Unchallenged

A knock at the door

Before starting I'd like to say thank you for reading my first chapter! I will gladly write the second chapter when and if I'll reach 20 views. I have had this story in my mind for a very long time and I'm eager to share it here! Please inform me in the comment section if you like it and what you think about it so far. Thank you so much!

Ida POV

The chopped mushrooms and onions were frying in the pan. I sat by the window in our new kitchen watching as the summer sun was setting over the new cozy garden and the new town. Everything about us was new, like a journey to a unvisited destination or just like when one moves to another country to study at a prestigious college. I never lived in another country or town, not even when I started college, not even after I got married.

"Hungry" said Vladi, one of my blonde haired boys, looking at me with his big blue begging eyes.

"Have you washed your hands?" I asked him knowing that he has already played with our new dog, a fluffy Pomeranian which the boys called Golli.

Vladi looked at his dirty nails analysing them, lifted his tiny shoulders and run away. Shortly after, I heard the water flowing in the bathroom.I smiled tired stirring in the pan thinking at the moment I met Vladi and Oli, a month ago, in the principal office. They were sitting on a bench near the door, hoping that their mothers would come. Vladi's eyes were red and his cheeks were swollen from too much crying. Oli looked terrified and I could read no sign of relief on his round face after I told him they would go home with me. I showed the principal The Letter and after she scanned it, she gave me an envelope file with the kids' documents and their bags. Before I grabbed their tender hands and headed towards the door, Ms. Claw - as the children used to call her - warned me:

"Miss Pallas, my job, as it is stated in my Letter, is to inform you that the boys should be brought to school every day. Please try and get along well with them, otherwise I'm afraid we will be under the necessity to take them back and we don't desire that. We want to find a family for every child in this school."

Only God knows how hard I've been trying to get along well with the kids in the past month. I've never had taken care of children before and I had to reduce my schedule at the clinic to be able to take them to school in the morning and spend time with them in the afternoon. Vladimir was 5 years old and he was a very intelligent boy. He could speak simple English sentences and was always eager to learn more. He would spout Russian poetry every day and was always telling us stories about his family and friends from Moldova. It was difficult to follow his story line, because most of his words were in Russian and Romanian language. On the other hand, Oli who was 8 years old didn't want to talk very much with us. He was solitary and shy even though his English was better. He didn't allow me to take a look at his homework, nor he was telling us many things about his family from Romania. Sometimes I used to hear them both talking in Romanian and I couldn't do anything else than to thank God that they were already friends.

I added the chicken breast in the pan and continued to stirr. 

"Could we have chocolate waffle after the dinner?" I heard Oli's low voice behind me.

"I'm afraid we have vanilla icecream today, darling."

"It's fine for me" answered back the low voice.

"I love icecream" said Vladi rushing into the kitchen. His hands looked more clean. "Radio, please?"

I turned on the radio in the middle of a song, Vladi started to humm along but Oli rolled his eyes. I grabbed his hands and tried to make him dance, but he smiled ashamed. My heart hurt, my mind said NO, but I just wanted to cheer up the atmosphere. I didn't see my family for more than a month. After The Great Darkness passed away I spent every day looking for my husband and my parents, or anyone else I knew. Everyone in that town was doing the same thing, but The Letter was clear as crystal. "You should not try and find anyone or anything from your past life because everything you knew doesn't exist anymore." I resisted the advice. I went to the Information Center every day to ask about familiar names or if anyone asked about me and the children. The answer was always negative. 

As we were singing and fooling in the kitchen I barely heard a light knock at the front door. At first I thought that it only seemed to me but when I entered the living room I realised the knocks were real. We must have annoied someone because of the loud music. But it wasn't anything like that. I didn't have the slightest idea that my life would change at 180° degrees once I opened that door. There he was, a tall well built man with a rough glare.

"Ida Pallas?" he asked with a strong manly voice.

"How can I help you?"

"Your name is on my Letter."

And then was when I knew it. Nikolay Yurasov. His name was also on my Letter.