a militia group of a hundred fighters who attacked Lubumbashi and captured the UN compound?" He asked, his eyebrows fused into wrinkles. “Moreover this attack just happened two months ago, which was in March. From what I heard, the attack was deadly. It even resulted in armed clashes between the militants and the Congolese army. And there were even some fatal casualties and deaths from the battle."

Zachary's eyes were wide open to hear it. "You know a lot about Congo, for someone who comes from the UK," he said. "Are you a part-time journalist or something?"

Emily laughs. "You're my client" he replied, his voice softening. "So, I did a little research on your home country. What I found was quite worrying. It is my wish that you avoid that place until everything is quiet."

"This is my home" said Zachary, shaking his head. "I have to go back and visit my grandmother this time. However, you don't have to worry. The situation in this country always looks worse on the news than what is actually happening on the ground. So, I'm sure I'll be safe there."

"Hopefully so," said Emily, nodding. "But you have to be careful when you come back. We don't want anything bad to happen to you when you're just starting to solidify your status as a professional athlete."

"Then, I'm sure."

For the next few minutes, they continued to mince words while eating their snacks. They discussed how Zachary would train during the break and made plans for when he would return to Trondheim from DR Congo. They even strategize how to attract more endorsement offers. That way, they slowly emptied their cups and plates and then bid farewell.

Zachary immediately headed to the Lerkendal gym for a light workout. As an exercise maniac, he always felt incomplete on the days he did not exercise and let out a little sweat. So, for the next hour, he stretched his muscles on a foam roller and did some weight lifting to speed up his post-match recovery. He only stopped when he felt dizzy and was almost out of breath. But Zachary could already feel his mind becoming more active due to intense exercise. He was quite happy with the results of the session.

After the gym worked, he headed straight to the training ground. Since he was already on the pitch at Lerkendal, he decided to add a bit of practice. He found some of his team-mates, mostly those in the second team, on the pitch. They also do a few hours of extra training with full attention.

Zachary waved to them to give his greetings before concentrating on agility training and endurance improvement near the goalpost on one side. As usual, he focused all his attention on the— routine until he broke out in a sweat.

At around 14:00, he ended his session by practicing shooting from various angles in the final third of the field. He then took a shower and rushed back home to rest for the day.

He spent the rest of the day lazing in his apartment until six p.m. Without further ado, she takes a bath, puts on one of her more handsome gym clothes, and goes down to Kristin's apartment for dinner.

He didn't expect much when he went there. She even anticipates that she should make excuses and run away after spending a few minutes at Kristin's house. But he was shocked as dinner went on. The night was fun and made him forget about time.

Zachary had to eat a fancy, very well-cooked party with two beautiful girls. One of them was Kristin, herself. The other was his flat-mate, Monica, a professional skier who worked hard to create a Norwegian team for the Winter Olympics scheduled for the following year. He enjoys their togetherness as they are also quite interested in his main sport—hobi. They spoke at length about the previous year's world cup, Tippeligaen's season, and even discussed Rosenborg's prospects at the next Europa League tournament.

That way, the hours passed quickly as Zachary enjoyed himself for the first time in quite a long time. By the time he said goodbye to the two girls, he had already recovered from his post-match fatigue. Zachary felt as light as a feather as he climbed the stairs back to his apartment. His mood was lighter, and his mind was refreshed. He did not believe that talking to people while eating would cure fatigue just like a massage would. But he is happy to have found another way to deal with mental fatigue.