"Luka?!" The old man waved a soft hand in front of his former-son-in-law's dazed expression.
Luka blinked and his gaze rested on that hand and his thoughts drifted again to his wife, at the time girlfriend, stumbling into his flat in tears, the ugly hand print still visible on her cheek. Holding her in his arms and feeling the pure hatred for the man he'd never formally met. Of course, he'd seen Daniela's father, in town at the shops, passing him on the street, but Luka knew early-on that he was not welcome in the Stjepan household.
"Luka.. Are you okay??" The man's voice had also aged, Luka noticed with surprise.. He remembered Nikola threatening him over the telephone and hanging up before he could answer.
"Yes.. Yes.. I am fine.." Luka muttered, pulling his purchases into his arms and carrying them awkwardly to the counter.
"I can help you with that.." Nikola answered pathetically, chasing the doctor to the front of the store.
"I do not need your help. I will pay for my purchases, then I will leave." Luka replied thickly, banging the cans down on the counter and fishing for his wallet. The remaining picture of his daughter slipped from it's pocket and onto the counter.
Both men stared at it for what seemed like ages, before Nikola reached for it. "That.. That is my grand-daughter?" He whispered, fingering the dark hair and red lips on the faded print.
"Was..." Replied Luka, pulling out the money. "They are all dead.. Have been for many years now.." He said softly, a bitterness in his voice.
"I know Luka.. I was there at the funeral." Nikola said swallowing painfully and turning his attention on the cash register, punching in the cans of paint.
"You were not.. I was the only one.. I thought I was the only one.. I did not know if you and Mariela were alive or dead, I figured it was just as well." Luka said peeling the bills out of it's clip and laying them on the counter.
"I saw you.. I didn't say hello.. I didn't come forward.. Because I thought then that you had killed my only daughter and my grandchildren." Nikola said hoarsely, as he mechanically started to pack the cans and brushes into bags.
"And do you still?? Think I killed them?" Luka said angrily, tears welling up.
"No!" Nikola almost shouted in response. "No.. I.. I stopped feeling that way, many years ago. It was not your fault. It was the war, you had no control over that, Luka..."
Luka pulled the bags off the counter and into his hands. "Well.. I think I better be going now. My girlfriend is probably buying up nearly the whole shop next door.."
"Girlfriend?" Nikola's brows went up a notch.
"American.. A nurse.." Luka replied stiffly.
"So you became a doctor then? Danijela did mention that once in her letters.. Said she was very proud, said that I should forgive her for marrying a lowly carpenter's son. I did.. Eventually, not that I ever got the chance to tell her that.." Nikola pulled out his own wallet and produced another picture. It was equally faded and creased but it was recognizable as to who the person was in the photo.
Luka gasped and a smile tugged on his lips. "Marko.." He breathed in hushed disbelief.
"I believe a father should have pictures of all his family. Danijela sent it to me, after he was born.. She had sent me a photo of Jasna too, but you have one already.. I want you to have it." Nikola held the photo out in an arthritic shaky hand. "Please.."
"I.. I don't know what to say.." Luka stumbled in disbelief. "I cannot take it.. It is yours.. Danijela sent it to you.."
"Take it.." The old man insisted, putting it in Luka's hand. "By the way.. What happened to your face? Who punched you in the nose?"
***
Abby stumbled out of the grocery store with her hands full of parcels, and a bottle of Croatian wine tucked in with the purchases of bread, cheese, cold cuts, peanut butter, milk and a box of corn flakes. She stumbled to the car, locked the groceries in the back seat and walked to the hardware store where she found the clerk poking at her boyfriend's face.
"Luka? What is the hardware store guy doing??" She said nervously as she approached the two men.
Luka turned slightly, nodding to the man. "Nikola Stjepan.. My father in law.. Former.. and This is Abby.." He paused.. "Wyzinksi.." Luka finished, grinning.
Abby glared at him goodnaturedly, and gave him a thump on the arm. She nodded to Nikola and held out her hand. "Abby Lockhart.. Pleased to meet you Mr.Stjepan.."
"Please.. It's Nikola.. Come.. In the back.. I will make you two some coffee and biscuits.." He waved them back to the employee entrance of the store and to the cramped 'staff room.'
*******
As Abby crawled under the covers in the bed by the window, Luka stared, watching her with frightened alarm.
"What are you doing Abby?!" He said worriedly, his voice quivering.
She pulled the covers up to her chin and rolled over, the moonlight from the window casting a soft cool glow over her. "Going to sleep. I'm tired, if you want sex, then I'm sure we can arrange something in the morning." Abby mumbled sleepily.
"Did your mother ever sleep with the moon shining on her face?" Luka asked softly, still standing in his boxers, staring at her bed illuminated in the darkness.
"WHAT?! Luka.. What are you talking about!?" Abby sat up straight in bed, awakened fully by her boyfriend's bizarre questioning. "I.. I guess so.. I don't know.. Why?"
"My uncle always said that sleeping under a moon would make a person go crazy. Come.. Come here. Sleep over by the wall away from the window."
"Luka.. You're being weird.." Abby protested tiredly as she was dragged from her warm bed into his. "Luka! There's no room in this bed for the both of us." She whined, tossing and turning, trying to get comfortable.
"Well then. I'll have to get creative then, won't I?!" Luka murmured happily, his fears at rest. He wrapped his strong arms around her pulling her close; close enough to smell every strand of hair, close enough to taste her skin.
Soon the couple was fast asleep in the small bed. The evil moon floating away behind a thick, dark, cloud as it started to rain.
