With a Little Help From My Friends
Chapter 9
Karim mulled over her words as he sat at the table nursing a beer, watching his teammates dance and flirt with girls at the club. "Benz, you're usually out there macking with all the girls", teased Iker.
"I am turning into an old man like you, capitan. Chasing girls gets old after a while", he said with a weak chuckle.
Iker nodded in understanding. A slow smile formed on the captain's face when he saw Karim focused on Ausra as she talked with Gareth, the Frenchman's dark eyes narrowed. "Te gustas a ella, verdad? Gareth would never cheat on Emma", he said.
"Oui, mon capitan. But she's a widow with two kids and older than me, that's weird", he said.
"Pilar is older than Sergio and they're happy, how old is she?", asked Iker.
"She's thirty", he replied.
"Not bad, only three years. Go for it, you're already neighbors and her kids like you", he replied.
"Maman isn't going to like her, she wants me date a nice Algerian girl. Ausra is neither Muslim or French", he said dryly.
"So, you're an adult. Just take it slowly and don't rush or alienate her kids, Benz", said Iker.
The sound system was playing a loud hip hop song as Ausra winced, Gareth giving her a sympathetic look. "I can't stand this shit either, I'm Welsh and I was born with good taste", he joked.
Gareth took a sip of his beer and raised an eyebrow when he saw Karim walk over to them. "Let's go back to the hotel", he said.
"I can't stand this merde either", she said as Gareth tried to hide his smile.
Karim gave a tight little smile to the Welshman as they left the club, hailing a cab outside and giving the driver the address. "It's not that late, and the game isn't until the day after", she said.
"Oui, but I don't feel like clubbing, I'm getting old and tomorrow I want to meet up with Samir. He's a midfielder for Man City and my old teammate on the French team", he said.
"Didn't his girlfriend get sued by the coach?", she asked.
"Oui, Anara is a feisty girl and loyal to her man. Everyone thinks she is a gold digger because she's a model but she loves Samir and is loyal to him. You can come along and meet them if you want", he said.
"D'accord, I always like to meet new people", she replied.
Ausra felt vaguely irritated after bidding good night to Karim and going to her room, knowing Gareth wouldn't be back until later. She turned on the Mac and logged into Skype, seeing Laima was online and clicking on her name. Sveiki, Ausra. Jūs žinote, tai vėlai Anglijoje, teisė?". laughed her twin sister.
"Taip, Lili. I need some advice, I think I want to start dating again", she said.
Laima raised a thin blond eyebrow but said nothing. "That's great news, you have to start moving on", she said.
"Only think is Dad might not like him, Karim is a French Muslim. But he lives next door and the kids like him", she replied.
"Dad is not going to like him, Ausra. He think all Muslims are terrorists and are savages. I'd like to meet him, though, see if he's a good guy. But if the kids like him, that's a start. What does he do?", asked Laima.
"He plays for Real Madrid, he's a forward. And he has a daughter with his ex-girlfriend who lives in France with her mother", she replied.
"At lest he's not poor, and that sucks about his daughter. Maybe the kids remind him of his daughter", said Laima thoughtfully.
"His daughter is Zasha's age, and Lyosha likes him", said Ausra.
"That's good, boys have a sense about these things. Just be careful, but I have a good feeling about this", said Laima.
Ausra nodded. "Taip, gerai. Labanakt, Laima", she said.
"I am turning into an old man like you, capitan. Chasing girls gets old after a while", he said with a weak chuckle.
Iker nodded in understanding. A slow smile formed on the captain's face when he saw Karim focused on Ausra as she talked with Gareth, the Frenchman's dark eyes narrowed. "Te gustas a ella, verdad? Gareth would never cheat on Emma", he said.
"Oui, mon capitan. But she's a widow with two kids and older than me, that's weird", he said.
"Pilar is older than Sergio and they're happy, how old is she?", asked Iker.
"She's thirty", he replied.
"Not bad, only three years. Go for it, you're already neighbors and her kids like you", he replied.
"Maman isn't going to like her, she wants me date a nice Algerian girl. Ausra is neither Muslim or French", he said dryly.
"So, you're an adult. Just take it slowly and don't rush or alienate her kids, Benz", said Iker.
The sound system was playing a loud hip hop song as Ausra winced, Gareth giving her a sympathetic look. "I can't stand this shit either, I'm Welsh and I was born with good taste", he joked.
Gareth took a sip of his beer and raised an eyebrow when he saw Karim walk over to them. "Let's go back to the hotel", he said.
"I can't stand this merde either", she said as Gareth tried to hide his smile.
Karim gave a tight little smile to the Welshman as they left the club, hailing a cab outside and giving the driver the address. "It's not that late, and the game isn't until the day after", she said.
"Oui, but I don't feel like clubbing, I'm getting old and tomorrow I want to meet up with Samir. He's a midfielder for Man City and my old teammate on the French team", he said.
"Didn't his girlfriend get sued by the coach?", she asked.
"Oui, Anara is a feisty girl and loyal to her man. Everyone thinks she is a gold digger because she's a model but she loves Samir and is loyal to him. You can come along and meet them if you want", he said.
"D'accord, I always like to meet new people", she replied.
Ausra felt vaguely irritated after bidding good night to Karim and going to her room, knowing Gareth wouldn't be back until later. She turned on the Mac and logged into Skype, seeing Laima was online and clicking on her name. Sveiki, Ausra. Jūs žinote, tai vėlai Anglijoje, teisė?". laughed her twin sister.
"Taip, Lili. I need some advice, I think I want to start dating again", she said.
Laima raised a thin blond eyebrow but said nothing. "That's great news, you have to start moving on", she said.
"Only think is Dad might not like him, Karim is a French Muslim. But he lives next door and the kids like him", she replied.
"Dad is not going to like him, Ausra. He think all Muslims are terrorists and are savages. I'd like to meet him, though, see if he's a good guy. But if the kids like him, that's a start. What does he do?", asked Laima.
"He plays for Real Madrid, he's a forward. And he has a daughter with his ex-girlfriend who lives in France with her mother", she replied.
"At lest he's not poor, and that sucks about his daughter. Maybe the kids remind him of his daughter", said Laima thoughtfully.
"His daughter is Zasha's age, and Lyosha likes him", said Ausra.
"That's good, boys have a sense about these things. Just be careful, but I have a good feeling about this", said Laima.
Ausra nodded. "Taip, gerai. Labanakt, Laima", she said.