By Reshat KRIPA
Part Seven
Memorie.al / Arbër stood in his corner in the hall, waiting for the arrival of the plane that would take him to another world, and meditated. He meditated and dreamed of the path full of nettles and thorns through which his life had passed. He recalled the worries that had accompanied him for years. He had many passions. He wanted to become a lawyer, a journalist, a doctor, an engineer, an artist, a writer, or whatever else was possible. But fate had condemned him to reach none of his dreamed-of peaks. He encountered disappointment at every step of his life.
Continued from the previous issue
Arbër was in almost the same state. But at least, his conscience was clear. He had told Blerina the truth, and it was she who had to decide. But he was aware that this decision would be very difficult. Would she be able to break the taboo of class struggle? Such a thing seemed almost impossible to him.
He was sure of one thing. Even if she broke up with him, he would not hold a grudge. The words he had told her in their last conversation appeared before his eyes: “I am sure that we will find the strength to face it.”
He decided to discuss the matter with Petrit. In two days, he would leave for university. He was his closest friend. Until then, he had not told him anything about his love for Blerina, and he had done so precisely because of the gap that separated him from his girlfriend.
“Petrit, I want to discuss something personal with you,” he said one day.
“Personal matter, what could that be?” he replied with a hint of irony.
“I can’t say it here, but let’s go to the seaside.”
The seaside was the ideal place for Arbër where he could freely express his thoughts. They got on the city bus and arrived at the coast. Arbër took his friend to his favorite spot.
“Listen, brother. First, I want to apologize, as I should have informed you about this matter sooner, but I don’t even know why I didn’t. I only ask you not to interrupt me. Listen to me carefully.”
He paused for a few moments. Petrit did not ask him either. Finally, he began.
“I have fallen in love with Blerina. You know her. We met together. She has responded to my love. But you know that her family, two model parents, two model teachers, have been and are connected to the current power, while my family belongs to the opposite side. There is a mismatch here. I told her about this mismatch. She was extremely shaken. I left her to think and decide. Two weeks have passed, and I haven’t met with her. Every day I go to the meeting place, but she is absent! I don’t know how to act.”
Petrit did not answer immediately. He understood very well the state his friend was in. But he was also aware of the situation in which they lived. He understood the consequences that could arise from this love perfectly well.
“Don’t take any action. Let her decide for herself. The decision belongs to her,” he finally said.
He suggested that he discuss this issue with his mother. She was a well-known intellectual and would know how to find a solution. In the evening, after dinner, Arbër addressed his mother:
“Mother, I am at a crossroads!”
“At a crossroads, why?”
“I have fallen in love.”
“You have fallen in love?! Well, this is the best news I’ve heard.”
Afërdita stood up and hugged her son.
“But my love is an impossible love.”
“Impossible love?! Why?”
“Because we belong to two different worlds.”
“What do you mean?!”
“She is part of the camp of winners, while I am in that of the defeated.”
“Enough, son, don’t talk to me in philosophical terms. Who is that girl?”
“Blerina, the daughter of teacher Hektor and teacher Irma.”
“No, son!” the mother cried out and jumped up.
Arbër froze. His mother’s reaction surprised him.
“Why, Mother?” he said.
“It is better you don’t know.”
“And why?”
“Because your heart will break.”
“Speak, Mother, speak! Don’t leave me in this state!”
But the mother could not speak. She could not tell him the terrible truth that he did not know. She remained silent.
“Speak, Mother!” Arbër called out, in a tone of impatience.
“Blerina is Resul’s niece,” she said in a soft voice that was barely audible.
“Resul’s niece?!”
“Yes, son, Irma is Resul’s sister.”
The news fell like a bomb on Arbër’s consciousness. He had fallen in love with the niece of his father’s killer? An internal storm erupted in his conscience. His mind became confused. His thoughts became turbulent. Why did fate condemn him so much? Weren’t the things his family had been through enough?! Tears began to flow from his eyes. His mother noticed. She approached her son and said:
“Stop the tears, son! Sit down and let’s discuss the situation calmly.”
“What is left to discuss?!”
“Let’s take it easy. The girl is the daughter of two parents, about whom we have not heard a single word about their character until today. They are respected parents, so the girl must also be respected. At the first moment, I told you that she is Resul’s niece. Now I realize I was wrong. If the girl and her parents accept you as a son-in-law, then I have no reason not to accept the girl as a bride. The girl shouldn’t have to pay for her uncle!”
“I love Blerina!” Arbër said. “If you also accept my union with her, this is the most precious thing you are giving me. Thank you, Mother! I told her my family’s story and I am waiting for her answer.”
