Hajduk legends right there, if not necessarily as players, then as backroom staff. Sad to see them go, but hopefully you find able replacements!
EDIT: REPLY 600! WOO!
EDIT: REPLY 600! WOO!
MEANWHILE... IN SPLIT
And there he stood... at the top of 20 stairs that led down to the main level of his palace. He could see the sea from the floor to ceiling windows. He could see the palms swaying in the winds of winter of Split. On a clear day, you could see the islands out in the Adriatic, but today was anything but a clear day: a bolt of lightning shattered across the dark sky. Then another. It was an uncommon storm, but it was vicious, and unexpected beyond belief. The rain bolted down against the Venetian glass panes, as they shuddered against the wind.
At this point though, Bendiš would rather be outside in just a swimsuit then at the top of the stairs.
Another bolt of lightning cracked, with thunder following shortly after, Bendiš's headache exploded. He winced, but held on to the railing as he managed his way down the steps one at a time. Ana watched. She didn't dare help. She wasn't wearing much. It didn't help the scenario drastically, but it didn't hurt either.
Bendiš was still making his way down the stairs, but he had started talking, "You left me, when we were coming back from Barcelona. You took the direct flight to Split, and I had to fly through Paris, to be humiliated by Carlo Ancelotti and to come back home hours after your flight had landed. Hours. I came home, to my café, to find an engagement ring sitting on the piano. I thought it looked familiar, but I thought nothing of it, rushed upstairs to find you, and then... nothing.
"Nothing. No one."
Bendiš paused, and made his way down a few more steps, wincing with every step. He finally made it to the bottom, and then, he poured himself a glass of scotch.
-"... don't... please..."
"Oh? We're doing this now? FINE!" Bendiš hurled the glass against the wall at the other side of the room. The crystal shattered against the stone, the scotch splashed over the hardwood floor. Ana looked, but did not react, and refocused on Bendiš, who, even slouched, even injured, cut an imposing figure, especially when upset.
"I called the airport. Do you even realize how humiliating that is? I called the airport because I thought your flight got rerouted to Zagreb or something because of God knows which reason. EVERYONE knows me at the airport. So, if the whole city hadn't found out when the thieves of the street hadn't picked up the engagement ring, they SURE AS HELL DID THEN!
-"I'm sorr-"
"Not yet... no." He paused again after he had interrupted her. He glanced at the crystal shards on the floor, at the wet patch on the wood, and contemplated briefly that the Dalmore scotch alone cost nearly €1000, not to mention the Bohemian crystal.
"So this lovely lady at the airport told me that your flight had left for Paris in the opposite direction. And so I called Charles de Gaulle, and they were delighted to tell me that they had absolutely no idea where you were going next, and that they couldn't possibly tell me even if they knew."
He paused again.
"Did you know that I have 19 scouts on my team. 19 people trained to listen to rumors to find players, to scour the world for the next big thing. Did you know that I went through Africa, that I found NOTHING ANYWHERE. And I looked absolutely everywhere.
"And then I saw you in Athens. I saw you in Athens, and you saw that. I wasn't sure at first, but I knew it towards the end. That is the first match in my professional career that I have left the team on its own to fend for themselves. And I travelled all around Greece. I boarded a ferry in Greece that evening, and made it to Italy, to Otranto, with my tiny little car. Do you know what they told me there?"
-*pause* "no"
"They told me that they had never heard of you, nor seen you. That my little car was the first thing they had seen with a Croatian driver's plate in a long time.
"But you had gone to Istanbul"
Ana did not know that he knew that. Ana did not know that he had gone to Italy to get his heart broken, yet again. Ana saw, however, that this was not helping him... Bendiš glanced over at the decanter of scotch again.
Bendiš paused for a long time after that.
-"you weren't at Iva's funeral..."
"No... no I wasn't... I couldn't... I was in Marseille in..."
-"...I know..."
In a conversation littered with long pauses, this one was the longest. Bendiš had walked over to the window to watch the lightning crack across the sky once more. Thunder followed shortly afterwards, and the lights flickered inside.
"Why did you leave" Bendiš looked her straight in the eye. It was the first time in two years. His eyes had been light blue before, but now they were almost white: cold, and shocking. "Why did you leave me alone. Why did you let all of this happen. Why?"
-"You... you weren't ready."
"WASN'T READY?!? I NEARLY DIED! Does THAT make me ready now? I LOVED YOU MORE THAN YOU WOULD EVER BELIEVE, MORE THAN YOU COULD EVER IMAGINE, AND YOU NEARLY LET ME DIE! FOR WHAT?! TO WHAT END?"
