Post by Annie on Jun 15, 2006 9:56:13 GMT 3
Epilogue
The attic of the old house could only be reached by a narrow staircase. The floors were hardwood covered with a layer of dust that had accumulated for years. But now, there were footprints in the dust from people packing the old knick-knacks and furniture into boxes.
“Grandma! Grandma! Look what I found!” a little girl with locks of golden blond hair called.
Bounding across the floor of the dark and dusty attic, the little bundle of energy and spirit climbed onto the lap of her grandmother sitting in an old rocking chair. Burrowing into her chest, the little girl pulled an old, wrinkly photograph out of the pocket of her pants.
“Grandma Daniela, who are these people?”
“That’s me,” Daniela said pointing to the young women on the left of the photo, “and the man on the right is your grandfather.”
The picture was over 40 years old. Although the edges were frayed and there were folds through the middle, the focus of the picture was easy to see. Sitting at a table together at their wedding reception, Daniela and her husband smiled widely at the camera.
“That’s Grandpa?!” the little girl asked in surprise.
“Yes, darling. He was quite handsome, wasn’t he?” Daniela smiled.
“Grandpa used to have hair,” the little girl giggled.
“That’s not very nice, Emma,” Daniela pretended to scold. “But he doesn’t have a lot of hair anymore, does he?”
“No,” Emma giggled again as Daniela joined in with her.
“What are you two laughing about?” a tall man near the stairs asked.
“Oh, nothing, Dad,” Emma laughed. “I found a picture of Grandma and Grandpa in a box.”
“Let me see,” he said walking to the chair and leaning over his daughter and mother to see the picture. “Do you know that this picture is from your grandparents’ wedding?”
“Is it really, Grandma?” Emma asked with big, green eyes.
“We’ve been married for 46 years,” Daniela smiled.
“You looked beautiful, Mother,” the man said placing a kiss on Daniela’s head. “And you still are.”
“Thank you, Alex,” Daniela yawned.
“Are you getting tired?” Alex asked.
“A tad bit. I’m not as young as I used to be,” Daniela replied.
“Well, all this moving you and Dad around has got to be tiring,” Alex added picking up Emma in his arms.
“But it’s a lot easier with both of my children here, along with my grandchildren of course,” Daniela said winking at Emma.
“It’s nothing, Mom. I’m taking Emma out to the car. I’ll send one of the movers up here to get these last few boxes.”
“Thank you, sweetheart,” Daniela replied as Alex and Emma climbed down the stairs and left her in the attic alone.
Leaning back in the comfortable, old rocking chair, Daniela remembered all the good memories she had in the chair. She could remember many nights when she would rock Alex or Sophie asleep as babies. But the chair was also where she sat as she pushed Marat away so many years ago. Time had flown by so much since then, and now she was a grandmother and almost married for 50 years. Daniela’s life had turned out better than she would have ever imagined.
“Excuse me, ma’am,” a mover called from the top of the stairs. “Your son sent us up to retrieve the rest of the stuff.”
“Yes, let me get out of your way. The only things that are left are the rocking chair and ottoman, and those three boxes in the corner,” Daniela instructed.
“Would you like to put that picture in a box?” the mover asked pointing to the photo still clutched in Daniela’s hand.
“Oh, no thank you. I’ll keep it with me. I’m sure my husband would like to see it,” Daniela smiled putting the picture in her blazer pocket.
Walking down the steep stairs carefully, Daniela gripped the railing tightly to prevent from falling. Since the loss of her first child 45 years ago, Daniela had always approached a flight of stairs tediously. She wouldn’t even let Alex or Sophie near the stairs alone until they were six. Daniela never wanted to face the loss of a child ever again.
As she walked down the hall of the second story of her house, Daniela peaked in her children’s old rooms. Although the rooms were now packed away and in the truck on the street, she could still remember what they looked like. Alex’s room had been covered with signed posters from the greats of tennis, including Sampras, Connors, Agassi, Borg, Federer, and Nadal. And underneath the posters, Alex’s juniors’ tournament trophies gleamed from Daniela’s ministrations.
