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