As a child, the only thing Viktoriya wanted was to leave the place where she was born, always believing there were bigger places she was meant to be. But now she found herself back in her childhood home. For the first time, it felt like where she was supposed to be. Her sisters had all moved out, on to their own lives, and many of her brothers had moved on too. Only two of her brothers remained on the farm, and both had built their own homes on the Sima property. They had wives now, and one of her brothers had children. That meant the main farmhouse was mostly quiet. Mostly. When Valentina’s guest wasn’t being obnoxiously loud. Just the same, Viktoriya was grateful to be home.
She had worried for the entire length of the day-long train ride. What would her parents think? It wouldn’t be easy to hide her growing tummy. Sure, she had a ring on her finger, but the baby had been in her belly longer than she’d even been engaged. Babies had never been part of her plan, and her parents knew that. How would she explain?
The truth was, it was a lot easier than she worried over. Her mother greeted her with a big hug and a kiss to her cheek. She was rushed into the kitchen, and quickly served a cup of tea.
“Oh, Annushka! It’s so good to have you home again!” Her mother gushed.
“Mama, I told you. My name is Viktoriya now. But thank you for letting me stay here for a while.” Viktoriya sipped her tea.
“Of course, Viktoriya. You know you are always welcome here. This will always be your home.” It felt like they were ignoring the elephant in the room. And Viktoriya was the elephant. There was silence as the two women sipped their tea. Viktoriya hadn’t been home since she left for college. She was still Ania then. Her hair was always pulled back, kept out of her way. She dressed in ill-fitting homemade clothes, handed down from her sisters. But her mother was still the same.
Her black hair was greying now, but she was still the same. Her hair was tied up, and hidden under a kerchief, her plain dress protected by an apron. There were lines on her face now, but what else would you expect from a woman that carried and raised so many children.
“Mama…” Viktoriya began, toying with the ring on her finger. “I know you can probably tell, but… I’m pregnant.”
“I wasn’t going to mention it until you were ready, my darling.” Her mother reached over and held her hand. “How far along are you?”
“Going on seven months.” Viktoriya sighed. Saying it aloud only reminded her of how long it had been since she’d seen Eli. “And all of it alone. At least, for as long as I’ve known I was expecting.”
“Was this an accident?” Her mother asked, but she wasn’t judgmental.
“No… Well, yes. The father, my fiancé… well, my husband, we didn’t plan to have a baby. We didn’t really plan anything. By my counting back, we weren’t even engaged yet. But by the time I found out, he was taken away from me.” Viktoriya hung her head. Her mother was at her side at once. She put her arms around her daughter.
“Come with me, Viktoriya.” Her mother said in a mothering way. Viktoriya was led down the hall to the bathroom. Soon the water was running, the windows were open, the room was filled with steam and the soft scent of lavender. “This will help. And you can tell me all about your husband.”
Viktoriya felt like a child again, stripping off her clothes for her bath. Though she was decidedly not a child anymore. She the very definition of a woman, with her rounded belly. The warm water was nice. And it felt good to stretch out in the tub, to relax. Viktoriya closed her eyes as her mother poured some of the warm water over her head.
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Looking For The Light (Book 2)
ParanormalElijah's life has been thrown for a loop. His girlfriend left him, he's leaving his home behind, and setting off into the unknown. Doubting his mission and himself, the young telepath struggles with many of the great questions of life.