The next room had belonged to Sophie. Sophie had never liked tennis much, instead she had dreamed of being a football player. But as Sophie had grown up, the football posters had disappeared and were replaced by diagrams of the human body. Sophie had become a pediatrician while Alex had excelled as a professional tennis player like his father. Both of her children were happily married with children of their own.
Finally shutting the doors of the bedrooms, Daniela walked down the next flight of stairs to the ground floor. Looking around, she finally found her husband staring out their favorite picture window in the living room.
“What’s so interesting?” Daniela asked.
“I can’t believe we’re finally moving out of this house,” he answered.
“It’s unbelievable. But now we’ll be closer to our grandchildren,” Daniela smiled.
“Our little munchkins,” he laughed.
“Yes, our little munchkins.”
“Emma looks so much like you,” he commented seeing his granddaughter outside the window.
“I remember when my hair was still blond instead of gray,” Daniela laughed twirling a piece of her gray hair around her finger.
“But your eyes are still the same,” he said placing a kiss on Daniela’s forehead. “They’re still as green as emeralds.”
“Mom. Dad,” Sophie called from the doorway of the living room. “Everything’s ready to go.”
“Speaking of people looking alike, our daughter looks just like you,” Daniela sighed. “All those dark brown curls and catlike eyes.”
“What can I say? She lucked out,” Marat laughed.
“Yes, Dad. You were such a stud,” Sophie teased. “Especially when your hair was the same length as Mom’s. That was very attractive.”
“I cut it eventually,” Marat defended.
“Thank Lord. Could you have imagined those wedding pictures if he hadn’t?” Daniela laughed.
“It wouldn’t have fit in the pictures,” Sophie smiled. “I’ll be out in the car. Don’t be too long.”
“We won’t,” Marat said wrapping his arm around Daniela’s shoulders. “Have I told you how much I love you lately?”
“No, I thought you changed your mind.”
“Me? Change my mind? You were the one who couldn’t pick between Roddick and I,” Marat teased.
“I was young and confused,” Daniela shrugged. “But Andy has remained one of my best friends.”
“Much to my displeasure,” Marat mumbled.
“Oh, get over it. You won.”
“And I thank every day for that. You taught me to love and trust.”
“And you taught me that love means everything.”
The attic of the old house could only be reached by a narrow staircase. The floors were hardwood covered with a layer of dust that had accumulated for years. But now, there were footprints in the dust from people packing the old knick-knacks and furniture into boxes.
“Grandma! Grandma! Look what I found!” a little girl with locks of golden blond hair called.
Bounding across the floor of the dark and dusty attic, the little bundle of energy and spirit climbed onto the lap of her grandmother sitting in an old rocking chair. Burrowing into her chest, the little girl pulled an old, wrinkly photograph out of the pocket of her pants.
“Grandma Daniela, who are these people?”
“That’s me,” Daniela said pointing to the young women on the left of the photo, “and the man on the right is your grandfather.”
The picture was over 40 years old. Although the edges were frayed and there were folds through the middle, the focus of the picture was easy to see. Sitting at a table together at their wedding reception, Daniela and her husband smiled widely at the camera.
“That’s Grandpa?!” the little girl asked in surprise.
“Yes, darling. He was quite handsome, wasn’t he?” Daniela smiled.
“Grandpa used to have hair,” the little girl giggled.
“That’s not very nice, Emma,” Daniela pretended to scold. “But he doesn’t have a lot of hair anymore, does he?”
“No,” Emma giggled again as Daniela joined in with her.
“What are you two laughing about?” a tall man near the stairs asked.
“Oh, nothing, Dad,” Emma laughed. “I found a picture of Grandma and Grandpa in a box.”
“Let me see,” he said walking to the chair and leaning over his daughter and mother to see the picture. “Do you know that this picture is from your grandparents’ wedding?”
“Is it really, Grandma?” Emma asked with big, green eyes.
“We’ve been married for 46 years,” Daniela smiled.
“You looked beautiful, Mother,” the man said placing a kiss on Daniela’s head. “And you still are.”
“Thank you, Alex,” Daniela yawned.
“Are you getting tired?” Alex asked.
“A tad bit. I’m not as young as I used to be,” Daniela replied.
“Well, all this moving you and Dad around has got to be tiring,” Alex added picking up Emma in his arms.
