AJENO//EXTERNAL ((#ObsidianAwards))

_EXTERNAL_

Satisfied, Mateo used to enjoy the happiness that kept his family together for as long as he could remember despite the devastating times of that year. But the well-being would not last long; The Nazis retaliated ever stronger to prevail in the unstoppable war and did not hesitate to force their hierarchy.

The Axis Powers exploited all sources of oppression; Arrests, Forced Labor Camps, and Homicidal Attacks: The Bombs. They bombarded the area of ​​Mateo among many of Belgrade, and few were the survivors ...

The first great rumbling reached his ears and the childish thoughts were disturbed to the point of racing his heart like never before. Then everything went dark and closing his eyes seemed the best option ...

Almost imperceptibly, the beam of light woke him up, penetrating the ruins of what he once called 'home'. His breathing was ragged, oxygen was scarce in his lungs. He was thirsty, hungry and a heavy pain pressed against his chest from the rubble. He had lost all hope, resigning himself to expire slowly, when the small opening widened and gave way to rescue. Someone let out a high-pitched scream and after the act, he let himself fall on the shoulders of his liberator.

Matthew, with a dozen other orphans, was sent to an orphanage until the arrival of someone who would take him into a new home, and show him the love and tenderness he once felt. But he was sure, that no human being could ever erase the bitter traces that outlined his heart. How to replace those who had witnessed his first steps, heard the graceful beginning of his speech? No, the place of his birth parents would keep him intact, a place so special in his soul where no bomb could bring them down and no oppressor could tear them away. He waited six months to move in with his first family, and contrary to his fears, the couple was happy to receive him. With them he enjoyed a brief period of well-being despite the dreadful times that continued to plague the Yugoslavian countries. But as chance would have it, on the coldest night of that winter, the head of the family was selected as a cautionary example to intimidate the rebels. There was no escape from the firing squad, there was no turning back ...

The obstinate woman had to undertake hard work to support her adopted son; but it was inevitable that they would fall into poverty. The child deeply regretted the heartbreaking situation. Winter was against them and with it, epidemics that spread mercilessly. The widow fell prey to them and hopelessly headed for her sad end. Mateo still remembered the last breath, agonizing, begging ...

Three years in the orphanage and he already felt it more familiar than any house he had passed through. None of the foster parents seemed to forgive simple childish pranks; like those gentlemen who sent him back for leaving the bronze ballerina in pieces with a misdirected ball. Although the bakers were undoubtedly the worst; leaving Mateo for long periods in a corner submerged in tears, wetting the blows that marked his flimsy little body. According to them, these blows were deserved, in order to guide his deplorable behavior. Because being eleven years old was no justification for accidentally burning the dough. Three years he lived the instability of homes during the national anarchy; in the midst of the rifts of war, amid the endless bloodshed ... But his desperate cries for his long-suffering existence outweighed the circumstances around him. Little did she imagine the liberating light that hovered over Serbia and the rest of the continent that October. The darkness that had choked peace in spring, now after fierce years and brutal struggle, was replaced by the clarity that was reborn in winter. For that winter gave them the end of the most devastating war humanity has witnessed to date.

But happiness was not contagious to Mateo, who felt that his sorrows weighed so heavily on him that they crushed any joy. Anguish and moaning had plagued his illusions, and he had no strength to recover. He questioned this every day. He did not let go of the idea that it would have been better to have died in that bombing; the one that ended the lives of his parents, the one that ended all his dreams. The harsh winter gave way to spring, and with the colors of the season, came other adoptive parents. And although they were swollen with excitement, Mateo kept the denial that they would tire of him, and he would return to the uncertainty where doubts used to ended up breaking his bones. So he was surprised when he began to feel loved again. It was such a distant feeling  ​he had forgotten how pleasurable it was. A whole year passed, then another ... and finally he embraced the feeling of permanence. I was no longer a stranger to family happiness, to the warmth of a home, to life. Now the world looked different. The shattering of all these feelings occurred the afternoon his mother gave him unexpected news.

"We're having a baby."

She announced, touching her belly. A shiver ran through his skin, tightening it, causing him to break out in a suffocating sweat. He wanted to reject the idea of ​​going back to the orphanage. He pounced on the woman, squeezing hard as golden squirts tickled his nose. The scent she gave off, so sweet and pleasant, the gentleness and patience with which she always treated him.... She had become his mother, a baby couldn't change him. She hugged him too, and slid her thumb through Mateo's tears.

The decision was already made.

...

Two years have passed and she is supporting herself. His white skin and golden hair inherited from his parents make her stand out anywhere. But without a doubt, her big emerald eyes are the ones that fill everyone's chest the most; those eyes that look obsessively at the most important person for the little girl. He is the one who carries her all the time and was the privileged one to get the first word; the one she uses the most. In fact, it has become her favorite word. With immense love her repeats: Brother