NARRATIVE COMPOSITION Write a story which includes the words: ‘When they did not agree with her solution, she felt angry.’ The leader of the entourage tapped on the glass door. Gladys could see the white curtains behind the door. A soft and mellow voice said, in English, ‘Yes? Come in.’ They made sure that everyone was well dressed; green and white t-shirt labelled ‘First Team’, tucked inside their navy-blue shorts before walking in. Gladys, who was leading a group of other three girls was the first to enter the immaculate room, followed by Tesa, Kate and Jane, in that order. Behind a black rocking chair and a mahogany wide desk sat the ever smiling Coach Mandy. Although this was not the first time for these four girls to enter the room, its spick-and-span arrangement would not escape their wondering eyes. The visitors’ brown sofas were arranged in an L-shape that started from where Coach Mandy’s desk ended and followed the wall and to where it turned, some few metre from the translucent door. One would mistake that it was not just a sports office but some form of a business executive office which are normally found in the heart of the city. Alas, this was actually the outskirts of an urban area. When was to move out of this office, the luscious green sports fields, just a stone throw away, would greet him or her. Since Gladys was the team captain, she went straight ahead to the seat next to her coach’s desk, followed by the other three girls. Before they took their seats, they waited for the usual courtesy of being given the offer to sit. Like the most loving and approachable person she was, it did not take much time for the girls to feel comfortable as Coach Mandy greeted them enthusiastically, whilst moving from behind the desk towards them. The embrace she gave the girls would tell that these people really knew each other and their relationship was as warm as the hugs they exchanged. Coach Mandy was a time conscious person and it did not take long before she asked the reason for the visit by the girls a few minutes before their usual practice. In fact, the girls were supposed to be making their way to the fields in the next fifteen minutes after a possibly welldeserved lunch or snacks. To the girls, who wanted not to be late to fulfil their obligations of training thrice every week in preparation for the coming national championships, they delved straight into their issue. Gladys, hesitantly started talking, not sure of how her coach was to react to such a delicate story. In the back of her mind, a certain voice was telling her not to tread on such an untrudged road but as the leader of the troops, it was a do or die situation. If she was not to say it, she was to look as a coward to her teammates who wanted to push for certain agendas, though it looked as a noble idea. At the same time, she risked losing the trust from her trainer after an initial consent. Between a rock and hard place is an understatement to what the captain was feeling at the moment but some things were to be done, despite the possibility of unsavoury consequences. ‘Coach, I don’t think what you said about external players is feasible and it’s the decision I didn’t unilaterally make but it’s the whole team’s. It makes sense to take our juniors as understudies for next tournaments in the future.’ While she was saying these words, her Kagwere | HIS MERCY CHRISTIAN COLLEGE 2019 teammates were numbly nodding their heads in approval, though trying not to provoke their leader. It was actually something that could send mixed reactions to someone who might have been unaware of what was really going on. This came as a shock to Coach Mandy as Gladys was not the type person who would change her heart on such issues. It was actually the reason she had chosen her as the team captain as her leadership qualities were unparalleled. She had communicated with the rest of the players about the issue and the external players were actually training with the team for the past few weeks. When they did not agree with her solution, she felt angry. The most thing that made her get so livid was that she had submitted the relevant papers to the relevant authorities, up to national level. It means that for the number of twenty which was meant to participate in the national finals, only ten were from her school. It therefore means that they had insufficient players to form a team and as the defending champions, they were automatically to lose the trophy. In addition, her job was on the line as it would look as if she had lied to the administration about the decision to recruit new players that year after a mass exodus from the graduating classes of the previous year. She had even gone out of her way to convince the intransigent parents, schools and clubs of these players to be part of her team. But what was to be done from here? Kagwere | HIS MERCY CHRISTIAN COLLEGE 2019