“We have here the two teams who have proven to deserve to bring the Cup home” said one of the commentators. “An undefeated Spain who classified as top of their group.”
“Without a doubt, a relentless team who have done a great job all throughout this championship” agreed his co-host.
“But we also have a Germany who, in spite of the controversy around one of their most outstanding players, has remained favorite.”
“And, coming from the premise that this championship represents the consolidation of Dominik Weigand as the only man to ever manage a clubs championship, a European championship and a World Cup on the same year… we are about to witness history being made.”
“We have been offered some unforgettable ninety minutes, with ups and downs and lots to see…”
“A German team who have been on the offense right off the bat, attacking and pushing a well centered Spanish team, whom have also had their shots to score, but had to stick to the back to play on.”
“Anything could happen during this overtime. Either one of them could win…”
“Whomever won, they deserved it.”
*****
Samanta could not hold it anymore, a couple tears rolled down her cheeks, but she managed to get up and away from her friends just in time.
“Sam? Where are you going?” Asked Charlotte.
“Excuse me, I'm not feeling well. I'm heading out for some air” she said, leaving the room.
Amir tried standing up to follow Samanta and ask her what the matter was, but Charlotte stopped him.
“I got it. You watch the game. I want every detail when I'm back.”
He nodded and smiled.
“Sam?” Charlotte's voice made Sam stop in the middle of the corridor. “Something wrong?”
“Nothing to worry about, Charlie. It'll be fine. I just got dizzy, that's all.”
“You're a terrible liar, you know?” Charlotte crossed her arms and glared at her. “You've been acting so weird since Amir put the game on. If you don't like football, just say it. We can watch something else.”
“That's not it, I just…” Sam's voice broke.
“Why are you crying?”
“Crying?” Sam clicked her tongue. “No. At all”
“I can see you” Charlotte frowned.
“Bad memories. Just that.”
“Samanta. I know we haven't know each other, but you can trust me.”
“Yeah, I know. But it is nothing, Charlie. Honestly.”
Charlotte stared at her for a few seconds. She could not understand why she remembered that face from somewhere. Since she saw her walk in through the dorm room door, there was something about her that reminded her of someone, or something.
She opened her eyes like plates at the realization.
“Oh my god! It's you. You're the girl who dated “The Bullet”.”
“His name is Dominik Weigand” she corrected.
“So… It's true! Do you know what that means?” Inquired Charlotte, excited.
“No. I don't.”
“I'm roommates with a football star's ex” Charlie took Sam by her hands and started skipping around.
“Shhh. I don't want neither Maher nor Amir to know.”
“I'm a tomb” said her friend and gave her a naughty look. “So, how is he?”
“What?” Sam frowned.
“Oh come on! He is huge. Is his… as big?”
“Oh, god! Shut up! What are you even saying?”
They both laughed out loud.
“GOOOOOOOOOOOOAAAAAAAAAAAAAL.”
Maher's voice startled them.
Charlotte couldn't run back fast enough to find out what happened.
“What happened?” She asked as she walked in the room.
“Goal by Germany” answered Amir, upset.
“Woohoooo!” Charlotte jumped in joy. Maher followed.
“Traitor” her brother snapped.
“I am celebrating you losing your bet” she said and stuck her tongue out to him.
Samanta had her eyes set on the screen.
“They won?” Asked Samanta.
“Yeah” answered Charlotte.
The moment they focused on Dominik, celebrating with his team mates, she felt like crying of joy, and she did. She had a broad smile and let her tears flow. Seeing him there, triumphant made her so proud. And for the first time, ever since coming to Egypt, she felt like she had done the right thing. Stop being an obstacle to him was the best decision she had made.
