Laszlo decided to call Anikó and Mary to find out why they wanted to talk to him so badly. Mary picked up the phone, and he asked for Anikó. Mary gave the phone to Anikó, and they spoke for about an hour. She profusely apologized; her mother had misunderstood the whole thing, and both were very sorry for hurting his feelings. She had tried to call, but his phone line was disconnected. Then they drove up to Toronto, but he no longer lived at the apartment on Duplex Avenue. When Mary told her she could not see him anymore, she broke down and told her mother she refused to continue her education, even if Mary killed her, she loved him and only him. Could he overlook what had happened?
If she could admit that they were wrong, if Laszlo truly loved her, would he forgive both of them? Anikó was sobbing, real or not, she knew that Laszlo would forgive her.
Anikó was correct. He agreed to go down to Niagara Falls on Saturday for a candid talk, and he would bring his mother along because she had a few things to say to Anikó and Mary.
On Saturday, just after lunch, Laszlo and Rose arrived. Anikó ran out to greet them both when she saw the Olds pull to the curb in front of the house. Anikó also noticed the damage on the right side and wondered, with a concerned look, if Laszlo had been in an accident. She behaved as if there was no animosity between them. Laszlo gave her a hug but not a kiss. He informed her that he was not in a car accident, just a parking mishap. Everyone went inside and sat by the dining room table where Mary was sitting. Anikó stood up, stepped toward Laszlo, hugged him, and verbally greeted Rose warmly. The silence was deafening for about two minutes. Everyone just sat quietly and looked at each other. Since it was up to Laszlo what he would do, he finally directed his dialogue toward Mary and looked straight into her eyes. He was not questioning her. Laszlo just stated the obvious to Mary, his displeasure in Hungarian for all to understand.
"If you love your daughter, you want the best for her. You support her in her choices, especially when she is just about to reach legal age, and especially if it brought happiness to her, and it is not something that she or you should be ashamed of. You do not deliberately break her heart or the hearts of others who care for, respect, and love her. I have not done anything to her that would jeopardize her safety or well-being, and I never would. All I did was fall in love with Anikó and try to make her happy within my limited means. I do not have any ulterior motives. I do not care about your social status or how much or little money you may have. You know that I do not have any hidden financial resources, and I may have a rich family heritage, but that is just my heritage. I work for a living, and sometimes times can be tough. I know I am far from perfect, and I can accept that neither are you perfect. I am not looking for perfection, but I expect honesty, open communication, and mutual understanding from here. Yes, I do love Anikó. That is why I am here. If any of you have an issue with that, tell me now. Otherwise, accept that fact and let our relationship grow and develop at our own pace."
Mary took it all in without any interruption. Anikó was looking at her mother. It was hard to tell what was going on. Mary sat silently for a minute, looked at Anikó, then at Laszlo, and began speaking "You are quite right. Maybe I jumped to the wrong conclusion. If you love my daughter, I leave it up to her. I do want what is best for her. If she wants to marry you once she has finished her schooling, that will be up to her. I will not stand in your way, my son." The last two words sent shivers down Laszlo's spine and made the hair stand on the nape of his neck! Yuk! He thought to himself "I am not your son, even if I marry Anikó, and I become your son-in-law, do not ever call me that!" Anikó looked at Laszlo and smiled, eyes sparkling, reached toward him with her hands across the table, wanting to touch Laszlo's hands, and spoke in Hungarian:
YOU ARE READING
Aniko: Shattered dreams of love
RomanceThis saga took place in the late 1970s to early 1980s. Anikó had called Laszlo her Rock of Gibraltar. Strong, steady, and dependable. Anikó always felt re-energized by being with Laszlo. She loved him in despite the devious ways Mary controlled her...
