We parked in an area called Paramatta Park. Fred had brought us to Lachan's
Restaurant in the Old Colonial House. We went inside the restaurant to find two
men waiting for us.
'Good morning Mr Greener and Mr Cutler.' Fred introduced us to the two older
men.
'And this is the talented boy?' Mr Greener patted All's back.
'Yep, as talented as the man above sends them,' Fred said as we settled at the
table.
'These are the gentlemen who helped me get your tickets. Not| my ex-
girlfriend,' Fred said and winked at us.
'What?' Ish said as we understood the purpose of Fred inviting us. It wasn't to
just play for a week.
'Remember my phone calls from Goa? To these gentlemen,' Fred said.
'Mr Greener is the chairman of the Australian Sports Academy and Mr Cutler is
head of the AIS scholarship programme.' Fred buttered some toast 'I told them
about AIL How he is good, really good, and how with proper training he has the
potential to go really far.'
I saw Ish s face tighten in anticipation. Were they going to sponsor Ali?
'If he is as good as Fred and his boys who played with you say you are,' Mr
Greener said, 'we should do whatever we can to help'
"Thank you, thank you,' Ish said as Fred shushed him. Over-excitement was a
constant problem with Ish. His sister as well, Maybe it was hereditary.
'You see,' Mr Cutler cleared his throat, 'the AIS selects from the nominations of
the various state academies. I can get Ali selected, However, Ali doesn't live in any
Australian state.'
'So?' Ish said.
'Under AIS rules, the scholarship holder must be an Australian resident, or at
least a person in the process of becoming a resident'
'Can't we make an exception?' I said. Omi was too busy eating to talk. Omi and
Ali had hardly spoken during the entire trip. The Aussie accent stumped them.
'Well, the only way we can do it is this,' Mr Cutler said and took out a file. He
opened it and laid out some forms on the table.
'Or Cutler had to pull serious strings at the immigration department for this,'
Mr Greener laughed in a friendly manner.
'Well, this is the Australian citizenship forms. As you may know, a lot of people
in the world want it. But here, given the great talent, we are offering Ali an
Australian citizenship.'
Ali and Omi stopped eating as they saw the forms on the table.
'He'll become Australian?' Omi said. 'He'll become a champion,' Fred said.
'His parents will have residency rights, too. And Ish, you can ... your friends
here, too, can apply. We will assist you in every way. Chances are good,' Mr
Cutler said.
'You love Australia.' Fred winked at Ish.
'Think about the child's future. From what I hear, his means are rather, er,
limited," Mr Cutler said.
They meant poor. I nodded. Ali's life would transform. 'They have a point,' I told
Ish, who still looked shell-shocked.
'Why don't you ask Ali first? It is his life and his decision,' Mr Greener said.
avery
(avery)
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