Content:
1.Chapter1-Alexander........................................................................................................page 8
2.Chapter2-The Dream House.............................................................................................page18
Chapter3-Alexander and Ella Met Michael....................................................................page 29
4.Chapter4-Michael and Nora Have Problems with their Family Responsibilities.............page 36
5.Chapter5-A Very Strange Visit.........................................................................................page 56
6.Chapter6-The Director of the Theater Hosting a Charity Ball in Aid of the AIDS Patients...............................................................................................................................page 85
7.Chapter7-Alexander's Mother Had a Heart Transplant..............................................................................page 117
8.Chapter8-The Pregnancy......................................................page 136
9.Chapter9-Mary Went to Visit her Grandmother...............................................................page 155
10.Chapter10-Alexander and Ella Gave a Party.................................................................page 178
11.Chapter11-Laura and her Deepest Secret......................................................................page210
12.Chapter12-The Village School.......................................................................................page 230
13.Chapter 13-The Dream...................................................................page249
14.Chapter14-Mary Returned Home having new Ideas........................................................page270
15.Chapter15-Prometheus...................................................................................................page290
16.Chapter16.- The Hunting Accident and the Mysterious Stray Bullet................................page310
17.Chapter17- Michael and Lisa Decided to Live Together...................................................page335
18.Chapter18.- Agony and Ecstasy......................................................................................page364
19.Chapter19-The Funerals .................................................................................................page388
20.Chapter20-After Ten Years..............page415
21.Chapter21 The Weddings..........................page449
22.Epilogue.......................page483

Chapter 1

 

Alexander

 

I've opened the door. You came to me in the middle of the night. You came like a king, walking slowly through the darkness towards the outside. Your eyes sparkled like two dazzling emeralds. I loved your feline eyes in that darkness, as indomitable as those of a tiger. Your eyes were gentle like the eyes of a child at the same time. You didn't say anything. You never told me anything important. Only when you entered our own secret places, well known secret places of the body, there you told me everything. Therefore, I didn't ask you anything. I invited you to eat. You ate unleavened bread and you drank a cup of wine. Then you laid on the bed. I had a bed in the next room. The white bed litter was sprinkled with oil of lavender. You just fell asleep, or it seemed to me to be so. I thought you were asleep but you were too tired to sleep. Then I opened the window. It was raining outside. I felt the breeze on my face and in my nostrils. I tasted the rain on my lips and I felt it on my tongue. I crouched in a corner of the room. An old song was played on the radio. The singer sang his love song. The timbre of the singer's voice was like yours. I felt protected and loved. The timbre of his voice seemingly vibrated farther, into a hole. An invisible space opened up inside me and you slowly filled it with your love. Suddenly, I heard you playing the guitar. I turned off the radio. ''Why don't you sleep?''I asked him. ''I think a little bit more seriously than before about our relationship. Promise me that you will never leave me. '' ''Why should I leave you? I love you. ' ''I cannot live without you. '' '' I will never leave you. I cannot live without you, too. ''

The fire was burning in the fireplace. The fire was burning down for the night, and the damper remained open to allow the smoke to vent. The flames danced their shadows in the darkness on the white walls. I wanted to sleep peacefully in your arms. I found myself in your arms. I needed to feel your touch all around and I needed to hear your voice. When we were both about to fall asleep, I wanted to sleep extremely close to you like the first day we made love, listening to the rain. No one has ever made me feel so special. I closed my eyes again. I thought I slept a little when I felt you gaze upon me, I felt your lips on my hair, and I felt your warm hand touching my hand. You played thoughtfully with my fingers for a few moments. I suddenly felt that you've slipped a ring on my finger with a very gentle movement. I didn't know why you pressed the stone with your finger. I fell asleep immediately. I felt you in my dream. You were still there. You were like a child. Love seemed to be the same as yesterday. It seemed to be like playing a shuffle beat on your guitar.

It seemed like a foggy vacation. I could not see you clearly enough but it was you, my dream man, the man of my dreams, the man I love and the love of my man at the same time, entering my life and changing it forever. The flames worm into deep curves with the passing darkness, forming a deep depression of an empty space on the walls. From time to time, they vibrated their redness. In my dream I saw your dynamic shadow projected on the wall. They became one single image, simultaneously moving up and down, retaining themselves in some kind of manifested creative void. More specifically, they merged. This was the total end, for you and I understood this. You made me going crazy. I loved you and I would probably have done anything for you. I had got you and I anchored you in my own fecundity. I anchored you onto the earth. Next, I breathed up all the fecundity and the vibrancy of the earth, inside and outside my physical being, clearly being filled with light. It was like an absorption; I felt the happiness filling me and I opened my eyes. You slipped inside me and I could feel you flowing slowly. We became one like two bodies in a single body at the same time, signing up the love cry mysticism of our feelings.

Suddenly, I felt the thrill of the eternity. Rays of love crept in and crept out again and they caught the shoulders of our souls. I felt the flow and the entwining of our merging souls. An internal vibration filled the space inside. It was like a Chopin sonata. We became only movement and emotion, movement and emotion. The heaven opened. No one else was more beautiful than you. I saw a child so much loved by God like no other child of this world. Your love hugged me tighter and snuggled more closer than ever before. You became my prince for eternity. We couldn't move our bodies any longer. It was our divine inheritance and our freedom. I felt that we no longer needed our bodies to make love. I felt that it was not a dream;I felt that it was the reality. I fell asleep next to you without dreaming anything. I felt safe with you. Standing behind me, I felt your sweet kisses. The mattress cradled you in comfort throughout the night. In the morning I looked for you and you were not there. I saw your shadow on the soft white bedding. It seemed to embrace the memory of my feelings. The perfume of your body dulled my sense. I thought you were gone as usual without saying anything. I turned on the radio and I heard the same song. Outside, the sun seemed to mash the sky with its shine. It was a typical spring day. I didn't know why there it seemed to be so much light around. Perhaps I felt the light supple and much more stronger than usual. I've never felt such a strong feeling. Again and again, I was waiting in my solitude. But I came out and you were there working as a simple peasant. ''I knew that you would stay in this 'guerrilla' forever, '' I said.

I could not remember if I told you or if I only intended to tell you this but it was less important. I entered the house. I went to the Child with His Mother Mary. So I bowed down and worshiped Him.

 

Chapter 2

 

The Dream House

 

 

  The house sat on a mountain,providing a wide panoramic, picturesque

image. There was a unique stepped roof garden creating some sloped

ceiling lines. Inside of the house, there were our dramatic

spaces.

 

 

   This mountain house was designed by an architect who died, so the

house was destined to be ours. All I could see was a  cloudy meadow

with fir trees in the Carpathian mountains. The clouds seemed to sweep

the barren ridges of the mountains. I ate my breakfast and I kept

looking around,being so worried that I might actually see something

dangerous . I didn't find anything that could scare me in that area.

 

You entered the house . You had an edelweiss in your hand.

 

''I picked it up yesterday afternoon for you,'' you said.''And I

brought you some goat milk. There is enough goat milk for your food

.Sometimes people feel like crossing over a line of no return .So ,I

have that feeling with you now. If you drink milk , be kind and drink

it for me too.''

 

I took the enigmatic white flower and I put it into a vase.

 

''A beautiful flower for your free beautiful lips which stab me from

time to time with words. I kissed you with all the words I had ,don't

forget this.''

 

You turned to me and said again,''I'm the man. I have slipped a few

words on the tongue, that's my mistake.''

 

There were a few Belgian white rabbits in the courtyard and a baby

deer. You took the gun and you went to hunt. You had taken a look at

me before leaving. You had big blue tough eyes and your face was

tensed. I never saw you being more serious than you were at that

moment.

 

While you were away, I did the housework and I prepared the dinner. I

prepared a steak with Parmesan butter, balsamic glaze, and arugula

with grilled  vegetables. I also made a dessert. Then I sat at

my computer and started to write my article . I looked out the window

and I saw an eagle rotating in flight .

 

I thought you were like Prometheus,chained to his rock, because you

tried to change the mentality of the people for obtaining a change in

their social status and it is almost impossible to do this.

 

In fact, the society will always be slowly changed and never abruptly

modified. It's very hard to think that society will be changed without

using the laws for doing this. I know that you think that people make

the law. When the mentality of people changes ,the law changes too. And

the society can be changed through this thinking. When people start to

understand this, the society starts to change.

 

I thought of your inner fire which always burns stronger than

usual,illuminating everything around;illuminating a petty and bizarre

society where life unfolds for free according to a pattern. A society

with no sudden or major changes,like a building supported on rotten

poles which can collapse anytime. You were burning like a torch. I

understood from you that those principles of life must be changed in

their essence.

 

I sat at the computer and started to write the article. I was an

editor working for one local newspaper and I used to sign my articles

with a pseudonym. I signed as Ella. My articles never appeared on the

first page but they were read by many people. I began to write...

 

The Article

 

“Sometimes ,it is very important to know if you can or cannot get the

same goals as your community ,especially when the personal attitude is

not very important for them . When do people feel real hurt? Do we

really need to destroy the feelings of the people around us and to

hurt them for our own social goals? Maybe we must say the truth about

these attitudes instead of glossing over them. When my goal is against

the community and I have enough power to change the facts,all I get is

a less powerful community. What have I done,in fact ? I've made myself

powerless. And I reached a point where I am fully incapable to solve

the problem.

 

Some people of the society are dreamers. Their dream can tell us

exactly what needs to be changed in our life. We can change the

attitudes we have in ourselves or in front of others, or we can change

the people around us. The dream can also express a great goal. We know

that dreams have the potential to change people for the rest of their

lives. The inner change is always connected to the outer change.

 

Just asking people to change is complicated. Generally, the rational

people have a positive response to all the incentives afforded in

their lives. They need to change their own lives and to increase their

good behavior.

 

Sometimes people who embarked on changing their lives long time ago

had already thrown in the towel because they didn’t see or get the

results they expected.

 

Becoming frustrated, they find that it is easier to give up than to

face the challenge. The mind is always a very powerful entity.

Sometimes people need to be perfect. But the perfection and the guilt

that follow can keep most of them out from their real goals.

 

Consistency is the human aspect that can make or break their final

solution. It is not about what they make or don't make in keeping them

from reaching their goals, it is about what they consistently do or

don’t do .That will eventual get them to their goals. This is not

perfection but progression toward the goals.

 

Sometimes we need to help others. By helping others I do believe we

learn to help ourselves. When we empathize with others, we can gain a

better understanding about who we are and what we can offer.

 

 

 

 

After I had finished the article,I had the desire to know which would

be your reaction while reading it. I began to dream of my own life. I

began to think of what others would say about me or about my own life.

I had learned to cope with my new life reflecting about my dreams and

gradually accepting your wishes. I had always dreamed of working at my

own printing press but the time wasn't so right for me . I'm still

waiting for the right time to take my destiny into my own hands.

 

Chapter 3

 

Alexander and Ella Met Michael

 

We often walked in the rain and we could not see anything else but umbrellas and hurried steps. ''It is a town with rushing people, '' you said.

''You cannot ever see anything on their face. Their eyes are always very rigid and they have tired lips. When they walk on the streets they look like doll-puppets straight out of shop windows. Sometimes they seem to be wax statues. ''

''Yet, it is a place where nothing ever happens; nothing happens by pure chance either,'' I told him smiling. ''Sometimes I ask myself how it might be to meet you on the street by chance, ''you told me once."

''How would you have reacted?'' you asked me.

''I don't know,'' I replied.

'I would have invited you for a coffee,'' you said.

''To talk about what?'' I asked you smiling again. ''About the stars!'' you said. ''Interesting!'' I said looking right into your eyes. ''Maybe it would have depended on the star I had chosen, ''you said and caressed my hair." No, it depended on what you could have told me." I said.

''Everything and nothing at the same time!''You replied. I had already gazed at you when you tried to tell me everything, but you abstained from speaking. I felt that everything depended on my words. You kissed me. It was like the first time, a sweet kiss. I felt a thrill. ''I felt a thrill,'' you told me. ''It's coming from our star,'' I replied. It was an escape from reality surrounding us and we slipped into the reality of living self. Suddenly, we became fugitives. We walked quietly on the street holding our hands.

Suddenly, we stopped and we turned around to look at the theater. With screen venues in the surrounding area, the theater became an enormous building housing many professional offices. Even if it had a modern extension, the building was a listed historic monument and the original building facade, the entry foyer and the saloon on the first floor had to be preserved. There were some announcements informing the people that the theater operates on Friday and Saturday nights only with two showings plus a Sunday afternoon matinee.

The auditorium had a capacity of five hundred seats and an indirect lighting for the foyer and the lobby. The flooring in the lobby was a terrazzo composition and the seats were made of green plush upholstery. The drapes around the proscenium of the stage were made of green velvet. ''You work in a wonderful place. Someday you will be a great actor, Alexander!'' I told him.

Suddenly, we heard a voice behind us. It was Michael, our friend. ''Hello, how are you?" Alexander asked him. They shook hands. Michael was an actor just like Alexander. ''Let's drink some coffee somewhere,'' Michael said. We entered the cafe, and we sat on the corner near the window. The bartender brought us the coffee.

She was wearing a short black skirt and a low-cut white blouse. Michael and Alexander started a conversation.'' The theater has always been created for a sacred purpose, usually for a myth or a sacred story,'' Michael said. ''Yes!'' Alexander said. ''The theater has always been created for a ritual; it had to incorporate elements of invocation and purification or it could mean nothing.''

''I agree with you about the myth,'' Michael said. ''By the way, try to think of the myth of Sisyphus where the human condition is basically meaningless. We are human beings with meaningless lives trying to understand the universe. But the explanation of the universe is beyond its reach and this is the reason for seeing this world so absurd, because people think that they know the universe'' Alexander tried to explain.

''Try to understand why the sense of the bewilderment and the anxiety is conveyed in an inexplicable universe sometimes,'' Michael continued. ''We don't have a suitable acting elemental play yet. When I see one, I will begin to think of the absurd theater.''

''Most of the plays in which our actors play need motivated characters.'' Michael seemed to be very thoughtful. ''What can you say about the play when the dialogue degenerates into a meaningless babble?'' I said smiling. Michael laughed.

''They start the dialogue at an arbitrary point and seem to end it in the same arbitrary way. The play turns into a scandal.''

''The play must be understood and played with the performing actors but, because we don't have good actors, it becomes much more a buffoonery than a real play,'' I said. ''An anti-theater!'' Alexander said, smiling. ''Ha, ha,'' Michael laughed again. Michael left them wanting to return home.

 

Chapter 4

 

Michael and Nora Have Problems with Their Family Responsibilities

 

Michael and Nora lived in a luxurious apartment, a combination of two outstanding luxurious Florence properties. This bi-level apartment had some interior stairs and an elevator. It was newly renovated and upgraded with contemporary furnishings. It had a living room and a dining room where the generously floor plan sparkled with style. The gleaming parquet floors, the floor-to-ceiling French windows and its marvelous stone fireplace made this superb space to be amazing. In the evening, the sofas and the comfortable stylish chairs made the fireplace to be a real delight. The apartment had a view onto the magnificent courtyard situated below the building. The kitchen was fully equipped with a range, two microwaves, a big dishwasher, an enormous refrigerator, a modern coffee machine, two tea kettles, a toaster, all cutlery, pots, pans, kitchen utensils, and everything that was necessary for a family. The bedroom was charming and nicely furnished with two single beds which could be assembled to form a queen-size one. The other bedroom had two large single beds which could be turned into a king-size one. Michael and Nora lived there with Mary, their daughter.

Nora was a dentist. Her husband,Michael, was a very tall man having very black round eyes. His hair was always very dry and unmanageable. Looking at his round face for the first time, everyone could say that he had passed through many negative experiences in his life. Going through problems in his life, he didn't overcome them and even he had set good goals before graduating from the University, he couldn't achieve them because he practically was a dreamer. He was a good fighter. His soul was tortured by love and by pain. He was an extreme introvert and this is why he needed time to recharge himself.

Nora told him, "Can you help Mary to learn her lessons instead of listening to her prate for two? She wants to feel a little more important. She's only eighteen and this is the reason why she's exacerbating her tensions sometimes. You said that sometimes she needs to compensate the absence of her real father. Give her the opportunity to stop exacerbating her tensions. You might find out that you like her more than usual!"

"She can do better than that appearance. You must help Mary keep her mind engaged and active, despite her problems. In fact, she's my step daughter." Michael became furious, but Nora continued, "There are a lot of activities that you can do together to help her to enhance her fine and gross motor skills. The first thing you need to learn is to calm down and to get past the nervousness. Try to play chess with her. For example, you can try different chess strategies and chess openings. That might give her some cool points with her friends for knowing to play chess better than before," Nora tried to stay calm.

"Just tell her that her dad is going to do something very important. I will go to my room, I'll shut the door and I will read a book. Whatever! I need some peace and quiet." Michael tried abruptly to end the conversation.

"You can invite her to discuss the news already published in the local newspaper, " Nora suggested. After that, she continued,"She might feel more connected with you, if she gets to understand new interesting ideas. Or, maybe you can take her to go to an indoor rock climbing gym. Do something, Michael, she's against this marriage."

"It's a waste of time. She doesn't like me. She doesn't accept me as a father, Nora! " Michael exclaimed being completely out of his mind.

"She has the mind of an eighteen year girl. She's still a child. First of all, she needs to understand us."

"Unless she's remarkably immature for her age, she's old enough to understand the situation. You know I love to be a part of your life and I love to hear about all the things that you're doing and thinking about. I'm glad that we're becoming so close. But your daughter can destroy everything in our relationship."

"Maybe she needs more time to be with you and maybe you cannot appreciate what she really does, but maybe she will be able to be your daughter in time. As long as she needs a father, she won't be capable of hurting you. Be reasonable, Michael."

"She is your own child, she's not mine and you and only you must be interested in all that she needs to say - not me. And if your daughter can pick up your apathetic attitude and she can bridge the gap between you two, it is because she's still a fighter. But she won't fight any longer ,if you don't help her. Don't let her do everything on her own."

"I don't know why you blame her all the time. Your mind works differently and you have different needs but I know that you want to build a stronger family relationship. You don't realize that all she needs is love. Love is a real force in the act of forming the family."

"Love? " Michael looked straight into her eyes." Love and always love."

"When we fall in love we need to lift the veil of time in order to understand if we really have eternal life or not, although we theoretically know that we are the eternal children of the eternal God."

"We are so transient, my dear. We experience only the wonder of love. God knows our hearts better than we do." He touched her.

He continued on looking seductively at her. She broke down because of all tensions. She didn't say anything any longer and she began to look at him. Suddenly, they became both very excited. He moved very close to her. He became very gentle and he asked her with a smiling face: "Will you dance for me? "

"Why not? " She answered with a question and she started to dance for him. She danced so gracefully that he began to imagine her a beauty in ice skaters apparently gliding nearly and without touching the surface. He wanted to offer her all the coolness of an ice and the detachment from everything around.

He touched her again. She felt something very strange like an invisible creature hooking his fingers into her soul and detaching her feelings once again. It seemed to be almost a gentle touch. She felt his possessiveness biting her sensibility. He shoved her against herself wounding her in a pleasant manner until she reached her agony and her ecstasy at the same time. That invisible creature sank his nails into her soul while caressing her maternity. She felt like not belonging to herself. Once again, the life ripped up the depth of her being.

Nora was a forty year old woman. She had delectable curves and a sensual body but she looked like she was fifty. She had smoky eyes and a small mouth with pink lips. Although her skin tone was pale like a vanishing cream, she tried to look very Spanish. She had gorgeous green eyes and her hair smelled like cinnamon. Her hair was colored in red . Her new hairdo made her look like a ghetto slut. She wanted to be an authentic lady drinking always only soft drinks and eating dainty portions while smiling, nodding and sitting politely with her legs coquettishly crossed like usually the ladies do. She looked much more like a red clown sometimes, but nobody noticed that. She had a wonderful heart. Long time ago, she was a very beautiful woman. She had her face covered in sweat because of her hard working. So, she lost her beauty. She was that kind of woman being amazed at everything.

Ella came to visit Nora. Ella was her best friend. Nora was like a sister for her. Nora always said that she cannot live without Ella. She shared all her secrets with Ella. She felt better after sharing her painful thoughts with her cherished friend.

At twenty-eight, Ella was a very sensual young Russian lady with a porcelain skin and a beautiful face. She had a slim body with large breasts and a shoulder length brown hair. She was looked like a mannequin or, more exactly, like a doll when she dressed and made up. An incredible beauty lied in her very brown eyes. She seemed to absorb the whole world in her deep, sparkling eyes.

"My mom's a very talkative woman. Of course that I have the chance of not living with her. There are certainly a lot of things I have always wanted to do, but I never had the time to do. When I get there, all those things help me to prevent some unpleasant situations. She has a friend, who's exactly like her. There are many times when they simply start talking over the top of one another. Sometimes, when I go to visit my mother I find her friend being there. It's exhausting sometimes. I've always got to knuckle down and hear them out. They may talk for nearly an hour but all I have to do is to sit there and hear them. In a sense, they tell me they care about me. My father died ten years ago. He was a very nice man. He used to say, 'Honey, I need to chill out after this long day at work. I'm very tired. 'I still remember him telling this to my mom." Ella had tears in her eyes.

"I was a child, when I was aimlessly trying to understand my situation. Generally, I needed some focused attention, but I was feeling so lonely trying to convince myself that everything was normal. Being so distant was exactly the wrong approach to my parents. I think it happened because I was stuck in a snobby school with no friends and many evil teachers, " said Nora, becoming suddenly very sad. "You didn't feel loved, Nora! You didn't feel that power of love, which makes us most unique and creates goodness."

"I knew that my mother was always right and it was unreasonable from me to expect her to do nothing but to listen to me all evening, after she had been working all day. I still do not know why I felt my mother was pushing me away. For a long time, I was too hurt to tell her anything about me. Because of her lack of love, I had to grow up thinking that I had been an old child since the beginning. She always preferred the wisdom against the feelings," Nora told Ella all those words about her mother, because she was seemingly trying to explain the situation more likely to herself.

"Maybe she forgot the wisdom of love, after she had lost the power of love long time ago. Don't judge her. It took me twenty years to realize that my mother had had an extraordinary influence on my life. When she was younger, she was that kind of person having thoughtful discussions sometimes and that kind of mother having time for her children. 'Stay strong in every choice you make, if you feel they are the right ones!'-she used to say." Ella became very emotional and much more clingy with Nora. "Everything that my mother has ever done, had been overshadowed by her thought behind it. I have learned to truly value my mother's thoughts by watching her. She has enriched my life with her passion for learning."

"In her endless love I had seen the hope and the life," said Ella." By the way, I think that your husband has a great problem with Mary, your daughter."

"He had been brought up in an atmosphere of hate and this is why he became a cruel man. But he learned to be a lover, not a fighter, even though he was also a fighter."

" Love is like a humanizing force, it can make a child to become a human being. If we could be in love every minute of our lives,if we could live completely without hate, without anger, without rancor, without envy, without lie, without cruelty, without greed, without selfishness and without any negative thought, then we wouldn't have any spiritual sickness."

"I have been married for ten years. It's the second marriage for both of us. The problem is that our views on what a marriage should be are very different. The life after getting married wasn't the same as our life had been before that moment. After that moment, he completely changed his attitude. I wanted to keep that closeness between us, I loved him more than before and I tried to be very attractive. But what I got in return was the coldness of his heart. He became exhausted and our sex life was drastically changed. He became also very critical. I have lived this way all these last years feeling unloved one week, then feeling adored the next week. I haven't found anything that could make me believe that he has an affair, but I feel this inside of me all the time. I am so hurt inside. I hate that I've become so distant and so angry. I feel that I'm not beautiful any longer in his eyes," Nora confessed to Ella.

"The beauty is a simply pleasure. It can irradiate the face of love. Perhaps, it is just some kind of magic in there. But the fact is that all the magic is within love. And if this beauty can be lasting, then love can be everlasting. The beauty will never pass away as long as it belongs to love."

"Love can penetrate the veil of flesh and see the soul within. Perhaps old age and ugliness become illusions when love is the vision of the eternal. What can you say about your husband? You have no kids yet. You don't know how it is to be a parent."

"From his early childhood he has wanted to discover something unusual. He dreamed of traveling abroad and seeing the world. He loves the nature so much and I can use a metaphor to say that sometimes it is raining because he is sad. On every continent in the world there should be a mountain peak named after him. He is a good climber."

 

Chapter 5

 

A Very Strange Visit

 

The house had concrete walls, stone floors and a butterfly roof line that comprised two linked pavilions with living spaces. Usually, houses have temperaments, vices and virtues. They look upon the world with almost human faces. With one storey above and a basement, Ella's and Alexander's house had a vaulted roof making a parabolic arch.

At the right wing was the dining room, the first bathroom and the garden. The dining room was located at the front of the house having at the bottom a vertical window, offering a real view of the mountain peaks. The windows were cut out of the form contradicting the conservatory atmosphere created by the people living in that place and, for this reason, generating controversy. The other wing had the living room, a little bedroom and a little kitchen. The living and dining rooms were filled with beautiful antique furniture, dried flowers in vases and ornaments to provide a cozy atmosphere. The meals were served in the dining room at a charming mahogany table for twelve people. Both rooms were decorated in a blend of medieval and renaissance styles. They had a few remarkable wall paintings. The wall shelves also blended nicely with the furniture. The little garden was situated inside the house, near the dining room. It had some exotic shrubs and fruit trees making the atmosphere to be calm and fresh.

Alexander and Ella thought that the garden was very important because they lived near the town and they needed to compensate for the adverse effects of smoke emitted by cars and factories. Raising fruit trees, shrubs and vines in containers was a great gardening adventure. Bringing a miniature exotic garden right into the house helped them to create an indoor serenity garden room where they wanted to escape for some quiet. The living room was very important because it was the place, where they watched their television programs,listened to their music and entertained their friends. The bright kitchen had walls of pastel shades and a tiled floor. The living room opened outside to a little stone terrace and a small pool. The little bedroom, exclusively for Alexander and Ella, was decorated in shades of beige and peach.

The indoor materials used, including wood, bamboo and glass made the home to have a good lighting, insulation and plumbing, as well as a passive cooling design. The house had another bedroom, a second bathroom, the storage room and the laundry room at the upper level. The laundry room with a counter, a sink, a big fully automatic washing machine with plastic drum and a lot of washing utensils was perfectly situated near the bathroom. This bedroom was created for the guests coming from a long distance. The elegant lines of the house exuded a silent grace. Each pavilion contained a central core made of corrugated steel and concrete masonry concentrating most of the plumbing, heating, cooling and electrical systems inside it. The house architecture was designed to handle the wind and snow.

He came out of the darkness. His eyes were the eyes of a feline in the night. He came holding a black leather briefcase. The darkness seemed to envelop him in mystery. She opened the door and let him enter.

''What are you doing here?''

''Nora asked me to leave our home. She couldn't deal with her jealousy. Where is Alexander?''

''His mother is very ill and he went to the hospital to help her. He will be back in the morning.''

''Yeah,actually I knew but I quarreled stupidly with my wife and I forgot. Give me something to eat.''

Ella gave him venison to eat and after that she gave him to drink a cup of red wine. There was a sofa in the living room and she invited him to sleep there. Then she opened the window. It was raining outside but she didn't feel the raindrops. She was worried about Alexander expecting him to come home. She turned on the radio. A singer sang about his own love. It seemed to be an old love. She crouched in a corner and began to cry. Michael came slowly near her and started caressing her shoulders.

''Why do you cry, Ella? Do you know how to cry, little baby?''

''I feel it is not good at all. Alexander's mother needs surgery and he is exhausted. He comes home in the morning to sleep and I must go to the hospital.''

''Let's talk a little about us. ''Michael tried to catch her attention.'' Let's talk about my daughter.''

''It is always the same problem with your stepdaughter. I think that, assuming your relationship with your stepdaughter is otherwise healthy. You must talk with her openly and honestly about all the problems you have in common. You must help her to understand what's going on with you.''

''She simply cannot understand that another one can have a different opinion than she has on certain subjects. Mary may interact more positively with me only by asking me or maybe figuring out what I need to express,'' Michael replied.

''Some persons ramp up their behavior when they feel insecure about something and specifically they ramp it up when they feel insecure because the person they are talking to is withdrawing or having a negative reaction.''

''She has a very strong personality. But she is stubborn."

Michael looked into her beautiful eyes. When she looked into his eyes she felt the same strange sensations as usual.

''The fact that she wants to involve you in her life is very important.''

Ella tried to excuse Mary. She called Alexander to tell him that Michael is there.

