THE GREATEST OF ALL TIME

Zachary settled at a table on the balcony right after returning to his hotel room. He opened his laptop and booted it up before opening his browser. Without wasting time, he began to peruse the details of the various flight offers from Kinshasa to London.

Even on such short notice, many outbound flights on the travel website matched Zachary's needs. Most were affordable and even offered by top airlines, like EgyptAir, Turkish Airlines, and Brussels Airlines. But in the end, he ignored all the other companies and settled for the relatively more expensive Air France ticket because of the airline company's reliability.

He selected a business class ticket for himself before paying with his card. After receiving the e-ticket on his phone, he shut down his laptop before dialing Emily's number.

"Hello, Zachary," Emily's voice sounded from the other end of the line as soon as the international call connected. "What's up?"

"Nothing much but the sky," Zachary replied.

Emily chuckled. "How are you doing? And how far with preparations to return to Europe?"

"I've finally finished organizing everything here in Congo," Zachary said. "I'm even about to depart for Europe. In fact, I have already booked a ticket on an Air France flight departing from Kinshasa at 8:55 PM. I should arrive at Heathrow, London, at around eight tomorrow morning."

"You're traveling today!" Emily exclaimed. "I thought you mentioned that you would travel on Friday evening!?"

"Sorry," Zachary said, his tone apologetic. "There was a change in plans. Since I've already organized everything here, I wish to focus on my football career. So, I figured that traveling back to Europe as soon as possible was the right thing to do."

"That's quite true," Emily concurred. "The only challenge is that I had already arranged the meeting with the Tottenham representatives for Saturday. Now, I need to call them and reschedule."

"Will they agree to reschedule?" Zachary asked a bit hesitantly.

"Of course, they will agree," Emily replied confidently. "They're impatient and eager to progress the transfer deal negotiations, especially after waiting two months. So, they will eagerly jump at any chance to meet you. That's your charm as a young footballer who has just helped a team from a low-tier league win the Europa League."

"Then, that's a relief," Zachary said. "You can reschedule the meeting with them and move it to tomorrow, Thursday afternoon."

"Don't worry," Emily guaranteed. "I'll call them immediately after hanging up the phone and reschedule the meeting. How long do you plan to stay in London?"

"If all goes well, two days, at most."

"Do you wish to visit me and stay at my place?" Emily inquired. "Or should I book a hotel for you?"

"I think it's best that I stay in a hotel," Zachary replied.

"Come on, Zachary," Emily intoned, sounding annoyed. "I live in a large apartment by myself. I have an empty room, which is, by the way, quite comfy. So, why should you stay in a hotel?"

Zachary was at a loss for words on hearing that. He was about to reply that there was a need to maintain professional boundaries but stopped after deliberating for a moment.

Emily had been there for him as a friend during all his hardships. She had even traveled to DR Congo and Zurich, Switzerland, to arrange treatment for his grandma months prior. So, it sounded unfair and illogical to insist on professional boundaries when he had already crossed them with her ages ago.

"Okay, then," Zachary replied in a resigned tone. "If you don't mind, I'll stay at your place."

"Yeah!" Emily's voice rose up a notch at the other end of the line. "I'll pick you up at the airport when you arrive."

"Thank you," Zachary said. "By the way, what's up with the rumors strongly linking me to Chelsea? I thought we were disregarding all clubs aside from Juventus and Tottenham!"

"Oh, that!" Emily sighed. "Those rumors are a result of Mourinho's antics. Even after rejecting to meet him several times, he has dismissed my words and hasn't given up on acquiring your signature. He has even leaked some hints to the media houses that his club is ready to splash the best deal money can offer to bring you to Stamford Bridge. He's really a stubborn man."

"I see," Zachary said.

"But you shouldn't worry about the rumors," Emily continued. "We shouldn't even discredit them as they'll benefit us when negotiating personal terms. The rumors will apply more pressure on the representatives of Juventus and Tottenham and, in so doing, force them to offer you favorable personal terms."

"Then, I'll follow your advice as always," Zachary said. "Let's ignore the rumors. I now have to say my goodbyes and start preparing for my trip. See you at Heathrow Airport tomorrow morning at eight."

"Don't worry," Emily replied. "I'll be waiting for you at the exit. Have a safe trip."

"Thanks."

-----

After ending the call, Zachary perused the details of his e-ticket and realized that he still had about four hours to kill before his flight's check-in time. So, without any worries, he spent a few minutes organizing the contents of his suitcase before jumping into bed for an afternoon nap.

He slept deeply and only woke up to the sound of his alarm at six o'clock in the evening. He quickly took a shower before dressing up and zipping his suitcase. Finally, he looked at himself in the mirror to check if everything was in place before donning his cap and exiting his room.

After checking out of the hotel, he took a taxi to the airport. The cab driver was an expert at navigating the congested roads of Kinshasa. So, he shortened the duration of the journey by a considerable margin, and in only about an hour, they made it to the gates of N'Djili Airport.

Zachary paid the cab fare before exiting the vehicle. He then pulled his suitcase and marched into the airport, ready to check in for his flight. But after taking a few more steps through the hallways, he couldn't help but do a double take as his sharp eyes landed on an exquisite figure that was all too familiar in the deep confines of his mind.

It was a youthful African lady walking toward Zachary from the other side of the airport hallway. Her face was pretty, her smile endearing, and her figure full and hot like blazing fire. Her tight and trendy pair of denim jeans accentuated her body curves as she moved forward gracefully with a slight sway of her hips. She was beautiful even by global standards, and wherever she passed, the gazes of several men would reflexively follow her lovely and sexy silhouette.

"It's her!" Zachary's heartbeat quickened, but only slightly. His feelings were complex as he finally set his eyes on Anita, the lady who was about to become his wife during his previous life.

A few years ago, he would have probably rushed forward to please her and catch her attention. He would have even groveled at her feet to create a chance to make her his again. But after spending years experiencing the baptism of passion, devotion, and care from Camilla, he now felt like she no longer had considerable sway over his emotions. Even though she still made his heart race, it wasn't to the extent of making him head over heels crazy. He could ignore his feelings for her -- and he truly believed he could forget her with time.

"Why is she stopping?" Zachary wondered, his eyes widening the next moment. "She shouldn't know me at this point in time! Or could she have noticed my lingering gaze?" He was both surprised and perplexed when he noticed the girl stopping only a few steps away and glancing at him with a thoughtful expression.

"Excuse me, sir," she said, taking another step forward. "You look a bit familiar. Have we met before?"

Zachary shook his head. "No, we haven't. You got the wrong person." He pulled his suitcase past the lady and continued on along the hallway without looking back.

As the saying goes, intelligent people should endeavor to let sleeping dogs lie. Zachary wasn't about to allow any spark to ignite the toxic passion between him and Anita in his new life. He wasn't about to let himself fall for a lady, no matter how beautiful, when he clearly knew that she had abandoned him in another lifetime. How sure was he that history, or rather the future, wouldn't repeat itself and she would leave him again? It was a risk Zachary wasn't willing to take. So, he forced himself to walk away from the woman he loved the most during his previous life without looking back.

A few seconds later, a few fans tried to approach Zachary for autographs. But he avoided them immediately and once again looked for an airport official to help him through the airport procedures.

With the aid of the official, Zachary avoided most of the troubles, including the fans. He checked in and received his boarding pass in only a few minutes. Then, a bit later, at around 8:15 PM, the terminal gates opened, and he followed the rest of the passengers onto the airport tarmac to board the plane that would ferry him to London.