Chapter Text
The summer of 1968 had begun a month earlier. The days were warmer, busier, the activity in hospitals was increasing, and the parks were full of parents with their children. All this indicated one thing: the school holidays were underway.
But for some parents, their children would be attending school for the first time. This was the case for Loid Forger, father of little Anya Forger, who was preparing for his daughter to participate in the selection process for students who were not from the upper elite of Ostania for the renowned Eden College.
Loid was a widower, and therefore, he raised his daughter alone. He had also been a psychiatrist at the Berlint General Hospital for at least four months.
As soon as he arrived in Berlint, he got a small two-bedroom apartment, but the place proved to have its dangers when Anya found a snake in her father's room.
Therefore, a sudden move to a busier side of Berlint was necessary. Surely the flow of cars and pedestrians would scare away animals that could enter the residences. The only apartment Loid could find in the area was in a building at 128 Park Avenue. It was spacious, with three bedrooms. Loid left one of them to receive visitors, such as his mother, who lived in Kielberg, Westalis, or his friend Franky, who sometimes babysat Anya.
Loid worried a lot about his daughter, and she was the reason for his move to Berlint: to study at Eden College. She was 5 years old. A 30-year-old man with a 5-year-old daughter and a widower. People felt sorry for him because, in addition to losing his wife early, he had to raise his baby daughter alone. But he didn't do it alone. He had the help of friends and his own mother.
Loid was born in Lwuën, Westalis. He was an only child. His father was strict about his upbringing. He wanted his son to become someone important, and therefore, he didn't let him spend much time playing. His mother, on the other hand, was a sweet, delicate, and calm woman, which contrasted completely with his father's personality. Whenever she could, she spoiled him.
His father worked as a sales representative, and therefore traveled a lot. And it was on one of these trips that his mother became a widow, and he an orphan. It was the first time he had received such devastating news. He was only 7 years old. Seeing his mother suffer so much, dealing with the absence of the father he loved, was something very heavy for such a young child to bear.
Although his father left some savings for them, his mother needed support to raise her son. Therefore, she left her residence in Lwuën and moved to the home of relatives in Kielberg, a nearby city.
It was very difficult for him to adapt: having to live in a completely different place, not being able to see his old friends and neighbors, having to meet new friends and new neighbors, attending a new school, hearing his mother cry into her pillow every night. But he managed, he adapted as quickly as he could, because he wanted to see his mother happy.
He grew up being a dedicated and caring person. He developed many good skills, was intelligent, and good at sports. He thought that if he were like that, if his father were alive, he would be proud of him. But seeing his mother always smiling was his highest priority. He wanted to give her a peaceful life, but he also wanted to help her with her emotional wounds.
That's why he decided to become a psychiatrist. As soon as he finished school, he got a scholarship to study at the University of Kielberg. He excelled in his studies, and as soon as he finished the course, he began his internship at Kielberg Hospital.
At 24, he got an opportunity to work at a hospital in Ostania, a town near Lwuën, which was close to the border, West Nielsberg. The town was well-developed, unlike East Nielsberg, which was more rural and with dense forests. It was the first time Loid would be away from his mother, and so it was difficult to say goodbye. But he did it; it was what his mother wanted.
He was greatly encouraged by his colleague, Fiona Frost, to apply for the position, since she was also going there. She harbored feelings for him, but he didn't know. When the day came to leave, she went with him.
He excelled in his work at Nielsberg Hospital, and as a result, he stood out more and more. And that's how he met Anya's mother, almost a year later. She was a patient in a different ward at the hospital, and he offered to calm her down emotionally during a difficult time. Shortly after, they got married.
Unfortunately, when Anya was 2 years old, her mother passed away. Loid, who had already returned to Kielberg after the wedding, began raising Anya with the help of his mother.
Now, they had started over in a new place, Berlint.
On that particular day, a Wednesday afternoon, Loid was thinking about how he would find a mother to participate in the family interview at Eden College. He didn't agree with the school's terms, which excluded widows from its selection process. But it was to be expected, coming from an elite college in Berlint. Perhaps it was even the most sought-after school in all of Ostania.
To ease his worry, he took Anya to a tailor to have new clothes made for his daughter, who was growing a few centimeters. While the seamstress was taking the girl's measurements inside the shop, a customer arrived, taking him by surprise. – "I didn't even see her come in," he thought.
He discreetly observed her, out of the corner of his eye, wondering who that woman was, while she was being attended to by another employee. It seemed that her favorite dress was torn. And most importantly, her name was Yor.
"Excuse me, sir. I'd like to know why you're looking at me?"
"Did she notice?" he wondered. "Oh, forgive me." "I just thought you were very beautiful, I couldn't help but notice your presence."
The young woman blushed at the compliment. "You really thought I was beautiful?"
"Yes. You are very…"
At the moment they were interacting, close to each other, Anya emerged from behind the curtains of the measuring room.
"Daddy, I'm all measured."
"Really?"
"Who is this, Daddy?"
"Another customer from the store."
"I thought I was going to get a new mommy."
"Anya!"
"Excuse me for intruding, but aren't you with her mother anymore?"
"My wife passed away 3 years ago."
"I'm sorry."
"Excuse me for asking, but are you single?"