On Monday, I was still in Novi Sad. I’d started to worry because none of my job arrangements had materialized. I hadn’t even managed to pass all my exams. Then, my uncle called and told me his organization was launching a project in seven days and that I could join if I wanted to work. He’d secured funding from a program supporting entrepreneurs. As part of this, he offered companies visual identities and websites at a fraction of the market price. The budget included salaries for one designer and one web developer for a year.
I mentioned I’d likely also be working on a game. He said I could work on it in the office as long as I managed to create three websites per month. I assured him that wouldn’t be a problem. We agreed, and I packed up to return to Banja Luka. The job with my uncle wasn’t particularly well-paid, and I didn’t love being tied to one place or working from an office. I agreed mainly to observe his process firsthand and learn the soft skills that have helped him navigate so many projects. It felt like sitting in the front row at his performances.
On Tuesday morning, I received a message from Abigail. Everything was ready, and we could start working. We had a brief Skype call. She didn’t ask about my studies or educational background—our game was enough to secure me a place on this project. I could barely understand her because of her strong Southern accent.
That evening, I got an email from Viktor, who had reviewed our game code. He asked if I could build a website for his team specializing in embedded programming, to showcase their skills and services. Viktor’s colleague was also present during our conversation, so we spoke in English. I was surprised by how eloquent and professional Viktor was. When he spoke Serbian, he seemed much less so, as he spoke in the old-fashioned way his parents used when they left Yugoslavia before he was born. He reminded me of Marko’s colleague, who also struggled with our language but hadn’t fully learned German either after moving abroad late. Now, he couldn’t express himself fully in any language.
I never turned down work and couldn’t do it now neither, even though I already had two jobs lined up, exams to prepare for, and some fixes left to make on our game. After wrapping up the conversation with Viktor, I felt my head pounding—probably from the stress of so many commitments. On impulse, I uninstalled Championship manager from my computer but kept the save files in case I decided to reinstall it.
In just two days, my workload and obligations had changed dramatically. Before this, studying was my only responsibility. Strangely, with fewer tasks, I seemed to study less. Now, with all these commitments, I was learning more. Maybe I slack off when there’s not much to do.
By the end of the week, I was already in Banja Luka. On Friday, I went out with Veljko, Aleksandar, and Goran to Draganče’s tavern. Draganče was boasting about a night he’d spent with Cindy, constantly glancing over his shoulder to check if his wife was nearby. She kept moving between tables, serving guests, so she could’ve overheard him.
The group brought up a story I’d forgotten—about a career in prison and weighing whether it’s worth taking the fall for someone else’s crime for money and after a few years walking out of prison with some cash in hand.
I felt like I was in the wrong place, trapped in an alternate timeline that shouldn’t have happened—mainly because of my breakup with Boyana. Max and Elena teased me about it. Elena said my relationships lasted as long as helium balloons, while Max said that it reminds him to the game of Aska and the Wolf, saying nothing made sense to him. It didn’t make much sense to me either. All I knew was that it had been wonderful, and now here I was, at Draganče’s tavern.
My uncle said it’s good to stop by Draganče’s place now and then.
Despite the setbacks, I felt a subtle optimism—thanks to the workload and the knowledge I’d gained from working on the game. Over time, I increasingly feel that the most exciting things are yet to come. The project with Abigail was what I was most looking forward to, and I had high expectations for it.
We’ll see… Maybe I should also check how much you can actually earn in prison.
