The Greatest of All Time

Chapter 16 - Arrival In Trondheim City

Tuesday, August 17, 2010.

Zachary checked the time on his watch. It was 10:00 PM.

'Travelling sure is hard.' He sighed.

Together with Kasongo and the two Norwegians, Zachary had taken a morning flight from Lubumbashi to Addis-Ababa, Ethiopia. That was the first stop-over on their twenty-two-hour journey to Trondheim, Norway. After a four-hour rest in the airport, they joined the boarding queue of an Ethiopian airlines flight heading to Amsterdam. Due to their well-organized paperwork, they faced no challenges going through customs. They then boarded an airport bus that transported them to the plane that would fly them to Amsterdam through the night.

Zachary turned his attention to the planes he could see flashing by through the window. Men and women in reflector jackets moved around them, towing loads of cargo or shouting instructions. A few airport vehicles, Zachary could not identify, were parked beside the planes as well.

"Are the two of you nervous?" Mr. Stein, on his left, probed. On his back lay a gigantic backpack that shouldn't have been carried by a man his age. Zachary had volunteered to help him with the luggage, but the old man had refused.

"Nope," Kasongo, standing opposite them, replied. He was dressed in designer clothes and shoes that made him look like a rapper rather than a soccer player. His white timberland boots were especially eye-catching in the dimly lit bus.

"Traveling on a plane is much more comfortable than a ride on a bus. I enjoyed the flight from Lubumbashi to Addis-Ababa. The food was delicious." He added, smiling.

"Have you flown a lot previously?" Kristin asked from beside him.

"Well, just about once a year. My dad takes us on vacations every festive season. Last year we were in France. But this will be my first time in Norway." Kasongo answered, smiling.

Zachary chose to stay out of the discussion. He was slightly ashamed to mention his fears to the group, especially with Miss Kristin present. The truth was he was terrified by planes. No matter how luxurious the furnishings inside the airplane were, it would never be more than a flying metal tube to Zachary. The fact that this was his first trip out of DR Congo amplified his fears. He was frightened by the thought of being more than 30,000 feet off the ground. There were so many things that could go wrong at that altitude.

Nonetheless, he was eager to reach Trondheim City. There, he would finally begin his journey to become a soccer pro on the European scene. That was the single thing he had been dreaming about his whole past life, and now it was all finally coming true. It was the only thought that had kept him brave enough to endure the long journey.

"What about you, Zach?" Mr. Stein asked, turning towards him. "Are you nervous?"

"Well, I don't like planes," Zachary replied honestly. "I just want the journey to end as quickly as possible."

"We'll get there. Don't worry." Mr. Stein patted his back.

They spent the rest of their short ride on the bus in silence before boarding the plane. At 10:30 PM, the plane took off. They were in the skies.

Zachary was seated beside Kasongo in a 2-seater on the row closest to the window. The Norwegians were situated behind them in the economy class section.

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Zachary felt better knowing that he was in Boeing-747, a jumbo jet. He'd not heard of one, en route to Europe, crashing in the year 2010 of his previous life. He ignored Kasongo who was watching movies and forced himself into slumber. Zachary woke up the next morning as the plane descended into Amsterdam.