Love's Requiem

So Alex and I had a sort of honeymoon that night, and it was amazing. The following morning Niko threw me out of bed at 8 am telling me I had 45 minutes to get ready.

“So how did you start talking to him again?” I asked Niko as the three of us walked out of the lobby and to the flower stand outside where I bought two bouquets.

“Dad was always writing letters to him, that started it and apparently he got email and all that fun shit so him and I began emailing each other.” Niko explained. “And don’t worry Alex, he speaks fluent English.” He added.

“Well that’s a relief.” Alex chuckled as stepped outside.

And there was my uncle; he looked just like how I remembered him just with grayer hair.

“Ujko Dejan!” Niko exclaimed as he hugged him.

“Nikola, you’re so big. I can’t believe it.” He told him in English.

“Its good to see you.” Niko told him.

He then looked at me, “And is this little Isabella?”

“Hello Ujko Dejan.” I said hesitantly. “This is my husband Alex.” I told him introducing Alex.

“I’ve heard about you.” He smiled shaking Alex’s hand. “Its nice to finally put a face to the name.”

“Nice to meet you too sir.” Alex told him politely.

“So let’s get a move on, I’m sure we have a lot to talk about later.” He announced as he led us to his car.

We all got in, Alex and I sat in the back quietly while Niko and my uncle seem to talk about anything and everything. About an hour later, we were at the cemetery my uncle led the way obviously because I had never been there before neither had Niko. And there it was, two headstones side by side that had my grandparent’s name on it.

“I though deda was never found?” I asked as I put the bouquets down on the graves.

“It’s best if I explain everything to you back at the hotel Isabella.” My uncle answered.

I nodded my head, as Alex held my hand and kissed the top of my head. Shortly after we drove back to the hotel and went to the café next door.

“Look, I’ll leave you and Niko to do this.” Alex told me stopping outside the café. “I’m going to get some more sleep, and probably get breakfast with the guys. If you need me call me.”

“Are you sure?” I asked him.

“Yes” He nodded. “I love you.” He told me giving me a kiss.

“I love you too.” I told him giving him another and then walking inside and sitting with Niko and my uncle.

“Is everything okay?” My uncle asked as I sat down across from him next to my brother.

“Yeah, he’s just going to check on our friends.” I explained.

“He’s a nice guy.” He admitted. “I’m very happy for you.”

“Thank you.” I nodded, as I read the menu.

After ordering, it was time to get down to business so to speak.

“ You take after him so much.” My uncle said absent-mindedly to me.

“What do you expect when he watched me every day while he was in school and my parents were at work.” I said bitterly.

“Bella.” Niko mumbled.

“No, this is bullshit. He could have helped us get them to come.” I said shaking my head.
“Why didn’t you stop them?” I said looking my uncle in the eyes.

“It wasn’t that easy, we had to serve Isabella you have to understand that.” He told me.

“You didn’t have to do anything you could have come to America.” I spat back.

“We were not turning our backs on our country, after what happened to you he had no doubt in his mind that he had to do it to protect you.”

“I was in Zagreb by then, don’t tell me that.” I said shaking my head.

“Isabella it’s the truth, he was so angered when you were hurt in the air raid he felt he had to do it.”

“What happened to him? Tell me the truth.” I asked.

“Two months after Iva called you, they found his remains. We had a funeral and he was buried.” He explained. “You probably don’t’ remember it, your dad came here for it and then went back to you two days later. You were too young to be there we discussed it and didn’t want to put you through any more suffering.”

Towards the end of breakfast, my uncle wanted to talk to me in private so I walked with him to his car.

“I have something for you.” He explained opening the trunk of his car.

“You didn’t have to get me anything.” I told him shaking my head.

“It’s not from me.” He explained pulling out a metal box. “There’s about 200 letters in here,
he wrote you every week. Because we had no post, he kept them my guess was to give to you eventually. They found this in the barracks and sent it to me with the rest of his belongings.”

“He promised he’d write me,” I chuckled as he handed me the box. It had Z. Sladovic engraved on the front of it. “I was so angry that I never got any, I thought he forgot about me.” I explained.

“He never did Isabella.” He told me pulling something out of his pocket. “I want you to have this.” He explained handed me something.

It was his dog tags; I felt a lump form in my throat as I looked at them.

I didn’t say anything I just hugged him tightly. “Thank you.” I mumbled in to him.

“You’re welcome Isabella, he’d be so proud of you.” He told me.

“I’ll see you at Tetka Iva’s.” I told him as he got in his car.

“See you then.” He smiled as he drove off.

“What do you got there?” Alex asked me as I walked in looking at the box.

“It was my deda’s, apparently its filled with all the letters he wrote me.” I explained as I sat on the bed next to him and opened it.

Sure enough inside there had to be 200 if not more letters, as well as a picture of my deda and me at the beach when I was 2.

“Is that you?” Alex smiled looking at the picture.

“Yup, I was a major babe.” I joked, as there was a knock on the door.

“Oh newlyweds!” Jack’s voice went through the door.

“I’ll save this for another time.” I said closing it and putting in my suitcase.