***********
"You do realize, Doug.. We are on a very isolated piece of land.. With plenty of places to hide a body." Kerry replied frankly. "What in the hell did you think you were doing?! She sputtered, wiping the water from her face and stooping to pick up her cane which had fallen during the sudden wet surprise of being drenched with the ice cold jetstream from a hose.
"I hope you weren't very hungry, you two.. That was your lunch." Kerry growled, pulling her wet clothes away from her body as they clung tightly like a staticky sock on the back of a suit that you never know is there till you get to work and people start nicknaming you sock-puppet..
"Lunch? I thought Luka said there was probably nothing around that would be edible!?" Carol said pitifully, still reeking, but now slightly cleaner and laying in the mucky water.
Dave stood in the hall watching the way that Kerry's wet jeans slid smoothly over her small perfect round bum, how the fabric clung perfectly in all the right places. He marveled at her fine bone structure; her shoulder blades, the curve of the back of her neck and the small knots of her spine sticking out against the very wet, white t-shirt.
He finally got the courage, and the ability to keep 'Dr.Stud' under control, and entered the front porch. "It really depends on whether you consider SPAM and corned beef on Wonderbread, edible really." Dave said with a slight smirk.
****
"Well it does not matter now.. I have food enough for everyone.. Even the smelly, wet ones.." Luka said proudly as he appeared in the front doorway.
The group drooled happily and followed Luka and Abby into the kitchen, like a cannibals at a fat camp.
"What did you get, Luka?? Beer?!" Dave asked, rifling through a grocery sack before Abby could snatch it away from him.
"No!! No beer!" Abby growled. "I got you guys some wine from a local vineyard.. and some sparkling apple juice for myself. Besides.. It doesn't look like YOU were outside helping with the chores.. What makes you think you deserve beer, if any of this food at all?!"
"Well, Abby.. He was helping.. He did make the sandwiches, and everything was okay, till those two.." Kerry nodded angrily at Doug and Carol.
"It's not my fault!" Protested Doug, innocently. "Carol had the hose not me.. I was trying to clean her off that's all.. I didn't think it'd be nice to track.. uh.. mud, through the house.."
Kerry wrinkled her nose. "I know mud, that does NOT smell like mud, Ross.. You two go upstairs and take a shower.. That's an order.."
"We're HUNGRY!!!!" They protested in unison.
"You should have thought of that BEFORE you decided to get me wet." Kerry grumbled, rooting out a tub of cookie-dough icecream and tucking into it.
"HEY! THAT'S MINE!!!!!" Abby squealed angrily as she watched the ER chief eat her icecream. She grabbed the carton out of Kerry's hands and held it tight to her bosom.
Luka shook his head. "No.. Actually those were my dinars.. So technically it's MY icecream." He said, a twinkle in his eye and a smirk on his face as he grabbed the icecream.
"HEY!!!!!!" Abby and Kerry glared at him evilly, Elizabeth and Carol joining the fray as they circled Luka and closed in.
Luka trembled as the women circled him, closing in and making him feel very claustrophobic. "Ungh.. Please.. A little space." He muttered uneasily.
"We give you space, when you give us cookie dough, Kovac.." Elizabeth threatened, cracking her knuckles.
"Men.. A little help here!!" Luka called out nervously as the women had started to drool like hungry wild dogs. "GUYS?!"
********
"You're not getting any help from me Kovac.." Doug and Benton growled, still angry at him as they rifled through the bags of food.
Dave shrugged. "I'm not idiot enough to get between a woman and her Haagen-dasz, you're on your own."
Carter grunted in agreement. "Not gonna get beat up over ice cream neither.."
"Mark!?" Luka stammered nervously as the women closed in, crowding him.
"Nope.. Sorry.. Get between my wife and cookie dough? You must think they took out ALL my brain.. I am NOT helping you.." Mark crossed his arms shook his head before scrounging around in the groceries with Kerry.
"SPAM!! ALRIGHT!!!!!!" Mark crowed, holding the little tin over his head like a prized trophy as his colleagues all gave him funny looks and backed away slowly.
"Yeah.. Mark.. You can have that ALL to yourself." Doug smiled uneasily and looked over at Benton who snickered.
"Cool! Can I have the anchovies too!!??" Mark grinned, happy as a weird kid in a candy store.
"Abby.. What exactly DID you spend my groceries on? Spam? Anchovies and cookie dough icecream?? You're not pregnant are you??" Luka looked stricken and about to pass out.
"Well... Now that you mention it, I am late on my period.." Abby mumbled, watching Luka pass out cold on the floor.
Abby grinned.. "Good.. Now that he's out.. I found a great recipe book in the store.. Traditional Croatian recipes.." She smirked good naturedly and held the book upside down.. "Anybody here besides Daddy over there read Croatian by chance??"
"Croatian? Are you kidding me? Kerry said, still sodden and now sticky from the struggle for icecream. Drzislav's bassett hound waddled in and won the tussle as it was dropped by the screaming Luka. Screaming because, during the little brawl, some kind woman's hand had found not the carton of ice-cream but something more valuable to Luka.. Something much more valuable, and in retrospect it was wondrous that, THAT hadn't made him pass out instead.
"Well you speak Swahili and German and French.. Why not Croatian?!" Mark muttered irritably.
"BECAUSE I DON'T!" Kerry yelled, pitching the cook-book across the room.
Abby ran across the kitchen after it, glaring at them. "It's in ENGLISH
you idiots!!! I was TEASING!!!.. It's called a JOKE!! You know... Ha ha
ha?? Here.. here's a recipe for this lamb thing... Anybody know how to
cook?!"