‹ Prequel: Everything I'm Not
Love's Requiem
Weightless
We continued talking for the rest of the night, and Bella’s family pretty much had embraced me with open arms. Though I’m starting to wonder, what’s going to happen when the find out I’m not Croatian. Bella’s family slowly started leaving around midnight, and by 2 am we all were heading upstairs to go to sleep.
“Want to see something cool?” Bella asked me after we had gotten ready to go to bed.
“Sure.” I told her as she took me out to the small balcony, and there was the moon it was like we were right in front of it.
We stood their in silence as we watched the moon cast over all the houses.
“When I was a little girl, my grandpa would take me up here when I couldn’t sleep and we’d sit here and he’d tell me stories all night.” She said as she sat down leaning against he wall of the house.
“You lived here?” I asked her.
“No, I was born here then when I was still an infant we moved to one of the seaside towns.”
“That must have been cool.” I told her.
“For the most part of what I remember it was.”
“So why did you leave here? I mean you looked so happy tonight I don’t think I’ve ever seen you smile like you did
downstairs.” I asked her.
“You don’t know what happened here when I was little do you?” She asked me.
“No?” I said feeling slightly confused.
“We left because it wasn’t safe anymore Alex we were at war.”
“What?” I asked in shock.
“The Croatian war of independence happened from 1991 to 1995, we moved back to Zagreb when I was four because the bombing and firing was hitting our town. I lived in this house till we left when I was five because my parents felt that this was no longer safe for us.”
I really didn’t know what to say, I mean I was kind of in shock with the fact that I had just found out my girlfriend had grown up in a war zone.
“Never paid attention in history class huh?” She said trying to make light of the situation.
“Not enough, I guess.”
“It’s okay.” She said resting her head on me.
“What do you remember from it?” I asked her.
“Only bits and pieces now, I remember the day we left to come here. I was so angry with my parents; I told them we
couldn’t leave because I had a boyfriend. I was four mind you.” She laughed. “I remember I tried hiding under the house that night so they wouldn’t find me. I don’t think I’ve ever seen my dad as scared as he was when I did that. They always tried to hide from me what was going on.”
“Well I mean most parents would want to do that.” I told her.
“I know, it’s just weird because I remember in high school when we began learning about the war I couldn’t believe how close everything was to where we were.” She explained. “But, I also remember the day Michi and I wanted to go out on our own. That was a bad day.” She said shaking her head.
“What happened?”
“Because of what was going on our parents pretty much said stay in the house, or yard never go out on your own without an adult. Did you think we listened?”
“Knowing you, probably not.” I told her.
“Exactly, so this one day her and I wanted to go to this little candy store in town so we snuck out and went.” She explained. “When we got to the store, someone in it had heard me speak and saw that I had the dialect of the coast and began questioning me and whatnot because that’s where the problems were at the time. Luckily Niko showed up got us out of there before anything had happened. Of course, my Grandparents found out and her and I were in big trouble.”
“How come you never talked about this with me?” I asked her.
“Not exactly something I like looking back on. It was a painful time, you look back on being a kid and you think about playing and having fun. For me, I remember my house shaking and hearing screams at night.”
I put an arm around her, holding her close to me.
“I love you.” I whispered to her.
“I love you too.” She told me giving me a kiss, “How about we hit the sack huh?” She asked as I saw her quickly wipe the side of her eye.
“Sounds good.” I nodded as we got up and went back inside to sleep.
I woke up the next morning to find Bella not next to me. I figured she was already downstairs spending time with her family. I headed in to the bathroom that was next to our room and showered and got dressed, before I headed downstairs. I heard Bella’s voice from the living room as well as Niko’s.
“Bella?” I asked as I approached the living room.
“In here!” I heard her voice from the room.
She was sitting on the floor playing with a baby, while Niko was sitting on the couch watching TV.
“Did you have a baby while I was asleep?” I joked sitting next to her on the floor.
She let out a chuckle, “We’re babysitting today. This is our cousin Melanie’s baby.”
“Where is everyone?”
“My parents are out shopping, and my baka is at the market or something going ape shit for tomorrow night.”
“What’s tomorrow night again?” I asked as Niko went for the kitchen.
“Saint Lucia’s day, I think I got us out of going to church cause I told them I’d cook while they’re in church.”
“Thanksgiving kicked the ball off the mountain didn’t it?” I laughed.
“Of course.” She smiled picking up the baby and rocking her.
“What’s her name?” I asked putting my hand on her little head.
“Sofia, now ask me why her name is Sofia.” She laughed as Niko came back in with a plate.
“Why?”
“Because her father’s Bulgarian, yes Bella it’s hilarious.” Niko said sarcastically, as he handed me the plate. “Breakfast.”
He added.
“Thanks.” I smiled, taking it and looking at the contents of the plate.
“Homemade blood sausage and poppy seed cake.” Bella explained. “Don’t think about what it looks like, and you’ll
realize it’s pretty good.” She chuckled.
“She used to hate it as a kid.” Niko added, as I began eating.
“Well I had my reasons.” She huffed, “You think she needs a nap or something?” She asked looking at Sofia.
“Probably, didn’t Melanie say she’d be here at like 12 to get her?”
“Yeah, so I might as well pack her stuff up and what not.” She said getting up and laying Sofia in a car seat.
“What time is it?” I asked confused.
“Almost noon, it’s a bitch adjusting to the time zone.” Niko explained changing the channel. “Bella you’re favorite show’s on.” He shouted to her while she was in the kitchen.
“Hrvatski top model?” She exclaimed running back in.
“Yup.” He laughed.
“Oh my god, oh my god, oh my god Alex this is like the best show ever!” She exclaimed jumping down next to me making me laugh.
