Family is Forever

Chapter 85-Poland

"Welcome to this Ryanair flight from Holby to Krakow, the local time in Krakow is 12.25 and we should land at 2.45. We hope you have a pleasant flight."
"You ok Natalia?"Zosia asked her cousin. She nodded and bit her lip. "That's a no then." Zosia said and squeezed her cousins shoulder. Ali was penned in by the window next to Zosia with Ollie in the aisle seat and Klaudia and Josef sat the row across from them. "I haven't been on an aeroplane since I came to England! It was a long time ago." Ali looked at her cousin. "They're making me anxious with the whole 'the life jacket is under your seat' thing." Ali said. "Statistically, an aeroplane journey is far safer than a car." Zosia smiled.
They arrived in Poland and Klaudia, Josef, Zosia and Ali looked so relaxed. Ollie not so much, all of the signs just looked like a jumble of letters to him. They collected their suitcases then came through the door. "Klauida." A woman who was about 40 shouted "Ola!" Klaudia smiled and went to hug her sister. "Ciocia Ola." Zosia smiled and hugged her too "and our not so little anymore Natalia." