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Alena (25), Irena (38)
Alena was 6 months pregnant, and was starting to show.
Irena sat with her back to the headboard, Alena sitting between her legs, leaning against her. The brunette ran her hand down the younger woman arms, then her chest, kissing her neck lazily. They were having a slow and quiet moment, which was rare so they both tried to enjoy it to the full.
Alena took Irena’s hand and placed it on the right side of her round belly.
“This child kicks so much these days!”
Irena held her hand there, enjoying the little flutter under her palm and said
“Do you think it’s a boy or a girl?”
“Hm, I’m not sure but I think it’s a boy.”
Irena sighed. “I know the world is easier for boys, but I already have two boys and I think I was secretly hoping for a girl.” She then went quiet and completely still. “I don’t know why I said that, I think I’ll just go.” She pulled away from Alena and headed for the bathroom.
“Irena, stop and come back to bed. Let’s talk a little.” The brunette hesitated but went back to sit on the bed. Alena took her hand gently and began to speak:
“I would like nothing more than for you to consider this child as your own and help me raise him. I’ve just never dared to ask how you would feel about it, since it’s Grub…”
“Don’t say his name.”
“Ok, but it’s still his and I thought maybe it would be too much for you.”
“I thought it would be. But I was wrong, it’s not too much, on the contrary, it’s not enough. I want a place in this child’s life if you will allow me. I want to be here and look after you both.” A single tear ran down Irena’s cheek. Alena gently wiped it away and kissed a cheek. She still had one important thing to discuss with the brunette:
“I need to ask you one more thing. I would like you to name the child. The only condition I have is that his name starts with an ‘I’”. Irena was now in tears. Alena hugged her tenderly and kissed the top of her head.
“When my mind is made up, I’ll tell you his name.”
“Wait until he is born and you hold him in your arms for the first time. I will carry him and you will carry his name.” Now they were both crying happily.
***
Alena (25), Irena (38)
Irena was in a business meeting with Petr and potential buyers for the power plants at 10pm. The meeting was going strong when there was a knock at the door and the secretary came in.
“Mrs Mašková, I have a message for you.”
“Well, I’m waiting, out with it.”
“A certain Babi said ‘We need you now’”
Irena turned pale.
“Gentlemen, I have to go, family business. Petr will continue the meeting.”
The brunette hailed a taxi and gave him the address of a small house within walking distance of the Labut. She had bought it about 2 months ago, stating she wanted a house close to work. She kept the address a secret. The idea was for Alena to move in and have her own space for her and the child. The house wasn’t big but Irena fell in love with it. It was bright in the daytime, the three bedrooms were not large but they were enough and there was a small backyard big enough to play in. Alena moved in about a month ago and spent the time that she had decorating because she needed the place to feel like home when the baby came. Babi and Eva helped. Irena tried to be there as much as she could. In the end, it was a lovely home.
Irena almost jumped out of the car and ran to the front door. She was greeted by Babi.
“She is fine but she keeps asking for you. The baby is breached and she is getting tired. The midwife says it’ll take more time”
“Thank you for taking care of her. The midwife, do you trust her?”
“Yes, she is a friend of mine, I explained her the situation. You can go in there as Alena’s partner and no one will bat an eyelid.”
“Thanks again Babi, that means a lot. I’m in your debt.”
Irena didn’t wait for an answer and hurried into the bedroom. Alena was lying on the bed, obviously exhausted and in pain.
“Irena, I can’t do it !”
The brunette took the younger woman’s hand.
“Of course you can, everything will be worth it, I promise.”
“But I’m so tired.” Alena sobbed.
Irena stood up. “Please don’t go!”
“I’m no going anywhere, darling, I’m just taking off my jacket” She proceeded to do so and took off a shirt too, making it easier to climb onto the bed and settle herself behind the blonde. She kissed the top of her head and whispered words of encouragement.
It took another three hours for the child to be born. A beautiful healthy raven-haired boy.
The midwife placed the boy and Alena’s chest and he started nursing right away. Irena was caressing his back while her lips rested on her lover’s head.
“You did amazing.”
“I couldn’t have done it without you, thank you for being here.” She was exhausted but filled with so much love and joy.
“Do you want me to tell you his name ?”
“Not now, I want to engrave the image of him in your arms when you tell me.”
The midwife asked Irena to cut the umbilical cord which she did with trembling hands (it was too much emotion for one night). She cleaned him, dressed him and placed him in Irena’s arms. The brunette was in awe, she never wanted to let go.
Alena stared at them, trying to burn the details into her mind.
“Tell me his name.”
“Ignác.”
***
Alena (25), Irena (38), Ignác (4months)
Irena was late for dinner. She promised Alena she would be there, they’ll have time to themseleves, eat good food, talk, maybe kiss a little. She had worked too late at Labut, she literally had no good excuse. She came in, took off her shoes and in a hurry slammed the door a bit too hard in her haste. Ignác started to cry.
“Irena, are you kidding me ?! It took me 1hour and 40minutes to put him down!” She heard Alena before she saw her. She appeared in the small entrance. Well, the blonde wasn’t happy. Beautiful in her light flower dress, but definitely not happy.
“I’m so sorry, Alena”
“For what ? Being late or waking up the baby ?”
“Both ?” the brunette said sheepishly.
“Well, I’m starving, so take care of him since it’s your fault and I’ll heat up the food”
“Yes, Commander. You should be the one ruling the German army” she chuckled.
“Irena.”
“Sorry”
“Irena.”
Irena was already on her way to Ignác’s bedroom.
“Yes ?”
“I’m really happy to see you and I can’t wait to have you all to myself” Alena kissed her on the cheek gently.
***
Alena (27), Irena (40), Ignác (2)
There was so much wind and rain that Alena almost missed the knock at the door. She opened it to see a soaked Jenda.
“Oh my God, what happened to you ?! Come in. Take off your shoes and your coat and go sit down by the fire, I’ll bring you your spare clothes and a towel.”
Jenda was familiar with the place. Irena often took the boys on the weekends and came to visit Alena and Ignác for an hour or two.
Alena came back with clothes.
“Dry yourself and change, I’ll make you a hot-water bottle in the meantime.”
When the blond returned, he was sitting by the fire and drying his hair with towel.
“Take the water bottle, I’ll dry your hair” Jenda was being awfully quiet. “Do you want to tell me want happened ?”
He sighed. “I ran away from a very unpleasant family dinner. Everyone lost their bloody minds tonight. Is it too much to ask to just have a peaceful family dinner where everyone treats each other kindly? Seriously. I know you love her, but she is really a piece of work.”
“Jenda. Don’t patronise your mother like that. It’s exactly the kind of words that we expect from your grandfather, but you know better than that, please.” The boy blushed. At thirteen, he was already taller than Irena but still very much a child.
“I’m not saying she was right. I’m just saying there is a more respectful way to say it. You still haven’t told me what happened.”
“Always the same thing. The succession. Petr should inherit because he is the first capable male heir. Máma should inherit because she is the most capable one of the three. But then, I’m the first grandson so I should inherit first, but Eduard is the son of the first capable male heir blah blah blah. I just don’t give a shit.”
“Jenda!” The curse caught Alena off guard and made her laugh. He smiled at the blonde’s reaction.
“I’m sorry. But seriously, I can’t take it anymore. I just want to be me and do what I want.”
“Sounds like someone I know.”
“Máma ? Please, she is the worst of the whole family. The things she says to me sometimes. I love her but she can be so harsh.” He looked so sad and desperate.
“It won’t be easy and she won’t listen the first time, or the second, or even the thirty-seventh time, but she’ll understand. I’ll talk to her about it, I promise.”
“She will be so disappointed. I’m pretty sure Jiři won’t be interested in the family business when he grows up.”
“Yes, you boys were brought up by a person who fought for what she wanted and was always very vocal about what she wanted to achieve. Of course you will want to follow your own path and nothing else. She will understand. Come on, stand up.” He obeyed and Alena hugged him tightly.”You are going to be fine. Now, let’s bake some muffins, that will cheer you up!”
“Yes! This will be by far the best moment of my evening!” The boy was finally giving a full smile.
“I have to call your mother to let her know you are here, she must be worried.”
The smile was gone. “Do you have to? I don’t want to face her.”
“I’m sorry, sweetheart, I really must. I’ll keep her from yelling at you.”
“Promise?”
“Promise.” She kissed the boy on the forehead.
When Irena opened the front door, the first thing she heard was giggles.
“And then she slipped and fell into the lake while still screaming at us! When she came out, she looked like a very wet angry cat. And you know how Máma is with her hair!” The boy had tears in his eyes from laughing.
Irena found them in the kitchen, baking muffins as if her son hadn’t just run away from home. She was furious.
“Jenda! Do you have any idea how worried we all are?! You can’t jus…”
Alena stepped in. “Irena, keep your voice down.”
“Don’t tell me to keep my voice down. I’m angry and disap…”
“Irena, keep your voice down or go yell outside.”The blonde wouldn’t have it and had a promise to keep.
“I beg your pardon?” Okay, she wasn’t yelling anymore, she was just the heartless Irena that frightened Labut.
Alena stood her ground. “I said, keep your voice down. Jenda? Do you want to say something?”
The boy looked terrified. “Máma, I’m sorry I ran away. I didn’t want to worry you. I just couldn’t take the shouting and the pressure.” And he burst into tears.