“But it’s a lot easier with both of my children here, along with my grandchildren of course,” Daniela said winking at Emma.
“It’s nothing, Mom. I’m taking Emma out to the car. I’ll send one of the movers up here to get these last few boxes.”
“Thank you, sweetheart,” Daniela replied as Alex and Emma climbed down the stairs and left her in the attic alone.
Leaning back in the comfortable, old rocking chair, Daniela remembered all the good memories she had in the chair. She could remember many nights when she would rock Alex or Sophie asleep as babies. But the chair was also where she sat as she pushed Marat away so many years ago. Time had flown by so much since then, and now she was a grandmother and almost married for 50 years. Daniela’s life had turned out better than she would have ever imagined.
“Excuse me, ma’am,” a mover called from the top of the stairs. “Your son sent us up to retrieve the rest of the stuff.”
“Yes, let me get out of your way. The only things that are left are the rocking chair and ottoman, and those three boxes in the corner,” Daniela instructed.
“Would you like to put that picture in a box?” the mover asked pointing to the photo still clutched in Daniela’s hand.
“Oh, no thank you. I’ll keep it with me. I’m sure my husband would like to see it,” Daniela smiled putting the picture in her blazer pocket.
Walking down the steep stairs carefully, Daniela gripped the railing tightly to prevent from falling. Since the loss of her first child 45 years ago, Daniela had always approached a flight of stairs tediously. She wouldn’t even let Alex or Sophie near the stairs alone until they were six. Daniela never wanted to face the loss of a child ever again.
As she walked down the hall of the second story of her house, Daniela peaked in her children’s old rooms. Although the rooms were now packed away and in the truck on the street, she could still remember what they looked like. Alex’s room had been covered with signed posters from the greats of tennis, including Sampras, Connors, Agassi, Borg, Federer, and Nadal. And underneath the posters, Alex’s juniors’ tournament trophies gleamed from Daniela’s ministrations.
The next room had belonged to Sophie. Sophie had never liked tennis much, instead she had dreamed of being a football player. But as Sophie had grown up, the football posters had disappeared and were replaced by diagrams of the human body. Sophie had become a pediatrician while Alex had excelled as a professional tennis player like his father. Both of her children were happily married with children of their own.
Finally shutting the doors of the bedrooms, Daniela walked down the next flight of stairs to the ground floor. Looking around, she finally found her husband staring out their favorite picture window in the living room.
“What’s so interesting?” Daniela asked.
“I can’t believe we’re finally moving out of this house,” he answered.
“It’s unbelievable. But now we’ll be closer to our grandchildren,” Daniela smiled.
“Our little munchkins,” he laughed.
“Yes, our little munchkins.”
“Emma looks so much like you,” he commented seeing his granddaughter outside the window.
“I remember when my hair was still blond instead of gray,” Daniela laughed twirling a piece of her gray hair around her finger.
“But your eyes are still the same,” he said placing a kiss on Daniela’s forehead. “They’re still as green as emeralds.”
“Mom. Dad,” Sophie called from the doorway of the living room. “Everything’s ready to go.”
“Speaking of people looking alike, our daughter looks just like you,” Daniela sighed. “All those dark brown curls and catlike eyes.”
“What can I say? She lucked out,” Marat laughed.
“Yes, Dad. You were such a stud,” Sophie teased. “Especially when your hair was the same length as Mom’s. That was very attractive.”
“I cut it eventually,” Marat defended.
“Thank Lord. Could you have imagined those wedding pictures if he hadn’t?” Daniela laughed.
“It wouldn’t have fit in the pictures,” Sophie smiled. “I’ll be out in the car. Don’t be too long.”
“We won’t,” Marat said wrapping his arm around Daniela’s shoulders. “Have I told you how much I love you lately?”
“No, I thought you changed your mind.”
“Me? Change my mind? You were the one who couldn’t pick between Roddick and I,” Marat teased.
“I was young and confused,” Daniela shrugged. “But Andy has remained one of my best friends.”
“Much to my displeasure,” Marat mumbled.
“Oh, get over it. You won.”
“And I thank every day for that. You taught me to love and trust.”
“And you taught me that love means everything.”
