A Step Further
The following story is under the sole ownership and copyright of J.L. Scott. Unauthorized copying and/or use is actionable in a court of law.
To borrow a phrase: ER no mine, no permission, no money, no sue...please?
"Luka, we need you back here" Weaver's voice said irratably over the phone.
"I know." Luka replied, waving a hand at Ria who was trying to tell him to get back out to the party. She wasn't having a good time trying to be a hostess to everyone when she couldn't understand a thing anyone was saying.
"It's been two weeks!" Weaver's voice shrilled.
" I know, I know, but we'll be back home the day after tomorrow and I can come back to work the next night" Luka promised. The adoption hearings had all gone well, despite the desperate pleas of Vel Vovishkina to let him have the kids. He had been invited to the party and was even now harrasing Ria, to no avail however because she couldn't understand anything he was saying anyway. They had packed all of the kids' things and put the house on the market, though they were told they need not wait till it was sold to leave. Ria finally informed him that she thought they were prepared to leave psychologically as well as physically.
"Fine" Weaver answered, a note of doom hiding in her voice, hinting at the dire consequences that would be brought down if he weren't back when he'd said he would be.
"I have to go" Luka said and hung up. How he'd ended up talking to her he wasn't sure. He had called to tell Carter and Abby how things were going, before the party had started about half and hour ago and had ended up trying to keep his job! He went out into the dining room, the only room not draped in dust cloths, where a dozen teens were enjoying loud music and chips.
"Uncle Luka, we're out of soda pop" Caroline informed him.
"Tell Ria, she'll get more" he told her and moved to join Frederic who was motioning for him to come over.
"Uncle Luka, this is Gregory" the young man introduced another teen, one that had not arrived on time apparently for Luka had thought he'd met all of the guests.
"Gregory, this is my Uncle Luka, I was telling you about, the one we're going to live with in America" Frederic told his friend.
"Hello" Luka greeted the young man.
"Hi!" Gregory surprised Luka by responding in perfect English with an American accent no less, "Gregory Phillips. I'm American"
"He's the one that taught Caroline and I a lot of our English" Frederic informed him. Luka shook the boy's hand.
"Where are you from, Gregory?" he asked.
"Oh, all over. My dad's in the Force, so we move a lot, ya know? The last place we were stationed was in California, Travis Air Force Base, near a town called Fairfield" Gregory answered.
"And you speak Croatian?"
"Yeah, we've been here for a few years, so I picked it up" Luka was surprised by that admission. He thought it was quite an accomplishment to pick up any language, especially Croatian, in a "few" years.
"But we're movin again next month"
"Guess where, Uncle!" Frederic was nearly hopping in excitement, "Chicago! That's where you live, isn't it? Gregory will be there!"
"I didn't know there was an Air Force Base in Chicago" Luka said.
"I don't think there is. Dad's retiring, and that's where he wants to go" Gregory answered.
"Oh. Well, that's wonderful. Frederic, I think you should take Gregory to meet your Aunt, I think she'll be happy to meet someone who can speak English better than I can" Luka suggested with a smile. Luka hated to leave her alone anymore, but he had one last thing he wanted to do before he left, something he wanted to do in private without any interruptions, and the party provided the perfect distraction. He slipped quietly out of the dining room and went down the hall to Dominic's private office. Frederic had mentioned that his brother had kept a journal and after a bit of poking around Luka had found it, only to be interrupted before he could read it.
He sat down at the large oak desk and pulled the book out. It had a black cover with DK embossed on the bottom right hand corner. He flipped the book open and started flipping through the pages, letting his brother's familiar handwriting fly by. He finally stopped about half way through the book, marked March 15, 2001.
"I started another letter to my brother this morning and never finished it. I can never seem to finish them. I would like to tell him how proud I am that he's become so succesful in his chosen field. I wish I could tell him that I had been wrong to try to force him into the family business when he so clearly loved to help people. But I never can. Perhaps, in time, that will change."
Thoughts went reeling through his mind. Regrets mostly. He ran a hand through his hair and over his face. So much time had been lost to their stubborn prides. And now every chance they had was gone. He heard the door slide open, and wasn't surprised when he felt Ria's comforting hands on his shoulders. She was apparently reading the passage he'd just read.
"Ah." she murmered. Luka shook his head.
"So much lost time. And now there will never be a chance to fix it" Ria moved in front of him and cupped his face in her hands. He stared into those violet eyes, so wise and always accepting.
