Almighty Coach

The sounds of Osef smashing things gradually died down. It wasn’t clear if Osef had gotten tired or he had finished smashing everything.

“Do we want to call the police?” Blake, who was standing beside Dai Li, asked.

“No. If we call the police, this will spread. The media will certainly write some nonsense about it. It will be another thing that affects Osef.” Dai Li shook his head and asked, “You have a bottle of whiskey in your office, right?”

“What do you want it for?” Blake asked cautiously.

“Lend it to me. Bring me two cups while you’re at it,” Dai Li said.

“You want to give him alcohol?” Blake shook his head. “He already smashed up a bunch of things sober. If he gets drunk, he’ll tear the entire center apart.”

“Then get another bottle to get him even drunker,” Dai Li said. “A man was cheated on by his wife. People are spreading rumors of his sexual prowess. It is times like this that a man needs to get drunk!”

…

Dai Li walked into the training room with a bottle of whiskey and two wine glasses.

This training room was a mess. The equipment was all tipped over and many of the things had been smashed. Osef was sitting on a bench, panting angrily.

Osef had calmed down a lot. He looked at Dai Li and then at all the broken things around him. He clearly felt guilty. He said, “Sorry, I’ll pay for the damages.”

Dai Li pretended not to care about the things that were broken. He handed the glass to Osef and said, “Have a drink.”

Osef did not refuse; he took the glass. He wanted to get really drunk.

Dai Li poured a glass for him and then started pouring one for himself. Before he had finished pouring his own glass, Osef had already finished his.

Dai Li filled Osef’s cup again. Osef downed the entire cup again. Dai Li poured the whiskey again, and he downed it again.

After drinking three consecutive cups of whiskey, Osef, who was 6.7 feet tall, couldn’t drink anymore. He started to get tipsy. His vision began to blur.

When Dai Li thought the timing was right, he poured Osef another glass of whiskey and said, “I know that you are being wronged. If you talk about it, you might feel better. Although I can’t help, I can be a good listener.”

Perhaps it was the alcohol, but Osef actually started to cry. “I love her, I really love her…”

Dai Li knew that the “her” was his wife who had cheated on him. Dai Li tried to change the topic. “Don’t think about these sad things. Let’s talk about how you became a basketball player.”

Alcohol made Osef frank. He began to tell Dai Li his personal history.

“I was born in New York. My father was a jerk. He abandoned my mother and me not long after I was born. My mother died of cancer, so I had to live with my grandmother and my aunt. I started playing basketball around then. In the neighborhoods of New York, many teenagers like me hung around the street basketball courts every day. We all hoped to become a professional basketball player one day. If we made it to the NBA, we could escape poverty.

“In high school, I was already very famous. Many universities wanted to recruit me, but my academic performance was very poor. I failed my exams my senior year and had to go to a special class. I wasn’t able to play. With my grades, I couldn’t get admitted to a university. I could only go to school with a remedial course. I couldn’t play or participate in the NCAA.

“At the time, there were European teams who wanted to recruit me and give me an annual salary of $500,000. In the end, I decided to participate in the draft. It was an adventure for me. Fortunately, I was selected. I made it to the NBA.”

Dai Li nodded, “I know what happened next. You became more famous. Later, you went to the Lakers, helped them get two championships, won the title of best sixth men, and almost joined the All-Star team. You were the hottest frontline player at the time. You had a good future. Why did you start taking drugs?”

“That year, my cousin passed away. I was raised by my aunt. My cousin was my closest relative. I was very sad. It hurt a lot.

“On my way to my cousin’s funeral, the car I was in hit someone. Although I was not driving at the time, I watched a person die right in front of me, and that person looked like my cousin. It felt like my cousin had died in front of my eyes, killed by my car.

“After attending my cousin’s funeral, I went back to Los Angeles. I was very depressed. I got drunk, then went to bed. I accidentally rolled off the bed. I woke up and saw a pair of underwear under the bed. It was a man’s underwear, but it was not mine.”

Dai Li nodded. Osef found another man’s underwear under his bed. Even a brainless person would know that his wife had cheated on him.

“It was painful for me. I ran out. I still remember that night. There was a light rain. I was walking alone on the road. From time to time, some young punk would look at me. I guess if I weren’t very tall, they would’ve messed with me.

“I eventually ended up outside the door of a bar. I went in and asked for wine. I drank one glass after another. I don’t remember how much I drank. I was drunk and someone gave me a bag. He told me that I would forget my troubles after using what was inside…”

“Drugs?” Dai Li asked.

“Yes. Even though I was drunk, I still realized it was a bag of drugs. I knew that I shouldn’t touch it, but I didn’t refuse it. I was hurting. I wanted to forget everything. I want to now. I thought that if I only used occasionally, it shouldn’t be a problem. I would just stop using in the future.”

He wrapped his head with his hands. “I underestimated those pills. After using once, I wanted to use a second and third time. I wanted to quit many times, but I couldn’t help myself. I couldn’t stand the temptation. That’s how I ended up where I am today. I don’t blame others, I can only blame myself for my self-degradation…”

Dai Li was sympathetic. Osef’s self-degradation was wrong, but Dai Li felt that Osef only took one wrong step. He was a lost lamb. He wanted to go back to the herd, but he couldn’t find the way. He could only wait for a shepherd to rescue him.

