Amazing result against Inter. Dripping down the the Europa League could be just the platform for propelling the team onto bigger things.
Two excellent results in the reverse fixtures. CSKA will make for tough opposition in the Europa League.
Double Blow
14th December 2020
“It’s just crazy though Lada, we have one of the toughest groups in recent memory to contend with in the Champions League, we do incredibly well to get 3rd there and now we have Tottenham in the first knockout round, where is our luck” bemoaned Luke Hendricks.
It was late on Monday evening and Luke still couldn’t believe his luck of drawing one of the toughest sides left in the Europa League. Having managed to beat Inter Milan just days earlier, Luke was delighted to have got to the knockout phases, something nobody had expected. But to then get drawn against Spurs was a tough one to take, especially with Zenit drawing Genk.
“I don’t see why it’s a massive issue Luke, you’ve just beaten two good teams I thought? Why can’t you do it again?” questioned Lada.
Despite being together for over seven years and married for almost two of those, Lada still didn’t know much about football. She had tried, she understood some of the basics and knew a couple of the better players and teams, but her understanding was still limited.
“We did yes, and I’m not saying we can’t do it again. But this time we don’t have momentum, we will have had two months off by the time that comes around whereas Spurs will have not stopped playing. All the momentum will be with them, it could bring them injuries which would benefit us, but it is going to be tough. Very tough” Luke continued to moan.
His complaints were only stopped when his phone buzzed indicating a phone call.
“It’s almost midnight, who is calling at this time?” Luke said with frustration slowly leading into anger.
Picking up his phone, Luke laughed “Oh, it’s a South African number, mum must have got a new number again.” commented Luke.
“Good Evening,” spoke a male voice “Is this Mr Hendricks?” he continued.
Luke was taken aback, why was someone he didn’t know calling him at this time of night. His phone number had never been leaked and he couldn’t imagine it being leaked now, especially not in South Africa at this time of night. The voice also sounded of someone older than your usual prank caller.
“Yes that's me” Luke cautiously replied.
“Mr Hendricks, I am General Nkosi from the Cape Town Police force. Mr Hendricks I understand you currently reside in Russia, I unfortunately have some bad news.” the General said. “Mr Hendricks, I am sorry to be the one to tell you but an incident has occured at your parents home today and two people who are believed to be your parents have been found dead. I am very sorry for your loss.” continued General Nkosi.
The news made Luke wobble, unable to comprehend what he had just been told by the General. The two people who had been there whenever Luke needed him had been found dead? Luke had so many questions but he couldn’t muster the energy to form a word let alone a sentence.
“Mr Hendricks, I know it is late and I am sorry to be delivering you this news. I am always free to answer any questions. Are you with someone at the moment that you can talk with?” asked General Nkosi.
“Yes” Luke managed to force out.
“Ok, once again, I am here to answer any questions when you have them, please get in touch when you are ready.” General Nkosi explained before hanging up the phone.
Luke dropped his phone and just stared into blank space, still unable to understand what General Nkosi had just told him. ‘
“Luke, babe? What’s going on?” asked Lada clearly concerned for her husband “Luke, love? What is happening? Who was that?”
“My mum, my dad, they're dead.”
Replies
Eoin:Doesn't look like Luke will be having much to enjoy now...
Jack:The group was always going to be tough and third place is realistically a good job done, Spurs will be a tough challenge, hopefully we can continue the good performances against some top sides.
tedbro: Not quite the draw we were hoping to get but it is a challenge to look forward to.
Scott:Going to need to be very tough to get through this test.
Griffo: Lets hope its a good one!
oft thats a series blow to Luke, will be interesting to see how it effects the team and on field performances.
The most tragic of circumstances for Luke, no man should lose their parents like that. Life is sometimes unfair and strange. Hopefully Luke can find the strength to continue on in the job effectively.
The worst news you can imagine. It may be time for Lada to step up and really take care of Luke throughout this time. Very strange to hear that his parents died together, indicating it was an impact death rather than natural. With all of the undercover, dodgy stuff happening around Luke it makes me think if someone has decided to get under Luke's skin in the worst, tragic way.
Well here I am thinking of having some casual reading and have stumbled into a murder case... wow
Heartbreaking news. You have to wonder if a certain somebody has played a role in this tragedy.
Lurking In the Shadows
22 December 2020
The past week had been one giant roller coaster for Luke Hendricks. It started off with welcoming Inter Milan to Arena CSKA and thanks to an excellent long range goal from Ivan Oblyakov, Luke’s side turned out winners. That victory saw CSKA Moscow finish 3rd in their Champions League group, resulting in a place in the Europa League Knockout round. The draw on Monday was one that will see CSKA face English side Tottenham Hotspur in a tough clash for the Russian outfit.
Monday was also the day Luke Hendricks found out his parents, Grace and Liam Hendricks had been murdered in a ‘robbery gone wrong’, as the police described it. After his phone call with General Nkosi, Luke struggled to come to terms with the news and having drunk his way through a bottle and a half of wine he had booked flights to be in South Africa the next day. Lada knew he had to go and gave him her full support with Luke promising their young daughter, Anastasia he would be back before Christmas.
