“Of course not.” I wonder for a minute if I should tell him about Mia, but decide against it. That bit of information should stay with me for now.
“And what about Mia? Did she go with him?”
I shake my head. “She doesn’t know where he is either, my dad’s gone over to hers now.”
“Well that’s just grand, innit.” Barry gets to his feet and sends the metal waste paper basket next to his desk flying with an angry kick. “Fucking grand.”
“He might still come back.”
“Yeah, and he might have fucking scarpered and all.” Barry rakes his hands through his greying black hair. “Shit! What the hell is wrong with him? What is he thinking?”
“Was there any indication he’d do this? Has he been, I dunno, off lately?”
Barry drops his hands and fixes me with narrowed eyes. “You’re his dad, you tell me.”
“You’re his fucking coach,youtellme.”
Barry chuckles and shakes his head. “You’ve been watching him play this season, haven’t you? His play hasn’t been the fucking problem. It’s his attitude, as fucking always.”
“What does that mean?”
“Goading the players!” Barry explodes, looking about as thrilled as I am about how this day is going so far, and also probably wishing he was just back in fucking bed. “Giving them guff. Talking down to them, flaunting his name all over the place, playing up to the media, and we all know how much they fucking love him. Do you even look at his Instagram and see what they say on there?”
I sigh deeply. “No, I don’t check his bleeding Instagram, what has that got to do with this?”
“It’s just more to where he’s at, in his head.” Barry throws his hands up. “He’s not been a team player for a while. It’s been all about the fame.”
“So what are you doing making him captain? That’syourcall.”
Barry laughs and rounds his desk to perch on the edge, crossing his arms over his chest as he gives me a smug smile. “Because he’s your bloody son, and your dad’s grandson, and the GravesareArlington. You have been since this club started. Take Archie out of that? We’d have a fucking riot on our hands.”
“Well, we might have that and all.” I scrub my face with my hands. “Alright, for now we pray he comes back, and soon. I’ll tell Sarah to keep trying to reach him. We say nothing to the team. If Archie doesn’t show to training today, then I guess we’ll have our answer, and we can deal with it then.”
“Sounds good. I mean, sounds shit, but…” Barry’s shoulders jerk in a shrug. “Not like we have much choice.”
“My dad suggested Sumner as captain.”
Barry cocks an eyebrow. “Priest? You reckon the fans’ll want an Irishman leading their team?”
“The fans love him.”
“Well, the ladies love him, that’s for sure.” He narrows his eyes again, giving me that same look he did on the football field all those years ago when we played side by side. “And this was your dad’s suggestion?”
I give him a crooked smile. “Suggestion might be a stretch. Demand, I guess would be more accurate.”
“Thought it was out of character for your dad.” Barry nods. “Alright, Sumner’s in as captain if Archie isn’t back by Tuesday.”
I think for a second, and wag my finger in the air. “No, no. Even then, Sumner’s captain. Archie can get benched.”
Barry looks at me as though I’ve asked him for a vital organ. “Are you mad?”
I shake my head, and turn to open the door. “No, just making sure he feels there are some consequences for once.”
2
DOMINIC
The players gothrough their warmups on the field below me as I watch from the stands, shoulders drawn up against the cold. The drizzle hasn’t let up all day, and I don’t envy them powering through this weather. I pick them all out easily, one by one, even from this distance.
