Page 56 - FATE & DESTINY

FATE & DESTINY

“Lab mai wai bumo lab mai wai
Gaedro ein zer lab mai wai
Choe sem ngalu mad zer mi dhi
Dhen rang med dhen zer lab mai wai.”

The next day, friends came one after the other and complimented us.
The school captain high-fived me. “Keep it, Uncle.”
“Thanks, captain,” I said.
“I heard you were the man of the match there, is it true?” said Dem, my bench-mate.
I grinned at her. “You could guess that.”
“Glad to know about your game, Dorji,” said Yethro Lhamo, the prettiest girl in the school.
“I am flattered,” I said. “Thanks for the compliments.”
Three days later, we played the final against the DOR team from Trashigang. Most spectators
supported us, including the students of Trashigang Junior High school. The second half was a tough battle.
The score remained zero each at the end of the second half.
As I saved goals, the spectators cheered. “Goalie! Goalie!”
Their boisterous cheers buoyed my spirits. We ran into extra time. In the dying moments of the extra
time, one of their strikers kicked the ball hard and whizzed into my net.
They lifted the goal scorer to the center. “Goal!”
My teammates hung their heads. Soon the referee blew the whistle. I covered my face in my hands and
sobbed. Jigwang joined me.
“Get up, Goalie,” said Coach. “No more resentment. We played well.”
As we received the medal, the spectators applauded us. We got on the truck and waved our school flag.

“Samta choe rang sam soong,
Tenchang choe rang sam soong.
Chey lay yiglen meba
Nga nikhor dang ched soong.”

As the driver switched the ignition on, we waved the flag high and chorused:

“Chey lay yiglen meba…
Nga ni khor dang ched soong…
Thowai Lhamo gyel soong…”

Students waved their shirts. In desperation, girls clambered the peach tree and shook the branches.
Boys frolicked after us till the edge of the ground.
We waved to them. “Bye, Trashigang!”
Two days later, Coach called all the players to the basketball court.
“Boys, you are on KUENSEL,” he said. “Now, listen.”
We stood on our toes and listened to his reading. I grinned as I heard the last line: ‘The lanky and agile
goalie saved several goals.’
“Sometimes, we must lose,” said Coach as he rolled the newspaper in his hand. “We learn to accept the
defeat, and that’s one value. Everybody played well. Hat off to you, boys.”
“Thank you, Coach,” we said in unison.

56