Bad Days Are As Hard As They Come

Coach Jansen dropped him off at the AFAS Training Complex where the chief scout, Hans Van de Zee would meet up with him.

He had notified Dennis Haar prior to his arrival at the training grounds.

After exchanging pleasantries, Hans drove him to the housing complex which was only a 5 minutes drive from the training grounds.

The housing complex was an array of two bedroom apartments mostly used by the club's youth prospects and a miniscule amount of senior players.

While it was okay to leave in the housing complex instead of rental apartments, the downside being sharing with other players and lack of privacy made most players lose interest in its appeal.

Once they entered the complex, Hans led him to one of the apartments in front with '104A' written on the door. The housing complex was made in such a way that the first team players stayed in the front A-block, while the youth players stayed at the back B-block.

They soon entered the apartment and Hans gave him one of the keys before heading back.

"Before I forget," he stopped by the door and faced Benjamin, "you'll be staying with a young lad who's also been promoted to the first team. You should try to get along with one another."

"No problem, Mr Hans." Benjamin replied before closing the door.

Though he replied with a smile, he was a bit annoyed with the fact that he'd be sharing space with someone else...and a dude for that matter.

'Why don't you just give him one of the many empty apartments in the A-block rather than letting two grown males live together?' Benjamin thought to himself as he checked out the apartment.

He quickly picked a room he felt okay with and arranged his stuff before showering and heading to the kitchen.

"F*ck! F*ck! F*ck!" Benjamin exclaimed in disappointment as he opened all the cupboards, drawers and the fridge.

'All Empty!' he thought.

"I really should have brought along some edibles. Now I'll have to go on a shopping spree. Sigh!..., sad times." He said, shaking his head regretfully in the process.

The thought of going shopping after arriving had crossed his mind back in Haarlem but not in this manner. He'd expected to see at least a few snacks in the fridge or even, a few bottles of water.

"Hopefully, things are affordable in this part of Alkmaar or else, I'll have to live on my weekly wage to survive here henceforth." Benjamin almost cried out as he checked his account balance.

With the few pitiful digits he could see displaying on his phone screen, any huge expenditure incurred during this month would leave him practically and technically broke.

After wallowing in the misery of being a broke a** dude, Benjamin locked the doors and hailed a taxi after leaving the complex.

"Where are you headed?" The middle-aged man steering the wheels asked with a smile as he hopped in.

"To the nearest mall" Benjamin answered but then he paused before rephrasing, "To the cheape...no, I meant, to the nearest budget-friendly mall in Alkmaar."

"Oh... Okay. Winkelcentrum de Mare it is then." The driver replied with a knowing smile before driving off.

Catching sight of that subtle smile, Benjamin felt deeply embarrassed and almost prayed for the ground to swallow him up. 'Today definitely isn't going to be a good day for me' he thought, mocking himself of such plight.

Despite that, he kept a straight face throughout the ride to Winkelcentrum de Mare as if none-the-wiser.

***

After a few hours of shopping through the grocery stores and supermarkets, Benjamin hurried home in a taxi.

The hours had taken a toll on him and he was quite spent and famished. Even running tirelessly on the pitch for 90 minutes would not have such a drastic effect on him.

Benjamin didn't even take a shower immediately, but instead started cooking. In the past, he would watch his mom cook almost everyday and gradually learned in the process.

While he wouldn't call himself the best, he believed that not many could cook better than he did, afterall, he learned cooking from the one he considered the best in the world.

While he was at it, he ate a few snacks to lessen his hunger by a few notch.

After tending to the food on the stove, Benjamin rushed to take a bath before heading back to the kitchen.

Forty minutes later, the scent of a finely cooked delicacy filled the air as Benjamin served himself a plate of Nasi Goreng which was a dutch specialty of fried rice with vegetables and chicken.

He also made a jug of hot Chocomel, a dutch chocolate milk served hot or cold.

But just as he was about to feast, the doorbell rang, cutting through the quiet of the apartment.

Benjamin froze in place, the spoon was halfway to his mouth as he turned to stare at the door, his hunger was momentarily forgotten.

Letting out a small, reluctant sigh, he got up and eyed the door warily before finally making his way over and pulling it open.

As he swung it open, he was greeted by the sight of a young man with a friendly and relaxed look. He was sure he hadn't seen this face before.

The guy had a lean build, probably just under six feet, and his short dark hair was neatly trimmed to match a face that was open and easygoing.

He wore a slight, expectant smile and then gave Benjamin a nod with his hand held up, the kind of relaxed wave that suggested he wasn't a stranger to introductions.

"Hey," the guy greeted with a hint of a local accent and an easy nod. "I'm Adam Maher, but you can just call me Adam."