The Honeymooners
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?
"Papa! Papa! Papa!" the little girl ran across the kitchen floor on her wobbly legs, her curly black hair waving like a flag behind her. Luka swept her off her feet and up into his arms, high on his chest, so she ended up hugging his neck and throat rather than his torso. He pulled her away a little so she wouldn't inadvertantly choke him and doused her with little kisses all over her face.
"Hello, sweet one" he said in Croatian. Ria thought it was a wonderful idea to teach her both languages so that she was bilingual. Ria herself didn't understand a word of it, but she was glad that Ailleen was picking up on it so quickly.
"Have you been a good girl while Papa was gone?" he asked her. She bobbed her head up and down happily, her little black Shirley Temple curls bouncing, just like her mothers did when she nodded vigorously. Ailleen looked almost excactly like Ria, except for the raven hair that, oddly enough, looked just like Luka's. Her eyes were the same odd violet color, with flecks of green near the pupil, and she had the same eyes and nose as her mother. Even the curls. Especially the curls. And she was always happy, much like her mother.
"Love Papa! Love Papa!" she replied in an odd Croatian accent. Hers was nowhere near as strong as Caroline's or Frederic's, but Ria said she was bound to have one, surrounded by three Croatian accented people as she was. Luka squeezed her tight in his arms.
"I missed you! And Mamma, and Caro and Fred" he told her lovingly. She couldn't say their names all the way.
"I love you so much" All this he said in Croatian and she understood every word. Luka was very proud of his daughter. She'd bumped her head pretty bad when she was just starting to talk more and he'd taken her to the ER to get looked over. He'd shown her off to all the nurses and even some of the patients, having her say differnent things in Croatian and then in English. They were all appropriately amazed.
Ria put an arm around his waist and leaned her head against his arm.
"The little thief" she said with a smile, "Trying to steal her Daddy from me" Ailleen looked down at her mother.
"Pappa!" she said happily, and then, "Baby!" But she said it in Croatian.
"Say it my way, Ailleen" her mother told her gently and so the baby repeated her request in English. When her mother had found the right doll, Ailleen wiggled out of her father's embrace and went to find a brush or something in one of her toy boxes.
"I can't believe how much bigger she is" Luka said with amazement in his voice.
"I know. She's growing up so fast" Ria agreed, leaning into him more. Even in Ailleen's room her scent permeated everything. Luka drank it in deeply, trying to erase the smell of rotten vegetation and dried blood from his nostrils.
"Come on, Ailleen, we're going downstairs" she called to their daughter who bounced happily over to be carried down the steps by her mother. Ria pulled some things out of cupboards to start making what might be some kind of baked good when she was finished while they watched the toddler play by the fireplace. Luka took a seat just to watch, something he never got to do with his crazy work schedual. Ria had changed into some old jeans and a tie-dyed t-shirt that snugged her tummy at the bottom.
"Ria, I was thinking" he said as she bustled around the kitchen, "I have a couple more weeks off still before I have to go back to work"
"Why did you come home, anyway, Luka?" his wife asked with her head in the fridge.
"Some French doctors showed up. They said I could come home" he told her, "But I was thinking. Since I have all that time off we should do something"
"Like what? We could take the kids camping next weekend, they'll be out of school. I doubt they've ever been camping" Ria suggested, mixing something in a bowl at the counter.
"No, I meant just you and I. We haven't been alone since before Ailleen was born" he replied.
"Oh!" Ria looked excited about the idea, "Yeah! We could even go this weekend, Luka, I'm sure I could....."
"Ria, Ria! I'm talking about a honeymoon! Not just a weekend. Longer" He reached across the counter and brushed his hand against her cheek, "Just us. Alone" Ria smiled tenderly at him, turning her head to kiss his fingers.
"Luka, luv, that would be great. But we can't just pick up and go. I've got patients, and we'd have to find someone to watch the kids, and I just don't know anyone who could watch them that long, especially since Caroline and Frederic will be out of school, and...."
"Ria, if we don't do it now who knows when we'll ever get the chance again!" Luka argued. He could see the little light in her eyes, the one that desperately wanted the romantic honeymoon, even if it was two and half years late. He knew that at heart she was a desperate romantic, even if she did things more practically for everyday life. But she did take chances, occasionally. If he could just talk her into it.......
"Lovely woman," he said in Croatian, his pet name for her, then switched to English, " I want to take you on a honeymoon. Someplace romantic, like Hawaii or Jamaica or Venice. Where do you want to go?"
"Venice sounds lovely..." her sentence trailed off and her eyes got dreamy. He almost had her.
"But we can't afford that, and the kids..."
"We'll take care of it! I'll find someone to watch the kids in the evenings, Caroline and Frederic are old enough to be by themselves for most of the day. And the money's nothing, we can do it" he assured her. She looked past him to Ailleen, playing on the floor with her doll. She sighed, still dreamy.
"You're sure?" she whispered. He went around the counter and pulled her close, dropping a kiss on her forehead.
