Desde sempre e para sempre Chapter 14

Desde sempre e para sempre

Chapter 14

“Leo!”

Leo ran to his Aaji and picked her up in his arms to twirl her around.

Leo: “Did you see me??! Did you??? I knew it! I knew it would trick him! Ha! He thought I was going to shoot right! Right! Fool! Pateta! We won! We won!”

Aaji was laughing and giggling like a school girl: “Of course! Of course, you did it! Put me down Leo!”

When Leo finally put her down, Aaji: “You fooled me too! I thought you were going to shoot right and then the ball turned to the left. When they replayed it, they showed us that you actually kicked with your left leg! You won it for us! You won!”

He gave her a loud kiss on the cheek: “I am the best, of course!”

Aaji rolled her eyes but hugged him again to bless him.

Leo: “Where is Irmão?”

Aaji: “How are you here?? Before I went to bed, you were in MANCHESTER! Am I dreaming?”

Leo winked at her: “I love it how age is not a barrier when it comes to women dreaming about me…”

Aaji: “You are incorrigible! All three of you!”

He went to the table and grabbed a bunch of grapes in the fruit basket. He popped a few in his mouth and started talking.

Leo: “I…”

Aaji: “DON’T talk with food in your mouth!”

Leo swallowed: “Really? I win the World Cup and you yell at me over this?”

Aaji: “Don’t argue with me over proper conduct. Now, tell me how you made it here!”

Leo popped a few more grapes in his mouth and gave her a devilish smile as he started chewing very slowly.

Aaji grabbed her slipper and started to run after him: “You little brat!”

Leo: “What about sitting in one place while you are eating?!”

Aaji: “Yes, why don’t you do that?”

Gael stumbled out of his room, holding his head in his hands: “Stop it! What’s all this racket?!”

Aaji and Leo turned around to see Gael in his yesterday’s clothes, a bottle in his hand.

Gael: “LEO!”

Aaji: “BRENO!”

Gael: “ITS BREEENO!”

Leo: “You are drunk.”

Aaji: “But I have always called you Breno!”

Gael: “Yeah but its not Breno, is it?”

Aaji: “What’s with you?”

Leo: “He is drunk!”

Gael: “What can I say? Celebrating your victory. Come here and give me a hug.”

Leo went to him and hugged him. He then walked Gael to the sofa and helped him sit down. He took the bottle from Gael and finished the last few sips.

Aaji: “WHAT ARE YOU DOING?”

Leo: “It’s better in me than in him!”

Gael: “I am not drunk!”

Aaji: “How about draining it down the sink?”

Both the boys looked at her shocked.

Aaji: “Never mind then.”

Leo: “How many did you have?”

Aaji: “It’s not like you to sleep in…”

Leo: “He did not sleep at all…”

Gael: “How are you here? Aren't you supposed to be back in Rio on the victory float making the rounds of the city?”

Leo: “I am but I told Coach, if I win it, I walk the moment the final whistle blows. They will make an excuse.”

Gael: “Even after they let you travel to Rio only a day before the match?”

Leo: “We are Brazilians. Family always comes first.”

Gael smiled. Indeed, family always comes first. Something he needed to remind himself of…

Gael: “How’s the leg? I noticed the limp.”

Aaji: “You are limping!?”

Leo: “Shame on you, Aaji, if he noticed it in his condition and you didn’t.”

Gael: “I am NOT drunk!”

Aaji: “Well…”

Gael: “Stop troubling her. She is dying.”

Aaji burst out laughing.

Leo: “You are a sadist.”

Gael: “Well, son, you are not any better.”

Leo smiled. He always liked it when Gael called him “son.” For him, Gael had always been a father more than an elder brother. For him, Gael had always been everything he had always looked up to.

Leo: “Are you proud of me?”

Gael: “I am very proud of you. I always have been.”

John entered the living room all fresh and tidy.

Leo: “Ahh! Jhonny, my man! Oh my God, is that a wrinkle I see on your suit?”

John: “Where?!”

Leo burst out laughing: “Every time! You fall for it every freaking time!”

Aaji: “Stop troubling the boy, Leo!”

John smiled: “It’s okay. I know he is a loner and if that’s how he makes friends...”

Leo pulled him in a headlock.

John: “I was kidding! Jesus!”

Leo finally let him go.

Aaji: “Please, don’t take the name of Lord in vain!”