“Actually, when I saw you, I knew that you hadn’t stopped taking drugs,” Dai Li said as he reached out and took the glass from Osef’s hand. “I have not been exposed to drugs, but I know that once you get addicted, it is very difficult to quit. Taking medicine can help you to get rid of drugs, but the most important thing is willpower.”

“I know, but I really can’t do it…” Osef shook his head.

Dai Li then said, “Maybe you should try to distract yourself. Although I don’t know what it feels like to crave drugs, I do know what it’s like to exercise to the point of exhaustion. Your limbs will go numb and your mind will be blank. All you want to do is rest. Perhaps it can help you forget about drugs and forget the unhappy things…”

…

Dai Li returned the glass to Blake.

“It seems that you have successfully persuaded him,” Blake said.

“It’s only temporary. I don’t think he can quit drugs on his own. Osef is different from other addicts. Most addicts don’t have the money to buy drugs and are forced to detoxify. With Osef’s wealth, he could take drugs his entire life and still have money left over,” Dai Li replied.

“What are you going to do? You are not a drug rehabilitation specialist. You can’t control him,” Blake asked.

“That’s why I plan to tackle the source. The best way is to prevent him from buying any drugs,” Dai Li explained. “That’s why I need Payton’s help.”

…

Chris Payton came to Dai Li’s office.

“Chris, I want to know if drug dealers have their own territory. They can’t cross into another dealer’s territory to sell drugs, right?” Dai Li asked.

“Of course. If a drug dealer dares to cross over to another dealer’s territory, it is a declaration of war.” Payton nodded and then asked, “Why?”

“Is it possible to stop a person from buying drugs in Los Angeles? I mean, even if he wanted to buy, no drug dealers would sell to him,” Dai Li asked.

Payton thought for a moment and replied, “That would be really difficult. Los Angeles is big, so there are a lot of big and small gangs. Every gang has its own territory. There are countless drugs. No one can control all the drugs dealers. Unless…”

“Unless what?” Dai Li asked immediately.

“Unless I go to the Mexicans for help.” Payton lowered his voice and went on to say, “Some have almost monopolized the drug trade on the West Coast of the United States. If they are willing to help, the dealers may comply to show some goodwill.”

“Well, I need you to do me a favor. I want to make it so Osef can’t buy any drugs,” Dai Li said. He wrote a number on the checkbook, tore off the check, and handed it to Payton. “I know that it is necessary to spend money to get people to help. They answer to no one but money. This is for you. If you can handle it with money, it would be better not to depend on favors.”

“No problem. Let me handle it. Although I don’t know what my brother is doing, I am sure he has contacts with Mexican drug dealers,” Payton promised.

…

In the middle of the night, Osef sat alone on the bench of the villa. He was feeling sleepy.

Gradually, he felt something strange. Osef felt uneasy. He knew that this was a sign of his drug craving.

No, I have to hold it. I must detoxify my body! Osef licked his fist and then gritted his teeth. He wanted to fight through it.

One minute, two minutes, three minutes…

Ten minutes, fifteen minutes, twenty minutes…

The pain became stronger and stronger. Osef tried to restrain himself, but the feeling grew more and more intolerable.

Finally, he couldn’t hold it anymore.

Osef picked up the phone. He hesitated for about two minutes but dialed his phone in the end.

“Hey, I am Osef, please send me some goods. Now. I need it right now!” Osef said on the phone.

The other party immediately replied, “I am afraid I can’t do that. I am out of stock now.”

When the other party finished speaking, he hung up the phone.

Osef cursed him in his head and immediately dialed another phone number.

“It’s me, Osef, I need some goods now. Send me some, the sooner the better,” Osef said.

“I am very sorry, Mr. Osef, my goods here just sold out…”

“Nothing again!” Osef was a little angry and hung up the phone. He then dialed the third number.

This time, Osef asked directly, “Do you have any goods there?”

“Of course, what do you want?”

“Give me the best stuff,” said Osef.

“No problem, but delivery will cost you extra,” the other party said.

“I know. I will not give you a penny less,” Osef replied.

“Well, where are you? I will ask one my people to send it to you immediately,” the other party promised.

“I am Osef. You know my address, right? said Osef.

“Osef?” When the other party heard the name, he hesitated. He then said, “Sorry, I am understaffed today, and I cannot deliver to you.”

After the other party finished speaking, he hung the phone up straight away.

Osef could feel something was wrong. He knew these dealers were deliberately avoiding him. They didn’t want to sell to him.

The craving was getting stronger and stronger. Osef couldn’t tolerate it. He was lying on the ground, struggling. He had never let himself suffer so much, but he couldn’t buy any drugs this time. He had to fight through it.

Osef finally remembered what Dai Li said. He forced himself up and walked into the villa’s gym. He set the speed of the treadmill to its fastest setting and ran like crazy.

After ten minutes of running, Osef was panting but he did not stop. Instead, he did push-ups on the ground. Osef was currently exercising like crazy. He wanted to consume all the strength in his body.

It was unclear how long he ran. Finally, Osef was lying down on the ground. He felt the pain brought by the craving lighten.

In fact, the energy consumption caused his limbs to go numb. He felt less sensitive. It was too difficult to struggle.

The exhaustion became stronger and stronger and the pain caused by the cravings disappeared. Osef felt his mind begin to stagnate. He closed his eyes and gradually fell asleep…

This time, Osef was able to resist taking drugs when his cravings started to act up.