Arriving in his home town of Cape Town on Wednesday, Luke had arranged to meet with the General who had called him late on Monday, so Luke could confirm the identities of his parents and also have it explained what had happened.
“I know this is going to be hard Mr Hendricks, but whenever you are ready” General Nkosi said as he walked Luke into the room where his parents were being kept.
“I’m ready,” Luke muttered.
The General pulled back a curtain showing two lifeless bodies laying there rigid, arms by their side and a cover the only thing over their bodies. Luke sniffled as he walked over to the bodies, knowing this would likely be the last time he saw his parents.
“Yes, it’s them,” Luke managed as a tear shed down his cheek.
Having confirmed the two people were his parents, Luke was led to an office overlooking the city of Cape Town. It wasn’t the fancy FBI type of building you see in the movies or TV shows, but the view was incredible. Overlooking the waterfront with a view of Table Mountain, many people would kill for an office like that. Unfortunately, Luke wasn’t in the mood for appreciating views.
“So Mr Hendricks, we were called to the house at around 8pm on Monday evening with neighbors stating they had heard screams and then saw a vehicle speeding off. When we got there with the security team we entered the property. Having made it through the house and to the master bedroom we unfortunately found your parents, who were both shot” General Nkosi began to explain.
Luke had read that in the newspapers already. The incident had made national news in both South Africa and Russia, with Luke’s presence in both, making something that happens in South Africa almost daily, a massive story.
“We believe that it was a robbery gone wrong, as there was a number of drawers and items strewn across the floor and we would like you to view some pictures to see if you notice anything that’s missing or out of place.” continued the General.
Luke agreed and looked through the pictures in front of him. It was pretty clear that the robbers had gone through drawers and taken jewelry and whatever spare money they could find laying around. His parents didn’t have much. They would refuse Lukes offers of sending them money and would rarely accept any gifts, despite Lukes well off contracts. The one gift they had to accept from Luke was the house he bought them. He had wanted to buy them a house ever since he was a young boy, a dream many children have but few can achieve. After being named in the 2010 World Cup squad and with things going well, Luke had saved enough to move his parents out of the Cape Flats area they currently resided in.
But what had been consuming Luke over the past few days was that he had bought them the house they were murdered in. It wasn’t his fault, obviously but that was the problem with guilt. It consumed you even if it wasn’t your fault, or you couldn’t do anything to stop it.
“That’s strange” Luke said “She used to keep photo books there. I know I haven't been there for a year or so but the rest are all there, apart from one.” he finished.
“What was in there?” questioned the General.
“Mum never let me in it, I have no idea. I once sneaked in and saw a couple of pictures but I don’t know who they were, mum came in and caught me so I didn’t see much more. It could be money stashed away in it somewhere, but I can’t be certain. Even if it is money, why would they take the book as well?”
Having been in the country for just under a week, Luke had prepared his parents funeral with it taking place on the Tuesday following their death. With family members Luke hadn’t seen in years and some of his parents' friends he’d never met turning up, Luke felt even more alone.
He had never had a brother or sister, it had always just been him, his mum and his dad. Like many young boys, Luke had school friends and many of those came from playing football together, but having moved across the world at a young age, he quickly lost contact with the majority of them. In Russia, he had formed friendship groups pretty quickly, especially at CSKA with the likes of Alan Dzagoev, Georgy Schennikov and Igor Akinfeev, all of whom still played under him. He had also met and married Lada Lebedev.
A caring lady who taught in a top school in Moscow, Lada and Luke met in a club the night CSKA won their first league title in six years. The pair met up and began dating soon after and in the year of 2019, Luke and Lada were married. A year before that, Lada gave birth to their daughter, Anastasia Hendricks. The three were a happy little family, similar to what Luke remembered his childhood being like, despite his parents not having the same amount of money he did now.
But his parents' wealth never bothered Luke growing up, he had love and support from them, something he cherished even more now. With eulogies ongoing Luke was struggling to stay concentrated. His mind was racing about what his life would be like without the two people who had always loved him.
As the funeral was coming to an end, something caught Luke’s eye.
Two men who were seemingly late were stood by a tree away from the actual funeral itself. He had never seen them before but for some reason one of them looked somewhat familiar, but Luke couldn’t understand why. Suspicious, Luke walked over to ask who they were, the men quickly turned around and walked away, not even acknowledging Luke’s presence.
Drained, Luke couldn’t muster the energy to chase after them and left his imagination to wonder.
Replies
tedbro That is yet to be seen.
Eoin: Tough circumstances that will surely have some sort of impact on Luke.
Jack: Seems to be a wrong place at the wrong time unfortunately.
Griffo:Nothing like a bit of murder to really start a day is there
Scott:The case seems to be pretty obvious to the police, very unfortunate for Luke and his family.
I think we all know who those men are. I do wonder what was in that particular photo book though. Very intriguing.
I believe that Luke knows that there is a lot more to this than a 'robbery gone bad' as the police explained, particularly with the unwelcome presence of those at the funeral. The positive in this being that even though he doesn't know the meaning of those two men being there, he is now aware that there are people in his life that could be watching him, meaning he can potentially be more cautious of his surroundings and realise what is really occurring around him.
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