''She's waiting for you to react to something that she says, maybe she's looking for the validation from an adult to all she needs to say.'' Michael closed his eyes.

''What did you say?'' I called Alexander.

''Great! I think that it is very important to have a frank conversation with her, as you said a few minutes ago..''

''Do you need some coffee?''

''Yes.''

''You must help her to understand your behavior and your thinking.''

Ella tried to continue her idea.

''Do you have daughters?'' Michael asked her smiling.

''No, do you really have one?''

''I love Nora.''

Michael kissed Ella on the cheek.

''There must be somewhere a journal, where she writes about her thoughts. Try to find it. You will understand her better than before,''Ella told him, becoming suddenly very confused.

''It's so disappointing when a negative reaction can be the only reaction someone ever provides. Don't you think so?''

He came closer to her, few inches away from her face. She felt nervous. He touched her skin gently.

''It sounds like you don't like her. Maybe that's not true, but if these kind of feelings can make living together a challenge, she can pick up on your weakness saying, 'I can't stay any longer in this situation.' You had married her mother. You came into her home and into her life. Maybe she really wants you to like her exactly how she is. ''Ella became slowly insistent.

Michael held her hand until her sorrow went away. After a few minutes, he released her hand. The way he looked at her was very strange. It was like a connection.

''It's possible that her friends do not really understand her like her family does.'' Ella continued to say , but he didn't seem to pay any attention. She wanted to understand his mind,especially when he hid himself behind his own words. Yet, she continued:

''You 're not a stranger. Imagine that you're her step-father.But she needs a real dad.She might try to change you, when she connects with you. I promise to talk with her.''

''Thank you'' Michael became completely absent.

In that moment,Alexander came into the house. He looked very exhausted, but Ella felt that his love was very strong.

''How are you,my love?'' Ella embraced him strongly. ''I will go to the hospital. Michael is here with you. Go to sleep, my love.''

''Aren't you afraid of the consequences, when you write some articles,Ella?''

''I believe in this necessary suffering for the cause of freedom and justice, Michael.''

''It must be always a balance between the security of the people and their fundamental rights.''

''The preservation of the rights and freedoms of the individual are very important. Think a little bit to our ancestors, who died for our freedom and our nation,'' said Alexander.

''We need democracy and freedom.This is why the words are sometimes very important,'' said Ella.

''I think we should do the things we love, even if it is very hard to do this. It is very important to love what you do and to have a motivated passion for doing it. In a society, where we spend more time at work than at home, we must be content with our jobs,''said Alexander. ''Are you going to go or not to the hospital?''

He looked at Ella with kindness, but he was very irritated and very tired.

''I go now, bye,'' said Ella, closing the door behind her.

''Let's go to sleep, Michael,I'm very tired.''

''Me,too. Can you talk with my wife? She's going crazy sometimes.''

''Didn't she call?''

''Not yet.''

''Don't be so worried.She will call tomorrow. Have a good night!'

''You,too.''

In this perfect school, there were sixteen kids in every class. This way, the teachers could give each kid an individual education. A strong teaching environment was really needed for this perfect school. The materials that had to be absorbed over a year should be planned out into equal shares. By the end of the year, the students comprehended the bare basics of each section of the subjects learned in their class. That way, the lessons could never be forgotten. The teachers encouraged the ideas of the children. Sometimes, for some reasons, teachers blew off the kids' ideas, even they might be right. This perfect school had younger teachers because they understood what was going on in a teenager's world.

Mary looked like a primary schoolgirl and she used to stay up all night studying. She needed some color to her skin because she was very pale but her black eyes and her black hair made her to look very beautiful. Her hair was always like she touched an electric fence but it smelled like lily.

Susan, Mary's friend,told her:

''What's the problem with your stepfather?''

Susan looked like a boy because she didn't wear jewelry or earrings. She had green eyes and a blond short hair. She was poorly dressed but she carefully chose her colors.

''There are some few feelings worse than the feeling you have sometimes when your parent is not interested in you or what you have to say. And I have that stupid feeling when everything I say is less important.'' said Mary.

''Everything you think is very important. Something strange happens here because I have new ideas but the people at school don't want to talk with me and don't want to share my new ideas.''

''They base their beliefs on their own personal experiences which can be completely opposite of what you experienced or what you believe.'' said Mary.

''You're like me, and I know that you want to share these exciting new things. I feel stuck in this school with no other friends except you and all these evil teachers. If love can awaken love, then love can awaken goodness.''

'' The goodness may awaken the love, but it may also awaken the resentments. Sometimes,Susan, I don't know why I like so much to be alone.More exactly,I need to feel my loneliness. I like to peer into my inner world, thinking about myself, about life,and about others. I like to understand myself.''

''I don't see anything wrong in this.'' said Susan

''I am a person, after all. I earn in a school attempting to get my exams. That's more tailored to my personality, I think. I don't know why most people are shocked when they actually get to know me or my situation.'' said Mary.

''You are so funny, I didn't know you were like that. Who told you this? It's not true. And try to think a little,we all have strengths and weaknesses, no one is perfect. We may like some people because they are good or we may dislike this persons because they present a contrast to our being. We need to love people around us and we need to accept them such as they are. And this love can become our resurrection.''said Susan.

''Buddha promised Nirvana to those who could abolish the hate. Christ promised the kingdom of heaven to those who could be completely full of love for the mankind. The religious freedom is necessary for the peace and stability.I don't know why some people are afraid of solitude. But I'm not. The solitude is for meditation.'' said Mary.

''Some people are afraid to be alone with themselves. Therefore,they need to be involved in many activities.''

''Sometimes I need to be a different person more thoughtful, more empathetic, and more compassionate than before. I don't know why I have these feelings sometimes.'' said Mary.

''I want to be extremely beautiful and extremely insightful. I don't know why I can't always get what I want.''

''Well, I think you should ask yourself about this. Trust your judgment more often. You are intelligent. You need a preparation to self-improvement. Self-confidence is extremely important in every aspect of our lives, yet so many people struggle to find it.''

''Self-confident people inspire confidence in people around them. You're right. "said Susan.

"I just want to get past this overwhelming attitude of struggling with all through my life.I am thinking of my stepfather,too." replied Mary.

''If there is a problem, then there is always a solution to it. Generally,the problems are not permanent. Why don't you call him Michael?''continued Susan.

''I simply cannot. I don't like him at all. I still don't understand how my mom can love such a guy.

He's a manic-depressive person who loves himself. Imagine a guy like him. His teeth are sharp and so horrible that they're like a shark's set of teeth. His lips are coffee-black. How can she kiss him and make love with him?''

''I think that you feel hurt because you love him a little and you think that he doesn't love you, but you must begin to love yourself, and take care of yourself more than usual. It's important to have your own standards and self respect. So, even if you think that the problem is about getting self-esteem, the most important thing is to have self-value. You are who you are,Mary, and what you need to do with yourself is to nurture that person within you.''

''Maybe you're right,Susan. He doesn't let me say what I think. There is no freedom of thought until thought is revealed as speech. I feel imprisoned.I need a relative equality between me and him but he doesn't seem to understand this.''

''Yes,my dear,I know.We need first of all freedom.And why do we need this? Because freedom is necessary for the evolution. Dan is still your boyfriend?''

''No,we're not together any longer. Now I believe in sexual freedom. Why do you ask me?''said Mary.

''I was just curious. I skipped History. Tell me what do we have to learn for tomorrow?''

''Let me think a little.'' She opened her book. After that she said: ''Look, we have to learn about the goals of the liberation struggle and the effects of the war on individuals.''

''It will be interesting to read.'' said Mary.

''I think so. But I am a peaceful person. I don't like the war.''

''Tell me, do you still love Tom?''

''Yes, I do, why do you ask me?'' said Susan.

''Just because I want to know why do you love him.''

''I cannot find the right words to express what I feel for him. I love him because he's the most amazing friend I have ever known. He's charming, smart and he has a great sense of humor. I feel so happy by being with him. He made it through my wall and he threw my mask out. He accepts my imperfections and appreciates me for who I am.''

''He's a great guy. See you tomorrow.''

''Bye.''

Susan went right to the poor households where the families were living in an atmosphere of hurt and tears. There she really experienced what is called four walls, more exactly, her room. All the poor households in this part of the town depended heavily on wood and other biomass fuels for cooking. These families had the stoves and used clean fuels because the prices are relatively low.

The poor parents had a smaller choice of primary schools for their children.The poorest pupils are likely to be accepted by the local schools. The women usually had four children. So they had more mouths to feed than usual. For the impoverished families, having a secure and comfortable home to raise their families meant to find the best way to bridge the gap from poverty to a normal life.

In the working poor families the lack the earnings necessary to meet their basic needs made life to be a struggle exacerbated by soaring prices for food, gas, health and education. These working families were forced to spend more than half of their income on housing, and nearly thirty percent for health insurance. One in four families was headed by a lone parent and they lived in poverty or below the poverty level. Lone mothers frequently borrowed money. Usually, families and their consumption decisions were neglected and they relied on money help from the others, Susan was a poor girl belonging to a poor family.

She knew that the poor people had small pockets and big hearts.She tried to understand the rich people who could be so selfish sometime, thinking of exploiting the poor families, without realizing that they destroy lives. The poor persons were those who battled to survive among the rich and lived their lives to help others who needed help and hope. Sometimes they were not able to rise out of poverty all their lives. And there were some people climbing out of welfare, drug addiction and homelessness. No one really knew them and for the most part didn't care.

Her brother, Sam, never was at high school, he washed cars but did not own one. Their father was not in their life because he was an alcoholic and a drug user. He didn't have a job and he didn't have a steady place to live. Their mother forced him to leave the home because she didn't want a bad influence around her kids.

 

Chapter 6

 

THE DIRECTOR OF THE THEATER HOSTED A CHARITY BALL IN AID OF THE AIDS PATIENTS

Mary entered the house. She looked very nervous.

"Where have you been?" Michael asked her. "It's late."

"I don't want my problems to be a part of your life."

"You don't have a real problem. You are only pretending to have one."

"I can do anything I want."

"Maybe there is just one real problem. You don't know what you want."

"I know exactly what I want, but I just can't stay focused in anything is important because of you."

"Do you still wait for someone to take care of you?"

"Don't look too much into the mirror of irony. You can get sick."

"What 's the matter? Are you afraid to risk to take your life in your own hands?"

"No, I feel paralyzed by some forces and I am unable to control them."

"But I'm unable to harness your inner strength."

"You cannot do everything you want. The world of the free people doesn't exist for you."

"I know exactly who I am and what I want."

"Yes, but you cannot do everything you want."

"Maybe, but I accept my resignation."

When people are in the hospital, they love to see their friends coming to visit them. The flowers are nice and the personal contact is very meaningful. Sometimes, people don't visit anyone in the hospital. They are nervous when they think of what they have to do and say.

"I admire your strength in all you're going through your whole life. Is there anything I can do for you? I know that you suffer. Can I say a little prayer for you to ease your pain?" Ella tried to be gentle.

Alexander's mother closed her eyes and breathed in. She knew exactly what Ella was talking about. Her shaking hands stopped only for a second before reaching the Ella's coat. She touched Ella's arms with her hands. She turned her head and she could whisper to be heard. "Your words are always picking me up. I always pray for you. Let me introduce you to Claire. She's my room mate. She's waiting for a liver transplant. She's a good friend. I always feel good being around her."

" I listen spiritual tapes and spiritual music and this keeps me occupied. I spent months waiting my death. The disease makes me lonely enough. It says that the agony is a whisper in the roar of hurrying existence". Claire was incredibly nice and she could make you feel comfortable. She used to answer all your questions and to communicate without rushing you. She was super knowledgeable and she could be a great friend.

"We don't ever get bored here," said Martha, another patient. "Claire is a very merry yarn and a caring person, despite her illness."

"Why are you here?" Ella became curious.

"I received a spleen transplant. I ripped my stitches a bit and I had a lot of pain."

"You're just having a bad day as everyone of us," said Claire.

"If my husband had been here, he would have helped me the most. When I was in pain, my daughter was here by my side, patting me and showing me her love." Martha said that their pastor had been tremendously helpful by reaching out to her family. She said that the pastor was generally working to create a peaceful atmosphere within their homes and within the congregation for the persons who are ill. She described how her priest had helped this to happen in her congregation.

"My husband is looking for me, but he cannot enter the hospital. Ella, can you tell me what to do?" Claire said, after receiving a call from her husband.

"He must mention your name or the room number. I was interned in another hospital and I remember that the visitors weren't allowed to go into the patient's room, unless they were given the permission by the nurse." Ella wanted to be useful.

Martha told them that her mother died having the same disease. She complained that she had excessive perspiration in the groin area, palms and soles. She used to drink large quantities of water. She also told them that she was unmarried and she had been having no sexual desire since a very long time. She described herself as a loner and a very sensitive woman. When she was younger, she loved so much to travel. She hated the routine of work, but she had to earn for her living. She has always had a fear of being robbed or raped. Her most painful memories could describe her breaking up relationships.

Alexander's mother was waiting for a heart transplant. Otherwise, the doctors told her she would die of heart failure. She knew that other patients had waited for three months in the hospital before they received their heart transplants. She didn't wait a person to die for receiving the heart, but she hoped that a miracle would save her. She knew that one death can allow one life, even there is no guarantee of restoration of health and life. Alexander's mother chose a private hospital. She was aware that the operation would cost a lot of money, far too much than she could afford to pay. She had a bank deposit. Alexander decided to make a bank loan by mortgaging the house. Ella told Alexander's mother that he had achieved the financial loan. Ella also told her that she was two months pregnant.

In the morning, Ella left the hospital and went home again. Alexander told her that Michael had reconciled with Nora and they had been invited to a ball, on Saturday night. This house party was hosted by the local theater, having a purpose to organize a fund-raising for AIDS patients.

"It is very hard to host a house party for three hundred people. Our director must be very busy," said Alexander.

Nora and some of her friends, who have belonged to a women organization, have decided to assist the director in having a successful party. They have chosen the date for the house party. They provided as much support as possible. They have chosen specialized people to organize the party, based on their fund-raising experience. They started planning the party twelve weeks before this event. This gave them the plenty of time to put together the guest list, to choose the basic donors, to send the invitations, to make the calls and to get the necessary food. After sending the invitations, they knew exactly the people they would expect. They requested a sum donation in the invitations. They thought that they would make an additional pitch for funds during the party by using a speech. They sent the invitations four weeks before that moment. They spent a lot of time calling and answering the phone.

"This is the most important thing you can do to ensure that everything turns out good. People may be able to ignore an invitation, but they will respond to the call. The most important idea about these calls is that you can mirror what's in the invitation and you can tell the prospective guests that their attendance matters to you." Nora became very critical. She said that her father was a very critical man and she grew up acquiring this same trait. She remembered that she used to hear a wonderful concert, but when the soloist missed a note, she could remember the mistake, not the beautiful music that surrounded it. She related to people in a similar fashion. The quality of her life reflected her focus. Because she focused on the negative, what she saw inside herself and all around her were the flaws and the problems.

"Should I ask them to have a checkbook or credit card with them?" Laura wanted to change and to improve the organization of the party.

"It is essential to know when your guests are prepared to make a significant financial contribution," said Nora.

"The party is not for the ill people. They benefit from it, but the party is for the healthy persons. We must think that they love being able to have dinner with other people around them, to have a couple of drinks and to hear other people laughing," said Lisa. She needed to learn how to get out of that situation. She didn't want to come, but she couldn't refuse Laura, because Laura was her friend. She used to build her masked ivory tower and put herself in there. She tried to learn all her life how to deal with it.

"We have had a tough year, but we had made it to be a good one. My collaborators might not look the same, but I really like them and I am happy to work with them. I am in the trenches with them everyday. I want to be with them. It is the time to remember the laughs and the tears that we had. It is the high time to remember the success we had." Laura concluded and tried to explain why she had an unconventional style of work.

She was the prosecutor's wife and she owned a small printing company. She was a very strong woman. Laura had narrow hands, long fingers, and nails very well manicured. She was tall and thin. Something in her big blue eyes made her to be quite attractive and charming. She had a nice sad smile obviously reflecting her goodness of soul. She had a black heavy hair, which hung like a mantle on her shoulders. She had soft thick eyelashes. She had an attractive little face and a scar upon her upper lip, which made her to look very sad.

"We can add more events as barbeques or pool parties. Alternately, we can add events and formalities," said Lisa.

"The donor parties are usually formal events ending with the cocktail parties. We must follow the rules," concluded Nora.

The top families in town were invited to the party as well as all the business people. When the party began, someone dimmed the lights and everybody took a seat at the table. There was a screen above the disco stage, showing everything around. People began to dance, to drink and to eat. Jeff, the director of the theater, climbed up the platform and tried to organize the speakers, who helped him to collect the funds. He wanted to keep a close eye on everything. At midnight, Jeff asked Brandon, the director of the hospital, to give thanks to all the supporters of this cause, along with a little speech about those ill people.

"Thank you for helping me!" Brandon needed to become thankful to Jeff.

"My involvement is obviously controversial," said Jeff, drinking his water.

Jeff had small black eyes, tight skin, a large mustache growing from both the upper lip and cheeks and a short platinum hair. He wanted to make it clear that, despite all the stories about him, his involvement was not for the money.

"I wanted to give to this party a heightened sense," said Jeff.

"The first step is to pay attention and to get this party as organized as possible. Otherwise, you'll get what you deserve. But don't worry, everything will be fine," replied Brandon.

"Hey, David, where is your wife?" Jeff asked him, while he was using a paper towel to wipe his forehead.

"She couldn't come to the party tonight," David said. "She loves your parties, but she is very tired. She remained at home."

David was a very rich business man.

"Do you want to eat some fresh fruits?" Lisa asked David, while she was stretching a fresh fruits plate. Lisa was Jeff's wife.

"Yes, thank you, I like the fresh fruits and the vegetables," said David. "I'm a vegetarian."

"I'm not like you, a vegetarian," said Jeff and his spastic bile-soaked voice became almost indescribably sarcastic.

"Where is Michael?" Lisa began to look after him. A huge smile appeared on her face.

Lisa went on the balcony and she saw Ella talking with Nora. They were seemingly involved in an endless discussion. When they saw Lisa, they stopped talking.

"What a lovely green dress!" Lisa exclaimed. She was visibly impressed because Nora was looking very beautiful in her French dress.

"I love it so much. It's a very expensive unique dress. I bought this piece in Paris, a few months ago."

"I adore it!" Lisa continued. "Where is your husband?"

"He is in the pool room."

Lisa entered the next room for searching Michael. He was there. He was talking with Klaus. Michael had a glass of wine in his hand.

"Did you eat something?"

"Not yet," said Michael, seemingly ignoring her. In fact, while he was talking with Klaus, he was looking at her face very inquisitively. After he had finished the discussion, he went out to search Jeff. After thirty minutes, he returned and searched her. She had been staying there waiting for him, slowly tendering her own face with her hands. After seeing him, she trailed her fingers down to her ears and to her blond hair. She has tilted her head to clearly see his eyes. He looked down to her body. Her breasts had begun to sag. Her body was slender and her long legs were shapely formed. She smiled, showing her teeth. Her green eyes sparkled. She closed her eyes and took a little breath. Opening her eyes, she looked at the man. Michael had never been very thin, but he was a special man, having a well proportioned beautiful body.

"I am a very methodical man," said David.

"I think it is very important to decide your own fate in life. Sometimes, it is very heavy to make your own fortune," said Michael.

"I have a deep respect for the regularity. I am who I am because of this," continued David.

"You're right. This is the secret for being a good business man. Try to understand where a merchant is a genius and where he's an ass," said Michael.

"Maybe he's both of them at the same time."

"Many boys run away from their home at the age of ten to search jobs. I understand them because I was very poor. I learned very hard to be a good actor, while I was working," said Michael.

"When I was fairly eighteen, I found myself doing a good outdoor cleaning service business. I was proud to do this work at my age."

A television channel has announced that the policemen had caught several major drug dealers with a total of one hundred kilos of drugs. They were arrested, being also linked to some crimes. The cocaine was hidden in some containers. David dropped the glass.

"Sorry!" David whispered.

"A business must always be done in a business way. This is the first lesson," said Michael. "What did you say?"

"Did you hear the news?"

"I didn't pay attention. The truth is that I had learned, in time, to jog on into the old routine." He tried to continue his idea.

"An old hunk knows very well to put up his own business. Try to stop him and you will be destroyed," said Klaus, the judge, who had been listening to the discussion since the beginning. He was short of stature and stocky. He had a groomed mustache and a small mouth. His bulging and very expressive eyes had always a quizzical look.

"How are you, my dear friend?" Michael cordially shook his hand. "You're the same Klaus as always, seemingly unchanged."

"Yes, I am. Look, a jealous husband shot and killed his wife, after he had caught her making love at home with another man."

"Tell me the story," said Michael.

"He had to go to work, but he became suspicious because of his wife. He decided to go to a bar to have some drinks. After that, he returned home. His wife had invited her male lover to her matrimonial bed. She was making love with him, when her husband knocked at the door. His wife didn't open the door. The man had to force the door to open and he was very stunned when he saw his best friend with his own wife. The jealous husband shot her wife in her head with a shotgun. After that, he shot her lover. Now, he is guilty of premeditated murder."

"I'm very sad when I hear about someone's death," said Lisa, somewhat scared.

"It's a true and very sad story," replied Klaus.

"It is possible to love and hate someone at the same time. How do you feel?" Lisa tried to catch his attention.

"Someone said that richness is nothing in comparison with health. Sometimes, the demands of the profession are too much for my delicate state of body. I'm an old man," said Klaus courteously smiling.

"Where is my wife?" Michael asked Lisa. "On the balcony!" She replied, suddenly becoming very distracted.

Michael disappeared. Michael met Helen. She was a woman having almost thirty five years old. She left her family and moved in the town, after falling in love with an elven wood cutter. The man had been working in a sawmill for a while but he got very ill.

After the wood cutter had passed away, she has worked as a prostitute to pay off his debts. She had no reservations about what she had to do for living, even she was a mother of a six years old boy. She possessed a slanted sense of morality, which guided her life. Helen was beautiful. She didn't need to blatantly flirt on the street with the men for making them her clients. She was approached by the men. She used to select only beautiful young men and rich old clients. She was working on the main street corridor almost every day. She had ten regular johns associates for doing this kind of work. Some of them had been drugged before being fifteen years old and, after that, they have been selling sex for money.

"Hello!" Michael was all eyes, searching for the snug in her body look.

She walked near the car.

"What's up with you?"

Michael told her to climb into his car. Holding a big plastic bottle filled with brandy, she opened the door and she hopped in.

"Are you Helen?" asked Michael.

"Yes. I am."

"I suppose you're a resident," said Michael.

"You're right. How did you guess?"

"Mark told me," continued Michael.

"Mark told me to get in touch with you," said Helen.

"We may have to do some smooth talking to get the deal," continued Michael.

"You probably want to get an idea about me, before you give me what I need," continued Helen.

"I guess you're right," said Michael.

"Where are we going?"

"You will see. You're a very curious woman," smiled Michael. "Anyway, it is a very pleasant place." After that, he turned to her and he looked right into her eyes. He said, "Your work is very pleasant."

"Especially for men," laughed Helen.

"Isn't it pleasing for women?"

"Oh, yes, sometimes."

She had a very sad smile.

The house was situated on the beach. They entered the house. He invited her into the living room and he offered her something to drink. She saw a large poster on the wall with a kangaroo.

"Why do you keep this?" Helen asked him. Her eyes found his gaze and a curious expression was plastering itself across her face.

"I like that she holds her baby in her pouch. Go and take a bath."

"Of course!"

After thirty minutes of washing, she left the bathroom to enter the living room. She was wearing a long white coat. Michael invited Helen to eat. On the table there were all the sorts of dishes she had never eaten before. After twenty minutes, they went into the bedroom. The room was decorated in red and black. They started having sex. The sound of the waves, ebbing on the sandy shore in the distance, was soothing. Her mind was occupied by so many thoughts. She had no idea why she felt so scared, even nothing could really scare her. She was surprised to feel the softness of his skin.

"I want you so badly!" Michael took her in his arms.

"I want to swim to the shallow end of the pool," said Helen.

"Later!" Michael said. "I need you now."

He began to cut off her words by kissing her. He scooped her into both his arms and lifted her for pushing his wishes within her dreams. All of a sudden, she felt her mind fading out because her senses have become diluted. She could no longer grip for her own satisfaction upon him. She could only wait and moan in her spirit because she felt trapped in her own body. She could no longer move her body, she felt paralyzed by his movement while he had sex with her. She had a strange feeling. It was like a creature had split her body up. She could not resist anymore. It was ecstasy and agony. She lost her control.

"Take care of her, Mark!" Michael told him and he got out of the house to return to the party.

 

Chapter 7

 

Alexander's Mother Had a Heart Transplant

 

Alexander had been at the hospital to watch his mother's surgery. He had been looking through the window to see the staff in the operating room. They had been wearing scrub green clothes, caps and masks. The surgical tables had been set up with metal instruments. Alexander's mother had been laid flat on a surgical table. A safety strap had been put over her knees and she had been covered with two extra blankets. She had been endotracheally intubated and her vital signs had been closely checked. Three leads had been used to monitor her heart. She had been connected to a monitor to count her heart rate. From time to time, the doctor had been looking on the screen to search the normality of her heart. A nurse had placed a small pulse oximeter on her finger to measure her pulse and the amount of oxygen in her blood. The surgeon had exposed the chest cavity and had opened the pericardium to remove the heart. A bypass machine had been hooked up to the arteries and veins of the heart. The machine had been pumping her blood through her lungs and body, while the diseased heart had been removed. The donor heart had been sewn into the place to fit the remaining parts of the old one. The surgery took almost five hours. After the operation, she was taken to a special hospital floor for recovery. Alexander looked at her and he was so happy to realize that she's still alive. He understood that there were some moments of suspense, but the operation was successful. He felt as his skull would split in two. Thousands of words and images were scrambling about this event in his mind. He tried to control the swirling of information he had stored in his memory.

He was very tired. When he asked the doctor if he could guarantee her life, he told Alexander that her condition was changed in better.

"What must she do after leaving the hospital, doctor? I want to help her."

"Try to increase her activities very slowly, Alexander. She will get her full strength back, in time."

"I'm scared, doctor, because her immune system is very weak."

"You must watch for possible signs of infection. Someone must take care of her. I will give you some details. Anyway, the heart biopsy will spot the immune rejection."

"Isn't it better to remain here?"

"You can take her home, but she must avoid the contact with the people that have infections such as flu or cold."

"Thank you very much. When can I take her home?"

"Try to contact me after ten days."

"Good bye, doc!"

"Good bye. Have a nice day!"

Alexander left the building of the hospital and drove his car home. He thought, while shifting gear carefully, that he should count himself a very lucky son. The event overwhelmed him and he couldn't fully realize the real meaning of it.

People were still dancing at the party, when Nora received a call from one of her patients. It was an urgency. She was very passionate about dentistry and she used to take care of all her patients. She used to take a lot of time to listen to her patient's concerns and to address their needs in the most caring manner. She understood that dentistry could not always be pleasant, but her patients should have a positive experience.

It was seven o'clock in the morning, when Nora said to Ella, "I have to go, my dear, because I have an emergency. Did you see Michael?"

"I saw him a few minutes ago. Look, he is coming."

Nora kissed Michael. "I have to go. I have an urgency."

"I will drive Ella home and maybe I will return here, or I will go home to sleep."

"See you at home!" said Nora. She kissed him again.

The tables of her dental cabinet had the surfaces made of quartz stone. The wooden drawers were equipped with wheel orbits, which enabled the drawers to go back automatically to their original position. Everything around was kept clean for shining. The main body of the cabinet was made of melamine board. The aluminum alloy pull handle had a blue surface. The color was shriveled up here and there, creating the image that the pull handle can crack at any moment. Nora had a radio in her cabinet, which served as a decorative aspect and to keep the atmosphere calm and cozy.

"I was so thrilled to find you, doctor!" Norman told her, while he was trying to hide his trembling voice. "You was recommended by my co-worker. He told me that your office staff is very friendly and professional and you're up on all the latest technology and dental information. I am honestly nervous and somewhat scared. I know that every treatment is different and I was wondering how long it takes for you to treat my tooth. Sometimes it is a very bleeding act. This dental surgery part is what makes me be so scared."

Nora took him by the hand, she helped him to feel comfortable and to overcome his fears. She began to work. After she had finished her work, Nora asked him, "Did you feel pain during my dental treatment?"