We watched television while for a while luckily; Niko had found a station that only had Croatian subtitles so I could understand. Around 12:30, there was a car horn being honked outside.
“Want to see something cool?” Bella asked me after we had gotten ready to go to bed.
“Sure.” I told her as she took me out to the small balcony, and there was the moon it was like we were right in front of it.
We stood their in silence as we watched the moon cast over all the houses.
“When I was a little girl, my grandpa would take me up here when I couldn’t sleep and we’d sit here and he’d tell me stories all night.” She said as she sat down leaning against he wall of the house.
“You lived here?” I asked her.
“No, I was born here then when I was still an infant we moved to one of the seaside towns.”
“That must have been cool.” I told her.
“For the most part of what I remember it was.”
“So why did you leave here? I mean you looked so happy tonight I don’t think I’ve ever seen you smile like you did
downstairs.” I asked her.
“You don’t know what happened here when I was little do you?” She asked me.
“No?” I said feeling slightly confused.
“We left because it wasn’t safe anymore Alex we were at war.”
“What?” I asked in shock.
“The Croatian war of independence happened from 1991 to 1995, we moved back to Zagreb when I was four because the bombing and firing was hitting our town. I lived in this house till we left when I was five because my parents felt that this was no longer safe for us.”
I really didn’t know what to say, I mean I was kind of in shock with the fact that I had just found out my girlfriend had grown up in a war zone.
“Never paid attention in history class huh?” She said trying to make light of the situation.
“Not enough, I guess.”
“It’s okay.” She said resting her head on me.
“What do you remember from it?” I asked her.
“Only bits and pieces now, I remember the day we left to come here. I was so angry with my parents; I told them we
couldn’t leave because I had a boyfriend. I was four mind you.” She laughed. “I remember I tried hiding under the house that night so they wouldn’t find me. I don’t think I’ve ever seen my dad as scared as he was when I did that. They always tried to hide from me what was going on.”
“Well I mean most parents would want to do that.” I told her.
“I know, it’s just weird because I remember in high school when we began learning about the war I couldn’t believe how close everything was to where we were.” She explained. “But, I also remember the day Michi and I wanted to go out on our own. That was a bad day.” She said shaking her head.
“What happened?”
“Because of what was going on our parents pretty much said stay in the house, or yard never go out on your own without an adult. Did you think we listened?”
“Knowing you, probably not.” I told her.
“Exactly, so this one day her and I wanted to go to this little candy store in town so we snuck out and went.” She explained. “When we got to the store, someone in it had heard me speak and saw that I had the dialect of the coast and began questioning me and whatnot because that’s where the problems were at the time. Luckily Niko showed up got us out of there before anything had happened. Of course, my Grandparents found out and her and I were in big trouble.”
“How come you never talked about this with me?” I asked her.
“Not exactly something I like looking back on. It was a painful time, you look back on being a kid and you think about playing and having fun. For me, I remember my house shaking and hearing screams at night.”
I put an arm around her, holding her close to me.
“I love you.” I whispered to her.
“I love you too.” She told me giving me a kiss, “How about we hit the sack huh?” She asked as I saw her quickly wipe the side of her eye.
“Sounds good.” I nodded as we got up and went back inside to sleep.
I woke up the next morning to find Bella not next to me. I figured she was already downstairs spending time with her family. I headed in to the bathroom that was next to our room and showered and got dressed, before I headed downstairs. I heard Bella’s voice from the living room as well as Niko’s.
“Bella?” I asked as I approached the living room.
“In here!” I heard her voice from the room.
She was sitting on the floor playing with a baby, while Niko was sitting on the couch watching TV.
“Did you have a baby while I was asleep?” I joked sitting next to her on the floor.
She let out a chuckle, “We’re babysitting today. This is our cousin Melanie’s baby.”
“Where is everyone?”
“My parents are out shopping, and my baka is at the market or something going ape shit for tomorrow night.”
“What’s tomorrow night again?” I asked as Niko went for the kitchen.
“Saint Lucia’s day, I think I got us out of going to church cause I told them I’d cook while they’re in church.”
“Thanksgiving kicked the ball off the mountain didn’t it?” I laughed.
“Of course.” She smiled picking up the baby and rocking her.
“What’s her name?” I asked putting my hand on her little head.
“Sofia, now ask me why her name is Sofia.” She laughed as Niko came back in with a plate.
“Why?”
“Because her father’s Bulgarian, yes Bella it’s hilarious.” Niko said sarcastically, as he handed me the plate. “Breakfast.”
He added.
“Thanks.” I smiled, taking it and looking at the contents of the plate.
“Homemade blood sausage and poppy seed cake.” Bella explained. “Don’t think about what it looks like, and you’ll
realize it’s pretty good.” She chuckled.
“She used to hate it as a kid.” Niko added, as I began eating.
“Well I had my reasons.” She huffed, “You think she needs a nap or something?” She asked looking at Sofia.
“Probably, didn’t Melanie say she’d be here at like 12 to get her?”
“Yeah, so I might as well pack her stuff up and what not.” She said getting up and laying Sofia in a car seat.
“What time is it?” I asked confused.
“Almost noon, it’s a bitch adjusting to the time zone.” Niko explained changing the channel. “Bella you’re favorite show’s on.” He shouted to her while she was in the kitchen.
“Hrvatski top model?” She exclaimed running back in.
“Yup.” He laughed.
“Oh my god, oh my god, oh my god Alex this is like the best show ever!” She exclaimed jumping down next to me making me laugh.
We watched television while for a while luckily; Niko had found a station that only had Croatian subtitles so I could understand. Around 12:30, there was a car horn being honked outside.
♠ ♠ ♠
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