The whistle marked the end of the game. Dominik was petrified on his spot, looking around, hearing the fans roar. He could not believe it. He made it. He won the cup, actually, the Germany team.“Dominik!” Brauer's voice made him come back to reality. “We made it. We did it.”Dom had to shake his head hard to snap out of it.He put his arms up and gave in to the celebration.Hugs, screams, cheers and lots of joy.He noticed someone was pulling his jersey and dragged him towards a group of players, hugging one another. They were jumping around and cheering to Oe Oe, along with the fans.The whole world was paralyzed, watching them and celebrating their victory.Dominik could not stop smiling remembering all the work he had put into this and seeing it all pay off.In a matter of seconds, he was surrounded by all his team whom hugged him and congratulated him for scoring the victory goal.Hugs everywhere.The Germans could not hold their happiness.Tears rolled everywhere.On the field,
Munich, Germany. Three months later.I've paid my duesTime after time.I've done my sentenceBut committed no crime.And bad mistakesI've made a few.I've had my share of sand kicked in my faceBut I've come through.Dominik opened his eyes and let the song keep playing. For some reason, he enjoyed it this time. He got out of bed slowly, trying not to wake the woman sleeping next to him. He headed for the bathroom, he took a quick shower, brushed his teeth and put on a black sweatshirt, his favorite jogging pants and a pair of black Nike boots, his favorite. He made one of his delicious energy shakes and drank it in one sip.He loved fall in Munich, the colorful landscapes, having to put on a coat to head outside to jog and disconnecting from the world, at least for the hour his session lasted.It had been three months since the Germany team had become world champions and Dominik was enjoying his vacation. The day after he would leave for Stockholm, to meet his sister and the week a
El Cairo, Egypt. One week ago.Days went by. With them, tests came along with the first term evaluations. Samanta was under so much stress and pressure, it started taking its toll on her. In the past few days, she had been eating a lot, sleeping excessively and she still felt exhausted.One night, as she finished studying a few pages from the long questionnaire with every possible question coming in the test the next day, Charlotte was getting ready to sleep.“Turn off the lights and go to bed” she said, almost growling.Sam looked at her from the corner of her eye and could not omit a smile.“I'll turn it off in just a minute” replied Sam while she took a bite off her cinnamon bun.“You shouldn't eat so much” snapped her friend at the same time as she covered her face with her pillow.“What are you saying” Samanta felt irritated.“You're gaining weight” muttered Charlie from her bed.“I'm sorry, I can't help it. I've been getting so hungry lately.”“You should sleep more and eat less
Dihanna moved, but she did not wake. She fell asleep fifteen minutes after the plane took off. She did not nap long, but an hour and a half were enough for her to recharge her energy. She had not slept well the night before, her boyfriend didn't let her. Rainy days brought out the naughty side of Dominik.Dom smiled and placed himself so his girlfriend could lay her head on his shoulder.“We're almost there” he said, leaning in to kiss his girl's forehead.She opened her eyes slowly and smiled.“I love you.”Dominik smiled and wrapped his arm around her shoulders.“I love you, too” he said and turned towards the plane window. He wishes in the depths of his soul this were Samanta.Not 20 minutes later, flight 2414 of Lufthansa landed on the strip of the Stockholm Arlanda Airport. Dominik wrote to his sister right away, letting her know they had arrived and they were looking forward to joining her for lunch.Dihanna and Dom went to their hotel to leave their baggage and refresh themselv
Charlotte could not take it anymore. Seeing her like this broke her heart. She called Amir to help her get Samanta out of that state. She would not leave her room all day and she seemed like a newborn lion cub. Defenseless, fragile and idle, lying in bed.Samanta cried all night and most of the day. She cried for long whiles, she fell asleep, woke up just to cry some more. Each one of Dominik's words stabbed her heart every time she remembered his message.How could the man once helped her regain her will to love be acting that way?It was almost as though he had become an utterly different person from the Dominik she knew. Or maybe that was it. She never knew him.“Sam?” Amir tested the situation. “Can you hear me?”“She's not responding. She's been like that all day. Crying” said Charlotte.“Has she eaten anything?” He asked.“I tried bringing her some food, but she won't eat.”“We must do something. If she keeps missing school unjustified, they will notice. She could be suspended.”