Irena softened and came to hug him. “No. I’m sorry. I overreacted. Let’s talk about it tomorrow. Let’s go back.”
“Can we stay a little bit longer, we made muffins.”
Irena chuckled. “Sure, they can wait for us. Let’s see what you’ve baked.”
It became a thing. Whenever Jenda couldn’t take the pressure anymore, he would hide at Alena’s house where they would talk about anything and everything, and bake together. The longest stay was one month during his final exams when he couldn’t decide what university to go to and what subject to study. Irena had to change her story every week to explain where Jenda was.
***
Alena (31), Irena (44), Ignác (6)
It was officially Ignác’s first day at school. He was enrolled in the same private school as Jiři and Jenda. Irena wanted to make sure he’d get the best education. To avoid any suspicion (how the son of a salesgirl could go to a private academy) she made Alena register him for a scholarship and then paid the board to grant it to him.
Here they were, Irena, Alena, Jiři and Ignác in front of the school gate. It was Jenda last year so he went by himself. Jiři was now 12 and starting his second of middle school. Irena and Alena were behaving like strangers. Ignác knew the rules, no talking to Máma outside the house. Alena was very tearful and tried very hard not to cry. Irena had her resting bitch face on but it was just as hard for her to see the boys growing up so fast.
Jiři knew what was going to happen so he took matters into his own hands.
“Come on buddy, it’s going to be awesome, you’ll love it. Mom is crying because we are growing fast, not because school is terrible. I’ll go with you to your class and we’ll find your seat together.” Jiři took Ignác’s hand and they left without even saying goodbye.
For the next six years, Alena never missed a pick-up. She would wait for Ignác, the Jiři and they would walk to the mansion, talking about their day, what had happened at school or at work, what they would like to do on their next holiday. She would wait at the mansion’s gate and wave goodbye to Jiři. He really enjoyed this time with the blonde. It was theirs. No pressure from the family, no talk about being worthy of succession, he could just be himself. Irena or Lukáš would do mornig dropoff but pick-up was Alena. Irena learned this the hard way when she dared to pick up Jiři one day, only to have her son not say a word to her for the entire way home.
***
Alena (34), Irena (47), Ignác (9)
Bára was in town so she decided to visit Alena. Since Bára was there, Eva showed up. The only problem was that it was Irena’s afternoon with the blonde and their son and she wasn’t at all happy to share. She was just plain mean. Bára and Eva just pretended not to hear the snide remarks and played with Ignác, making him laugh so hard that he got scared to pee himself. After another comment from the brunette, Alena has had enough.
“Irena, can you help me in the kitchen, please?” The tall women said with a fake stern smile.
As soon as they were out of earshot : “You have to stop this. They are my friends, it’s not their fault they happened to be in town during your day with us. You are setting a terrible example for Ignác and I won’t have it.
“I can’t help it, I’m jealous. I’m sorry.”
It clicked it the blonde’s head: “Irena. Look at me.” Alena took the brunette’s face in her hands and whispered : “Your son loves you so much. They are the cool funny aunts, he has fun with them. It takes nothing away from you. You are the one he talks about before bed. How he likes to play chess with you. How he loves when you read him stories. Don’t be afraid, you have a very special place in his heart.” She leaned in and kissed her lips lightly.
They left at the beginning of the evening.
“I love them but they really can’t take a hint. I wanted them gone about two hours ago.”
“Ignác!” Alena was outraged and Irena was smirking.
“I’m sorry Mom, but they know we don’t have an infinite amount of time we can spend just the three of us.” He was pouting, which was very Irena of him.
“The lack of decency of these people is outstanding, I agree, son.”
“Irena!” Alena just stared at them, mouth agape. Their lack of manners was the only outstanding thing here. “You know what, I give up.”
Ignác was unphased. “Perfect! Máma come, I want to show you something.” He took her hand and they were gone.
Alena thought they were very cute. Rude and obnoxious. But very cute.
***
Alena (47), Irena (60), Ignác (22)
Irena was being interviewed at Labut about being the woman in charge of one of the most successful department store in the history of Czechia and maintaining its success even during the war.
Alena left Labut about 15years ago when she got an opportunity to work as a fashion designer for a woman luxury brand in Prague. Irena was now wearing a suit that Alena designed specifically for the occasion. It was 30 minutes before the interview and Alena was doing some final touch-ups.
“Okay, I’m done, you look absolutely gorgeous, as usual”
“I know, dear.” Irena smiled and pecked the blonde’s lips.
“I feel nostalgic being here and helping you get dressed, we had some very VERY good memories in your office.” She laughed and blushed at the same time. After all these years, Irena still had such an effect on her.
“You come here every three months to present your pieces” the brunette smiled, there was still some fooling around involved during office hours, that really never changed.
“Well yes, but it’s not exactly the same !”
