Post by larue on Apr 2, 2006 1:54:32 GMT 10
Abby had been quiet since they’d left her mother. They’d driven Maggie to work and stayed for a few minutes so she could show the baby off to her co-workers. Then they were back on the road for home. Luka made the decision then to keep going to Iowa City. He felt like they really needed to wind down this trip with a visit with friends.
The house was set in a small, neat subdivision and surrounded by green grass and trees. A wide covered porch stretched across the front of the house and a huge pumpkin graced the front steps. Susan was waiting for them on her front porch when Luka pulled the car into their driveway. It hadn’t been an easy drive. Lauren was fussy and irritable and they’d had to make a few more stops than they’d planned. They were both a little frazzled. Susan had kissed Luka’s cheek and handed him a bottle of beer. She took Lauren from Abby.
“She’s all mine now,” she smiled and kissed the crying baby’s cheek. “Wanna go for a walk?” Abby nodded and pulled the folding stroller from the back seat. Susan settled Lauren into the stroller and pulled the straps snug. She looked up at Luka as Abby stretched a bit and arched her back.
“Chuck will be home any minute,” she said. “I sent them to the grocery store and he’s picking Susie up on the way.” Luka nodded and leaned back against the car as he took a long drink of the cold beer. He grinned and tipped the bottle toward them as they headed down the sidewalk.
It took a little bit of a jaunt but Lauren finally stopped crying.
“So....talk to me,” Susan said. Abby sighed deeply and looked at her.
“Maggie is seeing my father again,” she said. Susan looked at her increduously.
“Wow,” she said. Abby nodded.
“How long has it been?”
"He left us when I was seven,” Abby replied, Susan stopped in her tracks.
“Wow,” she said. They started walking again when Lauren fussed.
“Well, the good thing is that you are in Chicago and don’t have to deal with it too much,’ Susan said. “Is it like.....serious?” Abby shrugged.
“I don’t know. I didn’t really want to talk to her about it. And Eric has a girlfriend.”
“Everyone is on their meds and life is....good?” Abby shrugged and nodded. She looked down the sidewalk.
“Woo...high school flashback,” she said with a laugh. Susan followed her gaze and grinned as she saw her three year old son, Cosmo, and her niece, Susie, running down the walk toward them. Susie’s school blazer was slung over her shoulder and the yellow blouse hung below the navy sweater where it had been pulled out of her pleated skirt band. Her wildly curling strawberry blonde hair had slipped from it’s loose pony tail holder and flew around her face. She had a grin as wide as Susan's.
‘Yeah....cute uniform, isn’t it?” Susan said. Abby grimaced at her.
“Words from one who has never had to wear one,” she groaned.
They were sitting on the front porch after dinner enjoying the unseasonably warm October evening. Chuck was tucking Cosmo into their bed upstairs. Susan and Abby were comfortable in the white rockers set to one side on the porch. Susan snuggled a sleeping Lauren in her lap and sighed happily. Luka was stretched out on the top step and he wore a bemused smile as Susie, sitting next to him, talked about an essay she had to write for school.
“How old are you again?” Luka asked with a grin.
“Twelve,” Susie said. “It’s for my international studies class.”
“Did you know anyone who actually fought in the war?” she asked him.
“I did,” Luka chuckled. “‘Then my brother took my place so I could finish my residency at the hospital.”
“Did you...you know....like....kill someone?” she asked.
“Susie....” Susan warned quietly. Luka held up his hand and smiled at her.
“It’s okay,” he said. “They won’t learn if they don’t ask.” Luka turned back to Susie and smiled softly again.
“I don’t know,” he said. “Probably.”
“I don’t really understand war,” Susie sighed. “Why can’t people just solve problems by talking?”
“The thing is, “ Luka said. “Governments have ideas and then tell other people to enforce them. Some people carry a passion for those ideas and want things to change but sometimes, most times, the people who are fighting don’t really understand what they are fighting about. Sometimes the ones with the guns just want food to feed their families......or shoot because someone will kill them if they don’t.”
Susie listened raptly as Luka told her about the fighting in Vucovar and the death of his wife and children....how he’d left them behind to go purchase some food thinking they would be safer in the apartment. His voice was quiet and steady as he told her about people he had treated in the Congo and Bosnia...victims of genocide....families without homes....children without parents. Susan tipped her head and glanced over at Abby. She wore a slight frown on her face and was watching Luka intently. She’d never really heard him talk like this. Susan reached over and squeezed her hand. Abby blinked away the glittering tears from her eyes and smiled a little at Susan. Reluctantly, Susan lifted a sleeping Lauren from her lap and handed her to her mother. Abby smiled and cuddled the baby on her shoulder. She closed her eyes. Leave it to Susan to know what she needed.
Later, Luka shook his head as he looked over the books that were stacked on Susie’s book shelf.
“I wasn’t reading books like this when I was twelve,” he said softly. He whistled and shook his head as he thumbed through her calculus textbook. Abby grinned at him as she pulled the comforter back on Susie’s double bed and sat down.
“And what were you doing when you were twelve?” Luka looked at her and smiled.
“Playing football every chance I could get....uh....er... soccer to you.” He looked back as there was a soft rap on the door. It opened a crack and a Scrabble Board game box slid through. Luka groaned and laughed.
“Go on.....” he sighed. “I guess you can sleep in the car tomorrow.” The door opened wider and Susan stuck her head in. She smiled wider as Abby jumped off the bed and kissed Luka .