Amir took a deep breath and gathered all his courage for this. He knew this would be a family scandal, but he had t do this if he expected his father to accept Samanta. Of course, she had no idea this crazy idea was brewing in his mind.His sister Maher, tried to prevent him from doing this madness, knowing how picky their father is. He would not accept this dishonor. That was why he had to lie. He would have to corner him into doing this.The Mobareks were one of the wealthiest families in the area. Ihshan Mobarek was a tough man, old fashioned. To him, tradition was the most important thing and he already had made his selection of the best suitors for his son. All, daughters of his friends or business partners. He would wait until his son graduated to introduce him to whichever young lady he should marry. None the less, Amir did not like the idea. He wanted to do it himself, pick the person he would marry and, apparently, his heart chose this beautiful lady with brown hair and amber
Three days and respective nights went by. Samanta settled in the room Tahirah prepared for her in her apartment. Her pregnancy developed normally. Charlotte went to the doctor with her, and they discovered the child's sex. It was a girl.Sam decided to take a chance with Amir, who was very attentive at all times, coming with her to every prenatal control, calling her at all times during the night to make sure she was alright, bringing her any midnight craving, but mostly, loving her very much. She did not even notice, but he was really growing in her. He became her guard.She kept attending school and there was always some jerk saying something nasty about her pregnancy. Although Sam preferred not to give any details about her state, their class mates rumored the father was Amir, everybody could tell there was something between them. It was such a harsh time and many nasty rumors Samanta had to put up with.One afternoon, all four friends were sitting on the grass on the school groun
Seven years later.There was no prettier sound than her daughter's laughter. The innocence her little angel beamed was mesmerizing. From the first time she held her in her arms, she could not stop wondering how amazing her little Aháva was.The child ran along the corridors of the beautiful chalet. The one Ihshan Mobarek gave his granddaughter. That gorgeous little lady with light brown hair, green eyes and tan skin, she conquered him at first sight. Although she did not look much like his son, but his daughter in law, it was undeniable that the smile he so much adored, was his late wife's Mahabi, Amir's mother. At least, so he thought.It was about 9 pm and Samanta was running after Aháva.“That's enough, honey. You have school tomorrow and you must go to bed now.”“I don't want to go to bed yet, mommy. I want to play a little more” her daughter's little voice was music to her ears.“Time to sleep, or you won't want to get up tomorrow” said Sam. The girl pouted. “No, no, no. I am not
I turned to the man who was talking to me. There was something in that voice that made me evoke a thousand memories. I looked at him carefully for a while, because although his face was very familiar to me, I couldn't place him. I opened my eyes like saucers and my heart stopped for a fraction of a second when I recognized the owner of those green eyes that were looking at me. In front of me was the personification of all my fears, traumas and insecurities. The man who served as a benchmark to compare all the people who came into my life after him. It was a beautiful vision, and at the same time a nightmare come true. “Antoine,” I said his name with difficulty. If the mere memory of him stirred up a lot of emotions in me, can you imagine “what his presence did to me?” The imposing figure of a six-foot-tall man lay before me. His eyes were greener than I remembered them and he had a beautiful smile (the one that brought out a couple of dimples in his cheeks) plastered on his face. He
I shook my head hard to concentrate on my friend's voice. She kept talking, but I stopped listening to her for a moment because I was thinking about Harvey, the gorgeous blond I met two months ago on one of my many girls' outings with Gabrielle, and who I started dating four weeks ago. He was divorced and had two young children. All my life I was reluctant to have anything with a man with children, because my policy was always: If I can buy a new car, ¿why buy a used one? This thought became ingrained in me as a result of living with my stepmother. It's not that our relationship was bad, but I remember a couple of times I tried to make her life miserable, just for fun. I was afraid that divine justice would take its toll on me for those years of rebellion and headaches I'd caused Valerie. But there was something about Harvey that appealed to me so much. He was very direct and upfront. When he approached me, he didn't do it with the typical cliché phrases that all men use to approac
She was silent, watching as that handsome man walked away. She didn't understand why she couldn't stop looking at him. She had seen handsome men many times. His father lived surrounded by them. Athletic men with heart-stopping butts. However, there was something about… Damn! h e didn't tell her his name a n d h e wanted very much t o know. h e hit his forehead as h e remembered how h e treated him. "How stupid I am. At this rate, I'm going t o be alone." She couldn't help but feel like a fool for being so rude t o him. Perhaps his intentions were sincere… or perhaps not. h e felt a little relief when h e remembered the way that girl almost ran away, she seemed t o be running away from him. Maybe h e was a lout a n d deserved every one of his mistreatment.Anyway, h e decided not t o think about it a n ymore. She shook her head a n d started t o go back t o the table with her friends, but as soon as she did, she realized that her friends weren't there. h e took a quick look around the
