Valley of Decision

“Are you Raina Novak?”

“Yes, I am, why?”

He handed her the beautifully arranged rose presentation gift and asked her to sign. She shook her head in disbelief. There had to be a mistake, so she looked at the message to check on the intended recipient and sender then smiled. The sender was Brenna Cartwright, but Raina knew who the real sender was. Her heartbeat fast as she read the message that expressed appreciation for Raina spending time with her personally yesterday. She signed a receipt and thanked the delivery man closing the door rapidly to take the flowers to a prominent place on the mantlepiece. Then stood for a while watching the gift appreciatively before returning to a cold supper. The TV was not important anymore. She hastily consumed her food and picked up her cell phone punching in the number she usually contacted Brenna on, and the girl picked up the phone shouting excitedly when she realized who was on the line.

“Thanks for the flowers, Brenna, they are lovely and just what I needed after a hard day at work.”

“What flowers Raina?”

“Would you put your father on the line for a few minutes? I need to speak with him and then we can talk some more.”

“A male voice soon came on the line. Yes. Raina what can I do for you? I hope you had a good time yesterday.”

“Donald, you know how to make a woman very happy, so you and I need to talk sometime without Brenna. Are there times when that would be possible for you and work together with my hospital shifts?”

She’s at school during the day and music lessons in the afternoon after school.”

“Then it will have to be on one of my days off won’t it but that has to be soon as we need to have an understanding between us before I can continue to keep in touch with Brenna. We are approaching another night shift change over so I have this Friday off and usually sleep to counteract the effects of sleep habit change. I can’t afford to take a long time with you as I need all the sleep I can get. Early afternoon would suit me can you make it to my place sometime then?”

“Yes. I’ll make time for that and thank you so much. Any time suits you better?”

“Make it 2pm then and put me back on the line with Brenna as she’ll be wondering why I’m talking with you.”

There was a pause and Brenna picked up the phone.

“Why were you talking with my dad? You always talk to me!”

“I thanked him for the good time he gave the both of us yesterday, Brenna. Now how was your day? I can’t speak for long as I need to rest up for my shift tomorrow.”

Thoughts of her housework routines were cancelled, and she turned her chair around to look at the mantlepiece now graced with roses. Her heart was racing at the thought of clarifying Donald Cartwright’s intentions, but she already knew what the outcome would be and luxuriated in the thought of being with this man and his daughter permanently. But first she’d review her life and be finally assured they could be compatible. He’d already been married to a Slavic woman and while there’d be a difference between the Tyrol mountains ethnic group and those who inhabited her country, she knew the same fire was there and there’d be no problem adjusting culturally. If he’d stuck with Aniya in a difficult marriage where there was so much cultural difference, and she possessed an artistic temperament as well Raina knew it would work between them. But she had to be reassured before proceeding further in a relationship with Donald and if it didn’t work out, she’d probably need to disconnect the relationship with Brenna as well. She knew that would break the girl’s heart and hers too.

Friday afternoon came and Raina sat in her chair stressed out. There was a lot at stake here because she was just beginning to adjust to the loss of parents. Surprisingly she’d not missed her fiancé for a while now and that was an indicator to her that she’d moved on. If things didn’t work out when she was anticipating a better life now, she knew it would put her back into depression and affect her work at the hospital. She couldn’t afford that as she relied on the visa worked out by the hospital to stay in the UK and was not prepared yet to face up to a return to her own country which now carried so many unhappy memories. But what about Donald? Was he prepared to let Aniya go, or would Aniya’s memory always be around to haunt a potential marriage between them both? The doorbell chimed and she stood shaking in apprehension as she moved to the door and opened.

Donald Cartwright swept into the room and enclosed her in his arms kissing her on the cheeks and neck.

“Marry me Raina I’m going crazy without you by my side. You’ve been on my mind since I first met you at the hospital and knowing how important you are to the medical profession, I hesitated to approach you but our time together on the day out in London has made my need of you a compulsion. If you say no, I’ll leave immediately and not trouble you again but please don’t desert my daughter over that refusal as she needs her contacts with you to continue. I’d not interfere with that and would be prepared to let you have visits with her like we had the other day but would not accompany or trouble you with my presence.”

Raina luxuriated in his embrace saying nothing. All those prepared speeches were abandoned. The problem of her work at the hospital would have to be solved. Her visa to the UK that depended on her working at the hospital was a huge problem but perhaps he’d accompany her to another country that accepted them both. The time seemed to extend too long for Donald, and he anticipated a refusal now so loosened his attachment to her awaiting that fateful refusal. But Raina put her arms around him in return and remained silent. If she was going to refuse, why would she do that. So, he lifted her chin and looked into her eyes to read her response there in that she remained silent. Her eyes said yes but there was something holding her back, so he spoke quietly.

