“Thanks.”
Adam putted his ball successfully.
“But neither of you are as a good as me,” Ewen crowed.
Udo and Adam shared a look.
“I’ve met most of the players in our league,” Udo said. “I’ve never known anyone so obsessed with winning as you.”
Ewen cackled and held the ball up in front of Udo’s face. “There isn’t anything else, my friend.”
They wandered to the next hole. The fairway was surrounded by trees. That gave them privacy from prying camera phones.
“You’ve had a rough week,” Goran said. “How are you holding up?”
“I’m okay,” Udo replied. “I want to focus on the game.”
They walked a little farther.
“It’s Liverpool this Saturday,” Adam said. “We’re going to have to play our arses off.”
Udo chuckled. “Your inspirational captain speech might need some work.”
“We can’t all have a personal coach,” Ewen teased.
This made them all jeer him.
“Don’t you start,” Udo replied.
“I’m only joking,” Ewen said. “Imagine being stuck in a room with Coxy for an hour a day. How do you stay awake?”
“Coxy’s all right,” Goran cut in.
“Yeah I guess. So bloody boring though.”
Another group of golfers ahead of them were taking an inordinate amount of time. They hung back and waited. If they got recognised, it could hold everything up. People were kind but they needed some peace.
“Tito Lopes is the one to watch this weekend,” Goran said. “He’s fucking fire.”
“I heard he’s gay,” Ewen added.
Instantly Udo snapped to attention. Why did things have to go from happy to worry in the blink of an eye?
“So what?” Adam asked. “You got a problem with that?”
“Of course I haven’t,” Ewen replied. “I was just saying.”
Adam swung his club.
“There must be loads of gay men in football,” he said. “Poor bastards have to keep it undercover.”
Are they testing me? Do they know?
He mopped his brow with a cloth meant for cleaning the balls. He would do what he usually did when in a conversation like this. Stay quiet and ride it out. They’d be talking about cars in no time.
“What do you think, Udo?” Goran asked.
Okay so that isn’t going to work.
