“I think we did our best to be where we are now,” Caio answered. He didn’t stop holding on to Diego’s hand, so the entire attention of the press was on them. “It has been hard to play at this level, especially with so many things going against us, but we fought because this is what we live for.
“There’s also a lot of people out there with us—which is why I’d like to thank my sister and coach, Marina; my daughter, Alice; Diego’s parents; all the teams that were beside us playing, the ones we train together with; and the people who supported us in this journey. And call attention to the fact that our younger athletes are still having a hard time training, sometimes in the worst conditions, without any kind of help, and they are supposed to be the players of the future. But if they don’t get to reach the rankings, it’s not because they don’t want to train. It’s because they don’t have the means and support to get where we are now.”
The woman agreed with a nod to Caio’s raw tirade, and Diego knew these words had been stuck in their throats since the moment they first set foot onto the court. But the moment was overshadowed by another round of questions, and slowly they made the time to answer them all, though no one mentioned their kiss. Maybe that lay in the future.
When they managed to escape to the backstage area in order to put on their uniforms and prepare for the medal ceremony, Diego and Caio stood in front of one another for a minute. They knew they would be mobbed by a world of people outside.
“Thank you for giving me this,” Caio said as he grabbed Diego’s hands, his eyes glossy as though images from his past were running through his head now.
“I have to thank you, though. If it weren’t for you, I wouldn’t be here.”
Caio squeezed his hands and Diego smiled. Caio looked calm and free right then—the Caio he knew from those quiet moments of downtime back home.
It was the way Diego wanted to see him every day from then on.
Their lips found each other again, in a more gentle way this time. In the arms of the man he loved, Diego knew there was nothing else he needed. He had it all.
Epilogue
CAIO watched as Elton and Diego talked while they bandaged their fingers. Marina was instructing the two for the next part of their training, while Caio commanded a group of kids on the adjacent sand court. Those kids were the start of something new for him, in the same way Diego and Elton were taking the first steps toward becoming a new team.
After the Olympics, many things changed in his world, but not much changed in their sport.
President Antônio da Gama was still in charge of their federation, although the man had lost support from most of the athletes, despite the fact that he wasn’t found guilty of any wrongdoing in the internal investigation that was conducted in the previous months. The rumors about his gambling also never gained traction, most likely because there were bigger people behind the scenes playing the game. He never apologized for his words, but Caio wasn’t sure he wanted that. In the next election, the prez would be ousted for sure.
Adônis retired under the scrutiny of the press when the truth about what he did to Caio came out, yet he didn’t implicate anyone else—like the prez—and the story was buried under a pile of other news. Caio also gave up on pursuing legal action against him. Marina and Diego urged him to, but what Caio wanted was distance from Adônis, and he felt that letting go was the right thing to do.
Younger teams were popping up on the beach volleyball scene while other partnerships reached their end, like Caio and Diego’s. But they were still together outside the courts.
This was what they needed. Outside of the pressure cooker that was a career in sports, the two of them had a lot more time to grow together in ways they couldn’t before.
They took a trip with the family to Bariloche, in Argentina, and to the hot springs and then the beach when the weather warmed up. They enjoyed their time away from the competition.
And when Caio decided to go back to the sport, he found a new passion for teaching kids how to play. Even Alice was playing in the sand with him. She became interested after she felt the weight of his medal around her neck.
“Okay, I want everyone to partner up with someone else so we can train how to pass the ball, all right? Everybody has to choose a partner!” Caio announced.
Most of the kids in front of him found a partner. He watched as Alice paired up with Martinha, a young girl who had also discovered her love for volleyball after seeing Caio’s games at the Olympics.
The group had an odd number of kids, which left one of them without a partner. This time it was Felipe, a boy who had very little skill with the ball, but he made up for that with enthusiasm.
“Hey, do you want to play with me?” Caio asked him, and Felipe nodded. Then he looked back to his mom as though he needed to ask for permission.
Some parents were watching by the sidelines as they always did. Felipe’s mom sent her son a thumbs-up right away and urged him to come out of his shell. To Caio, it was one of those moments of affirmation when he knew there were still people who trusted in him and his work, especially in light of what happened not that long ago.
“You ready?” Caio asked.
“Yes,” Felipe answered, his voice low under the screams of the other kids as they played.
Caio hit the ball with both hands and passed to him with a careful touch, but since Felipe was still developing his reflexes, he lost the ball. It rolled to the side, toward the court where Diego and Elton were training.
Felipe went after the ball, and Caio watched as Diego stopped his training when he realized a kid was coming his way. He reached for the ball before Felipe and motioned for the kid to come closer. Caio was too distant to listen, but he could see Felipe nod his head a few times. Then Diego passed him the ball.
Felipe came back with a new resolve on his face, and as Caio looked up, Diego blew him a kiss. Caio smiled and waved back.
“Are you ready now?” Caio asked when Felipe stepped close to him.
“Yes,” the kid answered, and then he hit the ball with a strong hand, all enthusiasm and no technique, and there was something about him that reminded Caio of Diego.
Caio received the ball and slowed it down with his pass so Felipe could better get it in his hands on the next move. Then, they managed to get a succession of passes going. Maybe it was the start of another winning story in the competitive sand courts.
Diego’s heart, the biggest prize of Caio’s career, came from outside the court, but maybe he won that one while playing the game too.
The gold medal hanging on the wall in his bedroom still brought back many emotions from that day, yet the picture of the two of them kissing on the podium seemed even more memorable than a strip of fabric holding a piece of metal.
He might not get to win another one like that, but he could kiss Diego for the rest of their time together. For him, there would be no match point to bring an end to that story.
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Published by
DREAMSPINNER PRESS
5032 Capital Circle SW, Suite 2, PMB# 279, Tallahassee, FL 32305-7886 USA
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This is a work of fiction. Names, characters, places, and incidents either are the product of author imagination or are used fictitiously, and any resemblance to actual persons, living or dead, business establishments, events, or locales is entirely coincidental.
Matchpoint
© 2020 Gus Ralthocco
Cover Art
© 20
20 L.C. Chase
http://www.lcchase.com
Cover content is for illustrative purposes only and any person depicted on the cover is a model.
All rights reserved. This book is licensed to the original purchaser only. Duplication or distribution via any means is illegal and a violation of international copyright law, subject to criminal prosecution and upon conviction, fines, and/or imprisonment. Any eBook format cannot be legally loaned or given to others. No part of this book may be reproduced or transmitted in any form or by any means, electronic or mechanical, including photocopying, recording, or by any information storage and retrieval system, without the written permission of the Publisher, except where permitted by law. To request permission and all other inquiries, contact Dreamspinner Press, 5032 Capital Circle SW, Suite 2, PMB# 279, Tallahassee, FL 32305-7886, USA, or www.dreamspinnerpress.com.
Paperback ISBN: 978-1-64108-247-1
Digital ISBN: 978-1-64405-860-2
Library of Congress Control Number: 2020936006
Digital eBook published August 2020
v. 1.0
Printed in the United States of America
Matchpoint Page 17