"No, not at all! You changed my life. Your staff is awesome. You made me feel completely comfortable and you did an amazing job."

"I was wondering if you're still afraid to come here."

"The horrific dental experience, which I had gained many years ago, determined me to develop this kind of phobia. Now, I feel better than before. By the way, you was wearing a wonderful dress when you entered here."

"Thank you, Norman."

After performing the ceremony, Michael asked Ella to drive her home.

"Can we go home?" Michael asked her, having to raise his voice to be heard over the bass of the music, which seemed to make the theater to shudder. Ella told him to wait a few seconds and continued to talk with Laura and Jeff. Their discussion seemed to be very important. Michael found himself staring into her sparkling eyes and getting lost in them, until she asked him what happened. She looked at him smiling. He seemed to have a very visceral response to her smile, which seemed to be pretty stuck on himself.

"You was a little bit nervous." Suddenly, he turned to her, he embraced her and tenderly kissed her on her lips.

"Are you happy, baby dear?" He turned her to face his feeling and, with his powerful gaze, he searched her eyes, silently communicating all she needed to know. He pushed her hair out of her face. The worst of everything was that she realized how much he has been missing her all these years. She remembered that she had wanted to go out of this life because of him as inconsequentially and insignificantly as she had passed through it. A primal instinct awakened in her as his aura summoned her. It took everything she had, but she resisted his riveting smile. Gesturing with his head, he said, "By the way, I feel excited to drive this new machine home."

Raising her eyes to him, she said, "I paid for my car repairs, but it's not ready. You're a very good friend, Michael."

He offered her a drink, but she declined. He drove very carefully, watching the road. "Tell me, when the men will stop being the emotional tampon of the women, Ella?" He had looked like being deep in thought for a few minutes. After that, he was noticing how their relationship have changed in time. Ella was tenderly touching his hair and his neck. She was tired, but not completely exhausted. She felt better seeing again, for a few moments, the same man she had loved long time ago. "I feel okay," said Ella and, this time, he knew it was true.

"Do you expect the women to magically fall in love with the men, if they're only nice to them?" Ella searched for his answer.

"You know, the men totally feel the pains of the women when they love them."

She narrowed her eyes and shook her head, saying, "That's what I was wondering to know."

"Women are sometimes so useless. The first half of them thinks that men are actually being bad and they don't get them, while the other half of women completely tries to get them, pretending that they don't do this. And it's up to men like me to decide if the women are worthless or not. Sometimes, it's a waste of time to do this," said Michael.

"Maybe nice married men like you should stop thinking of this subject and start taking notice of their own women," said Ella.

"I hope when you're shouldering your massive burden of responsibility as a wife, you're able to understand which real category of women you fall into."

"Stop being so malicious!"

"Always a man tries to make happy the woman he's in love with, but sometimes, he doesn't receive love in return. What actually changes his attitude is the fact that the man learns from his experience and he doesn't repeat the same mistake."

"Maybe this man needs to find a woman, who deserves someone like him. Why do you tell me this?"

"Just talking!" She looked straight into his eyes, but Michael averted her eyes. He continued his idea because he thought that Ella wanted to know these specific details. "Maybe I want to understand the woman, who receives love, but she is incapable to give love," continued Michael.

"Give her a good spanking," smiled Ella. He turned his head and looked at her. He understood that his jealousy was a powerful thing, after all. Even though, he had initially decided to avoid standing in between Ella and Alexander. In meanwhile, he might have changed his mind. He might have turned against that love to fight for reconquering her heart, in the end.

"No man has ever been interested in a woman who is taken. There's more than one beautiful woman in this world."

"May I suggest you to tell her how bad she is. It might work. I feel sick, Michael!"

"Why, my dear?"

"I'm pregnant."

"What?"

"I feel like I wanna throw up everything from my stomach. It can be an acid reflex or something like this."

"I will ask Nora to call a doctor to visit you." They entered the house. After all, Michael was trying to remember those lost moments in time, mainly for Ella's sake. Ella wanted him, even she had been scared and had leaved him long time ago. Now, with this child, he begin to lose control.

"Just try and calm down. I'm sure that your baby is safe," said Michael.

After fifteen minutes, Nora and the doctor entered the house.

"Oh, my dear, maybe you ate something wrong," said Nora, being visibly worried.

"I snacked more salt food, fruits and veggies," whispered Ella.

"How do you feel? Do you have pains?" Doctor asked her.

"My breasts were becoming more sensitive than usual and I am cramping. I started shaking and I feel like vomiting."

"Are you sure that you're pregnant?"

"I had been visited by the doctor. He helped me to read my pregnancy test. He had to visit me again because I had nausea. Then, I did a blood test and they told me that that I'm pregnant."

"Take this," said the doctor, giving her a pill.

"You will feel better than you can imagine. Every pregnancy is different, my dear. Don't worry! It's totally normal."

"Thank you, doctor. You was so kind to come here to visit me," said Ella. After that, she continued, "I'm so happy, Nora. I love Alexander so much and this child is a real blessing. You should think to have another one. Michael, what do you say about this?"

"It's up to her, Ella, what can I say?"

"Indeed."

 

Chapter 8

 

The Pregnancy

 

Ella was lying in bed, trying to sleep, when she heard Alexander telling her:

''The fecundity isn't an end of marriage.The fundamental task of this fecundity in the family is to be at the service of life.''

''The children must grow to love and serve the will of God. It is hard to raise a child.You don't seem to be very tired.''replied Ella.

''We must stay together until the end. Everything will become easier than you think. I'm extremely tired, but I'm determined to stay up just for my mother. They can call any time.''

''Of course, my love.''

''The communication between us is very important. ''Alexander kissed her.'' You must never hide anything from me. Ask me anything you want to know. I will tell you.''

''Don't worry. I've learned to have wings of true feelings.'' continued Ella.

He was slender and is in good shape. He turned suddenly to Ella and said:

''When a man finds out that his girlfriend has lied to him he feels hurt. Sometimes she tells him lies only to hurt him and even if it is not very important, their love can never be the same.''

''Sometimes a lie can cause a great damage.'' replied Ella being seemingly absent.

''Love will not be salvageable in this case.'' insisted Alexander.

''Who would want a treacherous person as a lover? Yet, the little lies can lead to the spoiling of relationships.'' continued Ella pointing up her remark.

''It is a difference between the lies and the untruths. The untruths are white lies and they are said in order to avoid hurting somebody or to protect oneself. Sometimes the untruths are necessary.'' replied Alexander trying to excuse himself.


''Sometimes people tell half-truths to get out of trouble.'' said Ella becoming increasingly insistent.

''I just do not feel comfortable when I don't know whether a person is telling the truth or is telling lies...'' continued Alexander being seemingly absent.

"Do you suggest that I'm a liar?" asked Ella.

"No, not at all. Michael suggested that you are not completely honest when you say that you love me. I trust your love." said Alexander.

''I don't love him any longer, Alexander. He has an official attitude but in particular he is completely different. I see him differently now. The people are so eager to accept the mask of the human face. Each mask hides a legacy of pain or a loss of the self. This mask is the door of a maze of untruth housing all the human authenticity within it. It is very hard to look and enter there and almost impossible to get out from there.'' continued Ella.

'' Yes, they down another mask to ensure that you fall short of your goal because they have been so scared of the idea of looking inside themselves and behind all of their masks harboring the face of their true identity in the core.'' said Alexander.

''I love you!'' said emphatically Ella.

Alexander embraced her tightly and began to kiss her and fondle her body.

''I love you,too!'' said Alexander. ''You're the one I have been waiting for all my life. Tell me,how does it feel when the baby is moving inside you?''

''Amazing!'' Ella felt her happiness. She continued:

''I feel little bumps. He's kicking quite hard enough feel but not hard enough to hurt. He has a habit of jamming both feet up into the right side of my rib-cage.'''

''Are you sure?''

'' Of course I'm sure.''

''Are you sure that we will have a little boy?''

''Oh,yes, he is very strong like his father.''

Ella kissed Alexander.

''I must tell you something. I had a nightmare last night.''

''Tell me!''

''I started hearing voices from some invisible creatures in my dream. It was really crappy. They started touching me, kind of tickling me but in a negative way. I might, perhaps, have been trying to defend myself, without saying one word, but it was almost impossible for me to do that. All the time I was saying to myself that I wanted to wake up because I knew it was a dream. I was always trying to close and open my eyes in my dream in order to wake up but I was still there.''

''I want to protect you.I love you and I'm always here for you. I'm your husband.''

''Thank you,darling. Does your mother feel better?''

''Of course.''

''And Claire?''

''Claire has had the liver transplant at the same time with my mother's heart transplantation.''

''This is really great, Alexander, they are both lucky.''

''It was a matter of chance, my dear.''

''Let's sleep tonight.''

''Let's sleep with the butterflies and keep the bees.'' smiled Alexander.

''Good night.''

''Good night,my dear,sweet dreams.''

He held her in his arms.

Susan arrived home. She thought that her home is the poorest place she has ever seen. There were the little kids in this adjacent neighborhood willing to learn and take life seriously. They were willing to listen to their parents. Usually, they didn't argue very much. But the big kids were just mouthing off and yelling the nastiest insults to everyone. She saw a seventeen year old boy picking a fight with another one. She told him to shut up but his response was "yo n*gga don't tell me to shut up, I'll beat yo cracka azz". Susan noticed that the big kids in this bad neighborhood were dumb, stubborn, unwilling to learn, willing to blame everyone for everything, and willing to do the most low life things like hitting women for no reason. She had thought that some parents just didn't know how to control their kids.The violent video games, the violent movies, and,generally, the violence around every corner determined children to enjoy being violent in order to have fun. There were some kids trying to value their life just like their teachers. They respected the adults and they wished to learn. The problem with trying to live by someone else values is that they will never feel as though they're managing it. At the end of the day, what matters is that they live up to their own values.

Susan entered her home.

''How are you,mom?'' asked Susan kissing her mother.

''I'm working, but I am not feeling well, I'm sick. - Susan, go and wash the dishes, wash the laundry, prepare the meal and clean the house.''

''Does your kidney hurt anymore?'' continued Susan.

''I want to do everything that I want to do, but now I am sick. I don't feel healthy enough to work. Right now, I'm feeling too tired for active things. I'd like to be able to work but maybe when I get used to my treatment and start feeling better, I might be able to do more. But right now, I'm not strong enough.''

''I can't do all the things,mom. My brother must help me.''

''He is working, Susan.''

''There's not enough money to pay all the bills and your medication. I must take care of the house and the family, I have to learn and now I realize that I must have a job. I thought of staying with a neighbor sometimes after school. What do you think?'

Susan had a very sad look.

''We need to work together to keep our family running smoothly.'' tried to say her mother.

''Mom, you're so ill, you need a transplant. You cannot work.''

''We are very poor,my dear,and it seems that poor people always stay poor.''

'' But you have a cousin and her daughter is a doctor. Why don't you ask her for help? I am sure that she will help you.'' insisted Susan.

''She had raised her two daughters without any help and now the oldest daughter has done well in life - she is a doctor, and she has just opened up a clinic. She will never help me. I'm the poor cousin. It takes money to make other money.You must learn to be someone,Susan. It's your own battle of desire and setting goals, my dear.''

''There is no shame in being poor. I think it is all about the attitude and what you want to do with your life!''exclaimed Susan.

''I think that a lot of people from poor families might not feel motivated because of the hardships they face, but my family can do better. We are not exactly destitute and we do struggle for surviving. We can do anything we want to do in life. We must get out from this vicious cycle that never ends. You are gifted and talented and the teachers recognize this. They have told me. I will do everything to help you surpassing your problems. You will not work but you will learn.'' tried her mother to think rationally.

''Money doesn't make people happy but a reasonable sum can make a family to be financially stable. This is not our situation." continued Susan.

''You're right.We must accept that we are poor and we must work for having a financial stability. I'll talk to your brother to take a second job.''

Sam entered the house.

''Hello, what are you talking about?''

''She wants to have a job. She must learn. You will take a second job.''.

''I agree with you. I left the school and I have the ambition to make a lot of money as I have a taste for the finer things. The family is dealt a crap hand now and our dear father, who has just returned home - must work too.''

''I think that Susan will be able to change the status of our living. It's a very good idea to talk with your father.''

''Do you know what happened to Alison? ''said Sam

''No.'' said Susan. ''Tell me.''

''Well,she was drugged and raped by her client. But no one can believe a helpless victim. The police took her for questioning. She admitted that she is a prostitute. She said she willingly went into that house. She was forced to enter into a bedroom and she was raped .She said that the music was loud and no one could hear her screams or the sound of her body being tossed around the room. She had been repeatedly raped or probably beaten for not obeying so she might have been able to do the right thing. But her client had been so violent,therefore, she jumped through the window. She was naked while going out the window.''

''Maybe she lies.'' said Susan.

''Where there is smoke there should be some fire too.''

''I am truly sad because of what happened to her. She had a friend, Helen, who is a prostitute too. We must tell her the news.''

''Imagine that Helen disappeared so strangely.'' continued Sam having an astonished look on his face.

''She was here last week. What happened with her little boy?''


''I didn't know that she has a kid!'' exclaimed Sam.

''The poor child! His mom is a hooker and a drug addict. I hope he gets some help.''

 

Chapter 9

 

Mary Went to Visit Her Grandmother

 

Mary's father was living in a rural village having four hundred houses and approximately two thousand people. The village was largely accessible solely by foot. Both men and women did hard work in that village, including carrying heavy loads up and down the steep slopes that were so common there. Many of the homes were accessed by narrow streets, too small to allow any kind of transportation. The men used to carry things over their shoulders. The women used to carry them on their heads. Surprisingly, even the old women used to carry heavy loads without having any problem. The children walked the paths daily to school. For this reason safe footpaths were very important to the community. Of course there was a bus that came every three hours but it ensured only the connection between the villages and the town and it was not used for the current activities. The polyethylene biogas systems fed with cow dung, have been used as an integrated solution to issues related to energy, agriculture and waste management. Cutting down the forests was the most significant environmental concern of the people in that village. The deforestation had led to erosion, low soil fertility and water shortages. The people living there were all farmers having the land titles. Her father lived with her grandmother, owning a nice big house in the center of the village. Her father was a teacher. After the divorce he had not remarried.

'' Tell me how it works the rural credit markets?''asked Mary.

'' They work by using the standard bilateral lending contracts between a lender and a single borrower. The liability for repaying the loan rests with the individual borrower only, although in some cases another individual might serve as a guarantor. When a borrower responds to the contract, the lender obtains the information about the riskiness of the borrower, and induces him to take actions to reduce the likelihood of default. These mechanisms may be in the credit market itself or they may rely on contracts in related markets."answered Theodore.

''Very interesting. We can take a credit to buy more cows and more milkers so that we can sell the milk. ''

''The milk at its freshest point is very perishable and it has to be moved regardless of the price. Moreover, the farmers have so much storage. Therefore, the milk is more abundant, and producer prices are low. Faced with an oversupply and negative earnings, dairy farmers have to cut immediate losses by butchering milk cows. Sometimes, when the cows are pregnant, the density of milk collected is very low, the total quantity of milk to be refrigerated is also low and the economical capacity used for a refrigerated tank cannot be obtained. ''replied Theodore.

''In this case, we can build our own milk pasteurization factory. ''tried Mary to suggested.

'' Look, Mary, the dairy equipment for pasteurizing milk usually has a big capacity. Moreover, it is very expensive and it requires a very well trained personal. The imported packaging material also represents an important investment. It's a waste of time. Firstly I have to extend the safety of the water supply and the sanitation facility. We have all we need here for our own household, but look at our neighbors. The lack of safe drinking water and sanitation facilities are the root causes of hunger, disease and poverty. Just look at those women and children, who use water for their families every day of their lives. Every day women can walk up to two hours away to find water for the household that has sometimes been contaminated. With the continued erosion of the terrace system and soil, access to clean water becomes a more pressing issue each year. How can I build a factory here? You're such a big child sometimes. ''

Theodore became visibly nervous.

''How it works our water supply system?''she asked softly, looking a little worried.

'' Oh, it's very easy. The conveyance system is required to transfer the collected rainwater from the catchment surface situated on the rooftop to the storage tank. Three down-pipes are connected to the collection devices which are in fact the rooftop gutters. The pipes used for conveying the rainwater are made of plastic because of the acidic rainwater. The storage tank is constructed of polyethylene because it is easier to be cleaned than other type. It has three openings which can be fitted with the connecting pipes. I chose a secured cover to avoid the contamination with mosquitoes, insects and rodents. I have an inlet filter for excluding the debris, the dirt, and the leaves. I used to chlorinate the storage tank. I have two pumps for the extraction system of the stored water. The faucets are installed at ten centimeters above the base of the tank because this allows any debris entering the tank to settle on the bottom. . I found seven neighbors who wanted to join me in my attempt to construct a bigger water catchment's tank to provide clean water but I didn't find any financial support. ''Theodore tried to explain.

''I see that you have built a large household, dad! It looks amazing!''exclaimed Mary.

''I have one hundred poultry, two cows and five goats. The veterinarian comes very often to take care of the animal's health, but the most important thing is the sanitary animal sheds, and the proper facilities. These animals can be sold very easily in the market and therefore providing a dependable source of income. ''

Grandmother's house was pretty big having a basement and a ground floor. Grandmother chose a sunny spot for her garden. Leafy greens like spinach and lettuce could thrive with less light. Her garden was located to facilitate full access from the kitchen. She could see the garden from her window. She improved it by adding organic matter such as compost. The garden was small because grandfather, when he was alive, built a garage that took over a quarter of the space. She had a nice decked area adjoining the house with table, chairs, and flowers. There was a path on the right with little trees. She had a small pond which was the home of some frogs. She had a bird bath, a bird table, and two nut feeders. There were strawberries in front of the house. In the spring the strawberries grew up and they threw their seeds. Every spring they grew up to their full bloom. Grandmother decided their permanent home along the back gray fence. The grass spontaneously used to grow up thanks to the seeds which had been brought there by the wind from the fields around. A spontaneous garden certainly was a bit less tidy but it was beautiful.

''My garden is my sanctuary. Working in the garden has saved my sanity over the years. ''said Grandmother.

''It is a lovely place, Grandma!''

''Look at my veggie garden, at those zucchini, potatoes, beans, and tomatoes. I don't know why but even I worked very hard watering and feeding the plants I didn't see any cucumber. I had to tear them out. Martha, my neighbor, stepped over and asked me if she could have a few sprouts. I saw those bumps growing on the center of the stalks and I realized that I have sprouts without doing anything. She visits me every day. '' explained Grandmother.
''I like to have breakfast here and enjoy the smell of jasmine, lilac, and lavender. The cat somehow knows that she is allowed here but she always waits for me to take her. ''said Mary.

'' The flavor and the texture of the peppers is twice as good as any pepper I have ever had from the shop. ''

Grandmother continued very convincingly.

''The peppers are sensitive vegetables. You must know very well how to plant them. '' Theodore agreed with her.

''The condition of your plants is very good. By the way, I love to sit here and watch the birds. '' Mary continued to say. She was looking at the sky.

''I love this too. It makes me calm. I love getting up in the morning and hearing the birds singing and watching the sunset over the tops of the trees in the evening. I think many people do not have the chance to experience the beauty of nature at their home. '' said Grandmother looking proudly at her niece.

''It might be a great thing if farmers take up cultivation of plants while embracing the technology of tomorrow. ''suggested Theodore.

''They don't know anything about vegetables, Theodore. They grow plants as their parents have taught them. '' continued Grandmother.

'' Some plants need constant attention. Some vegetables grow faster and more generously than others. It's important to know them all, so that we can plant a few of the faster variety and more of the slower variety. This way, we will have a very well balanced garden. ''continued Theodore.

''Let this natural grass to be always self planted. This way, we can get daisies and dandelions too. By the way, I saw some hedgehogs and gorgeous little field mice. . They were so cute and friendly. ''said Mary.

''The new houses do not tend to have a garden because people build more houses on every piece of land. They're day by day smaller and smaller, then closer and closer to one other. ''said Theodore.

''One morning, I told your father I was going to go to catch the train. When I left the house and was getting in my car, I looked at my new neighbor's garden and noticed that there was no grass. In the evening, when I came back home, his garden was covered with a perfect green grass. I asked him how was it possible, and he showed me a new system. It consists in cultivating a subtle layer of grass in wide fields with a particular technique. This technique allows farmers to pick it up all together like a carpet and to roll it up for selling it. ''said Grandmother.

'' I don't any longer wake up in the morning to see the landscape because all those fields had been sold and people have been starting to build new houses using every centimeter of the free land. The new houses do not tend to have a garden. The farmers wrongly used their own lands that had been destined for the agricultural purpose for many generations. Nevertheless, they changed their destination into building areas after selling these lands at four times the price their parents had originally bought them. . Now, the administrators allow more and more constructions because they make more money this way. '' said Theodore having a very sad look.

All summer long, the old apple tree had stretched out its branches wide to catch the rain, the sun and to make its apples to grow round and ripe. Autumn has come and the old apple tree had great red apples. Mary looked so longingly at the red apples, wishing she might have ate one to eat. . She picked up one apple and roundly held it in her hands. It smelled very sweet. She put it to her mouth and took a great bite of it, then another bite, and another. Soon, there was nothing left of the apple but the core. She smacked her lips and said:

''Your apples are very good, Grandma!''

Grandmother smiled. She used her face as a way to express her affection for Mary. Them she closed her eyes.

''Do you want to drink some fresh milk, Mary? It's still warm. ''asked Theodore.

''Of course. The milk collected straight from the udder is very good. By the way, it is also used as a medicine. I heard that it can cure some chronic diseases. ''

''I found three quail eggs. Do you want to see them?'' continued Theodore.

"They are so small!"exclaimed Mary.

''Everything I have here is delicious. Do you see those plants?''

''Yes, Grandma!. ''

'' I use berries, nuts, flowers and roots of plants to make natural dyes. I get vivid colors from those plants. I must always gather the flowers that are in their full bloom. I pick the berries and I use only the mature nuts. I use only the mature roots to get the right color. ''

''Why do you need natural dyes, Grandma?''

Mary became very curiously.

''I wash the sheep's fleece to spin it into yarn. Then, I spin only the wool that is already washed even I can spin the wool which is still unwashed but it is easier to spin the wool that is washed. I use the Lendrum one-pedal to spin the wool. Let me tell you a little secret- I will never sell it for the whole world. Then, I dye the wool naturally. ''

''How can you do this?''

''I make up the mordant and I put the wool in the mordant and I bring it to a simmer. I rinse the yarn in warm water, I prepare the dye bath, I place the yarn into the lukewarm dye bath, I heat it and let the simmer for about an hour. After that, I allow it to dry in a cool place. I knit hats, socks, sweaters, vests, scarfs, and mittens for me and your father. ''

Martha came to visit Grandmother. She was served with homemade mini-brioches, strawberry jam, and juice from the fir buds syrup, all of them being made by my Grandmother.

''Did you make them yourself?'' asked Martha. ''It's very good''

''From the buds of the fir trees, I obtained this tasty syrup, and I heard that it retains its therapeutically qualities. I have my own method. ''said Grandmother smiling.

"Since I was operated for spleen transplantation I cannot eat very much of anything."said Martha.

''Grandma, tell me about my mother. ''

''When they lived both in the village, Nora and Theodore loved each other very much. I can say that they lived very well here. Yet, the bad day came for them. She met Michael and she fell in love with him. ''

''How did this happen?'' Mary became very curious.

''Well, Ella was a substitute teacher. Ella wasn't still married to Alexander But he came very often to visit her. They were engaged. Michael, as one of Alexander's friends, frequently accompanied him. . Your father was a colleague of Nora. They both worked as teachers at the same school. Ella invited your parents to her birthday and so Nora and Michael met each other. One month later your parents divorced and your father became a very lonely person. He is still a loner waiting for her to return. ''

''I hate Michael '' said Mary.

''Take care of your mother. Michael allies with a few suspicious businesses and I'm sure that he will leave Nora. Your mother has suffered very much. ''

Theodore came with some fruits in his hands and heard what his mother said.

''Are you sure that the child must know all these dirty secrets?''

''She must know the truth, Theodore. ''

''Don't hate him, Mary, just pray to God, because He is love and if we are going to be a valid conduit of His power, with anointing and compassion we must let His love flow in and through us. You must feel sorry for Michael. He didn't know the way to meet God and this is why he failed in love. Their love is a failure and you'll understand this in time. . ."concluded Grandmother.

 

Chapter 10

 

Alexander and Ella Gave a Party

 

Alexander had many dreams about freedom and happiness. He tried to express them in the poems he wrote, those so-called "desk-drawer poems". Usually, he talked about his poems in that manner because he didn't have enough confidence in himself. He felt that he was not well understood and he was afraid to expose himself. Ella was his only reader and she didn't betray him. She was always encouraging him. He saw the nothingness hidden behind the apparent honest human faces and he avoided them. His motivating dream was to become an actor and he achieved his goal. Ella has begun to write a novel called 'The New Prometheus'. The main character looked very much like her husband. Moreover, her dream would become real through the vision of her life. She tried to read many books in order to avoid facing on some moments of her reality. Someone taught her that she could become an achiever, despite all her problems. Secretly, she wondered to achieve the greatness of the works she had read. She has always had a passion for writing books. So, she set her goal to write her first book. She faced many challenges in striving to overcome her inability to write well. She had to re-write many pages over and over again. Nevertheless, she was persistent and she did not give up. Her writing skills continued to improve. When the book was finished, her self-confidence increased very much. She had previously dreamed to write a book. Writing books has become one of the goals that she would have to achieve in making her vision to be real.

While she was writing her first book, she tried to understand her husband better than before and she tried to provoke certain positive reactions. Finally, the book was printed at the press of Laura's printer. Jeff asked her to allow him to create a scenario based on her book, which "Can be awesome to play in ".

"I became a character in my own life due to you," said Alexander.

"Why do you say this?" Ella asked him, being seemingly astonished.

"So tell me what I don't know, my darling," said Alexander tenderly.

Ella began to laugh because Alexander seemed to be very confused.

"I can imagine you playing yourself!" She said.

"Try me! I need some explanations, first of all."

"Honestly, I wrote only about Prometheus in my book. It is you who wanted to be like him. I can accept you as you are. The society, in which Prometheus lives, is a new ideal society like Plato's Republic. The character is extrapolated to the ideal of his human nature. He has majestic features of personality. More exactly, it is about the ideal perfection and its physiological structure with a profundity and a beauty of understanding. He has dignity and an exemplary nature of conduct. This kind of perfection can be conceivable by the human understanding. It is an extrapolation from the human condition to the divine condition. Moreover, my book is an inner extrapolation of the mythological Prometheus from his own condition as a human being to his own divine condition."

"I understand that your novel is an utopia," said Alexander.

"Generally, men are impatient of any restrictions. They feel that the universe is withholding from them something they deserve. Once they are intoxicated by the quest, they will never stop to get what they want. They must learn that they can risk their own destruction. Above all, they feel their pursuit of this forbidden fire as a provoking attitude. The Promethean fever causes them to be dangerously out of touch with the reality through the misuse of imagination and creativity. The modern Prometheus has a lot of kindness and sacrificial values of becoming an ideal man, yet so, well dissociated from the material world. So, men have the tendency to follow this fire thief, Prometheus. They can do this for a while, until they understand their condition. And once their ideals fall into reality, they begin to understand their limits," said Ella.

"I feel like dying when I look at you."

"Why do you say this?"

"Because too much happiness can kill," said Alexander.

"Too much happiness is a mirror and we should all peer into it at least once," said Ella.

"What kills the happiness? "

"A series of simple little things, like saying 'yes' too many times, when you really should say 'no'," said Ella, smiling.

"I don't agree with you, Ella. We will talk about this later. By the way, our family grows and we must extend our house. I plan to build a new room for the child and a new bathroom. I will extending them out from the middle of the back. I would like to extend the deck a couple of feet beyond the corner of the house. My plans are to plant some trees in that corner of the landscaping. I need some experts to obtain the planning authorization for house extensions and building regulations applications. I think to build the house extension and to undertake the interior reconfiguration, but it can be pretty expensive for us. I hope that I can manage this. An architect will come up with some new ideas. What do you think about this?" He looked into her beautiful eyes and he understood her love.

"How will you get the necessary money to put this project into practice, Alexander?"

"I have some money left from the loan I made. We will live in the house of my mother during all this time."

"Saturday is your birthday. Find out how many people you can invite. I want to know how much food to buy."