“Let her decide.”
“What about Resul?”
“In the conversation with her, I didn’t tell her that I didn’t know.”
“Let her talk to her mother.”
With these words, the conversation ended.
The last day of the school holidays. Blerina headed to the usual meeting place. Arbër was not there. Why? Had he forgotten her due to the almost three-week absence?! However, she decided to wait. It wasn’t long before he came. They stood opposite each other without speaking. Finally, Arbër’s voice was heard:
“Blerina…”!
“Don’t speak,” she interrupted him. “I have decided. Let the earth and the sky unite, I will not separate from you.”
“Have you thought it through well?”
“Completely.”
“Have you discussed it with your parents? I would ask you to also get their opinion…?”
“Really?”
“Absolutely, we cannot decide without their approval. I have done so.”
In the evening, when her father returned home, Blerina addressed her parents.
“Dad, Mom, I want your blessing.”
“Our blessing? But we have given it to you since the day you were born.”
“The blessing I ask for today is of a different nature, and I cannot keep it a secret from you!”
“Speak, daughter!”
“I have fallen in love with a boy, so I ask for your blessing.”
“You have fallen in love?! – the mother spoke, – Well, tell us, girl, who is this boy?!”
“Yes, I will tell you, but don’t be surprised. It is Arbër Dauti, the son of Afërdita, who was once a teacher, like you.”
The parents looked each other in the eye. They remained in that state for a long time. Neither spoke. Blerina waited for their word. Silence reigned in the room. Finally, it was broken by Irma’s voice, who spoke:
“Do you know the history of that family?”
“Yes, Mother, Arbër told me everything. He told me that his father died in the cells of the State Security. He told me that his mother, from being a teacher, now works as a laborer in the agricultural enterprise. He told me that for these reasons, they denied him the gold medal and the right to study.”
“And did he tell you anything else?!”
“No.”
The parents looked each other in the eye again.
“Tell her,” the father said.
“Listen, daughter! – the mother began. I will tell you something you don’t know and must learn. The investigator of Arbër’s father was your uncle and my brother, Resul. At the time Sokoli passed away, Resul worked in the Department of Internal Affairs.”
Blerina froze. Another deep gap had opened between the two lovers.
“But we love each other, we love each other very much,” she managed to say in a half-whisper.
“Calm down, daughter,” the father intervened. “Let’s end this conversation for today. Ponder it on your own, and tomorrow we will discuss it again.”
Another sleepless night. Another night filled with frightening dreams. A clash of waves in Blerina’s heart, but also a clash of waves in the hearts of her parents.
“What are we going to do, husband?!” Irma asked.
“Let’s leave it to the girl to decide,” was the answer.
The next day Blerina entered the room where her parents were.
“Father, Mother, I have decided. I ask for your blessing,” she said.
“Very well, daughter,” the father spoke, “but first, I want to discuss this matter with Arbër’s family as well. Let them come tonight.”
In the evening, Afërdita and Arbër came to Blerina’s house.
“Let’s get straight to the point,” said Hektor. “Both sides are faced with a fait accompli. I am personally convinced that both families are compatible. But time threw us onto opposite sides of the barricade. I don’t want to elaborate on the details of this separation. I want to leave them to the past. I only want to say: will we be able to cope with the difficulties?”
“Very honored Mr. Hektor!” Afërdita began. “You spoke as you should. I, for my part, guarantee you that whenever, under any circumstance that arises, I will know how to stand, as I should. Blerina will be our daughter, and I will know how to protect her. I have shown that I am capable of facing any situation.”
“Let’s ask the two young people as well.”
“I promise that in any situation that arises, I will always stand by Blerina, until the last day of my life,” said Arbër.
“Me too,” Blerina completed.
“Then let it be for the best!” Hektor concluded.
They stood up and began to congratulate and hug each other. Afërdita took a gold necklace out of her bag and hung it around Blerina’s neck.
“Sokoli brought this necklace to me from France, and I am giving it to my daughter.”
Meanwhile, Irma gave Arbër a Swiss “Omega” wristwatch.
“I also have this as a memory from my late father,” he said.
Blerina and Arbër could not contain their joy.
“I have one last request,” Hektor suddenly said.
Everyone was silent.
“Don’t be surprised,” he continued. “This year Blerina is in her final year. After graduation, she will continue university. I would like us, for now, not to announce this engagement until Blerina reaches a fuller age. Let them present themselves in public as two good friends.”
Silence followed his words for a short time. It was broken by the voices of the two young people: “Absolutely.” Memorie.al
To be continued in the next issue
