Little did he know fandom would be taken to all new extremes. At a public signing of his, a fan eagerly came up to his table when his turn in the queue, excitement in the eyes. Reaching the table, ‘Yuh blaze dem for six,’ Corvino tells Al hines seated.
Al hines has stacks of photographs on the table of one thing, his visage posed in his and Trinidad’s sport, cricket.
Al hines prefers the humble track, ‘Two arms two legs can’t bring wins alone. Owe your smiles to a team.’
The fan didn’t get that, victory in their eyes due to one man. The idolization continued. ‘The crowd was wild whenever you smacked the ball to the boundary for four runs. Yuh real mash dem up.’ He speaks in trinidad lingo. ‘Yuh is ah boss to stay on the pitch till the last ball!’
Pay attention and you would feel a small sixth sense this was more than a devoted fan. Small yet embedded under your skin, creeping up the spine. ‘Yuh keep bussin’ shots all over.’ Paused a brief moment to catch breath than think a new sentence then continues. ‘Dem spectators and dem. Dey come on de pitch and lif’ yuh up. Ah try to rush de pitch too.’ Rueful, ‘No ah reach yuh deh, but de crowd block meh. Dem is no real fan.’
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‘What do you go by?’ Al hines remained polite. Corvino missed subtle social cues to leave and let the next in line get a signature. Talked so much the sportsman hadn’t an opportunity to sign yet. Given the name he signed the picture and handed him. Corvino kept up the chat only leaving a while later when the assistant ushered him off.
By the time everyone was leaving the venue, Corvino outside, sun notwithstanding, watched the man.
Gifts were sent to the player. Planning to work their way into their life, played Maco – local parlance for minding other’s business, only the unaware could not tell it runs deeper. He is followed to their practice and social life. Want to say it farfetched when a visitor showed up at the house? Claimed the gifts were tangible friendship. Corvino is politely but firmly seen off.
Brings to mind that EMINƎM song Stan. Was he so much a cricket fan as much as an Al hines fan?
Official documents are in a bank. Corvino is out cold, instruments shape flesh guided by doctorate hands.
Queen’s Park Oval, a cricket ground. Al hines arrived that afternoon. Their familiar place. Friends notice they more than a bit off, personal and sport details are unknown as if guessing.
Anyhow he was here for a scheduled match. From the first ball shows a marked amateurish take on the discipline. Its suggested he unwell. The man acquiesced to bedrest only to do a 180.
The confusion already breeding became more so when Al hines dropped by – the real one. There is the What trouble is dis? reaction shot.
Clearly blurred the line of their initial goal of being a fan to being the one they admire. Documents were a bank loan to undertake a scheme of reconstructive surgery to replace his face with the cricketer’s.