“I think you want to say yes Raina and I desperately want you to but there are problems you seem to be struggling with. Is there someone else?”

Raina detached herself and pointed to the lounge indicating they should sit together there. She led him there by the hand and sat turning to face him.

“Of course, I want to marry you but there are so many obstacles.”

She then went over the things that had been troubling her all afternoon as she prepared for him to come.

“All solvable Raina. Just say yes and let me work through those problems with you. My parents can be a big help with all those problems as they have connections in high places. I want to take you to Cambridge when you get time off from work. You’ll like my parents as they are very accepting and helpful and fun to be around. I’ve already told them of my interest in you and they urged me to be more persistent with you today and convince you to marry me. My daughter has been urging me to ask you to marry me since you bonded at the hospital long ago and never lets up on me. She loves you!”

Raina sighed and put her head on his shoulder.

“I gladly say yes and if you really can solve all the problems to do with my being allowed to stay in the UK, I’ll make you a happy man and love your daughter as my own. So, yes! Now how do we proceed and what about my work at the hospital?

“You will continue to work there until we sort out all the obstacles and then decide if you wish to continue working there or not after we get married, and I’d like us to be married sooner than later. I’ll plan my own career around your decision.”

He looked at his watch.

“Now I must go Raina as its time to pick up my daughter. Do I have your permission to share this with Brennie? She’ll be so happy when I tell her I asked you to marry me, and you said yes. Do you want to think about it some more or can I tell her?”

“Would she expect to have me say something instead?”

“Tell you what. This evening when you call Brennie it will be on speaker so I’ll take the phone from her and ask you to marry me in front of her, and you can respond then and give her the chance to be part of the happy occasion seeing she has been urging this for a year. Then you can ask her how she feels about your proposal before giving your yes.”

Raina nodded in agreement and could hardly wait for that phone call that evening.

The outcome was predictable, and Brenna shouted and enthusiastic yes to Raina’s inquiry of her about her father’s marriage proposal.

“Can I call you mother now Raina? I’ve longed for this moment.”

“I’d be honoured to have you call me that Brenna and can hardly wait for us all to be together permanently. No more phone calls like this because we will be together as soon as I marry your father. I must go now and look forward to our next phone call daughter.”

She rushed to the bed and cried. But they were not tears of unhappiness but tears of joy.

This was news that had to be shared in her happiness, but she had no close friends. Then she thought of Freya. They were not close friends, but she felt Freya was on her side and willing to be and she had to share her joy with someone. She searched through her phone data base of nursing workers she sometimes had to call to help unscheduled when someone called in sick, and they were understaffed. She was so excited she missed the name the first time she scanned the list in her phone address book then she found what she was looking for and phoned that number. Her husband answered the phone. Raina asked to speak with Freya.

“Is this important as my wife is resting at the moment.”

“I think Freya will consider this to be very important.”

There was a pause and a sleepy voice answered.

“Who is calling?”

It’s Raina and if you promise not to tell anyone before I give you permission, I’ll give you some good news.”

Freya was instantly alert.

“I promise and I’m listening.”

“I just agreed to marry Donald Cartwright and remembered you were interested to be the first to know.”

Freya gave a whoop of joy, and her husband came running. He spoke.

“Freya what’s the matter?”

“Nothing husband just girls talk and good news at that.”

She turned back to respond to Raina.

“My lips are sealed Raina. Thanks for having the confidence to let me know that. I feel special and hope we can be close friends now.”

It took a year to work through all the problems that had concerned Raina before deciding to get married to her Donald. She was very possessive of him now and poured out the love she’d kept inside waiting to be expressed on her new husband and daughter. They were inseparable from that time onward. She loved Donald’s parents the Cartwright seniors and they poured their love out on their new daughter in law and Raina reciprocated. She’d been overawed at the speed her new parents dealt with obstacles that had seemed insurmountable to Raina.

Then a year into their marriage Raina was shocked to find she was pregnant with child to Donald. She was overjoyed and Brenna happy to have a brother or sister to make it an even happier family. Eventually she had to disconnect with the hospital that had been instrumental in helping her come to the UK. However, they departed on good terms with those nurses who’d worked with Raina from the beginning of her re-entry to the UK hosting a baby shower for her.

Soon after the little family moved to Cambridge when Donald decided to go back to teaching history and continue his PhD studies and Raina became a stay-at-home mother to care for her two children. At times she could not believe that fate had given her a new family to replace the one cruelly taken from her in the war.

Conclusion.

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