“Rules of the Road....” she chuckled happily. “Number.....what? Seven? Never turn down a good game.” Luka nodded and shook his head as she headed out the bedroom door with Susan.
The house was set in a small, neat subdivision and surrounded by green grass and trees. A wide covered porch stretched across the front of the house and a huge pumpkin graced the front steps. Susan was waiting for them on her front porch when Luka pulled the car into their driveway. It hadn’t been an easy drive. Lauren was fussy and irritable and they’d had to make a few more stops than they’d planned. They were both a little frazzled. Susan had kissed Luka’s cheek and handed him a bottle of beer. She took Lauren from Abby.
“She’s all mine now,” she smiled and kissed the crying baby’s cheek. “Wanna go for a walk?” Abby nodded and pulled the folding stroller from the back seat. Susan settled Lauren into the stroller and pulled the straps snug. She looked up at Luka as Abby stretched a bit and arched her back.
“Chuck will be home any minute,” she said. “I sent them to the grocery store and he’s picking Susie up on the way.” Luka nodded and leaned back against the car as he took a long drink of the cold beer. He grinned and tipped the bottle toward them as they headed down the sidewalk.
It took a little bit of a jaunt but Lauren finally stopped crying.
“So....talk to me,” Susan said. Abby sighed deeply and looked at her.
“Maggie is seeing my father again,” she said. Susan looked at her increduously.
“Wow,” she said. Abby nodded.
“How long has it been?”
"He left us when I was seven,” Abby replied, Susan stopped in her tracks.
“Wow,” she said. They started walking again when Lauren fussed.
“Well, the good thing is that you are in Chicago and don’t have to deal with it too much,’ Susan said. “Is it like.....serious?” Abby shrugged.
“I don’t know. I didn’t really want to talk to her about it. And Eric has a girlfriend.”
“Everyone is on their meds and life is....good?” Abby shrugged and nodded. She looked down the sidewalk.
“Woo...high school flashback,” she said with a laugh. Susan followed her gaze and grinned as she saw her three year old son, Cosmo, and her niece, Susie, running down the walk toward them. Susie’s school blazer was slung over her shoulder and the yellow blouse hung below the navy sweater where it had been pulled out of her pleated skirt band. Her wildly curling strawberry blonde hair had slipped from it’s loose pony tail holder and flew around her face. She had a grin as wide as Susan's.
‘Yeah....cute uniform, isn’t it?” Susan said. Abby grimaced at her.
“Words from one who has never had to wear one,” she groaned.
They were sitting on the front porch after dinner enjoying the unseasonably warm October evening. Chuck was tucking Cosmo into their bed upstairs. Susan and Abby were comfortable in the white rockers set to one side on the porch. Susan snuggled a sleeping Lauren in her lap and sighed happily. Luka was stretched out on the top step and he wore a bemused smile as Susie, sitting next to him, talked about an essay she had to write for school.
“How old are you again?” Luka asked with a grin.
“Twelve,” Susie said. “It’s for my international studies class.”
“Did you know anyone who actually fought in the war?” she asked him.
“I did,” Luka chuckled. “‘Then my brother took my place so I could finish my residency at the hospital.”
“Did you...you know....like....kill someone?” she asked.
“Susie....” Susan warned quietly. Luka held up his hand and smiled at her.
“It’s okay,” he said. “They won’t learn if they don’t ask.” Luka turned back to Susie and smiled softly again.
“I don’t know,” he said. “Probably.”
“I don’t really understand war,” Susie sighed. “Why can’t people just solve problems by talking?”
“The thing is, “ Luka said. “Governments have ideas and then tell other people to enforce them. Some people carry a passion for those ideas and want things to change but sometimes, most times, the people who are fighting don’t really understand what they are fighting about. Sometimes the ones with the guns just want food to feed their families......or shoot because someone will kill them if they don’t.”
Susie listened raptly as Luka told her about the fighting in Vucovar and the death of his wife and children....how he’d left them behind to go purchase some food thinking they would be safer in the apartment. His voice was quiet and steady as he told her about people he had treated in the Congo and Bosnia...victims of genocide....families without homes....children without parents. Susan tipped her head and glanced over at Abby. She wore a slight frown on her face and was watching Luka intently. She’d never really heard him talk like this. Susan reached over and squeezed her hand. Abby blinked away the glittering tears from her eyes and smiled a little at Susan. Reluctantly, Susan lifted a sleeping Lauren from her lap and handed her to her mother. Abby smiled and cuddled the baby on her shoulder. She closed her eyes. Leave it to Susan to know what she needed.
Later, Luka shook his head as he looked over the books that were stacked on Susie’s book shelf.
“I wasn’t reading books like this when I was twelve,” he said softly. He whistled and shook his head as he thumbed through her calculus textbook. Abby grinned at him as she pulled the comforter back on Susie’s double bed and sat down.
“And what were you doing when you were twelve?” Luka looked at her and smiled.
“Playing football every chance I could get....uh....er... soccer to you.” He looked back as there was a soft rap on the door. It opened a crack and a Scrabble Board game box slid through. Luka groaned and laughed.
“Go on.....” he sighed. “I guess you can sleep in the car tomorrow.” The door opened wider and Susan stuck her head in. She smiled wider as Abby jumped off the bed and kissed Luka .
“Rules of the Road....” she chuckled happily. “Number.....what? Seven? Never turn down a good game.” Luka nodded and shook his head as she headed out the bedroom door with Susan.