slumped in his seat. He began to shake, struggling to control his emotions. Dr Mary sat still, allowing Simon time to decide if he wanted to share what was troubling him. She knew it had to come from Simon. After what seemed like ages, Simon said in a hesitant tone,
"My ---my--fa--father is ---very sick. The doctors say--he may not recover. My mother --died a few years ago and my sister---moved to Melbourne for work. It is just--dad and--me. Dad has been my rock and wise counsel. I don't know what I will do if he---dies."
As Simon began to weep silently, Dr Mary moved closer to him and took his hand. She said in a gentle, compassionate manner,
"Lets face this together. I have met your father. He is a fine man and I can see a lot of him in you. Let the doctors do what they can. Take some leave and be there for your dad as he faces this difficult time. Know that I will be with both of you no matter what happens. Simon, you do not have to do this alone."
On Dr Mary's recommendation, Simon was granted compassionate leave. Although his coach didn't want to be without his key striker, he knew that Simon had to be with his father and fully supported his time off. Saltos, Simon's manager, did what he could to keep the news of Simon's father's illness out of the media, but, with Simon not playing, questions were asked. Eventually the Club announced that Simon's father was critically ill and that their young star, Brilliant Simon, was by his bedside. Simon's fans rallied to support their young player in his hour of need.
As he sat by his father's bedside in hospital. Simon was consumed by sadness. Tamum awoke, looked over lovingly at his son and said in a weak voice,
"Simon, my son, don't weep for me. I have had a good life. Your mother and I came to this country to give you and your sister a better life, away from trouble and strife. We watched you proudly as you flourished in this land of peace and matured into fine adults. My time is coming, soon I will be with your mother again. Watching you grow into such a talented football player, playing in the A League has been one of my finest times. If I don't get to watch you play another final, know that your mother and I will be with you every time you put on your boots. Keep playing. By doing so you honour me, your mother and our family."
Barely able to speak, Simon replied,
"Dad, you have made me the footballer I am. Of course I will play, but I will be playing for you and mum and our family."
Tamum grasped Simon's hand in a firm grip and with fire in his words said,
"Simon, you have the talent, you did the hard work, you sat on the bench waiting for your turn to shine and when you got it, you showed them all just how brilliant you are. They call you 'Brilliant Simon' and rightly so. You will have a brilliant care and, with Mr Saltos to guide you, will become one of the truly greats of the game. I am proud of you, not because you play football, but because you are my son. I love you Son."
As he spoke these last words Simon's father's grasp became weaker and he shrunk back into his bed. Simon watched as his father gave up his life and breathed his last. The monitors showed Simon's father's heart struggling to keep beating then the terrible sound of a heart flatlining filled the room. Nurses and doctors rushed into the room and attempted to revive Tamum, but all to no avail. He was gone.
Simon had lost his rock, his mentor, his greatest fan, his father. Simon wept bitterly grabbing his father's hands and trying to will him back to life. Dr Mary and Saltos who had been keeping a vigil outside Tamum's room came to Simon's side and comforted him as best they could. Even in this saddest of moments when all seemed lost, Simon realised that he was not alone. He knelt besides his father's bed to pray and Dr Mary and Saltos bowed their heads praying too.
Some of Simon's fans had been waiting outside the hospital willing life into Simon's father. When they heard he had died, some wept, some prayed and then slowly the team song broke the silence of the night. At first quietly and then as voice after voice took up the chant, their song washed over the hospital and Simon. Hearing the song grow to a powerful chant, Simon felt their love and support and was comforted.
Chapter 9
With the death of his father, Simon couldn't cope with sponsorship deals or public relations deals or any of the mundane aspects of life or of his career. Thankfully Saltos was there to make whatever decisions had to be made, to act as a buffer between Simon and those wanting to waste his time and energy and to remind Simon of his promise to his father to keep playing football.
Christopher Saltos was born in Greece. After an outstanding career in the Special Forces, Saltos turned his hand to managing sports men and women. He started in golf and moved on to soccer, only managing the best of the best. When the opportunity came up to act as Simon's manager Saltos grabbed it. He had seen Simon play and knew he had a great career in front of him. He liked Simon and his no nonsense attitude to the sport and he liked Simon's father who obviously cared for his son and what was in Simon's best interests.
Now that Tamum had died, Saltos felt a strong need to protect Simon in this saddest of times and to encourage him to return to the sport he loved so much. Santos knew that if Simon could focus on playing, time would heal the pain which seemed overwhelming. Saltos said to Simon,
"Simon I know you miss your dad very much. We will keep your non-playing commitments to a minimum. Concentrate only on your football and leave the rest to me. I promised your father that I would always look after your best interests first and I never break a promise."
Simon remembered that his father had trusted Saltos and had told Simon to trust him too. Honouring his father's memory, Simon replied,
"Okay Mr Saltos. Anything you say. I want to bury myself in playing. When I am on the field all I can focus on is scoring goals, everything else falls away. Which is a good thing at the moment."
True to his word, Saltos stood up for Simon when the team's public relations people wanted Simon to make frequent public appearances. In a hard tone Saltos said,
"Simon is in a fragile state at the moment. He has just lost the most important person in his life and needs to time to grieve. Keep him out of the spotlight and on the field for a while. I will know when he is ready to face the public again."
The English born PR manager stated rudely,
"Your client is new to the game. He is in no position to dictate what he will do and when."
Saltos fixed the PR manager, Ms. Emily Smythe, with a steely gaze forcing the manager to shift uncomfortably in her seat and look away. Saltos moved his face to within an inch of the manager and said between clenched teeth,
"I have spoken with Dr Mary Dougherty. Have you? The doctor is of the firm view that Simon would benefit from an extended leave from playing. If you want to play hardball, I will join in the doctor's recommendations and ensure that Simon does not play for the rest of the season. Is that what you want, the team's best striker off the pitch for months?"
When Ms. Smythe took Saltos' threat to the club's owner, she was left in no doubt that if Simon did not play then the PR Manager would be looking for a new job. Anyone who threatened the winning streak of the club, did not have the club's best interests at heart, or so the owner bellowed at the hapless PR Manager.
Emily Smythe later put in a quick call to Saltos, ensuring him that Simon's health was of prime concern and that of course the club would allow Simon time away from off field commitments to recuperate. Saltos could have rubbed salt into the manager's wounds but
Chapter 10
Simon's team took to the field after half time. It was then that it registered on the collective consciousness of the supporters that something was not right. To their shock and horror Simon was not with his team. He had been replaced by an International striker the club had just acquired. A mass walkout of half the supporters followed this discovery.
The overseas striker had expressed a desire to play football under Australian conditions. He was very good at his skill level, but with no previous experience in Australia, he could not handle the extra bounce of the football. No goals were scored by Simon's team that half.
The