In the beginning, while people are coming in, the party is at a low building up momentum. The combined energy hits a tipping point, where the vibration takes over the whole atmosphere. For Alexander's birthday party, Ella was all fired up to make sure that the event turns out nice. The night before the party, Ella and Alexander spent some time decorating the house. She spent many hours preparing everything from scratch. In many cases, a party born out of the need to be together with the friends. Ella needed to ask herself why she wanted to make it to be so perfect. On Saturday night, her party at home was perfect because she chose the right place at the right time. Perhaps more pertinently, her party, like any other successful event, became unique when she could identify a gap in the market. Ella and Alexander started their party bringing over their guests like Michael and Nora, Jeff and Lisa, Victor and Marie, John and Samantha and, of course, Laura, who came alone because she had recently divorced. She realized that the conflicts were so unhealthy for both of them than she had to end up by letting him go.

"I've never been the one who ask people about what they want. I concentrate on what makes me happy and makes other people happy, too. When I really want to do something, I work hard, " said Ella.

"It's a wonderful party," said Samantha.

"Why did you get divorced, Laura?" Marie asked her.

"My husband used to beat me. He slept many times with his best friend's wife. He called me using a list of horrific names, he threatened me and I decided to end our marriage. My son shouldn't grow up thinking that all these are normal, "said Laura.

"This attitude can lead to a long and bitter child custody battle, which is never ending. I think the co-parenting counseling is the best idea. It is actually a requirement to establish the custody. The family law judge has the power to issue these problems. The parents must learn to communicate each other, the boundaries are set and the visit time is established," said Klaus.

"My son is twelve years old and he wants to live with me. Anyway, this subject must have an end," said Laura.

"My mother had left everything behind, including me and my brother. My parents got divorced a few years later and my dad has gotten the custody. It has been a constant contact between us, but I have never saw her again since that moment," said Lisa.

"I am entitled to receive the alimony for a percentage of all we gained together in all these years of marriage. All I want is to have the alimony required, " said Laura.

"The parents must become more peaceful. It is important to remember that kids have feelings, even many kids do not have words to express their feelings, "said Samantha.

"We are divorced, but we are mature enough to handle this situation,"said Laura.

A dinner party for close friends is always nice and it is appreciated by them. Ella got some sophisticated menus to celebrate in style. Ella started to organize the party with her husband, but she didn't want to start bragging about the birthday. She wanted to do everything quietly. Therefore, she bought the surprises.

"Victor encourages Jeff to follow his own urge to stretch the limits of his new scenario," John told to Alexander.

"Victor's ideas are well adopted. Am I right, Jeff?" said Alexander.

"We harm others around us, through our imagination, to innocently pursue our ideals. I use the censorship to correct Ella's work. It is very important because it can limit the things that are allowed to be shown and said. I like to replace some Ella's ideas with Victor's ideas. Moreover, Ella's ideas appear to be changed in self as the real Prometheus is back, "said Jeff.

"Do you want a real Prometheus? Ella created a very good character, a symbolistic one," said Michael.

"I respect Victor's judgment and I follow any advice he gives me without stretching the limits of my new scenario, "said Jeff.

"Jeff's consciousness is quickly snatched back when he is encouraged by others to live as he did. He likes to make the rules. Jeff likes Victor because he always has new ideas and he is a very wise man," John told to Alexander.

"Indeed, Jeff likes to make the rules. I can accept this, but Michael can't accept them," said Alexander.

"This new Prometheus needed to destroy an invisible creature," said Ella.

"The monster was in his head, Ella, but there is no chance for the man with his dream. He must accept the things just as they are," said Jeff.

"Maybe you're right, Jeff, but his machismo of thinking was rooted in his fantasy of limitlessness," said Ella.

"My dear Ella, sometimes our dreams are our own enemies," said Jeff.

"I think that it is a professional competition between Jeff and Alexander and this is the reason why Jeff needs to change your opinion about Prometheus, Ella. He knows very well that your book describes your husband features relating to Prometheus. I think that you must let him to do his job such as he consider to do it," said Marie.

"Sometimes, we are not honest when we become each other's competitors. We must be our own competitors every day," said Victor, thinking that his success is always measured by the nature of his vision.

"We pretend that we try to correct the mistakes of our friends, but in fact, we hurt them," said John, smiling and wanting to reveal the tension between Jeff and Alexander and the contradictions created.

"This myth of Prometheus is a perfect tragedy in itself. We have to learn from our past," said Laura. She was scared. She didn't know it, but her eyes showed it.

"Prometheus can be viewed as a hero and as a thief, at the same time. This is why the tragedy occurred," said Victor. He began to get bored and started picking out faults of people around in his head.

"He was a visionary, a genius and a suffering champion of the mankind," said Lisa. She always would find an excuse to talk with you or spend time with you. She was conscious of her look, when you are around her. She was always willing to give her best shot.

"Yes, Lisa, Prometheus was condemned to suffer as a human being," said Samantha, trying to withstand all her bitter ruminations on Lisa's real indifference toward human sacrifice.

"Prometheus was more than a human being. This is the reason why his suffering was so intense. He became a model for the man. Prometheus taught the man to give it a new deep sense in overcoming his mortality," said Nora. She understood Samantha's reaction, but she thought teaching would be a good way to change Lisa's mentality.

"The inner strength of Prometheus was beyond the decision of Zeus," said Alexander.

"You're right," said Samantha."But Ella's book is a process of inversion of the power meaning."

"Ella wrote in her book that this new Prometheus was a victim. When the leaders proclaimed themselves deities, he fought against their tyranny," said Victor.

"Her character was a simple mortal man wanting to live forever. He brought the sacred light for the people, more exactly, the freedom of the knowledge. Thus, he died as a hero," said Marie. Marie had a very good analytical mind and a critical thinking, She had a keen eye for detail. She understood that Lisa tried to improve her own condition. Usually, Marie understands other people better then they understand themselves.

"In fact, he was a simple man and his fatal destiny was highly tensioned,"' said Jeff. Generally, he seems to listen to what people have to say, but he never expresses his profound ideas, so you don't know what he really thinks or whether he agrees with you. He seems to be cooperative, but then, he tries to do it his own way, even if he's agreed otherwise.

"The name of Prometheus means 'fore thinker'," said Nora.

"Really? Indeed, he was a great thinker," said Lisa.

"He had the gift of prophecy and he tried to help Kronos against Zeus. Kronos disliked his plans and he defected to the Olympians. Finally, he helped Zeus to beat Kronos," said Samantha.

"Maybe Prometheus is a fallen angel," said Michael.

"A part of Enoch's biblical story is very similar with the Greek story of Prometheus," said Samantha.

"This fallen angel, as you said, brought some essential knowledge to the people," said Alexander.

"Adam and Eve ate the apple of knowledge and they were expelled from the God's Garden of Eden. They lost their paradise. Prometheus lost the mercy of gods, after he had stolen the fire. In other words, they had the same attitude in front of the divine force," said Nora.

"It was a prophecy about the liberation of Prometheus," said John.

"Prometheus knew about his release from the chains. He said that Herakles shall deliver him from all those pains," said Michael, having a glass of wine in his right hand.

"I invite you all to dinner, " said Ella.

Ella placed various dishes on the table such as garlic roasted chicken with rosemary and lemon, served with steamed vegetables and with mashed potatoes, crab salad and basil soup. The marinated roast lamb had rosemary sauce and it was served with steamed vegetables. For the dessert, she chose to prepare some coconut tarts. She made many chocolate brownies with vanilla ice-cream. In the end, she served iced coffee with ice-cream. All the dishes were prepared by herself.

"All these dishes look so adorable and just perfect for Alexander's birthday," said Lisa.

"I worked hard to prepare them. It is a very painstaking work," said Ella.

"Generally, I'm crazy about coconut. Now I'm crazy about those sweet tarts," said Samantha.

"What a beautiful artwork, Ella! " John exclaimed, being visibly surprised.

"Which one?" asked Ella.

"That painting hanging on the wall in the left corner."

"'It's a copy of the original painting. It belongs to Vladimir Kush. It's a surrealist painting inspired by the work of Salvador Dali. Vladimir is one of the most talented surrealists," said Ella.

"I can tell you that Surrealism emphasized the unconscious in creativeness," said John.

"I don't like him. My favourite painter is Raymond Douillet. She's a modern artist. Her work is simply amazing," said Marie.

"Did you see Matti Kujasalo's paintings?" Laura asked Samantha.

"She painted only darker colors. I don't like her," said Samantha.

"Her paintings have a special lyrical tone," continued Laura.

"Matti Kujasalo's works are easy to read," said Michael.

"The inexplicable sensitive pleasure is always a mystery," said Jeff.

"Nothing is more complicated and mysterious than Oda Jaune's paintings. She straddles the space between surrealism and expressionism with a profoundly disturbing fragility," said Alexander.

"She said that she can save the viewer's fear. Do you want a coconut tart, Michael?" asked Samantha.

"Thank you, Sam. They are delicious."

"Victor, wasn't the Surrealism similar to the Dadaism?"

"Surrealism inherited its anti-rationalist sensibility from Dada, Nora, but it was lighter in spirit than that movement."

"Why, Victor?" asked Lisa smiling.

"Because the surrealist movement expressed the imagination in a method that was free from control, convention and reason. The literature reflects better than any painting what I want to say, Lisa."

"The literature reflects better than paintings the changes made in a society," said Nora.

"Moreover, it is a mirror of the society. We know how the society operated in the past due to the literature of the Renaissance, the Enlightenment and the Romantics. It reflects better than anything else the changes between the periods," said John.

"The most important historical society change was the change of the Russian society and that happened when the Bolsheviks got to power. I don't remember any painting dating from that period," said Samantha.

"It was a very hard period with radical changes. I suppose that they didn't have any time to paint. I read that the state took over the farms formerly owned by the nobility. Those farms became collectives. The private farmers were forced to join collectives. The government took over the private companies. The cities looked like slums," said Victor.

"Only powerful people can resist the changes," said Michael

"Because powerful people have an economic advantage over powerless people," said Jeff.

"They don't want to share their power. This is very important." said Nora.

"I changed myself when I learned the importance of giving back to someone else," said Samantha.

"Yes, giving back to someone else is very important. More important is to learn what to do in order to avoid hurting the people around you, "said Nora.

"I always care about the pain in front of me. I have wanted to help others very much before I realized that there are some certain things that I shouldn't even care," said Laura.

"I'm unable to comprehend why people make decisions that rationally are pure foolishness and why they do not approach the right persons to make the things working. Don't let yourself to suffer for someone who doesn't deserve it," said Marie.

"And eventually find someone else who will love you and give you the love you deserve," said Samantha.

"When I lose a friend or a lover, I make a new one," said Lisa.

"Don't let yourself get stuck to a crummy one," said John smiling.

"That's what makes life interesting, isn't it?" said Michael, smiling too.

"Try to find a new meaning for the same love. It always helps, I'm sure," said Victor

"It's funny that some people make decisions when they cannot take the consequences," continued Jeff, smiling too.

"Why are you laughing?" asked Laura.

"Happiness and sadness are two veils of the same feeling of love. It is between men and women now, Laura," said Alexander.

"I know." continued Laura, smiling reproachfully.

"Let's dance," said Ella.

 

Chapter 11

 

Laura and Her Deepest Secret

 

Michael asked Ella to dance.

"I have loved you since I began to learn in high school. It was hard enough to be a poor seventeen teenager in a small town, to learn in an expensive high school and to wait the love of my life. It was very hard for me to achieve my destiny. I had no courage to spend too much money on things, due to the fear of not being able to bear the difficulties without any complaint and not being able to pay the school fees. I had to be strong enough to accept the situation. I didn't have money, but once I found your love, I realized that I had something much stronger than life itself. I found a person, who could understand me, loving, caring and faithful woman. Most of all, you accepted me such as I was. At that time, I said to myself, "I have found the person I was looking for." I wanted to marry you. After reading your book, I understood that you had really fallen in love with Alexander. Moreover, I understood that you had a reason to love him, "said Michel. He wanted to be honest with her. He had a feeling of emptiness. He realized that he was almost a stranger for her, after he had become aware of this new relationship between them.

"Why didn't you ever say anything?"

'' I didn't have enough courage to tell you the truth."

"I had thought that I loved you, at the beginning. After a while, I realized that you were very much involved in some kind of life and I found myself being pushed and shoved into a corner. In fact, I had looked for someone like Alexander. Before meeting Alexander, Laura told me that you had been in a relationship with someone else. That person was Lisa. Am I right? You should have told me that you were not ready to be with me," said Ella.

"It's very hard to explain the facts of my life because my inner feelings are very complicated. I loved you both. Now, the tale is over," said Michael.

"Have you been in a relationship with Lisa, while you have been in love with me?" Ella asked him.

"Laura and Lisa wanted nothing more than to be roommates, when they were students at the University. I didn't really have a relationship with Lisa. If I was with someone else, this would improve our relationship," said Michael.

Ella couldn't believe her ears. She gazed at him with a stupefied air. Her eyes opened widely and her cheeks reddened.

"Michael, you said that you were faithful to me, but Laura told me the truth about you."

She palmed his cheeks with her right hand. Michael remained silently for two minutes. He wondered if he should say anything to her. He really didn't want to offend her. A strange wind chilled him. Something bad had happened to Ella. He shook his head because he thought of something he shouldn't say to her. He decided to say, "I love you. I wanted to marry you, but I realized that my love wasn't enough for you. This was the reason I had a love affair with Lisa. All this time, I have hoped to change your convictions."

"One day, I went into a student club and I saw Alexander in a role, using an improvisational theater to deal with his future profession. The troupe drew students into role-playing scenarios to help them working through common adolescent problems. I still remember that play. The men and the women had been fighting and killing each other, until one pair remained on the Earth. Of course, there was nothing glorious about fighting, maiming and killing each other. When the last man said, "I cannot kill you because I love you," the last woman came towards him, but suddenly, he turned back to her and killed her. I didn't really understand if she wanted to kiss him or to kill him. After the show, I approached Alexander for an autograph. He smiled and he told me that he was not an actor, but only a student learning to be an actor. He invited me to drink a cup of tea. He explained the theme of the scenario. He explained that the words had a symbolic meaning. The words symbolized the spirit, the life and the knowledge of those men and women. Suddenly, I began to feel something special inside. I fell in love with him. I remained with him. I forgive you and I don't feel sorry for losing you," said Ella.

"Laura told me that you were in love with Alexander. I saw you two walking down the street. I had loved you all the time, but I didn't touch you because I wanted you to be a virgin in the moment of our marriage," said Michael.

''I didn't think you wanted to marry me, Michael," said Ella, visibly impressed. "Why didn't you marry Lisa?”

"She thought that I had a sexual relationship with someone else. She told everyone. She provoked a scandal."

Ella couldn't believe her ears again. "What did really happen? Did you have a relationship with another one? "

"No."

"I don't believe that Laura told you about my relationship with Alexander. She was my best friend," said Ella.

"Laura was a very talkative woman. She didn't like me. She didn't want me to be in your life," said Michael.

"That's not true. She was very a decent and very serious person," said Ella.

"She had told me that Lisa had loved me, before I fell in love with her," said Michael.

"Why did she do that, Michael?''

"Laura wanted our separation and she had used Lisa."

"Because of you Lisa married Jeff. What are you going to do Michael?"

"I hope to go on in my life."

Ella thought that Michael wanted to destroy her happiness. She remembered that Michael was a student at the University of Management and Technology. Meanwhile, he subscribed to the University of Theater to be well prepared for the actor’s career. In fact, he wanted to be more close to Alexander.

Her unborn child moved strongly inside of her. She realized that she was completely changed and she wanted a new life. Ella felt the chilly winds of change. She understood the meaning of her love and she realized that Alexander saved her.

"What are you doing here?'' Alexander asked her, tenderly kissing her lips.

"I danced with Michael, but he had to go." She looked tired, pale and very skinny, but she was beautiful.

"How is our baby?" He knew that something was wrong. He never felt this way. She trailed her hands through his hair. His hands trailed up her back, caressing gently before dragging them back to put them on her shoulders.

Ella became almost hysterical and said, "Don't you ever leave me, do you understand?" She began to cry.

He whispered into her thick, lush hair, "Why should I leave you, my darling?"

She felt freeing herself from an invisible jail that had kept her captive inside. Her thoughts freed and she found a deep happiness and contentment within her love for Alexander. She felt humbled and blessed. That Spirit had assisted her in this deep awareness. Thus she set oneself free through letting go her old feelings, which no longer could serve to anything. Yet, she continued, "You will leave me for another woman."

Tenderly, he took her face in his hands and kissed her. "I love you. I don't want to go. You're my only woman. I was a virgin like you. I don't feel any other need. "

"I decided to name our son Emmanuel."

"I'm sure he will be a very strong boy like a little Prometheus," smiled Alexander.

"Yes, I'm keen on having your children," said Ella and two sparkling tears fell from her eyes.

"You're a part of me. I'm your Adam."

"I had thought that love had meant only words, until I met you. Maybe my love had been only a word without any meaning, but you gave it a meaning."

His emerald green eyes sparkled for a few seconds. The stars grew dim in the sparkles that Ella saw within his eyes. Ella realized that there were moments when Alexander's eyes changed their color.

"Come on, kitty, let's go!"

"Laura, shall we dance?" Jeff asked her.

"Of course."

"Thank you."

"I deduced that you got along well with Lisa," said Laura.

"We have an open marriage. We don't bother each other too much. Lisa loves me very much, but there is twenty years age difference between us,'' said Jeff.

"Twenty years difference in age is not so crucial."

"We both have some extra marital affairs, but we both want to be together and we love each other."

"There is no perfect marriage,'' said Laura.

"Maybe we don't know what to do for our best, but we have so much in common and we need each other with so much love than we cannot do without. We may not want to admit it, but there's more in our spiritual need than in our sex. What is sex without love? She is the person I have always dreamed of being with and this is why I don't want to lose her." Jeff held her easily close to him and he took her hand in his own hand, caressing her palm with his fingers. They began to synchronize their steps. The melody magically emerged the sound, being absorbed into their bloodstream.

They danced graciously, being so close one to each other, even they knew their steps. Jeff saw that she was so precious and fragile because she was a woman on the verge of a nervous breakdown. He saw her as a woman on the verge of her despair and hopelessness. Even though, her decision to leave Daniel might seem very strange. This gave her the chance to understand her life. He drove her carefully. She was so talented and her dancing style was simply beautiful.

"Whenever I dance with you, it feels so different. Every time you dance with me, you bring something new. I could dance with you all the night, "said Laura.

"I'm happy to dance with you. I don't know why, but when I dance with you, I can feel its taste. How do you feel after the divorce? "Jeff continued to ask her.

"Generally, there is no formula for making a relationship to work. Maybe some types of relationships cannot work. Therefore, they really do not work. I think that my relationship with Daniel was different. I'm sad and I want him back because I love him such as he is, even I cannot recognize this in front of others. "

"And if he does not return, how do you imagine your life from now on?"

"I can't believe he's not coming back. He loves his son very much."

"Laura, you're a wonderful woman."

Laura sat on a chair and began to cry. Ella came to Laura and asked her what happened. Laura said she missed her husband and it was very difficult for her to do everything without him. Ella said she could try to help her.

''I have to ask you something." said Ella.

"Ask me," said Laura.

"Tell me one thing. Please, say 'yes' or 'no' because I believe in the words you say. Have you ever betrayed me as a friend?"

"No, never, " said Laura.

"In this case, tell me if you facilitated a love affair between Michael and Lisa, when I was engaged with Michael."

"No, never," said Laura, "Who told you this?"

"Michael told me."

"Do you believe him? He traded you. I was your friend."

"Why did he say that?" Ella became a little suspicious.

"I don't know. Maybe he wanted to hurt you. How could you believe, even for one second, that I might say that, knowing that you love him and being your friend, at the same time?"

"Well, I didn't believe him and I told him this, but he insisted to explain me everything."

"Perhaps he needed to hurt both of us for some reasons," said Laura, looking absently to Ella.

"Why did he do this to me?" asked Ella, becoming thoughtful.

"Maybe he said that because he still loves you. He wanted to know if you still love him or not." After that, she exclaimed seemingly to nowhere, "Pure innocent Ella, you need so much to be a real perfectionist!" She turned to Ella and said, "You will never change, my dearest friend. Do you hear me?''

"I'm already completely changed," said Ella.

 

Chapter 12

 

The Village School

 

Theodore was forty five year old man, with bright black eyes and black hair. His features were very fine and expressive and his voice was extremely musical. He has been involved in the education of children for over twenty years. When he found the village school he led the library groups and he fostered a love of books. Then Theodore became a History teacher and he encompassed many research studies. He assumed the role of director ten years ago because his profession could fit into this field. Thus, he continued to be the history teacher and the director of the village school at the same time. He believed that teachers can learn to become good educators but some people were born pedagogues. He knew from the beginning it was a place where he would love to teach.

The physical school building was an old Tudor style house with a breezeway and ten garages were converted over the years for the purpose of the school. The school was like a home. Theodore considered a teacher as inferior as an outcast if that person didn't fit the norm based on competition levels. Once, he said:

"A teacher who does immoral deeds should be considered as inferior and an outcast; if the same person develops wisdom and becomes moral and righteous, he should be respected."

The classrooms looked like offices in shape and size, and the children sat around the boardroom table trying to be very competitive. There was a maximum of fifteen students per classroom, but there were no teaching assistants in any of the classes. He stimulated the students to participate in art, especially in the mural painted on the wall and the music building an in-house studio. He was interested in helping the teachers to apply their own pedagogical methodologies to teach the children using all the resources provided through public state funding. He made the school operate as a college preparatory school. He inoculated the teachers a concept of equality and a unique learning experience. He introduced some alternative methods of assessment to allow children to demonstrate their abilities.

Theodore entered the school office. He saw Mike.

"How are you?" he asked.

"I'm okay."

"Look, I watched a movie where two best friends fell in love with the same girl. She shared her unique relationship with one of them who was her soul mate while she loved the other guy too. The guys had been friends since the primary school until they were torn between their feelings for the girl and their friendship. The girl was torn between two feelings of love, in varying degrees. Therefore, one guy had to sacrifice his feelings of love for the friendship."said Theodore.

"Do you still think of Nora and Michael?"

"Maybe."

"The friendship for a man is very important to me, as well as the true love for a woman. To sacrifice one for another is a very difficult decision."said Mike.

"I would have sacrificed my love in this situation."

"I know and I admire the courage for choosing the friendship over the love." said Mike.

"When someone sacrifices his love, he is making a real and very important sacrifice. But, in fact, he loses the idea of happiness." said Theodore.

"Maybe those people do not want to save themselves. Some of them can commit suicide because life is too hard to handle." said Mike.

"By the way, can you see your best friend in a relationship with the girl you love?" asked Theodore.

"I wouldn't bear to see them together. It would hurt so much that I could decide to go to a different place and leave them alone. Maybe they would have been happy to talk about their whole daddy and mommy cool experience." said Mike.

"Maybe it's not selfish to fight for what you want, but the decision is always in the woman's hands."said Theodore.

"You're right. When we lose something we learn how to accept the things such as they are."

"Sacrificing one love affair for one's friend is sometimes unbearable. Your best friend is someone very well known and he is surely always with you until the end. But the lover is someone you can risk your heart. This is the reason for staying so lonely but searching my real friends." said Theodore.

"Searching the friendship is healthy. A true friendship will last forever." said Mike.

"By the way, I like the ambience that the small classrooms are creating. It is a great atmosphere appropriate for learning." said Amy.

"Yes, this school is very special because it is independent. It is important to understand that this might not affect our decision making. In terms of everyday decision making, the extreme emotional states must be uncommon."said Theodore.

"There seems to be a lot of freedom for the teachers. The teachers can apply their own pedagogical methodologies to teach the lessons." said Mike.

"I like that the methods of learning are different than the methods of other schools. The way the classrooms are constructed seems to be extremely adequate to learning. I just love the sound of this school!" said Amy.

"I think that the village school is a very interesting concept. The way that this traditional high school is set up is very appropriate to all children. I think that this school works so well because of its small size. I don't believe that this concept would be able to work on a large scale." said Theodore.

"When you have too many students in this type of school it can lead to chaos. It seems like the village school has done a good job in order to keep this under control." said Mike.

"The students are hand picked because not all students can learn and comprehend at the same rate and using the same techniques. 'said Amy.
"I believe that if the teacher is effective in bringing the lesson across to the students, and the students are learning and comprehending - then the lesson and teacher are successful." said Mike.

"The class discussions and examples can lead to further comprehension and successes." said Theodore.

"Maybe the state can actually find a sensible solution for our education issues! We seem to be criticized for everything and nothing we do is appreciated." said Mike.

Amy enjoyed teaching at the village school and appreciated its caring, community oriented environment. She saw her job as a new every day adventure, Amy found the work with young children to be very rewarding. In all that she did, Amy hopped to instill the love of learning in children and the desire to be kind towards each other. She felt she was blessed to get to know the community of parents who truly cared about their children' s education. She had served on the school's board of trustees and co-chaired the annual fair. Amy was a Maths teacher and she was Marie's sister. She lived with her husband Mike near the school. She always wanted to be a mother but she was unable to conceive, thus, she accepted this with resignation. Mike was a Chemistry teacher. Mike also liked the warm and the caring environment at the school. He was dedicated to bringing out the best in every child and thrilled to be able to teach focusing on providing a high quality of education for all kids. He had many roles at the school over the years, including being a member and also chair of the board of governors.

"Love is the desire of happiness and after that, love is having someone to share this. It's about sacrifice. I would make the ultimate sacrifice for my loved one. " said Theodore.

"We don't have the ability to choose the person we love, but we may love the object of our choice. But sometimes, after having chosen something, we discover sadly that we chose the wrong thing and we cannot love it. We need to make another choice, to become wiser and to learn to love what we have chosen. The highest object of our love is God. So, if the highest function of our liberty is to choose to be in spiritual contact with God then, our highest function in loving is to love God."said brother Peter, who was the teacher of Religious education at that school.

Peter was also a priest.

"What do you think, Amy, about love?" asked Theodore.

"When you love, you are a little obsessed with the other person. Love means passion and fire. You cannot think of other things. You need to tell everybody that you are in love. You feel completely desired, wanted, and worthy of that person's love. This love wears off when you start to see the person 's flaws. Then love gets old. Sometimes people let it go because of their immature thinking. Love is lost when you are not well balanced." said Amy.

"Do we love with our wills? When my faith and my reason is the God's will, I realize that I love Him, even though my feelings may tell me the contrary. The same principle must hold for the exalted feelings like yours, Amy."said brother Peter looking to her and right into her eyes.

"Yes, Amy, brother Peter is right. For you, love means exalted feelings at the beginning and only after that you search the wisdom to balance them. " said Mike.

"No, not at all. I talked only about a part of love. There is another part, more exactly, the commitment love. It is characterized by an unconditional feeling, patience, and self-sacrifice. There are always ups and downs, but the real love means action, loyalty, and grace. This is the maturity of love. At this moment people develop a real friendship with the persons they are in love with." said Amy.

"The different degrees to loving mean only the liberty of choice. Our will means to surrender as we are in love with The Lord for Whom we make the sacrifice. In this context the highest reaction is the sacrifice. Because love means sacrifice and it was you who said it, too, Amy." said brother Peter.

"What does it really mean the sacrifice, brother Peter?" asked Mike.

"Sacrifice means to surrender something precious for someone whom we love. The sacrifice is the language, the proof, and the food of love. And that someone must be God. '' said brother Peter.

"Does it require unselfishness?'' continued Mike.

"Of course."said brother Peter.

"So, the lovers must lay down their pride." said Mike looking significantly to Amy.

"They may not always be perfect to each other, but they need to overcome their problems so that they can be together in this kind of eternal love. It always works when you need a family." said Amy looking at Mike with fear.

"In reality, it is submitting yourself to the one you love, unconditionally. The true love is unconditional. It's like giving up yourself for the one you love, even if it may cost you your own life. That's sacrifice!" said Theodore.

"Some people can make the mistake of equating their sense of spiritual well being with doing God's will. . When you love a person too much you can become a sinner." said brother Peter.

"It means that your willing to make sacrifices for her, like dying for her, or just giving her the last piece of cake when you don't have any more, is not such a good thing. You can sacrifice your heart by putting it on the line to be broken." smiled Mike looking to Amy.

"We let go with our hearts. We let go of what He like. This is precious to God, this means to sacrifice for Him."said brother Peter.

"For Him only. On the other way, I may love you, but I'm stupid." laughed Mike.

"What is the most precious thing we have which we are most reluctant to surrender. . . ?" asked Amy, visibly nervous.