He paused again... he tried to collect himself, tears had already come to his eyes, but he wiped them away.
"We were going to get married, and live for the rest of our lives together. You are perfect. You were the one I always wanted. And you left. What could I have ever done... what hurt you so much?"
He had never given up. He liked her in high school, they had dated briefly in college before he had moved to Split to get a job. He never stopped though. He never felt that way about anyone else, and it destroyed him every day that she was away. Every. Single. Day. She saw it now. She saw why his best friend had hired her into the role in the stadium all those years ago. She saw why there had been a copy of Le Monde on her doorstep in Nice that morning when Bendiš was admitted into the hospital in Marseille.
And he stood there, wearing not much more than her, wiping tears from his eyes, trying to be furious with the girl he had always loved.
And there he stood... at the top of 20 stairs that led down to the main level of his palace. He could see the sea from the floor to ceiling windows. He could see the palms swaying in the winds of winter of Split. On a clear day, you could see the islands out in the Adriatic, but today was anything but a clear day: a bolt of lightning shattered across the dark sky. Then another. It was an uncommon storm, but it was vicious, and unexpected beyond belief. The rain bolted down against the Venetian glass panes, as they shuddered against the wind.
At this point though, Bendiš would rather be outside in just a swimsuit then at the top of the stairs.
Another bolt of lightning cracked, with thunder following shortly after, Bendiš's headache exploded. He winced, but held on to the railing as he managed his way down the steps one at a time. Ana watched. She didn't dare help. She wasn't wearing much. It didn't help the scenario drastically, but it didn't hurt either.
Bendiš was still making his way down the stairs, but he had started talking, "You left me, when we were coming back from Barcelona. You took the direct flight to Split, and I had to fly through Paris, to be humiliated by Carlo Ancelotti and to come back home hours after your flight had landed. Hours. I came home, to my café, to find an engagement ring sitting on the piano. I thought it looked familiar, but I thought nothing of it, rushed upstairs to find you, and then... nothing.
"Nothing. No one."
Bendiš paused, and made his way down a few more steps, wincing with every step. He finally made it to the bottom, and then, he poured himself a glass of scotch.
-"... don't... please..."
"Oh? We're doing this now? FINE!" Bendiš hurled the glass against the wall at the other side of the room. The crystal shattered against the stone, the scotch splashed over the hardwood floor. Ana looked, but did not react, and refocused on Bendiš, who, even slouched, even injured, cut an imposing figure, especially when upset.
"I called the airport. Do you even realize how humiliating that is? I called the airport because I thought your flight got rerouted to Zagreb or something because of God knows which reason. EVERYONE knows me at the airport. So, if the whole city hadn't found out when the thieves of the street hadn't picked up the engagement ring, they SURE AS HELL DID THEN!
-"I'm sorr-"
"Not yet... no." He paused again after he had interrupted her. He glanced at the crystal shards on the floor, at the wet patch on the wood, and contemplated briefly that the Dalmore scotch alone cost nearly €1000, not to mention the Bohemian crystal.
"So this lovely lady at the airport told me that your flight had left for Paris in the opposite direction. And so I called Charles de Gaulle, and they were delighted to tell me that they had absolutely no idea where you were going next, and that they couldn't possibly tell me even if they knew."
He paused again.
"Did you know that I have 19 scouts on my team. 19 people trained to listen to rumors to find players, to scour the world for the next big thing. Did you know that I went through Africa, that I found NOTHING ANYWHERE. And I looked absolutely everywhere.
"And then I saw you in Athens. I saw you in Athens, and you saw that. I wasn't sure at first, but I knew it towards the end. That is the first match in my professional career that I have left the team on its own to fend for themselves. And I travelled all around Greece. I boarded a ferry in Greece that evening, and made it to Italy, to Otranto, with my tiny little car. Do you know what they told me there?"
-*pause* "no"
"They told me that they had never heard of you, nor seen you. That my little car was the first thing they had seen with a Croatian driver's plate in a long time.
"But you had gone to Istanbul"
Ana did not know that he knew that. Ana did not know that he had gone to Italy to get his heart broken, yet again. Ana saw, however, that this was not helping him... Bendiš glanced over at the decanter of scotch again.
Bendiš paused for a long time after that.
-"you weren't at Iva's funeral..."
"No... no I wasn't... I couldn't... I was in Marseille in..."
-"...I know..."
In a conversation littered with long pauses, this one was the longest. Bendiš had walked over to the window to watch the lightning crack across the sky once more. Thunder followed shortly afterwards, and the lights flickered inside.
