Ralph stared unblinkingly at the T-shirt on the wall, along with photos of him and his brother, Waldo.
Photo prompt courtesy Susan Spaulding
Both of them had been big fans of Maradona, but Waldo’s love for the great footballer bordered on obsession.
Ralph remembered everything from that day vividly. The day they had gone to watch Maradona play in the World Cup.
The long wait outside the stadium.
The slinking around to locate an opportunity for getting in unseen.
The mad dash across the corridor.
The forced entry into the locker room.
The apprehension on Maradona’s face, and then the dazzling smile as he realized that they were not there to harm him.
The sight of Maradona taking off his T-shirt, signing it, and giving it to Waldo.
He remembered it all.
He’d seen it all.
But what he had not seen was Waldo passing on that dose of ephedrine to Maradona under the cover of the T-shirt.
What he had not seen was the drug test that Maradona failed that day, and was banned for life.
What he had not seen was Waldo’s confession to him, and his lashing out blindly.
What he had not seen was Waldo’s fall from the balcony.
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198 words.
Written as a part of Sunday Photo Fiction, hosted by Susan Spaulding. The challenge is to write a story in 200 words or less, based on the weekly photo prompt. For more details, visit HERE. To read more stories based on this week’s prompt, visit HERE.
A brief note on Maradona’s fall from grace:
jagahdilmein 
The very definition of a troubled genius.
Absolutely.
Sadly many individuals who are thrown into stardom, come unstuck. I liked how you put this piece together.
Thank you so much Michael
Ooooo. I love the way you structured this and the ending of what he hadn’t seen. So good!
Excellent technique. Your readers did not see the end coming either.