"The most difficult surrender we all have to make is the surrender of one's self." said brother Peter.

"That will never happen in a common love, sorry, as you said, my dear, commitment love." said Mike.

"Especially when you are so selfish." said Amy looking significantly to Mike.

 

Chapter 13

 

The Dream

 

In the evening Lisa, Laura, Samantha and Ella were invited to Nora's house. On the table there were cakes like bucellato, baumkuchen, croguemboucheand, dacquoise and some drinks.

" It's delicious. "said Lisa taking a piece of cake and tasting it.

"It is Mary's favorite cake. "said Nora.

"Where is Mary?" asked Samantha.

"She is visiting her father. She adores him and she sees him as a martyr because I left him. "said Nora.

" Girls love their fathers as much as boys love their mothers. "said Laura.

" Sometimes it is impossible for me to understand her. "said Nora.

"She is part of the new generation. They are always in some kind of conflict with their parents. "said Laura.

"When we make mistakes as parents, we cannot be credible any longer. My kids listen to me "said Samantha

"It 's ideal to have a pair. Jeff doesn't want kids. " said Lisa.

"It's better not to have them than to have them and cannot be able to offer them all they need, especially a family. "said Laura.

"You're right, dear. "said Nora. "Do you want to drink aloe tea?"

"Why do you ask?You just know that if we do not drink all your tea, we cannot go. "

"I'll make the tea. "said Michael.

Since then, Lisa was terrified. She tried to sleep. She admitted that she was scared even at nap time.

"I was in a club looking for a seat. I entered that club, knowing that I looked sizzling hot in my exotic wear. It was so romantic with its slow music playing and its pool table with a man and no other people around. The lighting was hang overhead flooding across the entire pool table so that I didn't have a hard time to strain my eyes just to have a clear view of the man. . He knew that I loved him. He came over to me, he put his arms around me and we started to dance. He didn't say a word and he just kept moving slowly. After a few seconds of dancing he pushed me on the pool table and made love with me. He trusted me and he loved me sharing everything with me. He was rather sweet. He tried to offer me the best feeling he could. It all appeared to be nothing more than a gesture of pity, but I knew that he did this because of my weakness. He told me that he loved me, but he couldn't truly satisfy me. He left me though with a hopeless romantic feeling like those feelings you find in books when ending relationships. I realized that I was deflated and alone as I came back to the throes of my reality with a confused state of mind. I felt like I still love him, and that I was neither sure nor wrong in my convictions. At the same time my own consciousness was telling me the opposite was true.

"You do cry when someone hits you, don't you?"

"Yes, I do. It reveals to me what's really deep inside"

"Do you love me?"

"Yes, I do. "

"So, why do you push your limits when you're hurt?''"

She woke up making a very strange noise, a noise of fear. When she walked to her door, she saw that it was still only slightly cracked. She tried to calm her down and put her back to bed. She was profusely sweating and trembling. . She phoned Jeff. She asked him where he was. He told her that he was at the club playing pool. It was eleven p. m. She closed the window and tried to go sleep again.

Susan went up to her mother to hold her and comfort her.

"What are you doing, mother, why are you crying?"

"I have a severe pain in my back and I have blood in my urine. . "

She did not say much, for it was her way not to be troublesome with her complains.

"Do you want to drink a diuretic tea?"

"It is wonderful how you bear up in order to comfort me. I do not know how we get out of this financial deadlock. "

"Try to sleep. It's eleven o'clock at night. If you are tired tomorrow, you will not be able to do anything. Take your pill and try to sleep. "

"After one long day I arrived home to find my front door opened. To my overwhelming surprise my living-room was deserted. . After a few seconds I heard a noise upstairs. I wanted to run out the door, but I forced myself to go upstairs towards the noise. When I got upstairs I found nothing else but a movie on TV. In one of the bedrooms I found a man, waiting for me. He seemed very gentle and I was not afraid just curious as to why he was in my bedroom He was telling me about his feelings for me. He told me that he would never surprise me with his visit but he had to declare his undying love for me. I was so confused.

He said "I want you" and I said "I want you too". . . It was so dark in that bedroom than I couldn't see him clearly but I felt his presence and I heard his tender voice. . He told me he needed to show me his love. He began to kiss me so passionately. We made love. I felt insecure or emotionally vulnerable or maybe I subconsciously distorted his expressions. I didn't know exactly how I felt but he became really rude to me and I tried to argue against him but I couldn't. My own perception of myself was reflected on his expression that very second. . He asked me about my breakup with my husband. He listened more and when he realized what my husband did to me he softened up to me a little. He offered me a drink, we talked. It all progressed then we ended up obsessed with each other. I was unable to defend myself. I could trust him because I knew how he was like in the presence of a woman. He told me that he loved me and I was the woman he wanted. I knew that our dramatic and so clingy relationship was rooted in a feeling of need and desperation for each other. His eyes were looking deeply into mine, and my heart was pounding in my chest. I had him for a few times and it was freaking me out. I had to be with him again. He asked me where I wanted to be at that exact moment and I described the grand theater. I was surprised that he knew that I loved that place so much. His face was blurry. He told me about an imaginary empty scene like a crystal, a scene where I could only hear his voice. My eyes scanned the imaginary scene until I reached the end of it. I began to feel self-absorbed. I heard his voice again much clearer. . Suddenly he locked me in a loving embrace, and we were kissing passionately. I told him over and over again that I love him, but all he said was" I love. . . "and then he stopped. We made love again.

"Do you love me?'

"Yes. "

''So why are you playing dirty games with me?Have you ever had a dirty dream about me?" he asked.

Laura woke up. She called Daniel. She asked him to come home. She told him that she loved him. It was one a. m. She went to the front door. She closed the door and returned to her bedroom. She tried to sleep again.

Mary heard her Grandmother's voice and went to her to see what happened.

"How do you feel, Grandma?"

"I have a pain in my chest and on the left side of my arm. "

"Take your pill, Grandma, , You may die. I must call the hospital. "

"Your blood pressure is normal. "

"I am an overweight old woman. I made an effort at cleaning the kitchen, but it was very clean afterward. Maybe this is the cause. I took my pill and I feel a little better. "

"You must see a doctor tomorrow. Try to sleep again. It's one a. m. "

"Good night, "

"Good night, Grandma. "

"He began taking short cuts, using superior materials, putting his best effort to renovate the house. . Ultimately, the house was finished, on the outside it looked good. I saw the quality of the work he had put into building that house. . Things he had done were coming back to haunt him. He left me for a few hours to go to his mother.

I remained at home alone when I suddenly heard the sound outside. So I went outside to see what happened. I realized that I wasn't afraid. I saw a light looking like a lamp bulb turned on in the middle of the night. I got closer and I saw a flicker of movement but it was just too dark to understand what happened. I closed the front door to get into the driveway and I saw a man holding some keys in his hands. I spend a second reflecting back on my life. I seemed to see old things so differently now. When he noticed me he quickly ran towards me. I ran down the driveway. I turned around to enter the house but I couldn't do that. I could feel my heart pounding and I glanced over towards the sand beach. I walked slowly toward the water. The waves were no longer peaceful, but churning, as if starting to boil. I touched the water and I was surprised to find it cool. I felt somehow relaxed and I let the cold water run over my feet. The water seemed normal, just bubbling and slimy. I saw him again. I saw him swimming under water towards me. Then I continued to run back the way I had come, I ran down on the same small pathway and I realized I lost my shoes so I could feel the soft green grass coming up through my feet. I stumbled back, trying to understand this reality, and I heard a whisper, like something brushing against the vegetation, more like an empty alarm bell. Then I heard his voice. Seeing him in the distance laid on the grass I stopped for a second. He called me. I saw him so beautiful that very second. He seemed to ask for my help and we started talking. My view went into a sky view and I couldn't hear what he said. I only saw myself talking to him then I turned again and ran back down the pathway to the house.

He ran faster than me. I saw him waiting at the bottom of the pathway. I stopped and wait because he ran again towards me this time. It was raining. We stopped a little to watch the thunder storm. We entered the house. We sat next to each other panting from running up the stairs, I felt him sitting next to me. He looked tired and leaned forward as I laid my back on the wall and watched him panting, all wet from the crazy game we had. He touched me and I felt his hair chest. I was upset and angry. I pretended that I was just tired and I wanted to go to my room. He was trying to apologize but I didn't care. He took me in his arms, put me on the sofa and he tried to make love with me but he couldn't. I couldn't be involved in that.
"I love you. You simply cannot run away from me forever. " he said.

We both fell asleep. The space was full of strange creatures which were swimming all around me. I stretched out my hands to assist me in rising, and they disappeared. I woke up at this point, and unlike my dream, I was really confused. I saw this as a comparison to life. Our inner selves our true selves are a continual work in progress, constantly, under construction. Our bodies are our personal houses. Housing the true us, our spirits contained within, during our time on this earth. "

Ella woke up. She called Alexander. He said he was still at home to finish renovating it. He was with the guys. It was three a. m. She went to the kitchen to drink water. She saw the front door opened. She closed the door and went to her bedroom trying to sleep.

Marie entered the bed and she laid herself beside Victor. Although he was somewhat nervous, he held her tenderly into his arms. . She told Victor while lying in her husband's arms:

"It is raining outside. "

"What time is it, my dear?"

"It's five o'clock in the morning. "

"I love the dawn. I'm keen on making love with you waiting this. "

They then proceeded to take their fill of that pleasure for which both had most desired.

"Women who pretend a man is perfect are regarded as weak in their eyes. " said Marie.

"If you do things like show genuine concern when your man has had a rough day, you will earn his respect and you will go toward winning him over and this good man of yours will reciprocate. " said Victor.

"He kissed me so passionately. I hadn't been close to him for over a year being so terrified of getting into this relationship after the failure of my first marriage. So, I had to leave my first husband. Yet I was so lonely in my marriage that I would like to love again, I guessed it was the aspect of confidence.

I didn't really remember. We used to stare at each other from far but it was more like we didn't need to know any kind of feeling. We made love. He told me that he was going out with a girl that looked similar to me and he spent that night with her not like what I might think but they spent the time together. And for some reason I felt a pain in my heart and I was disappointed. Did I really like him or was it just an illusion?
Suddenly he displayed feelings toward my daughter and I caught him kissing her and I confronted him and I said "I thought you weren't attracted to my daughter ". He said "I told you I was very angry ". I started hitting him with my fist but he started to laugh.

I tried to call her, but her phone was off. Then the door of the house was slammed. I ran to it, it was locked. I was trying to get out and I couldn't do that. I was just trying to break down the door, but instead of this I was shouting her name crying and I couldn't get to her.

"Do you love me?"

"Yes, I do. "

"You caught me. ""

When Nora woke up she noticed she had a fat lip and her pillow pet in her room had a bunch of blood on it. She thought she fell out of bed right there. She called Michael. He didn't answer. It was five a. m. . She slept again.

 

Chapter 14

 

Mary Returned Home Having New Ideas

 

In the morning, Mary came back from her grandmother. Right in front of the building, she saw Michael sleeping in his car, having the door opened. Next to the door, there were two empty bottles of whiskey. Mary passed indifferently and entered the apartment.

"Mom!"

"How's your father?"

"He is well. He works all day long and he takes care of Grandma."

"Did you make new friends there?"

"Yes, the cat, the dog, the cow." Mary said with a laughter.

"I guess you cannot wait to come back."

"Not really. But I had to come back. In three days I must go to the school again."

"Is Monday your first day at school? You have three days of vacation left."

"Yes, I want to go to a club with Susan, Dan and Tom."

"When?"

"Tonight."

"Do you need money?"

"Of course. What a question!"

"I waited for Michael to return from the club to get some cash from the bank for you."

"He is in front of the building, sleeping in his car."

"How can you sit here not telling me anything about this?"

"He was already sleeping when I came home. He had two empty bottles of whiskey. I thought that you two had a fight."

"No, not at all,"said Nora, becoming suddenly pensive."Maybe he forgot the keys of the apartment."

"And he forgot to call, too? Let's think a little, stupid mother! You're an old woman accepting everything."

"Maybe, but you're now certainly a naughty child!"

"I'm going to take a shower. And don't tell me about your stupid life principles, that lead to disaster. I'm already exhausted hearing them again and again. ." "You know," said Mary laughing,"sometimes I understand Michael. He has no fault. He loved you. But you should never leave my dad. He is a great man and you are nothing, believe me!"

Mary called Susan.

"Hello, Susan, I want to know your opinion about what I can wear tonight. Dan suggested jeans and a black shirt, what do you think?" Mary told her.

"Jeans and a black shirt can work, or maybe you can choose a skirt and a tank top. But you look very pretty, so I'm sure you'll be hot in anything,"said Susan.

"I think that wearing jeans with sports shoes is a good idea."

"Why don't you choose to wear dark jeans, a cute shirt and high heels shoes?"

"You're right. I love dancing and clubbing,"said Mary.

"I'm not keen on dancing, but I will come with you," said Susan."I will wear leggings, skirts over jeans, a light cardigan and boots."

"Great. See you tonight."

They payed the entrance fee to the club and they entered the club. The women in those dancing clubs were far more uptight and all the guys were standing or sitting and waiting. They were not specifically waiting for something to happen. Some started a dance with a group, others danced near the group and a few girls were dancing by themselves. Others danced near the edge of the dance floor. The place was already crowded and noisy.
There were some guys, spending their time on the sidelines, drinking alcoholic beverages or juices. They used to cut the rug, when they wanted to dance.

"I have been looking for a jukebox. I want to pay for listening my favorite song,"said Dan.

"Well, if you want to waste you're money, go ahead. I think you feel already paralyzed, when you think of dancing,"said Mary.

"Let's dance. What do you say, Susan?" Tom said.

"I don't know how to dance,"said Susan.

" If you want to have a good time on the dance floor, you don't need any special skills. You don't need to be flexible or musically gifted,"said Dan.

"You can learn to dance by using free video dance lessons. You'll learn how to do dance turns, how to hold your partner and how to put your individual step together to create a beautiful dance. I had to do this because my mother asked me,"said Mary.

"I have no time. My mother is ill and I have to do a lot of work at home,"said Susan.

Dan and Tom bought some organic drinks in four polycarbonate cups.

"Amazing!! I love it!!!" Susan exclaimed.

"Be free, be happy, dance!" Tom said.

"I think it's good to dance. In fact, dancing is a form of exercise made for burning our excess calories," said Mary.

"It seems you enjoyed both the drink and the dance,"said Dan.

"The dance is really overwhelming because it makes you to forget all your problems for some time,"said Tom.

" My mom is against this stuff. Tom had to convince her. I was brought up in a strict religious home and my mother told me about how bad clubs were. First time when I went in a club with Tom all I did was to look around, expecting something bad to happen. But after a few drinks, eating dinner and enjoying the music, I remarked that it really wasn't a bad place at all,"said Susan.

"You seem to have a good moral compass,"said Dan.

" It isn't wrong to dance. And neither is having a drink or two. The problem is when people get drunk and do things that they wouldn't normally do,"said Tom.

"I'm pretty sure everyone looks stupid when dancing. . So just go with the flow and think you're one of the stupids! " Susan said.

"If you look stupid you can't change it. Dancing won't make you look more stupid, if you already look stupid,"said Dan.

"There are three rules for a happy life. More exactly, you can work as you work when you don't need any money, or you can love as you love without being hurt and you can dance as you dance when no one can see you,"said Mary, smiling.

"Get drunk, then who really cares? I bet you'll have fun! Take a look around. Everyone is drunk here. Would you rather worry about looking stupid and not have fun, or about having the time of your life?' Dan said.

" Remember, everyone is in the same boat with you. You must have some confidence in yourself. The most important thing is to have fun. Try not to feel uncomfortable,"said Tom.

"Turn the lights totally off, or blindfold everyone!" Susan exclaimed, smiling this time.

"Just listen to the music and feel the song,"said Mary.

"Just move your feet to the rhythm and stuff nothing too fancy and you'll be fine,"said Dan.

When they got out from the club, it was the middle of the night. They entered the car and Dan drove them home.

"My problem was that I never knew how to tell my parents that I can't
do something, they want me to do. I say yes, because I don't know how to say no,"said Susan.

"I think that we have to be honest with them every time,"said Tom.

"If I can't do what my family wants me to do, I stand up for my right to say so,"said Dan.

"It's not easy saying no to parents, especially when you fear they will get angry with you,"said Mary.

"You must stand your own ground and look out for yourself, because no one else is going to look out for you, if you don't do this,"said Dan. He kissed Mary."You're so beautiful tonight." He told her.

"I sometimes have a hard time saying no to my father. I have to recognize this,"said Tom, kissing Susan.

''Maybe we need to understand our parents in order to accept their opinions. We are so different. Sometimes we can't even understand ourselves,"said Susan.

"There is a difference of generation and there are generation conflicts, but there is not a gap in the sense, that it cannot be bridged," said Tom.

"It is a difference between the life of strength and hope at the beginning of the marriage and the period of hate and despair at the end of the marriage. I grew up, being their child. Now, I can see this difference and I simply cannot listen to their lessons, any longer. They became less credible in time,"said Dan.

"They are apparently not responsible for what I am doing, but in fact, they are very much responsible,"said Mary.

"The conflicts are not inherently negative, but these conflicts must not be violently expressed,"said Dan, paying attention to the road.

"When a child sees his father coming home being drunk and angry, screaming at his mother and he watches his mother pleasing him and placating his father's behavior, he thinks that violence gets results. Moreover, he develops his own ideas about what makes a man to be a real one,"said Susan.

"You're right. A child, growing up in a violent home, is likely to have little self-esteem,"said Dan, kissing Mary again."I love you."He said.

"Why are all these happening?They should love each other,"said Susan.

"Why? He wants to gain and maintain a total control over his woman. An abuser doesn't play fair ever,"said Dan.

"They use the intimidation to exacerbate the fear, the guilt and the shame inside their women. They want to wear them down and keep them under their thumb,"said Tom.

"Try to imagine your father being an alcoholic, beating you without any reason. After that, imagine him making an excuse for his behavior. He can say that he was drunk or he cannot remember anything. Try to imagine this," said Susan. Tom kissed Susan.

"Why are humans so twisted? The humanity has been unchanged throughout the history. The atrocities have always been specific to the human race. The religions preach about being peaceful are annihilated by the opposite. What can make the human act to be so contradictory? I really don't know,"said Dan.

"It's a big question, isn't it? Tom laughed.

When Dan stopped his car in front of Mary's house, he kissed her passionately and told her,

"See you tomorrow, my little squirrel."

She kissed him saying,

"I already miss you."

"Bye."

Mary entered the house. She wanted to enter the kitchen to drink some water.

"Where have you been? " Michael asked her.

"I think that my mom has already told you. In fact, why do you care about what I do? " Mary replied with another question.

"Because clubs close at midnight and it's three a. m." Michael told her.

"I was in a very pleasant place,"said Mary, having a conspicuous and somewhat sarcastic smile.

He sat on the couch in the living room, in total darkness. His eyes glistened and he had a very strange expression.

"Where is my mom?' Mary asked him.

"She 's upstairs. She's sleeping,"said Michael.

He came towards her and touched her back slightly. He began to play with her hair.

"Are you my very good little girl? " Michael asked her.

Mary laughed loudly.

"Do you still think I am a little girl?'

"Aren't you?''He continued to play with her hair.

She became suddenly very confused. She turned to him and said,

"I must go to sleep. I'm very tired."

He took two glasses of whiskey from the table.

"Drink it! You will sleep better."

"I drank at the club. Thank you."

Mary entered the bedroom and locked the door.

"You look beautiful this night. . Next time, when you will come home at this hour, you will find the door closed."He said, being beyond her door.

"Okay. I will talk with my mom," said Mary.

''She's like her mother,"said Michael for himself, going to bed.

 

Chapter 15

 

Prometheus

 

Ella, Nora, Lisa, Victor and Samantha entered the hall of the theater.

Then they entered the auditorium to sit down near the stage. The play "Prometheus" was a modern drama and it was thought to delight the audience.

This theater play was Alexander's first real acquaintance with the myth of Prometheus. Playing this magical spirit of Prometheus, a new world of feelings and thoughts opened up to him. He realized that he could express better the essence of his great truth about life. Generally, the actors had to wear their invisible spiritual masks for representing their characters,but this time, Alexander didn't need any mask because the book was written in a manner to play his role naturally, with no help of anything but the costume. The myth of Prometheus kindled a fire in his heart. It was like a dawning light, growing for becoming a very clear flame. That flame could illuminate the great secret of human life. The play could bring a new vision about the mythological characters. Alexander played the character of P, the hero was like Prometheus and became the powerful center of the play. Michael played the character of Z, the leader who was like Zeus. The traits of those two characters were very much contrasting with each other. They were completely different in their meaning. Moreover, P and Z fought for their ideals in their society. This type of society was very well suggested by using a theater background, where the characters were placed in. P had a mythological past. More exactly, he came from an unreal environment to a real one. P was extrapolated from the mythology and brought to the reality to prove a non-conceptual point of view and to explain why a human self-awareness must be in the inner self as a spatial being.

The mythological past became the political present of the society. The play was written for expressing a non exclusionary vision, by which people tried to define their dreams of freedom, using some significant symbols. In this society, there was one political party, acquiring and exercising its unique political power of executing the decisions of their single leader,called Z, who was self adoring and who had achieved the absolute power. Moreover, Z was the representative of the ideal absolute power and his symbolic thunderbolt was the law, used to create his own social order. Z wanted the victory over K, the leader of another state.K was like Kronos. The state of Z was a vassal state of the state of K. So, Z wanted the victory over K in the same manner as Zeus wanted the victory over his father, Kronos. Z wanted to be like a master of the gods, the absolute ruler of the living matter. So, Z started the war against K.The eagle became his divine symbol.

Jeff played K, the character of Kronos,John played H, the character of Hermes and Marie played O,the character of Io.

It had been foretold that one day Kronos would be replaced by one of his sons. So he ate them all.His wife, Rhea, hid Zeus and gave Kronos a rock to eat. Reaching his manhood, Zeus fought against his father defeating him, thus fulfilling the prophecy. But that power was threatened by an unexpected foe, the human concept of freedom. Prometheus was a visionary and he understood that people didn't want thefire itself because Zeus sent already the lightning and the trees took fire.

So, men already had the fire. But the people didn't know the secret of the fire ignition. Prometheus brought them that secret.

In the play, the secret of the fire became the secret of the freedom, needed for a new better life. P was a simple man,an intellectual, but he became the representative for people 's fight against the political power. P thought that the absolute leader's implacable power can be overcome. P wrested the mystical secret of the power, that kept the people in terror. P taught the people to defend themselves.The society began to run by total anarchy.The people were outraged and began to fight. H was the messenger of Z, telling P the truth about the power of Z and helping him to understand the fierce defiance of Z, who became an insane god. As a woman, O was very faithful to P, suffering with him because of the anger of Z. Therefore, P became a rebel and a savior, while Z became a despot and a promulgator of a wrong justice. H tried in a way to solve the contradictions, knowing that there was always a third possibility. H tried to establish a communication between the visible and the invisible dimensions.

The play ended with the personal battle between P and Z.

"I feel like Zeus,"said Z.

"I feel like Prometheus, "said P.

"Try to remember when Zeus discovered that Prometheus was a traitor and he chained him to a mountain to punish him. I will punish you. This is the last meeting with the eagle,"said Z.

Z pulled out a gun and hit to kill P and P died.

Ella saw that Jeff changed the ending of the novel in his scenario and she realized that he wanted to change completely Alexander's mind.She went quickly out of the theater and began to cry. When she first felt the pain, she realized that her baby will be born sooner than she expected.

She felt the pain in her body and she needed to feel someone holding her. Alexander was on the stage and no one was around her. She felt like an abandoned baby. Nora came to her.

"What happened?'' Nora asked Ella.

"I have my labor pains, "said Ella, being suddenly very scared.

"Are you sure?''

"Yes."

"Go to empty your bladder. You will ease the pain. I will call the ambulance."

When Ella get out from the theater again, Alexander was there and he was very agitated. The ambulance took them to the hospital. The room she entered was a special place. It was a room set for the arrival of babies. It was seldom occupied, but, when it was occupied, the lives of those within it often changed quickly.

Ella began to feel deeply her labor pains. At the beginning, Ella felt the pain in her abdomen and back, during the contractions. She tried different ways to deal with her pain during the labor, such as walking, changing positions and breathing deeply. Alexander encouraged her. Suddenly, she felt that the contractions were very stronger, appearing very frequently and she sat because she felt her cervix opened. She pushed her baby out. The pain moved down to the pelvic area and she felt her perineum stretched. In that moment, she felt that the baby's head was delivered.

"He's coming!" Alexander exclaimed, understanding that he will be very soon a happy father.

Ella saw her first baby. He was a boy. When her child was born, her anguish became a joy because she had brought a baby into the world. Not only the child was born, but the mother was born, too. The woman became the mother.

"What a wonderful boy!" Nora exclaimed, looking to him. "He has blond hair and blue eyes like his father," continued Nora, taking him so tenderly in her arms and releasing him to his mother.

"Give me my child," said Ella. "Emmanuel, you're a little beauty."

Nora left the room to call the nurse, who took the child to bring him to the newborns.

"How is she?" Michael asked Nora.

"She's fine.And the baby is healthy and very beautiful."

"See you at home," said Michael before leaving.

Mike, Amy and Theodore came to visit Victor and Marie.

"Congratulations, Marie, on the success of your play," said Amy.

.

"Has anyone had any success in this play? I don't think so. Don't you see what the media says? Look!" Marie opened the newspaper.

"You can't ignore the media people, when they don't want you," said Mike.

"Try to deal with the media," said Theodore.

"Sometimes you say things that you don't want to say," said Victor, laughing.

"It must be the influence of Ella.She is upset because Jeff changed the play," said Amy.

"Ella has nothing to do with that muckraking journalism, dear," said Victor. "By the way, Ella is in the hospital. She has a little boy."

"I'm happy for her," said Amy, enjoying the news.

"Let's see what is written in the newspaper.Give it to me!" Theodore took the newspaper for reading it.

"Can I read out loudly the news for a better understanding?" Theodore started to discuss the problem.

"Please, do this," said Marie.

"We were watching a play, which was constructed as a set of ambiguous ideas." Another opinion is that "the play lies in its non-dramatic aspects." Imagine that "a group of actors planned to stage a play about the heroism of the young generation, but the play is a failure, "continued Theodore.

'When will this kind of stupid articles stop?" Victor became very worried.

"Believe me, I have tried with all my being to play the role and to do my best," said Marie.

Someone rang the doorbell.

"Victor, go and open the door, please! I don't feel able to do this," said Marie.

"It must be the postman. I'm not expecting anyone," said Victor.

Nora entered the house.

"Nora! You! What a real surprise!" Victor let her in.

"Honey, maybe you don't believe me, but I lost the keys of the cabinet. Give me yours. I will buy another lock," said Nora taking a sit near Marie.

"I am sure," said Victor. "Take care and don't forget the sterilization device plugged in as you often use to do."

"However, my patients cannot complain. The instruments are very well sterilized," said Nora.

"Yes, but one day you will burn everything and nothing will remain for the patients," said Victor, addressing a very serious look.

Nora saw Theodore and asked him, "What are you doing here?"

"I missed my friends," responded Theodore.

'I also missed you," said Nora, tenderly touching his shoulders and his cheek.

"Did you really miss me?'' Theodore became somewhat stupefied.He looked like an infant. His face was suddenly illuminated.

"Mary told me about you and I began to remind our story of love," said Nora.

"I never thought that you care about," said Theodore, ducking his cheek.

"I want to confess myself in front of you. Sometimes I think of us and I think also at that village house. I want to be there and never to come back. All these years of life, recent years, made me feel exhausted. I know that the time passes and I lose the power to come back, even I want to do this. But if you ask me now, I will tell you that I am capable to come back, "said Nora.

Theodore looked at her insistently, playing with her hair. He asked her, "Do you think that you can be my princess again,that sleeping beauty?''

Theodore could see an endless sadness in Nora's eyes.

"I still love you, Theodore," she said, "but I could not forgive you. Living with Michael, I started to get along very well. You're my prince and no other can be instead of you. Only you're my prince."

Nora began to cry.

"Is anyone wanting to drink some tea with aloe?" Marie made the cookies. I made the tea,"said Victor.

"Victor, give me the keys. I must go to work because the patients are waiting for me, "said Nora, smiling.

"Let me come with you," said Theodore.

"Of course that you will come with me," said Nora.

"Good bye.See you tomorrow," she continued.