"There's always time" she said, "There's always time"
The following story is under the sole ownership and copyright of J.L. Scott. Unauthorized copying and/or use is actionable in a court of law.
To borrow a phrase: ER no mine, no permission, no money, no sue...please?
"Luka, we need you back here" Weaver's voice said irratably over the phone.
"I know." Luka replied, waving a hand at Ria who was trying to tell him to get back out to the party. She wasn't having a good time trying to be a hostess to everyone when she couldn't understand a thing anyone was saying.
"It's been two weeks!" Weaver's voice shrilled.
" I know, I know, but we'll be back home the day after tomorrow and I can come back to work the next night" Luka promised. The adoption hearings had all gone well, despite the desperate pleas of Vel Vovishkina to let him have the kids. He had been invited to the party and was even now harrasing Ria, to no avail however because she couldn't understand anything he was saying anyway. They had packed all of the kids' things and put the house on the market, though they were told they need not wait till it was sold to leave. Ria finally informed him that she thought they were prepared to leave psychologically as well as physically.
"Fine" Weaver answered, a note of doom hiding in her voice, hinting at the dire consequences that would be brought down if he weren't back when he'd said he would be.
"I have to go" Luka said and hung up. How he'd ended up talking to her he wasn't sure. He had called to tell Carter and Abby how things were going, before the party had started about half and hour ago and had ended up trying to keep his job! He went out into the dining room, the only room not draped in dust cloths, where a dozen teens were enjoying loud music and chips.
"Uncle Luka, we're out of soda pop" Caroline informed him.
"Tell Ria, she'll get more" he told her and moved to join Frederic who was motioning for him to come over.
"Uncle Luka, this is Gregory" the young man introduced another teen, one that had not arrived on time apparently for Luka had thought he'd met all of the guests.
"Gregory, this is my Uncle Luka, I was telling you about, the one we're going to live with in America" Frederic told his friend.
"Hello" Luka greeted the young man.
"Hi!" Gregory surprised Luka by responding in perfect English with an American accent no less, "Gregory Phillips. I'm American"
"He's the one that taught Caroline and I a lot of our English" Frederic informed him. Luka shook the boy's hand.
"Where are you from, Gregory?" he asked.
"Oh, all over. My dad's in the Force, so we move a lot, ya know? The last place we were stationed was in California, Travis Air Force Base, near a town called Fairfield" Gregory answered.
"And you speak Croatian?"
"Yeah, we've been here for a few years, so I picked it up" Luka was surprised by that admission. He thought it was quite an accomplishment to pick up any language, especially Croatian, in a "few" years.
"But we're movin again next month"
"Guess where, Uncle!" Frederic was nearly hopping in excitement, "Chicago! That's where you live, isn't it? Gregory will be there!"
"I didn't know there was an Air Force Base in Chicago" Luka said.
"I don't think there is. Dad's retiring, and that's where he wants to go" Gregory answered.
"Oh. Well, that's wonderful. Frederic, I think you should take Gregory to meet your Aunt, I think she'll be happy to meet someone who can speak English better than I can" Luka suggested with a smile. Luka hated to leave her alone anymore, but he had one last thing he wanted to do before he left, something he wanted to do in private without any interruptions, and the party provided the perfect distraction. He slipped quietly out of the dining room and went down the hall to Dominic's private office. Frederic had mentioned that his brother had kept a journal and after a bit of poking around Luka had found it, only to be interrupted before he could read it.
He sat down at the large oak desk and pulled the book out. It had a black cover with DK embossed on the bottom right hand corner. He flipped the book open and started flipping through the pages, letting his brother's familiar handwriting fly by. He finally stopped about half way through the book, marked March 15, 2001.
"I started another letter to my brother this morning and never finished it. I can never seem to finish them. I would like to tell him how proud I am that he's become so succesful in his chosen field. I wish I could tell him that I had been wrong to try to force him into the family business when he so clearly loved to help people. But I never can. Perhaps, in time, that will change."
Thoughts went reeling through his mind. Regrets mostly. He ran a hand through his hair and over his face. So much time had been lost to their stubborn prides. And now every chance they had was gone. He heard the door slide open, and wasn't surprised when he felt Ria's comforting hands on his shoulders. She was apparently reading the passage he'd just read.
"Ah." she murmered. Luka shook his head.
"So much lost time. And now there will never be a chance to fix it" Ria moved in front of him and cupped his face in her hands. He stared into those violet eyes, so wise and always accepting.
"There's always time" she said, "There's always time"