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MEMORIES 

(chronicle) 

Ivan Matvichuc 

        " - It catches, Chuchú " ! (goal keeper action, when catch the ball). 

        Hearing those two words screamed in Underground Railway Station "Jabaquara", in middle of human and noisy crowd, on that beautiful sunny morning and of heater even Senegal, shook coming across the illustration of the smiling Creole, hair with crest " simpsonian ", white teeth, thin and prolonged arms in my direction: 
" - Does it catch balls, Chuchú ? Do you remember me" ? 

        Of course reminded, he was "Chico Fino" (fine), him same, older, but it was him, I didn't have doubt. Our youth's team's Chico Full Back. We hugged each other strongly and in a fraction of second, I traveled in the past and the mind stopped in glorius Academic Football Club, the longing team missed in my already consumed memory. Own Chico always smiling, fine in the treatment, intellectual in the crop and scoundrel in the dispute of the ball, with the foot dropped and the hands caressed cunning excuses: - " Pardon, noble friend, was not my intention...". Politeness that dismounted whichever. And the " Gagão " goalkeeper, Sergeant's " nicknamed primary teacher's son, known by your infernal shouts, that caused of having dispersed hallucinated of your students, through doors and... windows! His stammer, he acquired it in that difficult paternal coexistence.

         "Juquerizinho ", future professional goalkeeper of the Brazilian Football Selection, that met the fame in search of through spectacular flights, hypnotized balls and desirous of if they nest in your potent arms. Me, "Chuchú ", your reservation goalkeeper, thief-devouring of raw "chuchús" (climbing plant, "cucurbitacea" kind, with green comestibles fruits), that softened the infinite, hellish and implacable undernourished hunger.

         "Juquerizão ", left half, brother of the other, careless, undisciplined and quarrelsome, origin of most of the football conflicts of the amateur games in São Paulo - interrupted departures and the wood eating thick in our sirloins. The full back " Absurdo ", a quiet and frowning player, ferocious silence of who doesn't forgive conceited attacker to the beast, kicked everything and all, without caring with the prolonged height of your collisions. Of the waist for top was worth everything. He seemed Valdemar " Carabina " of the Palmeiras Football Club from São Paulo. Nelson "Martelo", crazy creole, profession carpenter, hammered incredible goals of the middle of the field, centre forward, went by the Portuguesa Deportos Football Club, also from São Paulo, later "Linense", where he disappeared. "Chuvisco" (sprinkle), a find strange hypochondriac right half (fear of rain) and maker of goals, but it was enough to fall some rain drops and he abandoned the departure alleging that the mother called him. He was the only player that was substituted itself own. "Bolão" (big ball), bar owner, represents a enormous body, always posted in the center of the lawn, centre foward. Spectacular releases for advance scorers. Horácio " Perneta ", right foward, with multiple fractures, inherited of falls of avocado trees, habit of " Garrincha ", difficult to be hunted and to be contained in your ravishments football performances. Wilson " Picapau " (wood-pecker), the one of the birds, before playing aligns your cages behind the goal and it ended up causing tumult because of the jackpots in the poor fellows birds-spectators. "Dudu ", conceited football player to technician, it discussed tactics in the middle of the game, and when was expel, created later a infernal situation with the reserve team. He ended up turning technician. Sérgio " Cipó ", my brother (already died), policeman in highways, giant of 2.10 meters of height, played in the area and he saved the balls that went for corner. He played little, because he went to the Palmeiras to play basketball. Guido, the team's technician and your inseparable bulldog, responsible for the bites in Goalkeeper Chuchu's behind (backside), that turned reservation, that moaning didn't sit down; the pain soon got better, for the masseur's cares, that it was... a beautiful girl. Inadmissible it was the technician fan's unforgivable enthusiasm, that let the terrible dog free in the field bitting backsides.

        Chico's voice interrupted the memories: 

        - " And the life "Chuchú ", as it goes? 

        - " Ah! the life? It is going going. It is a hard championship, with daily training, painful, but I insist with a lot of courage and I make an effort to hold the balls. I sometimes leave bruise, bruised, but always winner. When harmed her/it of that ball of the life it is thrown in my direction, I throw myself and I catch it with firmness, knowing that abbreviation will arrive the day in that I will suffer the last goal, but until there I am leaving making an effort to hold her. The game is continuous, the ball doesn't stop, the time dribbles with force and precision. I fall on a side, I defend of the other, desperate I always catch the slippery ball with the faith and the vigor of a scream present inside of me: 

      - It catches, Chuchú ! ..." 

(Anthology 500 Autumns of Prose and Verse - Publisher Arnaldo Giraldo - São Paulo - SP / Brasil. Pages 130 and 131). 

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