As I suspected, the trip was for nothing. We paid the captain’s dinner, listened to his tales, tapping our feet impatiently, and couldn’t wait to get back to Zagreb to drink away another round of vain promises and a futile future. But, as it would turn out, it wasn’t for nothing. The third man in the car that day was Joža (Yoh-zha), and thanks to him, my old dreams would soon catch a fresh wind.
It happened two weeks later. Joža called me, asking if I’d help him transfer a sailboat from Split to Sardinia—two thousand dollars cash for four days of work. I said okay, and in half an hour, he was already outside my door, waiting for me to pack my storm gear. Just the day before, I’d made a vow to myself to quit drinking and get fit, maybe even find a new wife—someone who wouldn’t keep disappearing on me. And as it turned out, Joža was on a similar path. He showed me the fitness gear and whey protein he’d packed, a different Joža than the one I’d met two weeks before. Back then, when we returned from the captain’s meeting, he stayed up all night at my place, talking about life while the booze and other things flowed freely.
This time, I made us tea, and we set off, bound for Split.
Tales of the Atlantic
3 | The Unexpected Wind
As I suspected, the trip was for nothing. We paid the captain’s dinner, listened to his tales, tapping our feet impatiently, and couldn’t wait to get back to Zagreb to drink away another round of vain promises and a futile future. But, as it would turn out, it wasn’t for nothing. The third man in the car that day was Joža (Yoh-zha), and thanks to him, my old dreams would soon catch a fresh wind.
It happened two weeks later. Joža called me, asking if I’d help him transfer a sailboat from Split to Sardinia—two thousand dollars cash for four days of work. I said okay, and in half an hour, he was already outside my door, waiting for me to pack my storm gear. Just the day before, I’d made a vow to myself to quit drinking and get fit, maybe even find a new wife—someone who wouldn’t keep disappearing on me. And as it turned out, Joža was on a similar path. He showed me the fitness gear and whey protein he’d packed, a different Joža than the one I’d met two weeks before. Back then, when we returned from the captain’s meeting, he stayed up all night at my place, talking about life while the booze and other things flowed freely.
This time, I made us tea, and we set off, bound for Split.