"Why did you leave" Bendiš looked her straight in the eye. It was the first time in two years. His eyes had been light blue before, but now they were almost white: cold, and shocking. "Why did you leave me alone. Why did you let all of this happen. Why?"
-"You... you weren't ready."
"WASN'T READY?!? I NEARLY DIED! Does THAT make me ready now? I LOVED YOU MORE THAN YOU WOULD EVER BELIEVE, MORE THAN YOU COULD EVER IMAGINE, AND YOU NEARLY LET ME DIE! FOR WHAT?! TO WHAT END?"
He paused again... he tried to collect himself, tears had already come to his eyes, but he wiped them away.
"We were going to get married, and live for the rest of our lives together. You are perfect. You were the one I always wanted. And you left. What could I have ever done... what hurt you so much?"
He had never given up. He liked her in high school, they had dated briefly in college before he had moved to Split to get a job. He never stopped though. He never felt that way about anyone else, and it destroyed him every day that she was away. Every. Single. Day. She saw it now. She saw why his best friend had hired her into the role in the stadium all those years ago. She saw why there had been a copy of Le Monde on her doorstep in Nice that morning when Bendiš was admitted into the hospital in Marseille.
And he stood there, wearing not much more than her, wiping tears from his eyes, trying to be furious with the girl he had always loved.
2014-04-24 10:24#171453 tbendis : At this point though, Bendiš would rather be outside in just a swimsuit then at the top of the stairs.
Wannabe swimsuit model right here.
But seriously, great update. Keep 'em coming.
-"I was scared."
"What?" Bendiš looked up.
She had gotten from behind the countertop and come up to him, "I was scared that you wouldn't feel this way ten, twenty years later. I was scared that you would break down, that you would regret seeing me, and only me. I was scared that when we were married, and had children, that you wouldn't... couldn't love me as much as you do for the rest of your life."
"And so you leave me? You don't give me that chance? WHY NOT! WHAT DID I HAVE TO DO DIFFERENTLY TO KEEP YOU?" He had stopped trying to wipe the tears from his face. He was too agitated to care. "I NEVER STOPPED. I NEVER STOPPED LOVING YOU. EVER." Bendiš was bellowing, but another thunderclap drowned his voice out as the lights flickered again.
"I loved you from day 1. And I don't think I can stop. Ever." And then he stopped. He couldn't do it anymore, as he hung his head.
She came right up against him, wearing next to nothing and wiped a tear from his eye, and then another, and then held him as he rested on her shoulder. Then, she whispered into his ear "I love you", before kissing him on the neck. And then again, and again, before the two of them moved to the couch, and then upstairs, wearing nothing at all.
"What?" Bendiš looked up.
She had gotten from behind the countertop and come up to him, "I was scared that you wouldn't feel this way ten, twenty years later. I was scared that you would break down, that you would regret seeing me, and only me. I was scared that when we were married, and had children, that you wouldn't... couldn't love me as much as you do for the rest of your life."
"And so you leave me? You don't give me that chance? WHY NOT! WHAT DID I HAVE TO DO DIFFERENTLY TO KEEP YOU?" He had stopped trying to wipe the tears from his face. He was too agitated to care. "I NEVER STOPPED. I NEVER STOPPED LOVING YOU. EVER." Bendiš was bellowing, but another thunderclap drowned his voice out as the lights flickered again.
"I loved you from day 1. And I don't think I can stop. Ever." And then he stopped. He couldn't do it anymore, as he hung his head.
She came right up against him, wearing next to nothing and wiped a tear from his eye, and then another, and then held him as he rested on her shoulder. Then, she whispered into his ear "I love you", before kissing him on the neck. And then again, and again, before the two of them moved to the couch, and then upstairs, wearing nothing at all.
She used the element of BEEEEWWWWWWWBSSSSSS... I'd kick her out, leaving you to die and all.. definitely isn't something a woman would do because that would be afraid of not receiving anymore love. What a bitch.
2014-04-24 04:12#171457 Pauker : She used the element of BEEEEWWWWWWWBSSSSSS... I'd kick her out, leaving you to die and all.. definitely isn't something a woman would do because that would be afraid of not receiving anymore love. What a bitch.
oh hush, Pauker. I'm allowed to get the girl of my dreams, even if it means I'm making terrible decisions. No?
MIRNES TRIFKOVI? - IS SLOVENIA TOO LATE?
Without a look at the World Cup in Qatar this year, Slovenia has three more matches to call up Hajduk talisman, Mirnes Trifkovi?, as the Slovenian playmaker gets ready for his eligibility to kick in.