"Watch your driving, Nora. We need him alive. Theodore, call me when you want to come back," said Amy.

Marie approached Theodore and gave him a thermos with hot tea.

"Take this. You'll need it. It's very cold outside."

"Thanks," said Theodore, "I will really need it.You're a good fairy."

Theodore tried to remind Nora the commencement of their love, that ideal love of two dreamy young people, which meanwhile had failed. At first, Michael tried to turn Nora into another kind of woman, according to his view of women, but it was in vain because Nora had had an incurable suffering. At that time, an invisible, fierce and mud fight started between them. Nora rejected him, even she needed him, more specifically, she needed that bitter drop of love. Their relationship ended when Michael has exhausted all the emotional resources.

 

Chapter 16

 

The Hunting Accident and the Mysterious Stray Bullet

 

"I'm pregnant," said Lisa.

''And why do you tell me this?" Michael asked her, being seemingly indifferent and preoccupied with his problems.

"Because it's your child," continued Lisa. She was surprised at his reactions because she knew everything about his troubled marriage.

"Are you sure?" Michael asked her ironically.

"I planned my pregnancy. When I made love with you, I was in my fertile period and every time I was with Jeff I took the birth control pills, "continued Lisa, trying to convince him to believe in what is happening.

"You must prove my paternity first," said Michael. He wanted to end the discussion.

"Sure. I can get a DNA test during the pregnancy."

"Okay. When I have the certitude that I'm the baby's father, I'll tell Nora that I want to divorce, "said Michael.He only wanted to be conciliatory.

"Let's live together. You and me,"said Lisa. She felt instinctively that she must grab her chance.

"I think it's a good idea. Thinking of you and me can be awesome."

"Are you serious?" Lisa ask him, visible happy." It is an unusual circumstance," she said. She tried to explain her position, but Michael didn't let her to continue and said,"No, my darling, quite unusual was our sleeping situation."

"Will you run this risk of ending up with a crazy person like me?"

"Maybe we will not ruin our friendship," said Michael.

"Will you search an apartment for us?" Lisa couldn't believe that it is a real moment and not a dream.

"More likely, I have already a house in my mind.What about Jeff? He is going to be hurt very badly when you ask for a separation. What reason will you give him for your desire to get a divorce?"Michael became curious.

"I have already told him the truth," continued Lisa, speaking very quickly.

"Interesting, I met him a few hours ago and he didn't tell me anything. I'm afraid to see him again because I don't want to put myself in danger. You shouldn't tell him without discussing this situation with me first," said Michael. He felt a little bit nervous.

"For the past five years we've had an open marriage. I told him that I had had an affair, because I could not imagine hiding who I was from him. After that, he was curious to be with someone else and it worked.We had a wonderful time in bed. We had a good marriage. I told him that I got pregnant accidentally because I forgot to take my pill. He understood my situation," said Lisa.

"Are you serious? I know your husband better than you do, and you're the one who have been married to him for many years. It's very pathetic. Maybe he leaves you now because he has to do this, but he will never forgive you for what you are doing to him," said Michael, being very sure of what he said.

She chewed thoughtfully on a stray cuticle.

"Dividing the possessions may be difficult because we've been married for one decade. I need a lawyer for the divorce negotiations and for knowing what I absolutely can keep. I don't want to lose anything that belongs to me," Lisa continued.

"The bulk of his wealth is hidden in bank. Much of his wealth has shrunk in recent years in the eyes of the public, but Jeff remains extremely wealthy. His bank accounts remain hidden from view. You will not get anything from him. Listen what I say, Jeff is an old fox. It is better to reach an understanding with him," said Michael.

"I'm a father!" Alexander exclaimed, keeping so tenderly the little life in his arms.He felt responsible for this little life and a little scared. He wasn't sure he could assume the responsibilities for being a good father for his child.

"How do you feel?" Ella asked him, being a little amused " You seem to be so helpless, Alexander!" She tried to encourage him. She knew that he may just not have enough confidence in himself.

"I feel very confused and excited at the same time. I don't know why I feel so," said Alexander, becoming suddenly very serious. He wanted to believe that his child can eventually overcome the difficulties and succeed in life. He was not sure of himself. He was particularly an introvert man, but becoming a father was a very important moment for him and he tried to express himself.

"Maybe because you don't know what means to be a father," said Ella. Ella knew that he was prepared for this moment, but the emotions overcame him. She fell upon her knees, looked up to heaven and uttered aloud a fervent thanksgiving, in which she spoke of her helpless husband and her little child, waiting His hand to save them from perishing. Alexander smiled because of her reactions and he tried to express his faith in front of The Lord. He understood that she thinks that his reactions are exaggerated.

"I felt a great sense of responsibility from the moment I saw Emanuel. You're completely wrong. I love you so much in this moment. You're completely mine. I need to make love with you.Ask me why I want to do this."

"Why do you want to do this?" asked Ella, looking at him with sparkling eyes and smiling.

"I want to make love with you because I miss my little girl. I want a little girl like you," said Alexander, caressing the little boy.

Ella kissed him.

"It's a little early for making love. You must wait a few weeks. But loving and caring for our baby is the most important thing we can do in our lives," said Ella.

Alexander began to kiss her and he lied in bed near her with the baby in his arms. He said,"He's my little prince. He will have the best chance in life."

"You must speak to him," said Ella.

"I speak to him all the time. You need time to rest, my darling, try to sleep.I will stay with him. In an hour he will get up and he will want to suck milk from your breast."

The men hunted together because this was a part of their bonding. The deer hunting was not a dangerous affair. Many of the tasks, in which they were engaged, required some kind of trainings. A safe hunting experience depended more on the gun handling abilities.Men usually hunted together for obtaining one thing,the meat,even if they were doing so many other things together such as making the coffee, preparing the meals, working with the firearms and blinds, carting around the deer, butchering and processing the meat and sitting around the fire for eating the deer stew. For others the hunting meant training for more hunting.

Generally, the number of legal deer that could be taken was maximized. Every legal hunter had a license for his weapon. The guns were maintained and adjusted for their accuracy.After the hunting, they took the meat for processing it and dividing it up. Usually, the bonding happened without anything going wrong because they were experienced hunters.

"Can we avoid the poaching?" David, who was against poaching, wanted to react somehow because he was afraid.

"I have only a little idea about how much poaching happen in this area," said Victor.

"Hey, Jeff, how many deer are here?" Daniel was very optimistic.

"No one can tell you this. Anyway, many more than we can hunt," said Jeff.

"We have a quota of the deer," said Michael, who was a very experienced hunter.

"How many deer can we hunt?" David asked Jeff. He was a beginner and he had no idea about hunting, in general.

"Ten deer," said Jeff.

"I hope that we have enough blinds and weapons for this,"said John, who was a follower, searching for the prey capture.

"Yes, we have and the weather is on our side," said Klaus. He remained calm and completely unmoved for a few seconds. His gaze was fixed on the sky.

"Be careful with that gun, David! Guns are dangerous and sometimes the accidents cannot be avoided," said Alexander.

"The most of the accidents take place because of inexperienced hunters. We have to learn to do this," said Jeff.

"When you see a hunter with his gun pointed right at you, try to say something," laughed Michael.

"The firearms can discharge themselves unexpectedly. I'm serious," said Victor.

"When the safety device is not engaged, they can discharge this way. The most of the shooting accidents are not caused by a dark demon hiding in the forest," said Brandon.

"Nothing will happen if you follow the standard procedure," said John.

It was in the morning and they were greeted with a beautiful sunrise. The sun's rays gave to the granite face of the mountain an orange sheen. The colors changed as the sun climbed into the sky until they reached their blue granite hue. Everything seemed to be so beautiful like a visual symphony of colors.

"Too many idiots with guns and no proper training," said Klaus.

"Wonder how many people waited the hunting season to kill their neighbor?" David laughed, trying to overcome his fear.

"Hey, this is too much," said John.

"I have never killed anything until now, not even a single bird," said David.

"Let me explain. You can place a lime stick so as to form a natural perch among the tree.The warbler can land on the branch and it can remain, fluttering, until you,the great hunter,will tear it off," said Jeff, smiling with indulgence.

"It's very interesting," said Daniel, "I didn't know this."

"The real hunters are trying to look like the surrounding vegetation," said Michael.

"The hunter really hopes that the deer will come to him," said John.

"A mature deer's nose can smell one thousand times better than a human nose," said Jeff.

"They lick their nose to moisten the scent," said Michael.

"You can play the wind to fool the old wary deer," said Klaus.

"Being downwind of the deer with a steady stiff breeze, you can get closer to it," said Jeff.

"Or you can sit in a stand when the wind is blowing the wrong way and you can have all the chances to ruin the shooting of the buck," said Michael, laughing.

"Did you use the scent neutralizing spray, David?" Victor asked him.

"No. What should I spray?" David was somewhat scared.

"The clothes, the fanny packs and the equipment," said Victor.

"When you are in the wood, you must smell like the wood," said Michael, laughing again.

"The secret is to search for the places, where the other hunters don't go to hunt. Those places are the places, where the deer usually go. Try to call it, Michael," said Jeff.

"I can't now, maybe you can try instead of me," said Michael.

"You know that my voice is not good. I call them too loud," said Jeff.

"Okay," said Michael.

The hunters crouched behind the trees to inspect the area through their weapon sights and they waited the deer to appear. They set up their firing positions..

"Look," said Daniel.

"Wait for the deer to step out from behind that bush first. When it steps out, we can shoot," said Jeff.

"Now," said Klaus.

"Help!!!!"

'What happened?"David looked around, visibly surprised.

"The deer is dead,"said Klaus.

They turned around searching for Alexander. A bullet from a strange unknown rifle fizzed past his right ear. Alexander was sitting at the bottom of a muddy mound. It bounced off a tree trunk and spiraled into the air before coming to rest two yards to his left. He sprinted behind a tree, his body bent and launched himself into some kind of ditch on the other side of the tree.

"I moved my head to get a better view and a split second later I felt a bullet fizz past my ear. I felt the heat brushing my ear," said Alexander.

"That shoot came at the same time with our shoots. Someone else was shooting at us,'' said Brandon.

"Maybe someone tried to murder you, Alexander," said Victor.

Everyone around understood that Alexander felt a violent emotion. They gazed at him with respect.

"Call the police!" Jeff told Michael, visibly nervous.

Into the silence of the atmosphere, the wail of the siren came with the shock of a thunderclap. The policemen leaped to their feet and rushed out. They reached the forest within three minutes.

The hunters have been interviewed by the police. The police also inspected their weapons.

The cops said that it looked like an accident in the beginning, but they discovered that the bullet didn't belong to any gun used by the hunters.

"The shot was fired from the east, about forty yards away," said the policeman.

"Maybe it was a hunter belonging to another group, shooting in a wrong direction," said Victor, visibly shocked.

"The shooter used a high-powered rifle, which was illegal for the deer hunting," said the policeman.

"Then, maybe it was a poaching man," said John

"The shooting is very suspicious, but I can't say whether it was a hunting accident or something sinister," said the policeman.

"Someone fired the weapon, anyway, against him. I'm really very scared. It could happen to anyone of us," said John, being visible very scared.

"Generally, the fear of crime is far greater than the crime itself,"said Victor.

"A hunter can shoot accidentally another hunter, when he is trying to hit a passing deer. Sometimes, some several more shots were fired than deer killed, and in some cases, the hunters were out in the woods with their firearms and never got a shot at all. There were some incidents, in which the bullet graze was simply not reported.All these can happen accidentally. But the caliber used for this shooting didn't belong to the guns, generally used for hunting,"said the policeman and he continued,"How do you feel, Alexander?"

"I'm okay now,"said Alexander.

"Did you see any person around?" The policeman asked him.

"No," said Alexander.

"Do you have an enemy?"

"I don't know," continued Alexander.

"We couldn't make any headway in finding the guilty person. This is very strange," said the policeman. Yet, he continued, "Maybe you know the reason why he tried to shoot you."

"No," said again Alexander.

"So, the motive behind your bizarre accident is unknown," said the policeman.

"Maybe the bullet was for someone else," said Alexander

"Probably, it was someone who needed only targets around him and never a sport hunting," said John.

"Indeed," said the policeman. "Maybe he hid behind another smokescreen, but we will find the truth.This is a promise," continued the policeman.

 

Chapter 17

 

Michael and Lisa Decided to Live  Together

 

"If you continue this discussion, you must go because I do not deserve to be treated this way," said Jeff.

"If you continue, I must divorce," said Lisa.

"You are miserable. Try to correct your behavior. I don't believe that the divorce is a solution," said Jeff.

"I think you have a lot of emotional and spiritual issues, "said Lisa.

"It's a tense situation and we begin to live in a toxic relationship. Be careful," said Jeff.

"Staying together in these conditions is a very bad idea," said Lisa.

"You're right. Just go, I wish you good luck! If you return tomorrow, you will not find me here because I intend to leave the town for a week."

"I will never return," said Lisa.

Then, he pushed her onto the bed and forced her to make love with him.

"Tell me, he said softly, what do you want from me?" He was no longer teasing her. Earnestly, he forced her to choose.

He rubbed his chin back and forth over her sensitive skin, while he was waiting for her response.

"I want to divorce, Jeff. I'm pregnant," said Lisa.

"This is a stupidity!" Jeff exclaimed, looking into her eyes.

"I'm not pregnant with your baby," said Lisa.

"Just go," said Jeff, having tears in his eyes. He was exhausted." Who's the father?"

"Michael," said Lisa.

"It doesn't matter," said Jeff.

Nora went to Ella's house and knocked on the door. Alexander opened the door, invited her inside and offered her cookies and lemonade. Ella was sitting on the sofa, with the baby in her arms, feeding him.

"I love and understand my baby as he loves and understands me," said Ella.

"Look at his hair! It grew very well. You look very nice,'' said Nora.

"Yes, but I feel my bones tired," said Ella.

"Maybe you don't hold your baby in a way that is comfortable for you," said Nora.

"I am fatigue, but I am very happy at the same time, Nora."

"Of course.Can I hold him?" Nora wanted so much to hold the little baby.

"Yes."

Nora took the kid, kissing him.

"I have to do laundry, vacuuming and other tasks, which require bending and lifting. So, I understand that I'm a father. Moreover, I feel this," said Alexander, smiling.

"Sometimes, he cries too much. I don't know the cause," said Ella.

"Healthy babies can cry for a couple of hours each day, Ella, don't worry."

"Why did you come alone? Where is Michael?"

"I wanted to discuss with you. I want to divorce," said Nora.

"Why do you want to do this?"

"My marriage used to make me happy, but now, it just makes me to be sad. My marriage just doesn't work for me, anymore. I realized that I became very sarcastic and miserable. We had the same goals, at the beginning. Now, we want completely different things. I've been thinking that divorce can be a solution for our problems. I've been married for ten years.Now, I am contemplating the divorce," said Nora.

"When you had been married to Theodore, you worked in a village. After that, you married Michael and you came here in the town. Now, you're working with another kind of people. Michael changed you for the better," said Ella.

"You embraced this change in your life style. What's wrong now?" Alexander wanted to help her.

"I married him because I thought he was a gentleman. He has a love affair. He is very changed. Our relationship is almost nonexistent," said Nora. She stopped talking because she couldn't continue her conversation. She had tears in her eyes. Nora wasn't a very sensible person, but she suffered quite badly because she loved Michael. Nora has become very vulnerable.

"Didn't you try to change the things, did you make the things to work again?" Ella asked her, taking Emanuel in her arms.

"It would be a waste of time," said Nora.

"Why do you say this?"

"I can tell you that my husband doesn't understand the situation as clearly as I do."

Emanuel began to cry. Ella slowly scooped up the baby into her arms and began to cradle him, but the child continued to cry.

''He begin to cry again."

"He cries because this is the only way he can tell you something. He may be hungry, tired, he can have colic. Maybe he needs his diaper to be changed," said Nora.

"You're right, I must change his diaper." While changing her child's diaper, Ella was wondering to know how she could be able to understand her baby's needs. She felt helpless without her mother.

''Look at him.He is so cute now. He smiles." Nora has significantly looked into the eyes of Ella.

"Nora, I didn't know that having a kid involves so much attention," said Ella.

"It involves a lot of attention," said Alexander.

She went to the child's room with the baby in her arms. The baby was sleeping and he was breathing slowly. Ella began to smile. He truly was a child like no other. She knelt down to the sleeping baby and kissed him. When she returned back, Nora was talking with Alexander about the house.

"Maybe you should reconcile Theodore," said Ella, interrupting their discussion.

"I met him at Victor's house. We talked to each other,"said Nora.

"And what did he say?''

"We danced around the subject, rather than address it directly."

"If you don't give him the opportunity to know what you want, so in truth, he will have no idea about your feelings," said Ella.

"I think you're right. I must tell you that the house looks amazing. It is excellent repainted and redesigned," said Nora.

"We completely renovated both the interior and the exterior," said Alexander.

"I added more windows to change it into a bright airy home," said Ella.

"Indeed, it is a great amount of natural light, cast from the oversized windows.It looks nice.The new rooms look amazing," said Nora.

"I worked a lot for those columns that flank the entrance to the kitchen. It was her wish to have those columns," said Alexander.

"Well, I must go.See you both soon. Bye."

"You're always welcomed here. Bye."

Nora was staring at the window of her home. It was almost evening. She could hear the birds chirping. She closed her eyes to enjoy the peaceful sound of the nature. Suddenly, she heard a car coming. She opened her eyes to see who had arrived home. It was her husband, Michael. She asked herself why she didn't run up to her husband to embrace him and to welcome him home. She remembered that the first year of marriage was a total bliss. After that, the things turned horribly wrong.

"I came to get my things. I live with Lisa. She is pregnant, carrying my child. I'm going to divorce," said Michael.

"Anyway, you have not come home for three weeks. I was expecting you to leave me. I still don't know how the hell she seduced you once more," said Nora.

"She didn't seduce me.I love her. Anyway, this house is a real hell. Stay with your daughter. I think that she is all you want," said Michael.

"What would you say, if I was pregnant with Theodore's baby and I would tell you that I was pregnant with your child? What would you think about me?"

"Lisa is pregnant with my baby," Michael said, having a harshly look.

Nora looked at him with a smile on her lips. She was thinking of Jeff. Her eyes sparkled ironically, though no irony could be felt in her voice.

"You'll be back to me, but you will never find me again. I'm going to marry Theodore. He's the father of my child," said Nora.

"I don't think that you're able to go back to the same mud hole," said Michael.

"Now, I really understand the real mud of my life."

Michael laughed nervously, unzipping his pants and saying,"Get your goodbye to the mud. I need new pants."

Nora was thoroughly annoyed and shouted,"Get out of my house and all I want is never to see you again."

"That's only a reaction," said Michael. "I'm not coming back to be your husband. I'm sure."

Michael kissed her possessively on the lips, biting them until bleeding. Nora began to hit his shoulders and his face with her hands.

"Come on! Beat me powerfully as if for the last time."

Mary entered the house and she looked at both of them, visibly surprised.

"What happened?"

"Your mother is crazy. I am leaving her," said Michael.

Then, he turned to Nora and said,"When you need me, call me."

Young men in tuxedos stepped out of their limousines. Groups of girls, with tans as fake as their false nails, exchanged greetings in the glare of flash bulbs. They were together to celebrate the end of their exams. The students invested in new jeans and hair gel, wasting a lot of money on evening outfits, especially for the matching accessories. The girls spent their time to their hairdressers for doing their hair dos and the manicures.They went to some special shops for buying long gloves, matching handbags and ball gowns. Most girls had bought new outfits. The student committee spent all the year planning the proms, which were staged in the school gym. Some of them began to drink champagne. Others discreetly topped up their cola or orange juice with a dash of vodka.

Tom wore a black shirt and a white bow tie. He chomped on a Cuban cigar and he surveyed the scene. "It's something to celebrate," he said.

"We've finished school - no more being bossed around by teachers. This gives us something to remember."

"The dances have strict rules. For example, you must remain twelve inches from your partner," said Dusty.

"Damn, people, just let the kids to be kids! When I remember that all the good moments in the high school were spoiled by the control freaks, I cannot believe that I'm here now," said Ben.

"Some teachers would have boycotted this party, if they had been here," said Roxanne.

"Are you really going to dance, Roxanne?" Dusty asked her.

"What do you think?"

Dusty was a very charming young tall man, having amazing round blue eyes, a blond hair and an athletic allure. He was the son of Victor and Marie. Roxanne was his girlfriend. She had big black eyes and a long black hair.

Their relationship began as an adventure, but sooner than they expected, this relationship became very serious. At the beginning, Roxanne had been extremely scared about it because she had thought of losing her freedom. After that, she saw the potential for a good marriage with Dusty, but she was very frightened to make that commitment with him and she tried to understand why. She was wary of telling her mother. She knew that her mother would disapprove this relationship because they were poor people. She felt like she wasn't entitled to her own happiness.

Danielle was the daughter of John and Samantha. She was a very enthusiastic person, having always a good idea in her mind. With her blond hair and brown eyes, she looked much more like a fairy.

Ben belonged to a farmer family. He was living in a village, which was situated near our little town. He was a very nice young man with a remarkable contrast between his very black hair and his deep green eyes.
Many times, Ben had the feeling of being alone, while he was struggling through his life without any result and he was fading into the mist of vacuity. He met Danielle. At the beginning, she was like a sister to him. He began to have a new feeling of belonging to someone. Being a very rational woman, Danielle stimulated in him the desire to awake spiritually. The more they learned to be together, the more powerfully they felt that spiritual awakening like a deep love.

"Well, despite what the teachers say, I think that it's nothing wrong with this dance as long as you're not doing it affectionately!" Roxanne suggested.

"Some dances are forbidden," said Susan.

"I don't know why the parents are so scared. They always try to remember what happened when they were younger and they imitate their parents'behavior. Sometimes, we have to deal with the constant parental worries," said Tom.

"A parent really must know what to worry about. They don't have to worry about the parties.It is more important what it is happening after those parties. Sometimes, the students go elsewhere to do less decent activities. These types of activities make the life much more attractive for some of them. I like to tell my mother everything. She's a very good friend," said Susan.

"Some of them think that being damned to hell by religion is not considered harmful. I have always listened to the priest. I want to do this.I think it's important for living honestly. I simply cannot lie my parents," said Dan.

"Sometimes, people want to get something more. If they can't dance it out, they want it even more. Tell me that is not true," said Ben.

"Look at them! I can say that the party is not so attractive and alluring for them," said Danielle.

"Surely you're not suggesting that grinding their opportunities makes them to resign," Dan replied, looking to Ben.

"So dancing is okay as long as we keep the rules," concluded Ben, looking to Dan.

"Look at them!" Danielle said again. " I'm not a prude and I don't really consider that to be obscene," said Danielle.

"They can sensually dance all night, but it's better for them to choose the back seat of their dad's car," said Susan.

"Usually, the people don't come to the high school dances," said Roxanne.

"The obnoxious people should show some common courtesy," said Mary.

"Look at those parents watching their precious innocent daughters," laughed Roxanne.

"What are they doing here? It's our school prom!" Danielle became ironically intrigued.

"They clearly have no idea about what the lyric means, but they sing along with us," said Susan.

"Maybe they need to understand the new generation," said Mary.

"To be fair, Ben, you dance like a penguin," said Danielle.

"And how am I supposed to move, while you are forcing me to keep the feet on the floor?"

"It takes some experience to feel relaxed while dancing," said Dan, smiling.

"I was excited, confused and wary about physical proximity with girls, at the beginning. Now, I do it and I enjoy it," said Dusty.

"A prom marks the end of the high school. When we cannot conform to the values, the school fails in its mission and the teachers must admit it," said Mary.

"I think that some schools are getting out of hand with the rules, which are enforcing us," said Tom.

"When they require us to sign the contracts and they deny the access to certain things, they have two opposite attitudes. They convey the idea of authority for us and the open contempt, at the same time," said Dan.

"They think that their attitude towards us is the proper way to make us to act as they wish, but they know less than nothing about us," said Susan.

"They treat us like we are babies," said Ben.

''I find it to be so ironical. The people enacting these rules are the same people, who were teenagers once," said Danielle.

"If I had been forced to sign a contract, I would have come up with a hundred different ways to be lewd without breaking the rules," said Dan.

"They have a dictating behavior and they're not expecting people to follow the common sense," said Mary.

"They are not tolerating the inevitable maturity process of the younger people," said Danielle.
"Do you dare to disagree to their particular methods? Some teachers have instituted a rule based policy, which prohibits certain behaviors," said Dan.

Mary came closer to Dan and kissed him tenderly.

"Didn't you tell them, darling?"

"Yes, of course. We will be engaged in August and we invite you all to the party. It will be a very special party because Tom and Susan will be engaged at the same time, in the same place," said Dan.

"Really?'' asked Roxanne.

"Congratulation!" Dusty held Dan.

"Hey, man, it's a great moment," said Ben, holding Dan.

"Tom," said Dusty, holding him, "What are you doing, man?"

"You look as lovely as a future bride, Susan," said Danielle, holding her.

"Tell me that you will be always my closest friend," said Roxanne, holding Mary.

"I can promise that. Anyway, it will be surely your turn in the next future. Dusty loves you so much."

"Let's drink for this," said Dan. "I invite you all at my parents' house."

"There is enough space in your enormous house for two engagement parties," said Ben.

"It will be something special in a very special place. I will tell you at the right moment," said Dan.

 

Chapter 18

 

Agony and Ecstasy

 

Some unexpected problems arose during Lisa's pregnancy and she started to worry about her health and her baby's health. She began to analyze the problems, which occurred during this time. Lisa entered the office of her gynecologist, after making an appointment with the purpose of examining her pregnancy.

"Many of the pregnancy problems are quite normal and there is no cause for concern, " said Mara, the doctor.

"Tell me, doctor, what are the most dangerous complications that I can develop during my pregnancy?" Lisa wanted to know everything about her problems.

"Do you want some tea?" Mara tried to talk calmly.

"That will be nice. "

"I want to know if you consume alcohol, if you smoke, or if you use drugs. "

"Why do you ask me?"

"All these things can cause serious problems to your unborn child. They can provoke the low birth weight and premature birth. Especially, the caffeine intake from your daily coffee can harm your baby, " said Mara.

"I don't drink alcohol, I don't smoke, and I have never used drugs. I didn't know that all these are so dangerous, " said Lisa. "Doctor, I want to tell you that I have a vaginal bleeding. "

"This can be a symptom of miscarriage. I must examine you, " said Mara.

"What does it mean, more precisely?"

"A miscarriage is the loss of the pregnancy and happens sometime during the first twenty three weeks. More exactly, the miscarriage is a spontaneous abortion. The cause is a genetic abnormality of the fetus or it can be an abnormal hormonal imbalance, which interferes with the ability of the uterus to support the growing embryo, " said Mara.

The nurse asked Lisa to enter the bathroom to provide some urine and to leave it there, in a special recipient. After that, the nurse invited Lisa to enter the exam room. The nurse told Lisa to take off her clothing below the waist and to use a sterile towel to cover herself. There was only one table in the room for the gynecological exams. So, Lisa sat up on that. It took nearly ten minutes for the doctor to enter. So, time passed incredibly slowly. The office was freezing as usual. Certainly, it wasn't very pleasant for her to be naked from the waist down. Mara entered and turned away, facing the equipment table, while she put on her pair of gloves. She was in her early forties and she wore glasses. After she put on her gloves, she turned around and glanced down at Lisa's pelvic area. Mara said, "Okay now I'm going to turn the spotlight on you. "

"Does it hurt? Is it uncomfortable?" Lisa was confused, scared and she was feeling very helpless.

"No, it doesn't hurt, " said Mara.

Mara examined Lisa. Mara did an abdominal examination combined with an internal pelvic examination. Mara was surprised to find that Lisa's cervix was opened. Mara checked for abnormalities in the cervix, by performing her manual examination.

"Well, you have an incompetent cervix, but the rest looks normal, " said Mara. "You may get dressed now. "

Mara walked to the other side of the room and she mentioned that if the tests came up with anything, they would notify her.

"It is thought that the most miscarriages are the result of some random variations in the chromosomes of the baby. In this case, you cannot keep your pregnancy, "continued Mara.

Lisa began to cry. It was written all over her face how much she wanted this child.

"Why, doctor, why me?"Lisa asked Mara. Her eyes failed, looking in vain for help.

"Hey, I understand your feelings, but don't lose your hope. Supposing that you lose this pregnancy, you can have a successful pregnancy in the future, "said Mara.

"He will leave me, "continued Lisa. She held her head down and looked ashamed. She couldn't accept Mara's conclusions.