The car was parked in front of the place h e had been frequenting for the last few days. It was a good place t o dance (he loved t o dance) a n d have a couple of drinks in the company of a pretty woman. h e met Melanie in New York a n d since then she accompanied him o n his tour. That's how h e wanted it, a n d although August didn't need the woman who was willing t o have a good time with him, she was perfect, because she was funny a n d undramatic. (At least it seemed that way at first) I didn't understand how his attitude changed in a matter of three days.He shook his head a n d cleared his mind. I didn't want t o think about that. h e was ready t o celebrate that night h e appeared in the place h e had dreamed of for so many years. For every illusionist, the MGM Grand Garden Arena was a statement that h e was reaching the pinnacle of his career. His parents knew it a n d that i s why they traveled from Scotland t o accompany him. Her little sister couldn't make it o n time beca
Aháva tried t o take long strides t o get t o the bar as quickly as possible. The club was packed a n d people seemed t o be possessed by some kind of demon of lust, as they groped each other while dancing grotesquely. The blonde looked at the couple o n her right a n d couldn't help but shudder. Could it be that they did not know about the existence of hotels? God! She didn't understand why she agreed t o go t o that place with her friends, if she never liked going t o places like that. She was more of mountains, rivers a n d beaches. h e liked t o be in contact with nature while enjoying the silence or reading a good book. I had known Lauren, Jessica, a n d Alicia since I was eight years old. h e had just moved with his parents t o California. They lived in the same neighborhood a n d went t o the same school. Since then they were inseparable friends.Aháva was about t o turn nineteen a n d college was just around the corner. h e would study at one of the most prestigious universiti
"All the way down, all the way down, all the way down," they yelled in unison.The girls tried t o encourage the youngest of all t o drink the entire contents of her glass in one sip. However, the blonde with green eyes could not do it, because she did not like the taste of tequila or a n y alcoholic beverage. I didn't understand how there were people who drank liquor until their livers dried up, if the taste of alcoholic beverages was so awful.She licked her lips, wrinkled her nose, a n d put the glass back o n the table.Aháva grimaced a n d wiped the corner of her lip with the back of her hand.-I do not can. It's disgusting,” h e yelled, due t o the high volume of the music. How do they make you drink this? It i s awful!—Booo. Don't be a spoilsport,” the eldest of all spoke up. Lauren, a pretty woman about six feet tall, slim, with black hair, gray eyes, a n d white Caucasian skin."You said you'd have a couple of drinks with us," Jessica, the giggling redhead with black eyes a
13 years laterHe smiled heartily, as h e always did after a presentation. Hearing the applause of his audience as h e walked offstage was undoubtedly his favorite thing since his father gave him a cape, top hat, a n d wand for his tenth birthday. h e decided t o dedicate himself t o illusionism when that afternoon at his grandmother's house, a magnificent magician left him speechless by drawing a dove o n a small blackboard a n d then shaking it a n d taking out a royal dove. As it did? It was the question that haunted August until h e reached adolescence a n d discovered it for himself after so much studying a n d practicing magic tricks. In the end, it wasn't as hard as I thought it was.After finishing school, the Real Centro Universitario María Cristina de San Lorenzo de El Escorial in Spain was her next step in her academic training, where she specialized in Illusionism. Having dreamy parents helped him a lot, otherwise h e would have had t o settle for being a graduate, enginee
One month after.Dominik glanced at Carlos surreptitiously a n d Carlos nodded, indicating that everything was ready. Charlotte could not suppress the small smile that came from her lips, because she knew perfectly well what was going t o happen next. She was also Weigand's accomplice. Samantha gave her friend a confused a n d questioning look."They say that h e who laughs alone remembers his pranks," she mumbled, poking the blonde's side with a finger.Charlotte laughed out loud."I'm just happy t o have married a wonderful man," the Polish woman commented, scanning her surroundings with her eyes.The garden looked beautiful, decorated in a vintage style with turquoise, white a n d silver decorations. Just two hours ago, Charlotte a n d Carlos had said "Yes, I do", in front of family a n d closest friends. Samantha was the maid of honor, a n d Dominik was the best man. Little Aháva played with some children, sons of some friends of the bride a n d groom."Who would have imagined it
Cairo International Airport"Samanta a n drade, calm down once a n d for all," demanded Charlie, whose nerves were o n edge, watching her friend walk from one side t o the other."What if h e gets scared when h e sees me?" My face i s not the same. These scars..."You're still beautiful," Carlos said. You don't have t o worry about that. Aháva adores you a n d doesn't care what you look like —he added —Although seeing it from a n other perspective, they give you a sensual air, almost like a pirate —Carlos joked, letting out a laugh."I think what you're worried about i s what someone else might think, right?" Charlie commented with some mischief."Dominik i s the least interested in how you look, I'm telling you." Carlos winked at her.Carlos a n d Charlotte got Samantha t o relax a bit.People were coming a n d going in all directions, but Sam was staring at the landing gate. a n xiety grew within her being with each passing second. Almost half a n hour had passed since the plane fr