And it couldn't come at a better time, as it is rumored that the next Croatia boss could, in fact, at least be influenced by Bendiš in the form of an assistant manager to the national team.
http://i58.tinypic.com/5ohs0.jpg
Trifkovi? is, at this point, Hajduk's only key player not to hold a Croatian passport (besides teenage goalkeeper, Hašib Rami?), so, while the World Cup is obviously an even larger stage than anything at the club level, it's not unlikely that Croatia start fielding something similar to Hajduk's predicted first XI against Marseille:
http://i58.tinypic.com/2wdy9he.jpg
So the question is... can Hajduk beat Brazil? It's only a matter of time before we find out.
Without a look at the World Cup in Qatar this year, Slovenia has three more matches to call up Hajduk talisman, Mirnes Trifkovi?, as the Slovenian playmaker gets ready for his eligibility to kick in.
And it couldn't come at a better time, as it is rumored that the next Croatia boss could, in fact, at least be influenced by Bendiš in the form of an assistant manager to the national team.
http://i58.tinypic.com/5ohs0.jpg
Trifkovi? is, at this point, Hajduk's only key player not to hold a Croatian passport (besides teenage goalkeeper, Hašib Rami?), so, while the World Cup is obviously an even larger stage than anything at the club level, it's not unlikely that Croatia start fielding something similar to Hajduk's predicted first XI against Marseille:
http://i58.tinypic.com/2wdy9he.jpg
So the question is... can Hajduk beat Brazil? It's only a matter of time before we find out.
I have to sit down and read all this from start to finish someday.
This is an epic story.
This is an epic story.
BAŠIĆ DEMOLISHES OM AT POLJUD, AS DEFENDING CHAMPIONS STAND ON BRINK OF ELMINIATION
HAJDUK 3-0 OLYMPIQUE DE MARSEILLE - P. BAŠIĆ ('15, '45, '84 (PEN))
Hajduk at their best and brightest is a joy to behold, as an absolutely beautiful midfield worked magic in front of a packed, screaming Poljud.
It began early. The 20 year old, Admir Lotinac, who is still working on an absolute minimal salary (less than 1K/week) dashed up his right wing in the 15th crossed the ball straight across the box, leaving Mandanda absolutely no chance, as Pero Bašić made a clean finish into the opposite corner of the box.
The same play happened again, as Lotinac resembled Gareth Bale against Inter all those years ago. A simple play down the flank, and the ball landed right in front of the waiting Pero Bašić.
The hattrick was left to Matko Kardum though. Kardum, replacing Kiš in the 80th, took the ball in the center, and, made a simple turn, only to be brought down by Michael Bradley.
Pero Bašić, naturally, slotted it home without a second thought, and, with that, Hajduk has, pending a passable appearance in France, secured an easy passage into the 2nd stage.
HAJDUK 3-0 OLYMPIQUE DE MARSEILLE - P. BAŠIĆ ('15, '45, '84 (PEN))
Hajduk at their best and brightest is a joy to behold, as an absolutely beautiful midfield worked magic in front of a packed, screaming Poljud.
It began early. The 20 year old, Admir Lotinac, who is still working on an absolute minimal salary (less than 1K/week) dashed up his right wing in the 15th crossed the ball straight across the box, leaving Mandanda absolutely no chance, as Pero Bašić made a clean finish into the opposite corner of the box.
The same play happened again, as Lotinac resembled Gareth Bale against Inter all those years ago. A simple play down the flank, and the ball landed right in front of the waiting Pero Bašić.
The hattrick was left to Matko Kardum though. Kardum, replacing Kiš in the 80th, took the ball in the center, and, made a simple turn, only to be brought down by Michael Bradley.
Pero Bašić, naturally, slotted it home without a second thought, and, with that, Hajduk has, pending a passable appearance in France, secured an easy passage into the 2nd stage.
I told you beating Marseille would be easy 
However, just wow. Those updates...brilliant. Nothing says true love like dumb decisions! I was hoping for a more George R. R. Martin style scene but it'll have to do
However, just wow. Those updates...brilliant. Nothing says true love like dumb decisions! I was hoping for a more George R. R. Martin style scene but it'll have to do
2014-04-24 23:16#171644 Neal : I told you beating Marseille would be easy
However, just wow. Those updates...brilliant. Nothing says true love like dumb decisions! I was hoping for a more George R. R. Martin style scene but it'll have to do
Who said it was done?
You are reading "[FM13]The Adriatic Adventure [Hajduk Split]".