"I'm sure"
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?
"Papa! Papa! Papa!" the little girl ran across the kitchen floor on her wobbly legs, her curly black hair waving like a flag behind her. Luka swept her off her feet and up into his arms, high on his chest, so she ended up hugging his neck and throat rather than his torso. He pulled her away a little so she wouldn't inadvertantly choke him and doused her with little kisses all over her face.
"Hello, sweet one" he said in Croatian. Ria thought it was a wonderful idea to teach her both languages so that she was bilingual. Ria herself didn't understand a word of it, but she was glad that Ailleen was picking up on it so quickly.
"Have you been a good girl while Papa was gone?" he asked her. She bobbed her head up and down happily, her little black Shirley Temple curls bouncing, just like her mothers did when she nodded vigorously. Ailleen looked almost excactly like Ria, except for the raven hair that, oddly enough, looked just like Luka's. Her eyes were the same odd violet color, with flecks of green near the pupil, and she had the same eyes and nose as her mother. Even the curls. Especially the curls. And she was always happy, much like her mother.
"Love Papa! Love Papa!" she replied in an odd Croatian accent. Hers was nowhere near as strong as Caroline's or Frederic's, but Ria said she was bound to have one, surrounded by three Croatian accented people as she was. Luka squeezed her tight in his arms.
"I missed you! And Mamma, and Caro and Fred" he told her lovingly. She couldn't say their names all the way.
"I love you so much" All this he said in Croatian and she understood every word. Luka was very proud of his daughter. She'd bumped her head pretty bad when she was just starting to talk more and he'd taken her to the ER to get looked over. He'd shown her off to all the nurses and even some of the patients, having her say differnent things in Croatian and then in English. They were all appropriately amazed.
Ria put an arm around his waist and leaned her head against his arm.
"The little thief" she said with a smile, "Trying to steal her Daddy from me" Ailleen looked down at her mother.
"Pappa!" she said happily, and then, "Baby!" But she said it in Croatian.
"Say it my way, Ailleen" her mother told her gently and so the baby repeated her request in English. When her mother had found the right doll, Ailleen wiggled out of her father's embrace and went to find a brush or something in one of her toy boxes.
"I can't believe how much bigger she is" Luka said with amazement in his voice.
"I know. She's growing up so fast" Ria agreed, leaning into him more. Even in Ailleen's room her scent permeated everything. Luka drank it in deeply, trying to erase the smell of rotten vegetation and dried blood from his nostrils.
"Come on, Ailleen, we're going downstairs" she called to their daughter who bounced happily over to be carried down the steps by her mother. Ria pulled some things out of cupboards to start making what might be some kind of baked good when she was finished while they watched the toddler play by the fireplace. Luka took a seat just to watch, something he never got to do with his crazy work schedual. Ria had changed into some old jeans and a tie-dyed t-shirt that snugged her tummy at the bottom.
"Ria, I was thinking" he said as she bustled around the kitchen, "I have a couple more weeks off still before I have to go back to work"
"Why did you come home, anyway, Luka?" his wife asked with her head in the fridge.
"Some French doctors showed up. They said I could come home" he told her, "But I was thinking. Since I have all that time off we should do something"
"Like what? We could take the kids camping next weekend, they'll be out of school. I doubt they've ever been camping" Ria suggested, mixing something in a bowl at the counter.
"No, I meant just you and I. We haven't been alone since before Ailleen was born" he replied.
"Oh!" Ria looked excited about the idea, "Yeah! We could even go this weekend, Luka, I'm sure I could....."
"Ria, Ria! I'm talking about a honeymoon! Not just a weekend. Longer" He reached across the counter and brushed his hand against her cheek, "Just us. Alone" Ria smiled tenderly at him, turning her head to kiss his fingers.
"Luka, luv, that would be great. But we can't just pick up and go. I've got patients, and we'd have to find someone to watch the kids, and I just don't know anyone who could watch them that long, especially since Caroline and Frederic will be out of school, and...."
"Ria, if we don't do it now who knows when we'll ever get the chance again!" Luka argued. He could see the little light in her eyes, the one that desperately wanted the romantic honeymoon, even if it was two and half years late. He knew that at heart she was a desperate romantic, even if she did things more practically for everyday life. But she did take chances, occasionally. If he could just talk her into it.......
"Lovely woman," he said in Croatian, his pet name for her, then switched to English, " I want to take you on a honeymoon. Someplace romantic, like Hawaii or Jamaica or Venice. Where do you want to go?"
"Venice sounds lovely..." her sentence trailed off and her eyes got dreamy. He almost had her.
"But we can't afford that, and the kids..."
"We'll take care of it! I'll find someone to watch the kids in the evenings, Caroline and Frederic are old enough to be by themselves for most of the day. And the money's nothing, we can do it" he assured her. She looked past him to Ailleen, playing on the floor with her doll. She sighed, still dreamy.
"You're sure?" she whispered. He went around the counter and pulled her close, dropping a kiss on her forehead.
"I'm sure"