“Oh, you mean now we don’t have sex on the couch in my office anymore ? Sorry my love, I prefer the comfort of our home” Irena rolled her eyes playfully.
She was still officially living in the manor, but was only making appearances when Jenda and Jiři were home.
The red on the blonde woman cheeks was growing darker. Irena couldn’t help laughing. She took a step closer and slowly kissed the younger woman. She put a hand in her hair and caressed the blonde’s upper lip with her tongue, asking for a permission that had been given to her more than two decades ago. Alena opened her mouth and met Irena’s tongue. They kissed for a while, savouring the moment.
The interviewer had asked very basic and unoriginal questions about work and was now inquiring about Irena’s family life. She wanted to be as truthful as she could.
“You have been blessed with a successful career and a successful love life, would you like to tell us more about that ?”
“I’m very lucky to be loved the way I am. Respected. Heard. Supported.”
“My, my, your husband must be wonderful” Irena smiled politely without saying a word. Her husband had become decent over the years but her not-official-wife was truly amazing indeed.
“Talk to me about your sons, how are they?”
“My sons are my pride and joy, they are amazing people. They are passionate about their work and their studies” Jenda and Jiři were both working, Ignác was the one still at school.
“Who do you think is the most similar to you?”
“Definitely my youngest as far as work is concerned, he is very resourceful and thorough. Fortunately, he takes after his other parent in terms of temperament!” Ignác was about to be teased so hard by Jiři for being such a Máma’s boy.
***
Alena (48), Irena (61), Ignác (23)
They were doing a family brunch on Sunday. Jenda requested one, he wanted to announce the sex of his second child. He wanted to do something simple and intimate so the manor was out of the question. They chose the backyard of Alena’s house, which was large enough to set up a big table and play some games. Of course, Lukáš was invited, they had all made peace years ago and he even admitted that he loved his weird dysfunctional family. He was drunk when he said that, but still, Alena found the memory precious.
Jenda stood up and cleared his throat.
“Thank you all for being here. We are expecting… A GIRL !” Everyone cheered.
“And, since we named our first little girl after my lovely wife’s mother, were were thinking of naming this one…”
Jenda was interrupted by a very proud Irena.
“Now, it’s my turn, ‘Irena’ is a powerful name, she’ll be strong and resilient”
Jenda looked a little pale.
“Well… Actually, we would like to name her ‘Alena’”. He had a little smile on his lips. “You were always there for me, you make Máma so happy and you love us so much. You couldn’t be at my wedding and I looked for you in the crowd because I wanted you to be here. I know that you’ll never have an official place in the Kučera family but I tought that maybe like that, you could still appear in the family tree. It would mean so much to me to have my daughter carry your name.”
Alena cried profusely.
“I don’t know want to say, I’m so honoured and happy. Lukáš, you don’t mind ?”
“Of course not.” He smiled at her.
“Him, you ask if he minds, but me, no ? Sure, let’s name the child after the one who bakes you muffins, not the one who suffered a 32 hours of labor to push you out.” She was pouting. And of course it made everyone laugh. Alena kissed her on the cheek.
“Irena, hush now. You can be a grump later.”
Ignác found the situation hilarious but knew that Irena’s feelings were hurt a little.
“Don’t worry Máma, I’ll name my first daughter ‘Irena’”. Irena beamed.
“Oh my god, please be more of a Máma’s boy, I dare you.” Jiři said rolling his eyes. He had the same cold demeanor as Irena when his feelings were hurt.
“You’re just mad because you wanted to name your first daughter ‘Alena’ and Jenda beat you to it” Ignác stated matter-of-factly.
Jiři pouted exactly like Irena and everydoby burst out laughing.
***
Alena (65), Irena (78), Ignác (40)
It was a sunny Sunday afternoon and Alena and Irena were sitting on their bench in the garden. They were watching their grandchildren play. They sons were sitting on the grass talking and laughing at each other’s stupid jokes. Lukáš was sitting in his favourite chair by the tree telling a story to the little Irena on his lap. He said it was the only Irena who could stand him. Ignác had kept his word and name his first daughter as his Máma. Everything was just beautiful.
Irena said out of the blue: “My only regret in life is that I did not marry you.”
“Irena, my love, in my heart, we got married the day I asked you to name our son. We don’t need a piece of paper.”
“You don’t regret not marrying me, Miss Zimová ?” the tone was playful.
“When we were younger, I wanted to shout to the world that I loved you. I wanted to show them what love was supposed to be. Now, I enjoy whispering in your ear that you are the love of my life, that you changed everything for the better for me. I don’t need everyone to know, I want you to know.”
Irena took the blonde’s hand.
“I know. You changed everything for me too. I can’t believe how fortunate I am to have known a love like the one we share. I love you, Alena.”
“I love you too, Irena.”