"Don't say that. Do you have any lower abdominal pains?"After a few quiet moments, Mara felt a bit awkward and wondered if she had made a mistake.

"Yes, from time to time, I have pains, "answered Lisa.

"It is very important to determine the nature of the bleeding. It can be a sign of miscarriage, or the pregnancy may continue. Later, I will use an ultrasound scan through the abdomen and through the vagina for giving some precise information about whether your pregnancy can be continued or not, " continued Mara. She gave the precise reasons why she wanted to continue her ongoing medical investigation of Laura's pregnancy.

"What should I do if my pregnancy continues?" Lisa asked her. All this time, her eyes have showed that hope is hope and fate is destiny.

"I will control your pain by giving you simple painkillers. As long as the bleeding continues, it is advisable not to go to work. If your pregnancy is destined to miscarry, unfortunately, there is nothing I can do. You must not have sex until the miscarriage can be avoided, " said Mara.

Lisa began to feel anger, sadness and a very strong sense of guilt.

Lisa left Mara's cabinet and went to visit Laura. She needed to talk with someone. She stopped outside her friend's house to stand on the lawn and to look at the front door. After a moment, she slowly walked up the steps, she crossed the wooden porch and she entered the house. Entering the darkly lit house, Laura met her. They passed along down a hallway and entered into her friend's living room. Samantha and Marie were there, sitting on the sofa. Suddenly, Lisa felt very lonely and depressed and she wanted to escape the reality.

"How do you feel, Lisa?" Samantha seemed very worried about Laura's health.

"I'm not very well. I may lose my baby, " said Lisa. She looked like someone who learned to accept the reality of the situation.

"Oh, dear, I feel so sorry for you, " said Samantha, coming closer to her and holding her.

Lisa began to cry.

"I can imagine what you must be going through. I just want to wish you all the best for the future. Don't lose your hope, " said Marie. From her earliest days, Mary had a special knowledge of the Divine Mercy.

"I surely understand what you are going through. I lost a daughter when she was just a few days old. I was so scared to have another baby because I did not want to go through the loss of another child. I fell pregnant again six months later and it was the best thing for me. I was so worried during my pregnancy that something would go wrong, but having another baby partially healed my pain. You will never get through something like this, I'm sure, but you must learn how to take care of your pregnancy, " said Samantha.

"I'm so sorry for your loss, "said Lisa. She was sad and surprised to listen Samantha talking about her deepest secret. "The doctor told me that I might have a miscarriage. Say something, Laura, " said Lisa.

"I wish I knew what to say to you, but I really don't know where to start, " said Laura, visibly surprised.

"Nothing I can say will ease your pain, but I just want you to know that I already began to pray for you to find the strength to get through all these problems. You and your precious baby are in my prayers, " said Marie.

"When we had decided to have a child, my husband and I had been trying until I was pregnant. Everything was going great, I had my routine ultrasound at nineteen weeks and it was good. I went to all my check ups and everything was normal. I was happy with the progress of my pregnancy. One day, I woke up with some growing pains like contractions. I rang the hospital. My husband got me straight there, because I was in labor. I had to give birth to my baby. My water broke and by seven pm I gave birth to my baby. Lisa, try not to listen to people that tell you that you should immediately try, if you lose this child. I do believe that you will know when the time is right, '' said Laura.

"I'm completely shocked! I don't know what to say. It doesn't feel real. My heart is broken and shattered, " said Lisa.

"You're tired. You must go home and take a little rest. Don't lose your hope, "said Marie.

Lisa got off the car and ran toward her front door, fumbling through her purse for her keys. She entered the house and found no evidence of Michael's presence. Lisa heard a woman's voice, coming from the bedroom. She thought that he had come home from the theater and he had fallen asleep with the television on. Lisa went upstairs to turn off the television. The source of the voice was pushed by a force beyond her power of control. She made her way up to the top of the staircase. Lisa recognized Michael's voice as he was talking with a woman. When she realized that he was in the bedroom with another woman, she was extremely shocked. She understood that the temporary absence of the sexual intimacy in her relationship with Michael, due to her problems with the pregnancy, determined him to choose to be with another woman, but she had not thought that he might chose to be with her in their bedroom. This awareness was profoundly humiliating for her. She realized that she was foolish when she was an honest person.

The door was opened and Lisa could peer into their bedroom. She discovered Michael, being in bed with that woman. She tried to watch their interactions. They were both completely naked and it was painfully obvious that they were enjoying each other tremendously. She saw Michael sharing his love with that woman. Lisa saw that the usual pain and tension disappeared from his face, leaving a contented smile on his sensual lips. From every gesture and expression, she could see that he was still a self-contained man, with his dash of pride in his nature, tending more likely to hide his wounds than to expose them. He seemed to be completely satisfied. She became deadly pale and her attention was focused on Michael's fast breathing, while he made love so passionately with that woman. She wanted to enter the bedroom and confront him, but she turned furtively away towards the stairs and she fled from the house out, closing the front door with a sharp creaking. Suddenly, she understood her reaction in front of Jeff. She wanted to go beyond the limits of his authority and to usurp the functions of her man.

Lisa entered the house. She found Jeff's body, lying on the floor with a large bloody torso wound. She was wearing a beige outer clothing and she was very careful with what she touched. . She also saw a huge bloody head wound that looked like a bloody bullet hole. She understood that he was shot in his head. His blood spurted everywhere around, on his face, on his body and pieces of his brain were spurted on the floor. A bloody hand print was shown on the wall near the phone, which was opened and abandoned. He had a decaying face and the flies were buzzing around him. Lisa screamed and yelled, when she realized that Jeff was dead. After that, she called the police to report what happened.

She cried out a silent curse. She took the small dog, having only a few months old. The dog was there near him, seemingly trying to understand what happened. Suddenly, she felt so shocked that she couldn't move.

She pushed her body to its limit, trying to get away from there. Lisa looked around the hall and she saw the stairs. She ran up the stairs to their bedroom and pushed the door to open. She opened the door with a creaking sound and she looked around. The windows didn't give any light. When her eyes got used to the darkness, she found a wooden box on the table. She opened the box and she found Jeff's last journal. She understood that Jeff committed his suicide by shooting himself. In that moment, she thought that the suicide was the ultimate sin of all because the victim could not repent for it. She realized that he was lost forever. She looked right at his picture, on the wall. Her eyes locked in a pause, for a moment. Her eyes were frightened and she was really terrified.

She buried her nose into her sleeve and she tried to force her body to calm her heart pain. She heard the voices of the policemen and she felt tears trickle down her face, but she couldn't make any sound, even if she wanted to scream. She closed her eyes and she fell down the floor. She felt that her spine was chilling. That strange silence around her was thundering like the worst drum ever imagined. She lost her consciousness.

The police team entered the house and found Jeff dead because of an apparent suicide by gunshot. Two weapons were found on and near Jeff's body, a shotgun and a handgun.

Lisa opened her eyes. She looked around and she discovered the hospital room. Her heart stopped when she looked into Michael's amber eyes. His face was more opaque and it made her to stop breathing for a few moments.

"Breathe, girl," said Michael.

She gulped and took a deep breath.

"I saw you in our bedroom, making love with another woman. I know that Jeff is dead. "

"Forgive me, Lisa, but you had problems and I couldn't resist. You lost your baby, but don't worry, you will have another one, " said Michael, kissing her.

"I am not going to hurt your mistress. All I want to know is if you want to stay with me from now on. "

"Of course, my dear, you will be pregnant again. "

He felt a poke in his chest. He looked down and he saw Lisa, pulling back her finger. She touched him.

"I love you, " said Lisa. "I cannot afford to lose you. I fell in love with you from the moment I laid my eyes on you. Will you make love to me, Michael?" It was a kiss of forgiveness she had wanted and she had put her heart into her eyes and begged him to love her.

"Yes. "

"If you don't make love to me, nothing will happen. Don't give me your body because you feel that I am pushing you to do it. You are free to walk out of here, if that is what you want, " said Lisa.

He looked up into her face saying, "I will never leave you. "

Tears welled up inside her eyes. She felt his warm palm on her cheek.

"Something bad happened to Jeff. He was a real fighter, " said Michael.

"Yes, he was a real fighter, but he never knew to accept that he may lose. He committed his suicide because he had a big financial problem. "

Michael looked very strangely to her.

"He called his daughter to tell her that he is going to commit the suicide because you didn't return his phone calls and the messages he had sent to you, " said Michael.

"He already had a daughter with his first wife, when he married me. But, Michael, he didn't call me and he didn't send me any message. I can prove this. "

"Maybe he had a financial problem. Sometimes, I'm wondering how my boy will react to our marriage, " said Michael.

"We can be together without being married. You don't have to give up your marriage with Nora. I didn't know that you have a boy. What's his name?"

"I was married before meeting Ella. I divorced Alice because of my love for Ella. My boy, Jack, was only two years old, " said Michael.

 

Chapter 19

 

The Funerals

 

Ella has always wanted, for sure, one thing since she was a little girl. She wanted to buy a printing press. The problem was that she didn't have enough money to do this. Ella set out to find a way to do this. Ella had thought she was going to get away for her maternal period for returning to work. Her mother had promised to help her with some money and she wanted to take care of the baby, in order to give her daughter the opportunity to work. She had already published her book. She had been working on it for several years, acquiring a high-powered agent, having some brushes with two major publishers.

She could have tried to go to a small publisher, but she was told that her book was a bigger one, with more aspirations. She also learned that the small publishers could be wiped out by the self-publishing revolution of recent years, which had a major impact on mainstream media. The basic premise was that anyone could become a small publisher. She decided to associate with Laura and Sam.Ella couldn't really know what it meant to be a real publisher until she became a partner.She realized that she had to work hard for this purpose.

"I know that I must work hard for a very long time, in order to get to the point of making a lot of money from publishing books,"said Sam. He needed to learn about his job duty and other life skills, necessary for functioning within the press community.

"Laura, you are an experienced director and you can handle with a lot of money. You have a lot of experience in the publishing industry. It's a great goal because the benefits can be unlimited,"said Ella.

Owning a publishing company can be the ultimate hands-on experience. Each project requires personal attention. Generally, people who own publishing companies are prepared to work long hours and to face significant start-up costs. If they can deal successfully with the pressures of payroll, regulations and problem solving, the rewards can be great.

"I will share up to thirty five percent with a serious project manager, who can handle the whole publishing development. There is much to be discussed and I expect only very professional persons to be involved," said Laura.

"Do you need another manager?" Sam was making a ceaseless effort to understand the problems. The main reason Sam found himself in this situation was that he was not, in fact, prepared to deal with the business as he was going to find it.

"The affair is bigger now than before and the manager I have is not a very good one. In fact, I have thought of Michael.This is why I have invited him here," said Laura.

Michael thought of what she said for a few seconds and, after that, he said,"Make it forty percent and I'm your man,"said Michael.

"I cannot give you forty percent on this project and I know you wouldn't mind having just thirty percent, once this is up and running, but I give you thirty five percent and I am willing to discuss about a higher rate later when the level of sales will reach the target level of profit," said Laura.

"I expect a very good knowledge from your co-workers and the ability to create a system. It is a hard work, but only big rewards are expected. I understand that I'm hired. If thirty five percent is all the manager gets and the manager does one hundred percent of the publishing development, the question I have is what do the other partners do to warrant getting sixty five percent? The ratio of work to gain money seems to be unbalanced, "said Michael.

"I am looking for an exceptional book designer to work for me and this will cost me a lot. I need a high quality for the books and this is very expensive. I'm asking you to accept this proposal for a while. Ella and Sam will take twenty percent together. What I need to say is that I want you all to be true partners. We will start a very profitable non-risky affair. As I said in the beginning, we have to work very hard because, without this, we can lose everything,"said Laura.

"I don't know if a great book designer is the key to success," said Michael.

"The clients want to place their manuscripts in the hands of someone they can trust. A good book designer knows how to make the book to be the best one. It's a very creative process, associated with the production details, for making this book to be complete," said Laura.

"We must develop the business plan," concluded Sam, who was paying attention to everything.

Sam wanted to make money to become rich enough for being co-partner in an affair. For this purpose, he had to impose many restrictions on himself. He had been worth every penny of his salary. It was an unimaginable stress to work for ten years, having two jobs at the same time.There were plenty of ways to get money, including speculation, marriage, inheritance, theft, extortion, fraud, counterfeiting and prospecting, but Sam chose to invest his money in the stock market because it had already gained so much popularity. Because the stocks prices had been on the rise, he thought that he had found a safe way to invest. He believed that his stocks were his tickets to richness. He was right because those stock values didn't stop rising. Sooner than he expected, the stock prices were very high, as a result of the mass investments. The stock prices continued to rise until they reached their highest points. This way, Sam became a rich man.

"It isn't very complicated, but it has to be thorough," said Ella.

"It is very important to know how the business must be developed,'' said Laura.

"Without a few lines of credit and an alternative of start-up funding, no business can survive for long time. You have money, but not enough for your purpose.This is why you must get a loan, until the company gets established," said Daniel.

"How can we get the loan?" Sam became curious.

"You must open a bank account, in the company's name, for paying the bills.You must keep it separate from your investment, checking and savings accounts," said Daniel.

"Laura, it's wonderful to see you both together again," said Ella.

"I love him very much,"said Laura.

Laura had not realized what Daniel wanted from her, until they divorced. Even she was separated from Daniel, she didn't feel completely detached from him. She realized that it was much easier to think of their relationship, while they were living separately. She thought for a moment that living as a single would be better, but she concluded that, on the other side, the life can lose its sense. After this experience, Laura realized that Daniel was all she needed. She realized that she loves him and she cannot love another man. The divorce wasn't very easy. It was a traumatic experience, but their problems seemed almost impossible to be solved without this separation. When Daniel decided to return, Laura tried to be honest with him because she wanted to start a new life. Daniel told her to be mature enough to realize that the main problems in their marriage were caused by her attitude and he asked her to be honest enough to admit that she generated the main conflicts. He told her that he had learned to forgive and forget because he understood that it was easier to forgive and forget the past and look towards a better future, than to live with unsolved problems. Her reconciliation with Daniel was a long and difficult process.

"Covering the equipment is the first priority.We need to invest in equipment liability and workman's compensation," said Laura.

"We need to be shielded against some claims, arising from miscalculation, made during our activity," said Ella.

"We must carefully balance our estimations. We have to bend a little on pricing for a steady work flow," said Laura.

"You must know everything about all the risks.You must know how to plan on addressing damage claims and client disputes. All these will go along with strengthening your position as a contractor,"said Daniel.

"Daniel, you're so sweet when you want to help us. I suppose that no other person really knows that you are here talking with us,"said Ella laughing.

"We must employ new workers,"said Laura.

"How can we recruit them?" Sam was boring asking so many questions.

"We can publish announcements in our newspaper. We can choose online postings and fliers," said Ella.

"The book design can turn the manuscript into a professional quality book,"said Laura.

"Ella, tell me about your money,"said Michael, tenderly looking into her eyes and smiling. "You're more beautiful now than ever."

"My mother gave me some money. She decided to help me to realize the dream of my life."

"Generally, people judge a book by its cover. We will work to create the best book design for the audience. The authors are dependent upon our careful attention to detail in this customized book design.This kind of design needs some book printing skills. I will introduce you to the book design preparations, technical information and design decisions, required for a successful book printing. Even you are not designers, you must know everything about this,"concluded Laura.

Lisa's heart was beating very fast and her head was spinning. Being so powerless, she suddenly felt sick to her stomach.

"What has happened to you?" Samantha asked her.

"Give me five minutes,"she told Samantha, suddenly feeling very weak. "I don't know what's wrong with me."

Being worried, Samantha nodded and went to get Lisa a glass of water. Lisa sat back in a chair, having her eyes closed and shaking her hands. She realized she was having an anxiety attack, probably because she attended the funeral. Moreover, going to those things, she felt brought on waves of panic and nausea.

"I still cannot realize that Jeff is dead," she said.

After a few minutes, six lanky boys appeared at the funeral and three of them clambered down from the hearse. One of them had one of those thermometer style tire gauges with him and he was scrabbling around the hearse on his haunches, testing the tire pressures. After a few minutes, he said,"We have come to take the charge of the body. Tell two of you to lend a hand."

"Of course," said Samantha, "Klaus, be kind and ask David to come here."

The coffin was got out of the room for being placed in the hearse. The people drew back enough to make space for it. No one said anything. The engine panted heavily. The lanky boys looked helpless at the driver. The driver turned to David because he was the only one, who could be addressed to ask him for help.

"The body will be directly taken to the church," said David. He stooped and took hold of one of the handles of the coffin.

The liveryman opened the door of the hearse and prepared to mount the coffin's seat. The hearse began slowly to move for some miles with Jeff's daughter and his family's cars following behind. It was pouring with rain, thundering and lightning. Then, a flash of lightning lit the hearse and a crack of thunder sounded like ten thousand drums, which were beaten by invisible hands. The liveryman took one look at Jeff and his coffin, which was gleaming in the bright light. His face's color was turning into a white shade of pale. The lamps of the town began to shine and their artificial light reached the emptiness of the cloudy sky, wrapping everything in a very strange silence. The hearse backed up to the sidewalk of the church. The gate, which was hanging on two hinges, was opened. Something black had been tied to the front door, before their coming.

"There are old chairs made in the chapel by his family," said Samantha.

"Lisa and Jane are going to serve everyone tea, coffee and food, after the funeral," said Marie.

"His photograph in remembrance, embedded in the gravestone, is a good one," said Mary.

"People like something to spark their memory and the photograph is exactly what they need," said Samantha.

"I think that there has always been a need to say a special last goodbye," said Roxanne.

"Lisa chose a very impressive casket," said Dusty.

The rain stopped falling. The coffin was taken out from the hearse for being placed in the church. The casket was making a grating sound. It was answered by the scream of Jeff's daughter, Jane. She was a woman with flat and angular features. She had a long blond hair, very blue eyes and she was entirely dressed in black. Whilst grieving for her father, Jane found herself not wanting any contact with the people around her, except for those to whom she was closest. The bearers carried the coffin along the narrow boards, while the undertaker ran ahead with the coffin rests. There was a logo, having some black and orange flowers. Some white funeral flowers were placed on the casket. They bore the coffin into the church and set it down there. It was a Catholic church, with cream-colored walls and a dark brown carpet. The building had the sober style of the medieval art. The podium sat at the front of the hall. In front of it, there was a table. The people approached the coffin.

"Condolences, Jane," said Roxanne, embracing her.

"Thank you," said Jane, having tears in her eyes.

John and Victor seemed to be engaged in a conversation without end.

"Lately, the funerals have changed because of the secularization of society," said John.

"In many cases, people find the personalization to be valuable. The personalization changes the way in which the people view the funerals," said Victor.

"Klaus, be kind and take the lid off and let me see his face," wailed Jane between her sobs.

Klaus looked almost beseeching into her face with red and swollen eyes. Her beautiful nose was distended and there were tears on either side of it. Her mouth and eyes drawn down solemnly, awaiting the opening of the coffin. Silently, she began to weep. Feeble steps were heard on the front of the stairs and a tall old man, having a very gray hair and a long gray beard, slowly entered the church. He went up to the coffin and stood, keeping a cross between his hands and being seemingly so embarrassed by Jane's grief. His name was John and he was priest. At this point, she began weeping again and the priest prayed silently for wisdom to help her.

"Sorry to hear about your loss, Jane. Death is the most horrible thing to live through, but we can learn so many things from someone's death and we learn to pass through this," said the priest.

"This life of ours is so short and we have an eternity to spend together. Love is the strongest link in that invisible chain that connects us," said Jane.

Jeff's head, artificially reconstructed, seemed to be even more indifferent in its rigid stillness than in life. No one could see that chaste repose on his face, which we expect to find on the face of any dead person. Death could not wholly relax the tension and smooth the countenance for expressing a perfect peace.

"He was a very good person, but we did nothing to understand him and to help him," said Klaus.

"Poor girl, I think that she suffers very much," remarked David, referring to Jane.

Lisa touched her. Soon, the people started to come to the church from all sides of the town. It looked like it was going to be a long funeral, with more than a dozen of speakers. A little before the start of the funeral, Michael came up to the group. From the moment that Alexander saw him approaching, he felt his reaction inside, which increased as Michael came near him.

"How are you, Michael?" Alexander asked him.

"I am elected as the director of the theater. It is a real honor to serve on this prestigious art as a director," said Michael.

"Congratulation," said Alexander.

"I want to do the best to honor Jeff's memory as a director. I outlined an overview of the further development of the theater in a bid to attract the audiences. I want to promote some playwrights as well as some classical and modern scripts," said Michael.

"I really don't know what happened to him. It is very strange that he didn't seem to commit suicide," said Alexander, seemingly not paying attention to what he said.

The family started to talk about Jeff's life because they wanted the time to pass in waiting the religious service. When the services started, everyone quit talking. Then, a little while later in the service, after a short litany of Psalm twenty three, Jeff's friends wanted to do something special at the service and they sang a liturgical song. They finished the service with one of Jeff's favorite religious songs. Many people commented on how uplifting the service was. It didn't dwell on the sadness, but on the joy of Jeff's life and on the hope and promises of our Lord. After the funeral, Michael came to Lisa and found her sitting on the small bench in front of Jeff' grave.

"How do you feel now, Lisa?" Michael asked her, while he was staying in front of Jeff's grave.

"I loved him," said Lisa.

"The loss of a loved one is, generally, never easy and nobody will ever expect it to be. For you, this funeral passed as a hazy memory. So, don't feel guilty of not remembering the details of this last farewell from now on," said Michael ironically.

"I loved you both at the same time," continued Lisa. "Don't blame me."

"Some day, I will leave you," said Michael.

Chapter 20

 

After Ten Years

 

Three months after graduating the University, Susan tried to find a job at the Village Mayor's Court as a village administrator. It was the village, where Theodore had lived once. She wanted to go along with the social life. She thought that it was the time to explore new adventures and a new chapter of her life. For this purpose, she met James, who was the mayor of the village. He told her that he had started the construction of a school house, a church and some successful farms. He wanted to give a spirit of education to the land. It became a place, where many families had built their homes. He wanted to know the reason that determined her to search a job in a village. She was ready to motivate her decision. James told her that no one else wanted this job. The reason was that it was very poorly paid. She told him that her fiance has been already hired as a Math teacher at their village school and she was searching a job for being with him. James told her that the young people left the village in order to look for good jobs in the town. He advised her to be involved in every aspect of her job. He also told her that the employment of the members of the personnel was based on their qualifications.

"Everyone was hired by staff here and I will never deviate from the rules of our village. Congratulations! You got the job," he said.

"Thank you," Susan told him, smiling and expressing her happiness.

"You will start to work here tomorrow. Your first duty will be to purchase and operate a new fitness center. You will have to pick up the center's lease. You will spend some public money to cover the equipment, too. I want to know your opinion about this," said James.

"It is important to know if the center is too expensive to operate, if there are enough users and if there is sufficient staff," said Susan.

"The center isn't too expensive to operate and there is sufficient staff, but we need more users. Let's talk about the users. Generally, people dislike their appearance. If I had to pick up the real middle age, then I would probably choose the range from twenty five to seventy five years old people. The most of them are truly independent. They have their own responsibilities at twenty five years old, but most of them are dealing with some infirmities at the age of seventy five. The most of people don't get depressed at thirty years old. We can't realistically deal with this kind of depression. I think that they don't have many choices in life. They must accept themselves such as they are. A fitness center can help them a lot," said James.

"I had heard so many opinions about the middle age. I thought I ought to clearly understand them, "said Susan.

"I started to talk to people of all ages, from the youngest person to the oldest one. I asked them if they were happy or not. Slowly, a new definition of middle age began to form in my mind," said James.

"It is a moment in life, when people shift from seeing the future in terms of their potential to the opposite point of view. They see it in terms of their limitations. They fight with their limitations for a while, but they have to accept their resignation," said Susan.

"We must help them," said James, looking at her.

"I like your point of view," said Susan.

"You are a beginner in this branch and this little project will help you," said James.

After ten years of frustration, the doctor told Lisa about her incapability to conceive kids. She was trying everything to get pregnant and she supported a few miscarriages. She became very depressed, frustrated and very jealous. She had those feelings,when she looked at all her friends having children.

"I am really worried about her. She cries all the time," said Laura.

"Lisa definitely has some choices. She can adopt a child, or she can use a gestational carrier. I think it is harsh to say that she can't have children," said Marie.

"She thinks she will never be able to feel a baby growing inside of her," said Amy.

"A miscarriage can be frightening and depressing. It is natural to feel the grief over the loss of a child. Maybe she cannot psychically start again, "said Ella.

"She could start a couple of weeks, after her last bleeding had stopped, but she preferred to wait a longer period. She wanted probably to recover from her emotional trauma. She desperately needs this child, because she wants to save her relationship with Michael," said Nora.

In the kitchen, Lisa and Samantha started to talk, while they were preparing the coffee. In the middle of the discussion, Marie entered to ask about the coffee.

"Do you need help?" Marie asked Samantha.

"Well, of course that I need help." Samantha slowly turned her head and looked at Marie. Her eyes made a silent plea for gratitude. Then, she turned her head to Lisa and said, "What did you say?"

"I remember that I was sixteen years old and one night I met a man. In time, we became lovers. One day, I asked him to come home with me. I told my parents that I want to marry him and they were very surprised. I told them that I was pregnant. I wasn't sure. It was my first pregnancy. I didn't know what to do and my parents told me to go to the clinic. I was scheduled for my first scan and they confirmed my pregnancy. After that, I had a very bad time. My parents didn't accept anything, because I was too young. My man was furious. I ended up taking a tablet to get rid of the baby. Nine hours later, I went to the hospital. I was losing a lot of blood, when the doctor operated me to save my life. After that, seven years I have been trying to be pregnant, but nothing happened. I began to think that I would never be a mother," said Lisa.

"My daughter was born by emergency cesarean section. I was in labor for twenty hours. I felt very disappointed that I hadn't a natural birth. The most important thing was that the baby was healthy. I think that some doctors are a little too dogmatic. Everything they say is based on their experience. When they are not sure about the evolution of the pregnancy, all they can do is to advise their patients to be cautious," said Samantha.

"Usually, the doctors don't tell you the truth. They think that nothing is completely black or white in the medical world. The best they can do is to estimate the evolution of your pregnancy and to let you know about the risks," said Marie.

"The doctors don't know everything and I always say to everyone, who is struggling to conceive a baby - never give up your hope. I don't have children. I had wanted very much to have a child. I have felt useless for a very long time. I thought that maybe God wanted another path for me. I'm a teacher and I love the kids," said Amy.

Lisa brought the cups of coffee and put them on the table.

"By the way, Nora, how do you feel?" Samantha asked her.

"Theodore had some money and I sold the apartment, where I had lived with Michael. We bought a house for our family. We live there with Mary. It's a small house, but I hope to buy another one later. Theodore is the school's program director at a very good school in our town, at present," said Nora.

"Tell me what exactly a school program director is," Lisa wanted to know.

"I don't exactly know, but all he said is that the school program includes the development and the implementation of the master schedule, some staffing assignments, student scheduling and allocation of the resources. Theodore supervises and coordinates all the educational and counseling duties for the students and the staff of the school, "said Nora.

"What about Dan, where is he working now?" Amy asked her.

"Well, he is a doctor, my dear, he works at the hospital," said Nora.

"Tell me about Mary," continued Amy.

"She is a dentist. She will work with me. I must talk to Victor to extend our cabinet. We must build another room and we must turn it into a dental office for Mary. I must extend the house, where the dental cabinet is placed," said Nora.

"Mary is so lucky to marry Dan. You must be so happy for her, "said Amy.

"Dan is a wonderful person, my dear," said Nora.

''Of course, they are both like kids," said Amy.

"Take care, Mary can hear you. She has a very mature thinking," said Nora.

"They are still kids for me," said Amy, sighing.

Mentioning specific words about the hospital can automatically determine some people to think of the typical doctors and nurses. Although working as a doctor requires a specialist training and some qualifications, there are a few occasional opportunities to start as an assistant, allowing for a combination of study with practice. This gives many opportunities to develop the skills and to gain new qualifications, or to increase the salary prospects. There are many training and employment prospects within this work. You need to find the best position.

Dan realized that working in a hospital is not like learning in a college. He was socially challenged. He was locked up for twelve years in the college and the medical school. He had been completely cut out from the real world, until he started to believe that he was truly responsible for the life of the human beings. Starting to work in the hospital, Dan found out that some employees could act like babies and they could like some immature gossips.