Gael: “Right, there are many more appropriate moments for that…”

John: “A woman…”

Leo: “A naked woman…”

Gael: “…in bed.”

Aaji: “Oh my God! A bunch of heathens! A bunch of hopeless…”

Gael poured himself a cup of steaming black coffee and grimaced as it slowly cleared his foggy mind. It wasn't a hangover he was dealing with. Those things didn't happen to him anymore.

Gael: “So, John made all the arrangements to get you here?”

Leo: “Yup! The match ended at 9:30 pm. I was on the plane by 10:30 pm. 7 hours later on that super fast jet of yours, here I am.”

Gael: “Davi and Mãe?”

Leo: “Davi had to stay back for his movie premier, Mãe went back to Rio, the show must go on and all that crap!”

Aaji: “Not crap! I am glad your mother had the sense to go back and represent you! It is your duty…”

Leo: “I think I did my duty, thank you very much. I have a life too and people I would rather be with…”

Gael: “Well, there is no point talking about it now. John, send one jet to UK and there is one at Rio already. As soon as they are ready to join us, they can make their way here.”

John nodded: “Got it, Sir. Also about the papers…”

Aaji: “NO! Before you get all worked up for God knows what you get worked up about, I want you to take me to this place.”

She gave Gael a piece of note with an address written on it.

Gael: “What’s this?”

Aaji: “An address.”

Gael: “No kidding.”

Aaji: “I want you to take me here.”

Gael: “Wait a minute; I am not taking you to a place which may not even exist today.”

Aaji: “What do you mean 'which may not even exist today'?”

Gael: “It’s been 15 years.”

Aaji: “15 YEARS?!”

Leo: “Irmão here is 30 years old, 30 YEARS OLD! THE BIG 3 AND 0…”

Gael: “I think we all got that…”

Leo: “What I was trying to say is that if you guys left India when he was 15 and he is 30 years old now, you know 30 years old…”

Gael pulled him in a headlock: “You son of a…I am 30 but I can still break your…How old are you? 5?”

Aaji: “Enough! Now, will you at least go and check if the place is still there? I am sure it will be rundown 15 years later but it will still be there!”

Gael stood up: “Leo can do it. It’s not like he has anything going on in his life right now…”

Leo: “Apart from winning the World Cup and being titled the nation’s hero, of course…”

Gael: “Yeah whatever…I have loads of things to take care of and meetings to attend.”

Aaji: “You don’t care about me or my feelings!”

Gael: “It’s just a house. I told him to check it out not take it down. Now, I want you to go to bed.”

Aaji: “I just woke up.”

Gael: “No. I just woke up. I am sure you have been up since the crack of dawn. The nurse will come with your medicine…”

Leo: “You need to be sleeping first to wake up…”

Gael: “Thank you Doc for imparting all your fathomless knowledge.”

Leo: “It’s my humble duty…”

Aaji: “I feel like I am in a mental ward.”

Gael: “Only because you behave like one of ‘em.”

Aaji: “WHAT? What did you say?”

Leo: “He called you mental but you didn't hear it from me.”

Gael: “AHHHHH!!!”

Aaji: "You maybe 30 years old but you are still kid for me! And I will whack you on your buttocks!"

Gael: "Again with my age?!"

Leo: "This time it was for no matter how OLD you get, she will always..."

Gael: "Obrigado! Silêncio, por favor!"

He pulled his hair exasperated.

Leo: “Slow down there g-pop. Soon there won’t be much left.”

Gael kicked him on his weak leg on his way to his room as Leo doubled over in pain.

Aaji: “Breeeeeeeeeeeeeeno!”

Gael: “Oh was that your leg? I am sorry. I didn’t see that…It’s about time I get the cataract removed…”

Leo was rolling on the floor in pain and laughter: “Good one! Didn't see that one coming…”

Frustrated, Aaji left the boys alone.

Gael turned around and helped Leo get to the sofa.

Gael: “In all seriousness, I want you to go to that place and find reasons to stay AWAY from that place. Make them up if need be. There is no way Aaji is going to spend this critical time in a dump.”

Leo: “Got it.”

Gael: “How much does it pain?”

Leo: “A lot.”

Gael: “Good. Keep me posted. John, I need to discuss the Moscow project with you…”

He got up and entered the study with John following him.

Leo sighed and picked up the piece of paper.

Well, at least he would get to do a bit of exploring…