Cherished Possessions
"Luka? Are you asleep?" Abby's voice spoke softly into the quiet night.
"Yes," came a muffled reply.
Abby sighed as she turned over to face the other inhabitant of the cozy bed. "Yes as in, yes Abby, what is it my dear? Or Yes as in, yes Abby, I am asleep please stop bugging me?" she queried.
Luka pulled her closer to him and simply replied, "yes Abby."
"Are you?" Abby asked.
"Am I what?" came the reply.
"Are you asleep?"
"Abby, how is it I can be asleep if I am talking to you?" Luka mumbled into the coolness of her temple. He followed that up with a light, long kiss to her forehead, sensing that she was gearing herself up for another one of their late night talks.
Part of Luka enjoyed these little nocturnal journeys. The other part wanted sleep and was annoyed that the love in his life never felt like talking to him face to face, in the broad light of day. To each his own, he supposed. Maybe the darkness made Abby feel safe. Maybe it gave her whatever cover it could and in that she could then open up to Luka. In the shadows of their lovemaking she would confide in him. They would talk of many things during nights like these. Seldom were the discussions centered around anything specific to either one of them. Instead they were almost philosophical in nature or they were trivial things such as what they were going to have for dinner the next day. But Luka had learned that he could glean a great deal of insight into Abby during these times. He always let her start. The subjects she chose were varied but he could always tie them in to some recent occurance that had happened in their lives, either jointly or singly.
Luka looked through the darkness of the room now, trying to make out a clearer vision of Abby as she lay in his arms, her head resting on the side of his chest. He fancied he could see her eyes open wide and then her brow knitting tight as if both sides wanted to fuse together. He pulled his arm down and rested his hand on the top of her head, his fingers running over her tensed forehead. Back and forth, up and down, round and round he tried to smooth out whatever was bothering her.
"I noticed you put your picture of Danjiela and Jasna on the mirror," she stated finally.
Luka glanced over at the vanity and then down at Abby again. "Yes, that's right," he answered, somewhat curious as to what prompted her to bring this up. His fingers had stopped their dutiful ministrations on Abby's forehead and he resumed them as he became aware of it.
"You aren't going to carry it in your wallet anymore?" Abby asked.
"It's just a picture Abby," Luka replied. He felt her brows get rigid and then added, "do you think it's not safe to leave it here, out in the open I mean?"
"No, no, it's just. Well, you always took it with you before. Kept it close," Abby added.
"Would you rather I kept it in my wallet Abby?" Luka asked suddenly afraid that maybe his girlfriend didn't appreciate sleeping with him while his dead wife and daughter looked on. Pictures could be powerful things, Luka knew that well. And while this picture was both a godsend and a torment to him, he began to wonder how Abby felt about it.
Luka shifted in the bed so that he could get a better look at Abby's face. She hadn't answered his question and he was beginning to worry, but he didn't quite know what to worry about, her, them, him, the picture?
"Abby, do you want me to put the picture away?" Luka asked.
"No," Abby said, "I was just surprised that's all."
"Surprised?"
"Yeah, well, that's your most cherished possession Luka. I know what that photo means to you. I never thought that you wouldn't want to keep it with you," she said.
Luka kept silent at that. He looked over at the mirror and now that his eyes were better adjusted to the night he could just make out the edges of the picture tucked into the corner of the mirror. Yes, he'd kept that photo so close for so long. He would probably have killed to keep if it had ever come to that. He hadn't really thought much of it when he had taken it out of its place in his wallet. He wondered at that for a moment and then he realized why it hadn't bothered him to leave it here.
"Maybe," Luka began to say, "it isn't my most cherished possession anymore."
"Luka? Are you asleep?" Abby's voice spoke softly into the quiet night.
"Yes," came a muffled reply.
Abby sighed as she turned over to face the other inhabitant of the cozy bed. "Yes as in, yes Abby, what is it my dear? Or Yes as in, yes Abby, I am asleep please stop bugging me?" she queried.
Luka pulled her closer to him and simply replied, "yes Abby."
"Are you?" Abby asked.
"Am I what?" came the reply.
"Are you asleep?"
"Abby, how is it I can be asleep if I am talking to you?" Luka mumbled into the coolness of her temple. He followed that up with a light, long kiss to her forehead, sensing that she was gearing herself up for another one of their late night talks.
Part of Luka enjoyed these little nocturnal journeys. The other part wanted sleep and was annoyed that the love in his life never felt like talking to him face to face, in the broad light of day. To each his own, he supposed. Maybe the darkness made Abby feel safe. Maybe it gave her whatever cover it could and in that she could then open up to Luka. In the shadows of their lovemaking she would confide in him. They would talk of many things during nights like these. Seldom were the discussions centered around anything specific to either one of them. Instead they were almost philosophical in nature or they were trivial things such as what they were going to have for dinner the next day. But Luka had learned that he could glean a great deal of insight into Abby during these times. He always let her start. The subjects she chose were varied but he could always tie them in to some recent occurance that had happened in their lives, either jointly or singly.
Luka looked through the darkness of the room now, trying to make out a clearer vision of Abby as she lay in his arms, her head resting on the side of his chest. He fancied he could see her eyes open wide and then her brow knitting tight as if both sides wanted to fuse together. He pulled his arm down and rested his hand on the top of her head, his fingers running over her tensed forehead. Back and forth, up and down, round and round he tried to smooth out whatever was bothering her.
"I noticed you put your picture of Danjiela and Jasna on the mirror," she stated finally.
Luka glanced over at the vanity and then down at Abby again. "Yes, that's right," he answered, somewhat curious as to what prompted her to bring this up. His fingers had stopped their dutiful ministrations on Abby's forehead and he resumed them as he became aware of it.
"You aren't going to carry it in your wallet anymore?" Abby asked.
"It's just a picture Abby," Luka replied. He felt her brows get rigid and then added, "do you think it's not safe to leave it here, out in the open I mean?"
"No, no, it's just. Well, you always took it with you before. Kept it close," Abby added.
"Would you rather I kept it in my wallet Abby?" Luka asked suddenly afraid that maybe his girlfriend didn't appreciate sleeping with him while his dead wife and daughter looked on. Pictures could be powerful things, Luka knew that well. And while this picture was both a godsend and a torment to him, he began to wonder how Abby felt about it.
Luka shifted in the bed so that he could get a better look at Abby's face. She hadn't answered his question and he was beginning to worry, but he didn't quite know what to worry about, her, them, him, the picture?
"Abby, do you want me to put the picture away?" Luka asked.
"No," Abby said, "I was just surprised that's all."
"Surprised?"
"Yeah, well, that's your most cherished possession Luka. I know what that photo means to you. I never thought that you wouldn't want to keep it with you," she said.
Luka kept silent at that. He looked over at the mirror and now that his eyes were better adjusted to the night he could just make out the edges of the picture tucked into the corner of the mirror. Yes, he'd kept that photo so close for so long. He would probably have killed to keep if it had ever come to that. He hadn't really thought much of it when he had taken it out of its place in his wallet. He wondered at that for a moment and then he realized why it hadn't bothered him to leave it here.
"Maybe," Luka began to say, "it isn't my most cherished possession anymore."