"People like to talk about you behind your back. It will get back to you. Do not talk about your coworkers in a bad way. It will get back to them," said Brandon, the director of the hospital.

"There are so many ways to avoid this problem," said Dan

"It's not always a pleasant environment. If you enjoy your work in this hospital, stick with it. If you don't enjoy it, keep working at it. I think the new generation will be better than us," said Brandon.

"This hospital is an interesting place. It doesn't matter who we are, the job is just a job," said Dan

"All we can do here is to treat our patients, to cultivate our good will and to go home to our personal life," said Brandon.

"So, everything I have heard about the hospital environment is true," said Dan.

"Sometimes, the people can be on the verge of a mental breakdown. I think that this characteristic is generally inherent to the human nature and it is specifically caused by the particular problems, "said Brandon.

"We spend more time at work than we spend at home, "said Dan

"Our mission is to care for the patients. In our emergency room, many patients are indigent and they do not have their own doctors," said Brandon.

"I think that we must focus our attention on caring for them, for the purpose of treating them at a lower cost," said Dan.

"The lower cost is necessary, but the patient's health is very important. By the way, we can reduce the length of the hospital stay, we can oversee the discharge planning and we can improve the contact between the hospitals and the home care agencies. This way, we can have enough money for good treatment results," said Brandon.

"Moreover, it is a good idea to create a separate group of some hospital based physicians," said Dan.

"This way, we can avoid the reduction of the important costs by cutting back the money we spend to pay some services. Moreover, this decision can eliminate some concerns about the safety of the patients," said Brandon.

"The pharmacists can lease their space in the building," said Dan.

"You're right. A temporary problem is that the hospital has hired a lot of assistant doctors and the new medical building is scheduled to be finished only in June," said Brandon.

"Until the building is finished, it is going to be a little tight, but I see about one hundred patients each week and those second doctors can help me a lot," said Dan.

"I am very glad that I found someone so energetic like you," said Brandon.

"I am so excited to know this," said Dan, seemingly to himself.

"Excellent," said Brandon, smiling.

After that, Dan went to see his patients.

"Good morning, doctor! Can you spare a few minutes for me?" Paul told him.

"Certainly I can do this! What is the matter with you? "Dan asked him jovially.

"I've caught a cold and I'm coughing."

"Are you running a high temperature?"

"I don't think so."

Dan examined Paul' heart and lungs, but he didn't find any pathological modification. He asked Paul to widely open his mouth and to deeply breathe through the nose. He concluded that there wasn't any radical wrong sign of illness at his patient.

"You have run down a little. Take a complete rest. Get these tablets twice a day. You will be all right in three or four days. What is the matter with you, Samuel?" Dan continued to examine another patient.

"The injections you gave me helped me for a while. Now, my back pain is acting up again and my rib pain is back, "said Samuel.

"I will examine you and I will change your medical prescription," said Dan. He turned his head to Christine and asked, "What is the matter with you?"

"A week ago the surgeon had operated me. After that, I realized that I feel better than before the operation. I had made the right decision. I understood that I was given a second chance; even I had to take more pills. This change was probably one the most difficult situations I had to deal with, "said Christine.

"Let's plainly talk, Lisa, why are you here with me?" Sam asked her, slightly fondling her shoulders.

"I really don't know. I have not been cheating Michael since we began to live together. I knew that I have loved him from the moment I met him. I think I love you now, Sam," said Lisa.

"I love you too," said Sam

"From the moment that my eyes firstly saw you, I have adored you," continued Lisa.

"I will never be able to replace him," said Sam, smiling and turning his body to Lisa.

"You can make me forget my sad moments," said Lisa.

"That's nice," said Sam." You're a good girl." His eyes tried to hide something.

In a special room of a well hidden salmon colored stucco motel, Sam and Lisa have begun to meet since a while. The building had hidden parking spots, mirrored ceilings and tacky sunset murals. It seemed to be a perfect place for their meetings. She chose to be with Sam, because she felt abandoned. Her relationship with Michael failed and she wanted to be in love with someone else, a man who could love her.

She decided to live a double life, by choosing to be with both of them. At the same time, she wanted to have her own secrets. She wanted a man, who could share his thoughts with her and who could love her. She knew that everybody coming in this motel had a story as an excuse, but she loved Michael more than her life and Michael hurt her very deeply.

"I feel that my love story is the saddest story you have ever heard," said Lisa.

Sometimes the new teachers can be more effective than their veteran counterparts. While many veterans lose their passion for teaching over time, the new teachers are eager to be in the profession. Others think that the latest fad in teacher preparation cannot replace the wisdom that veteran educators gained over the years. Tom thought to be innovative. He knew that Mike, who became the new director, needed to hire him because he needed young teaching minds in the school. Tom wanted to be selfless and to have performance at work. He already had some innovative solutions for some of the problems of the school and he knew that he was able to improve the present situation.

"The new teachers tend to be more inventive and innovative with their teaching style.If they are asked to teach demonstrative lessons, they will have better results than the veterans," said Mike.

"Yes, dear, they have a different kind of knowledge,'' said Amy.

"They are taught about the most recent educational research," said Mike.

"They are excited to jump into a new career. On the other hand, the veteran teachers have had many years of successes in trying some strategies that still work very well, "said Amy.

"Teaching is a talent," said Theodore.

"A new teacher with talent can be better than a veteran one. But a veteran teacher with talent is the best, because the talent combined with the experience cannot be beat," said Amy.

"I know that all the teachers are working under the pressure to reach their achievements. I am already prepared for that," said Tom.

"Many of our teachers are interested on promulgating a kind of system by focusing on the symptoms and not on the causes. And this is reason the system fails sometimes," said Mike.

"The cause is that the teachers are allowed to practice their profession by using a revamped educational pedagogy," said Amy.

"Many veteran teachers have to be informed about the new practices and they have to implement current strategies in their lessons," said Theodore.

"The new teachers are knowledgeable about the best research, but sometimes they do not receive any support," said Tom.

"When a veteran teacher does not stay in tune with the latest best practices, a new teacher may be more efficient," said Mike

"The effectiveness cannot be assessed, when there are two opposite points of view. Try to encourage the bad teachers to become better than they are and the good teachers to share what they know with others," said Theodore.

"A good teacher must demonstrate honesty, respect, responsibility, compassion and perseverance," said Tom.

"They spend their time outside the classroom for grading papers and for their professional development and they expect compensation for this kind of work, even they have no substantial education in the fields," said Mike.

"Hopefully, these new teachers can gain experience," said Amy.

"I must go now. Tom is very well prepared to replace me and I am completely sure that he will be a very good Math teacher instead of me," said Theodore.

"How is your family life now?" Amy asked Theodore.

"Well, it is a real family dream. I love my daughter and I enjoy every day seeing her. I am glad that she is so healthy and happy. Nora became a good life partner. I understood that I should sacrifice myself for being with her, when she wanted to work in the town, but I can not turn back the time. In the Bible it is written that the woman should follow her man. She didn't understand those words, when it was necessary," said Theodore.

"You're right," said Amy.

"Tell me about you," said Theodore.

"I like my life. I have a very close relationship with my husband. We value our time we spend together and I can't imagine our life being interrupted. I have nothing to regret," said Amy.

Amy was a very passive weak woman and this was the reason why she took her husband along with her. In the morning, she looked at Mike and said," There are two reasons why I wake up in the morning. Those reasons are my alarm clock and you."

"You look so great this morning. In fact you look great every morning," said Mike, while he was kissing her.

"The rain and the sunshine do not always come together. But you represent the perfect match for me," replied Amy, touching him tenderly.

''It is raining and I don't see the sun, but I know it's there. Sometimes, I cannot see you, but you are always on my mind. You're such a romantic woman, Amy. Only in your arms I feel alive," said Mike and he put his head on her left breast.

Amy was happy to share her thoughts with the aim of encouraging the women, who were in similar circumstances.She was a leader of a local organization for women and she taught them to strongly stay against their adversities. Being a dream maker, Amy had a long history of fighting for women rights. Her relationship with her husband was a very special one. More exactly, it was one of the most complex types of relationships. She was very confident to him. Having no children of their own, they loved each other more than usual.

"The deposit is already paid and it is not complete. I don't have the goods," said Brandon.

"They asked me some surcharge payments this time," said Mark.

"Did you find a way to get out of this?" Michael asked him.

"I'm still looking for a loophole," said Mark.

"Tell the buyer to pay a higher surcharge," said Michael.

"I did it, but the buyer refused to pay. He said we had a deal. They don't have the money. Let the money bubble, live off the kick back, "said Mark.

"Try to sell the goods to another company at a higher price. Take the money and complete another deposit for them," said Brandon.

"This takes time and it will not be easy. They had already asked me how long it will take," said Mark.

".You didn't understand. They may have to wait until they can pay for the expense of the goods," said Michael.

"Okay. How does your relationship with Lisa go?" Brandon asked him.

"Lisa loves me as I love Ella. I understood her and I wanted to give her everything she needed. I don't know why I feel like she is cheating on me," said Michael.

"Maybe she's jealous," said Mark.

"It's more than this and it will not be easier for her, believe me," Michael said with a thoughtful expression on his face.

 

Chapter 21

 

The Weddings

 

"We can renovate the cabinet and Mary will be able to work here. What do you say, Victor?"Nora asked him, having pleading eyes.

"You must have the design goals. I recommend you to put your ideas on the paper. If you know exactly what you want, you will save some money and stress,"said Victor.

" I will renovate the house and I will build a room for Mary's dental office. Ella did the same thing for her child."

"It is not the same thing,"said Victor. "You must choose the concept, which is feasible, functional and cost effective. After that, we must draw up the necessary plan for the engineers, the contractor and the building permit application. You need a detailed drawing project and the needed specifications to get an accurate contractor, "continued Victor.

"Can you help me? I do not know if I am able to do this by myself,"said Nora.

"Do I have another choice? You must know everything about the material, the grade, the fastening method and the finish you will use. There must be no confusion about what you expect from the finished project. You must be careful when you choose the contractors, because they frequently work on several projects at the same time. When you will spell out the timing and you will order the expected progress, they will ignore you, while they will be working for someone else. I recommend you to spend your money for paying very expensive contractors,"said Victor.

"I cannot give up because I don't have enough money for something very expensive,"said Nora.

"Okay,"said, Victor smiling.

"I suppose that every renovation project is unique like you,"said Nora.

"When I don't know what to do, I always ask the right questions."

"Yes, I know that you're always right. You're a great person, Victor."

"Anyway, Mary is preparing for her wedding, so she can start working as a dentist later. Don't get me wrong, but you must finish the renovation quickly, because I have to work without being interrupted for a long time. Dusty is still a student and he needs money. Marie is retired and she has an insufficient pension for Dust's tuition."

"I will ask Alexander to send me the team that renovated his home,"said Nora. Victor didn't say any word. He was seemingly thinking about his problems. It was the middle of the day and he finished to eat his lunch. She was sitting on a chair at the same table and she was playing her keys with her fingers. She thought that it is so ridiculous that the vision of her daughter's life is in her hands. Down in the spaces between the keys, she could imagine a new golden one.

"I have always admired your family. You have always encouraged me to go along with the problems in my life,"she continued to say.

"I want to go with the flow now. I cannot fight against it. Marie's life is very important to me. She cries at night before getting her medicine, but she's a little better than before. The cause of her disease is clearly stated."

"I'll pray to God to strengthen her and to ease her pain,"said Nora.

Mary's bride dress and Dan's tuxedo were very important. They had bought those wedding clothes six months before the event, because they needed time for any alteration. Preparing the food was one of the biggest parts of the wedding. The food was very expensive. Dan and Mary tried to find a less expensive place that offers decent meals.They waited a little long to book a good minister, because they had to book two weddings at the same time. This waiting period gave them the opportunity to make the necessary changes. They ordered their invitations, enclosures and envelope seals. The invitations were made of pink paper having attached big red hearts on them.They used golden letters. They made the reservations for the dinner, the hotel accommodation and the welcome gifts. They chose a restaurant nestled on a lake, because it offered wonderful shorelines, lighthouses, music festivals, art galleries, unique gift shops, wineries and a wealth of dining experiences. They spent their time for ordering the bride's wedding gown, the groom's attire and the personalized accessories for their mothers, fathers, wedding attendants, for flutes, cake serving set, guest book, pen, garter, the unity candle set, the coordinating photo albums, the wedding programs, the ring bearer pillow for the bride and the groom's rings. They ordered the flowers for the bride, the groom and the wedding party. Danielle was assigned to give the guests the wedding programs and to invite them to sign the guest sign-in book. A lot of rose petals were spread on the floor of the church.

When the first wedding began, Dan's mother was accompanied down the aisle to the first pew by the groomsman, who was a family member. Dan's father followed her from behind. Louise, Dan's mother, approached the altar together with Nora for lighting the family candle, prior to the entrance of the wedding party. Louise returned to the receiving line for greeting her guests and introducing them to the bride and her family.

"Let me stand between you two. This is the tradition," told Louise to Nora and Mary.

Considered as one of the seven sacraments, the wedding ceremony was full of deep spirituality and rich symbolism. The wedding began with an opening prayer told by the priest, who mentioned the names of the first couple and asked God for blessings. The family members read a few Biblical passages, which were selected by Mary and Dan and approved by the priest. That moment was followed by a short sermon about marriage, which was given by the priest. The entire congregation stood up and the couple took their vows to declare their commitment to each other.

"I promise to be true to you in good times, in sickness and in health. I will love and honor you all the days of my life,"said Dan.

"I promise to be true to you in good times, in sickness and in health. I will love and honor you all the days of my life,"repeated Mary.

The priest blessed the couple, joined their hands together and asked Dan,"Do you take Mary as your lawful wife to have and to hold, from this day forward, for better or for worse, for richer or for poorer, in sickness and in health, to love and cherish until death do you part?"asked the priest.

"I do,"said Dan.

After that, the priest addressed Mary the same question about Dan and Mary answered,"I do."

Dusty gave the bride's ring to the priest, who blessed it and handed it to the groom to place it on Mary's finger. Mary said,"I take this ring as a sign of my love and faithfulness in the name of the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit." Then, Roxanne, the maid of honor, handed the groom's ring to the priest, who blessed it and handed it to the bride to place it on Dan's finger. Dan repeated the same words.

The ceremony concluded with the nuptial blessings and the final prayer of the priest. He told the congregation, "Go in peace with Christ." Then, Mary placed the roses on the shrine of the Blessed Virgin Mary and the musicians played "Ave Maria."

After that, Tom and Susan entered for their wedding ceremony. When Mary saw that Susan was approaching the shrine being led by her father, she understood that she became a married woman. The moment of her marriage wasthe most important moment of her life. Nora embraced her and began to cry.

''' We have gone through a lot of things together, but each experience has made us stronger than before and even more in love with each other.

We are also so grateful for all the love, all the kind words and the joy that all of you have been shared with us. It has deep moved us and it filled our hearts,"said Dan, having an emotional voice.

If you have a wedding theme, it must match the food. This real helps to get a great feeling and to keep the flow alive. On top of this, you must have a lot of drinks. After all, there should be a lot of dances at the wedding and you must have a lot of stuff for people to drink and to dance. The most important part of the wedding is the music. You can just hire a wedding singer or a wedding DJ to play the music. Without good music, the wedding is not a real party. The same importance has the wedding party favors. This is a chance to thank everyone for coming. A lot of people do not think that the wedding party favors are a big deal, but this is a reason for the people to go to a wedding.

Mary, Dan, Susan and Tom arrived at the reception location dressed up for their wedding party. They took some drinks and got into the positions to receive and to greet their guests. They invited them inside, where they had drinks and hors d'oeurves.After finishing the receiving line, the new couples invited the wedding guests into the party room. They had their first dance, which was followed by some speeches. Before the wedding dinner to start, Dan's father had a toast for the happy couples. The reception echoed the religious ceremony in style and decor. The venue set the tone for the background. Their wedding stylists have elevated the wedding reception to a high level of opulence. The weddings were dripping in flowers, shining with lighting chandeliers and making the eyes to sparkle in front of the luxury decorations. The dance floors and the food stations were very well placed in the wine cave reception. Everything from the ceiling to the floor was unique in style and arrangement. Adding elements like candy bars, cigar bars and photo displays made the reception to be fitted for the couples.

"My husband and I are real gourmets and I think that we appreciate food more than other people. It is very important to have only qualitative food and wines at the wedding, "said Mary.

"Indeed, the food is very good,"said Danielle.

"I want to play the chicken dance,"said Ben.

"You must wait,"said Dan.

It was amazing, when Theodore danced with Mary. Susan danced with her father, Dan with Louise and Tom with Susan's mother. At that moment, all the guests' eyes were on them.

"Tom and his mother dance very well,'said Roxanne.

"Don't you know that Tom's mother died when he was six years old?"Danielle told her, looking like she was very surprised.

"Why did she die?" Roxanne asked her, while she was having a very sad expression on her face.

"She had cancer,"said Danielle.

"Then, who's the person he is dancing with?" asked Roxanne.

"Where have you been? That person is Susan's mother!" Danielle told her, being visibly astonished.

"Don't ask me," said Roxanne smiling. " Mary is my dearest friend and I didn't miss her wedding ceremony."

"You should have stayed to see Susan's ceremony, too. It was great,"said Danielle, being really afflicted."I thought I'm your best friend."She left Roxanne and went to take a glass of wine.

"What happened to you?"Ben asked her.

"Nothing important, Roxanne hurt me. She's hypocrite,"said Danielle.

"Maybe she's drunk,"said Ben.

"She doesn't really love Dusty.She needs to be someone, that's all."

"Try to be more understanding. She is your friend,"continued Ben.

"She's a very temporary friend."

The reception games created a playful, fun atmosphere. After the meal, there were some speeches, which were said one after the other. After one hour, they cut up the big cakes. Then, it was the moment for everyone to dance.

"What I liked the most was the love demonstration between the brides and grooms in their first dance together,"said Amy.

"They were so sweet together. I remember when I was a bride, Amy. It was such a special moment. Nothing can be compared to that special moment,"said Samantha.

"We are old women now, Sam. Can you imagine this? How quickly time passes!"Amy said.

"John is old, Amy, and he lost his good looks, but he loves me very much. I realized that the older people feels deeper their love than the younger persons. Danielle is young and ambitious and she needs us very much. I think we wouldn't have become so close, if I hadn't given birth to Danielle,"said Samantha.

"She's a fine girl. By the way, I love Mike and I think that our feeling is very deep because we couldn't have children. When I told him about not being healthy enough to have kids, he understood me. That moment I realized that he was capable of love and he just didn't love anyone,"said Amy.

"Yes, Mike is a very special person. I respect him a lot,"said Samantha.

The bouquets draped down about five inches of their vases. The lights were low. There were small twinkle lights in the ceiling. The yards of tulle draped the ceiling to give the illusion of a starry sky. Roses were seemingly tucked on the perimeter of the room.

"I enjoyed the trio that played for us during the dinner. They were just perfect. The dance was fun. I had fun watching everybody having a good time,"said Marie.

"They played a variety of music that all ages could enjoy and appreciate. It's always great at a wedding to see the real elder folks doing their amazing waltzes and two-steps.There's nothing more beautiful than a couple, who has been dancing for twenty years together! People love to dance and to watch others dancing,"said Laura.

"How do you feel, Marie?"Samantha asked her.

"I have a weakness, a loss of feeling in arms and legs. Quite often, I have difficulties in walking, but I can manage myself. If I take the medicine, I will feel better. Dusty needs me and I want to stay alive for him. Victor is a very understanding husband. I think that if he hadn't loved me so much, he would have been capable of leaving me,"said Marie.

"He would never leave you,"said Laura."By the way, Daniel had left me for a while, but he understood that his family is more important than anything else in this world and he has returned home. I think that trying to be a good father is a very important state of mind,"said Laura.

"He didn't get enough love else where and he came back to you because you love him very much,"said Marie.

"It is still very hard for me to accept that he left me for someone else. I have never betrayed him,"said Laura and she had tears in her eyes.

"Look at the brides, they are both so beautiful,"said Amy.

"What are you doing here, girls?"Nora asked them."Come and dance. Where are your husbands?"

"You didn't see the brides tossing their bouquets,"said Ella.

"Who caught Mary's bouquet?"Marie became curious.

"Roxanne caught it, can you imagine someone else?" Nora said, being a little malicious.

"I imagine that Danielle caught Susan's bouquet,"said Amy.

"No, it was a young girl, who is dressed in red,"said Ella.

"I invite you, ladies, to see a very special moment,"said Theodore.

Dan and Tom flung the garters of their women. It was amazing. The both young women were very sexy in their white dresses.The late-night buffet started right after they toss their bouquets.

"How is your life with Theodore now?"Samantha asked her.

"Well, what can I say? It's the same old story. Maybe nothing will be perfect between us ever, but we can try to understand each other.He lived many years alone. Sometimes, it is very hard to understand him. I have accepted my resignation. He is the father of my child and he is a very intelligent man. Unlike Michael, he is very wise and he has a lot of faith in God,'said Nora."Now, he looks like the happiest father in this world."

They searched their husbands and they found them toasting.

"To the happy couple, may their happiness be complete, their marriage be very long and prosperous,"said John.

"Let's proudly raise our glasses to the brides and grooms,"said Victor.

"Ladies and gentlemen, I'd like you all to join me in wishing Dan and Mary, also Tom and Susan, the very best for their future. I hope that, when they look back years from now on, they will realize that - this day they loved each other the most,"said Theodore.

"It is a real honor to be here today celebrating these marriages,"said Klaus.

"First, let me start to say that Mary looks absolutely beautiful today and it is a real pleasure to welcome her into our family. I begin to think about Dan and what he means to me. I realize that I need to tell him that I love him and I will always support him in everything he chooses to do. I keep so many memories with him being just a little boy. Now, when I am looking at the man he has become, I swell up with pride being able to call him my son, "said Dan's father.

"I've learned to be a better person because of him. I've learned the patience and to be an understanding person. I've learned the strength, the loyalty and love. Dan brings them into his new life with Mary," said Dusty.

"Mary, I ask you to take care of him and to love him because it is the only way Dan knows to be,"continued Dan's father.

"This is a very important moment for my life. I have dreamed of this moment for years. I have never imagined that a guy could be good enough for my daughter. Tom has proven himself to be a wonderful man. I know that Susan and Tom will be happy together,"said Susan's father.

"Getting married is a big commitment. Over time, the differences between them shrink and the marriage grows rich. They are on their way to a future wealthy in happiness,"said Daniel.

On the other hand, their speeches and toasts got the attention of the listeners. They wanted to express their emotions. Those remarkable speeches spellbound all the listeners, because they were full of real love and meaning.

Michael had a glass of wine in his hand and he stared into a corner, where Laura was discussing with a very beautiful lady, who was complete dressed in red. He approached Laura and expressed his desire to get acquainted with the beautiful lady.

Emma was tall, brunette with big blue eyes. That young woman had a glacial beauty. Laura explained Michael that Emma was a writer and they have just successfully negotiated the publication of one of her books. Emma was wearing a long red dress, black velvet shoes and black lace gloves. Michael was watching her being enchanted by her majestic appearance.Michael asked her to dance and she accepted immediately. Michael kissed her hand with elegance and began dancing with her dance after dance, until they disappeared together in the blackness of the night. The wedding games began and Alexander was looking at Mary. She was trying to move the egg up to one leg of Dan's pants and over to the bottom of the other pant leg, forcing herself not to drop the egg. Everyone was laughing.

Alexander stood up and headed to the bar near the dance floor, where Lisa was drinking and talking with Sam.

"Excuse me for interrupting you."

"That's no problem, we may continue after that,"said Lisa.

"Do you know where Michael is? Now, he is in a very bad situation and nobody seems to care about him. He was very kind to come here. I want to talk to him."

"Does anyone care about him? "Lisa continued to be indifferent.

"Do you want to dance?"Sam asked her and he took her hand in his hand.

"Of course,"said Lisa.

Alexander was surprised and he stood in that place for a few seconds to take a long look at their dance.

"What happened, my love?"Ella asked him approaching to take him home.

Alexander turned back and embraced her.

"I must call Michael,"he said.

After a few minutes, he began to talk with Michael on the phone.

"Where are you?"

"I'm with Emma in the restaurant across the street.We are talking about the publication of the book.Do you want to join our discussion?"

"Not necessarily, all I wanted to know is that you are okay. You were pretty quiet this evening."

"I'm okay. Nora will never recognize, but she needed me to be there. I feel exhausted with those weddings. I only need to take a deep breath."

"Okay, bye."

"Bye."

Alexander turned to Ella and said,

"It seems that I will never be able to know the real Michael. Let's go home, Ella. The child does not sleep without us and your mother must definitely be desperate."

Alexander stopped their car in front of the house and Ella got out of it and went inside.

"Emmanuel, where are you? "Ella said.

He rushed down the stairs and jumped in her arms.

"I'm here, mom. I was waiting for you all the night,"said Emmanuel.

"But why don't you try to sleep? I'm always backing for you."

"I know, mom, but I waited for you to come to tell me a fairy tale.You know that I cannot sleep without it,"continued Emmanuel.

"Oh, look at my big boy; he still wants to listen to fairy tales,'' exclaimed Ella, tenderly kissing him.

 

Epilogue

 

 

 

Ella, suddenly, waked up to a falling sensation and a strong muscle twitch. Michael asked her,

"What's the matter, my darling?"

"Where is Alexander?"

"My dear, I told you so many times that Alexander died ten years ago. He had a heart attack and he fell down the stairs. He suffered a catastrophic head injury and he was taken to the hospital in a hurry, but it was impossible to be operated because he was on blood-thinning drugs. He died two days later. Try to remember, my love."

"Where is Emmanuel?"

"Emmanuel is at the hospital. His wife is struggling to give birth to her child."

"I should be there, too."

"You can't be there, because of your illness. You've got Alzheimer."

"What time is it?"

"It's five a.m. and you always wake up at this hour to ask me the same question. I still don't know why, but I will know some day."

They both fell asleep. The space was full of strange creatures, which were swimming all around her. They stretched out their hands to assist her in rising and they disappeared. She woke up at this point being really confused. She compared her dream with her life.

"Our inner selves are in a continual work to progress. This transformation is constantly and under construction. Our bodies are our personal homes and they are housing the true selves of our spirits contained within during our time on this Earth," she said.

Ella wakes up, all of a sudden, looking very sad. Alexander asks her,

"What happened, my darling?"

"Where is Michael?"

"I don't know.Wait a minute. Don't you think...?"

"Oh, it was only a dream. Where is Emmanuel?"

Alexander holds her and tenderly kisses her.

"Well, my love, we are ready to climb the mountain.Get dressed as fast as you can. We must go."

Ella washes herself and dresses very quickly.

"I'm ready to go.'"

They arrive at the mountain and they begin to climb it. They arrive in a sheepfold and the boy drinks a cup of goat milk.Alexander tells Ella that he wants to climb the mountain to pick up some white edelweiss flowers for her.

"Actually, I need to be there from time to time,' he says.

"I know, my love."

"Daddy, daddy, take me with you! I want to pick up a flower for mom, too," said Emmanuel.

"When you will be a big boy, I'll take you. "

"I thought I have already grown up enough to do this."

"We can climb together to the waterfall.There is our secret chalet and it is hidden in the mountain. There you must wait for me together with your mommy."

Ella watches him climbing the mountain until Alexander disappears into the fog. She knows that he will be back soon with that edelweiss.

"Do you know who Prometheus is?" Ella asks him.

"No, mom, be kind and tell me," says Emmanuel.

"Prometheus is a name. What means a name? It can mean nothing. But that great man, the son of Zeus, was chained on the mountain."

"Why was he chained?" The boy asks his mother.

"Zeus wanted to know how it was possible for Prometheus to steal the fire from him. What was the secret of his child? So he asked the eagle to eat his liver, because this was the greatest torture Zeus had ever known. He wanted to force Prometheus to tell him the truth about his secret, but Prometheus never told him. Heracles delivered him from those real chains, but his great secret helps him to get free from his own spiritual chains from time to time. At that moment, he comes into the world to become a simple man like your father."

"I love my father.I know that I am like him. Some day, I will find my own way," said Emmanuel.

"Don't forget that we are Christians, my dear," said Ella.

The end

 

Impressum

Texte: Category: Novel MCN: C1KX2-EDPEF-5J2G5 © copyright Sat Dec 18 18:24:52 UTC 2010 - All Rights Reserved
Tag der Veröffentlichung: 05.03.2010

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Widmung:
''A woman knows the face of the man she loves as a sailor knows the open sea.'' Honore de Balzac I dedicate this book to my readers.