Last Bosnian in Croatia

*** Last Bosnian in Croatia ***
-Banja Luka, Bosnia and Herzegovina
(#StorytellingSalemStory #999,982 out of 1mil:)

So I’ve been travelling across this country—
Town to town,
City to city,
State to state;
Sitting down in random locations—
Across this nation— with a whiteboard in my haaaaand~
I’ve been asking pplllll:

“What’s Yor Story?”

But this time, I was nowhere near home.
I was in Banja Luka, Bosnia and Herzegovina;
perched on a concrete bench beside the Vrbas River-
where graffiti crawled up the bridge supports- and an old man fished with a plastic bottle instead of a reel.

A young fellah in his twenties, lean frame, buzzed hair, hoodie with sleeves pushed high, skated to a stop near I. One bright-white-earbud- in, & board now being tucked under his arm. He glanced at my whiteboard, clicked his tongue, and spoke with a thick, raspy Balkan accent—his English smooth but peppered with pauses, like the grammar was a trick he knew how to firebend.

⸻

“You wan’ story?

Aight…
I give you one.

When I was fifteen, I build my first car from three other cars.
Junkyard special baby.
Blue hood, red doors, back & black tinted window from truck.
We call it Klempo. Short for ‘kljuc i moli boga’—‘turn key and pray to God.’

It… worked… Sometimes..
Mostly it just sounded like car on 9th life but don’t wanna quit. Real loud. Like… like engine full of angry bees.. holding little hollow hammers & hitting everything.

But that car? Mannn. That car got us to Croatia for skate comp.
Four boys, one speaker, zero AC. Drive five hours through thunder & rain playing AC/DC.

Halfway there, tire explode. Boom. We spin.
Land in field. Nobody hurt, but one wheel… gone.
Like… gone gone.

So what we do?

With our legs and hands, we lift this little European Car off the ground, put it back on road;
& we put three skateboards under missing wheel’s axle.
Strap it with wire, bungee cords, & rope. Pure stupidity.
BUT IT WORKED!

Drive rest of way like that.
Skateboards on back right.
People in backseat huddled together in back left.
Sparks flyin’ whole time.

BUT WE MADE IT TO COMP BABY!!!
We pass around only board not strapped to Klempo and all of us come in last. One after the other.
But crowd cheer louder for Klempo than winner when they saw we were able to turn car on and roll out again!

Now I’m mechanic.
Had lots of fun and experience keeping Klempo alive.
If you pay cash? I’ll keep what you bring me- running.
Now I have real car. Real tires.
But that skateboard?
Now hangs in my shop as part of our logo.
Burnt- Melted- & Dented;
It holds up a little replica of a chandeliered Klempo; acting as its fourth wheel- that folks can see when they enter my maintenance shop.”

⸻

He gave a hockeyman’s grin, one with a couple teeth missing; kicked his board down, and rolled off without ceremony—one hand dragging the air like he was slicing the wind in half; while giving out a peace sign.

And iiiiii?
I stayed at the river’s edge, the smell of diesel and river moss in the air, whiteboard resting easy on my knee, still asking:

“What’s Yor Story?”
waiting for the next person
to roll my waaaaaay~~~

⸻⸻

(#StorytellingSalemStory #999,982)