Yesterday, December 11, 2018; two years of one of the best days of my life were celebrated. How could it be different, the happiness I felt that day was directly related to football. Today I will continue the second part of the journey that I had to go to meet Carolina Padrón, one of the greatest figures of sports journalism in Latin America.
If you did not read the first part, here it is - How I Met Carolina Padrón (Part I)
I must say that unfortunately Zulia FC lost that game and the title went to the visiting team, but our mourning could not last long. Javier and I looked at each other, we regret the defeat and we launched our plan. Immediately we left our seats and headed to the ramp that we thought was the only entrance and exit to the VIP box. There we were Javier and I, ready to intercept Carolina when I got off. We thought we were geniuses, much smarter than the others and that we were getting ahead of everyone who also wanted to meet her. While we waited, we managed to look presentable; We prepared our phones and rehearsed the words we would say.
That was how 10 minutes went by until people started to go down, but none was Carolina. We saw the president of the Venezuelan Football Federation and several stars of the Venezuelan show business go by. 10, 20, 30 minutes passed and nobody else came down the ramp. Our faith was coming down when we saw that our infallible plan was failing. We could not take it anymore and climbed the ramp until we reached the entrance to the VIP box. We entered it and noticed that it was empty, at the same time we saw an adjoining door that led to the highest section of the stadium's main stand. It was disappointing not to find Carolina there, we realized that from the box there was an entrance that led directly to the dressing rooms and the playing field.
From the top of the stadium we made a general panning in search of Carolina and it was when we managed to see her in the middle of the field next to her sister, who was part of the logistics staff of Zulia FC. We go down to the main stalls, the one closest to the field. I must emphasize that the "Pachencho" Romero stadium has an Olympic track as well as an old velodrome around the pitch, which makes the public very far from the field. To our dismay, we had to watch from there for 20 minutes as Carolina Padrón, the main reason for our trip, enjoyed the playground surrounded by the dozens of people who had access there and could share with her.
That was one of the worst moments of my life. There we were Javier and I, next to the railing watching helpless as our dream collapsed. So close and yet so far. Believe me that we consider everything in order to get into Carolina with any way possible. We thought about jumping from that stalls to the area below, where the entrance of the dressing rooms was and the direct access to the playing field. It was a risky jump, since the stalls were about three meters off the ground and, if they were not injured, the police could catch us and get into serious trouble. We discard that alternative.
Then we saw that next to the stadium was the door through which the accredited press entered and next to it there was a wire fence which, in the midst of our desperation, we thought it would be a good plan to jump and enter the field. It sounds crazy, but at that moment that was our best chance and we launched towards it. Immediately Javier and I went running like two crazy people rushing us towards our last chance to meet Carolina Padrón. In order to access that area we had to leave the stadium and enter through the side of the same as the parking lot. The "Pachencho" is a quite rare stadium architecturally speaking.
Finally we arrived at the designated area totally exhausted after our race. But what happened there was different from what we could see from above. That door was totally crowded with people trying to sneak into the countryside too, but for which only people with accreditation could enter. However, the wire fence was there next to us and we could see that they had a hole. We could lift the mesh and go under it instead of jumping. But the same fuss at the door caused it to be guarded by police. This undermined our confidence in order to illegally access the field, we did not want to face our first experience being apprehended by justice.
We felt that everything was lost, that only a miracle could save us. What to say that that miracle came and from the hands of the least thought person. Javier saw among the crowd that a friend of his named Luis Hernandez was on the other side of the door. Seeing him, Javier practically fell at his feet and asked if Carolina had not yet left and was on the field. Luis was a partner at the University of Javier and had a press pass since he worked with Zulia FC. He told us that he was still there, but that he was about to leave. We beg, no, we beg you to use your influences to let us pass. Perhaps it was the work of the gods, perhaps he only felt sorry to see our despair; The truth is that he was going to do us that favor.
I must admit that Luis had to lie to help us, but it was for a good cause. He told the security person who was guarding the door that the Zulia FC Press Manager was calling us. Our faces lit up when they let us in. From that day and until now Luis acquired the title of "Saint Luis Hernández", for the miracle that he performed that day with us when he rescued us from our particular predicament.
Javier and I went running towards the entrance to the field and it was then, when we were about to enter to step on the grass, that we saw it. After all our anguish, a beautiful vision of apersonó in front of us. It was Carolina Desireé José Padrón Ríos. There she was; with her athletic shoes, jeans, white blouse and red hair, right in front of us. It goes without saying that we are mesmerized by their scandalous beauty, television does not do it justice enough. In the trembling voice of emotion we asked her if we could take a picture, to which she gladly agreed. Having her so close caused a chill to run through our bodies. I never thought that someday I could get to know that great woman whom I admired so much and with whom I practically grew up watching her on television as my love for football increased.
We thanked him for attending us even though he was already leaving and we told him that he could not imagine everything we had to go through in order to get to know her. She, with the smile that has always characterized her, thanked us for coming specifically to see her and told us that it had been a pleasure. He said goodbye to us and gave each of us a kiss on the cheek, as is characteristic of our region. If a week ago I never imagined being able to meet her in person, much less did the idea of receiving a kiss from her come through my mind. At that moment, it is that brief and precious moment, I knew that the whole journey we had had to suffer had been worthwhile. Every time I check that photo a smile is outlined on my face when I remember that moment that, although brief, meant a lot to me. In hindsight I would have loved to talk a little more with her and be able to tell her so many things that she had inside of me, but we understood that she had to leave.
And there we were Javier and I, in the middle of the same playing field that had trodden world football legends like Messi, Riquelme, Ronaldo, Ronaldinho, Kaka, Crespo, Roberto Carlos, Diego Forlan and who had seen Brazil crowned champion of America in 2007; with a beautiful sunset behind us and the vestiges of the title celebration of the visiting team. It was as if heaven had given us its approval after our historic feat. In a way, for us that mythical stadium had added one more title that day to his record of historical achievements: the day we met Carolina Padrón. As my friend Will Smith would say: "This part of my life, this little moment of my life is called happiness".
In addition, we took the opportunity to freely explore other areas of the stadium which in other parts of the world we could hardly have accessed such as the goals, the substitute bench and the press room. Remember that we are in Venezuela.
We did not care about anything; not that our team had lost the championship or that we had to return home on public transport at night, despite the high crime rates in the city. We were stupefied on the bus, questioning if what we had just experienced was reality or a simple fantasy. There was nothing left to do but to begin to treasure in our memories that indelible memory that I could experience at 20 years old, the memory of one of the best days of my life: the day I met Carolina Padrón.
Carito, if you are reading this I would like to tell you several things that I could not do that day at the stadium. First of all I want to thank you for the kindness with which you treated us that day and all the other people who approached you before; and for having taken the time to attend and take a picture with us. I know it may seem that it was nothing extraordinary; But for my friend and for me, that gesture on your part meant a lot, even though you were leaving.
I also want to tell you that I feel a great admiration for you and for your work. As I said before, I followed you from your time on Meridiano TV to ESPN where you were part of me day by day. I believe that you are an exceptional journalist and a person with whom it is worth having a good and instructive conversation. And it goes without saying that you are an extremely beautiful woman and a great human being.
I really would have liked to talk more with you and I know that you would have agreed without any kind of reparation, but unfortunately it could not. Maracaibo is your land and always will be; so when you come back here I'll invite you some good empanadas (I know a place) and we can share a good football talk. Here in Venezuela we miss seeing you and the entire ESPN North team, we need that real journalism that we love so much.
With love...
Yirbeel Roger
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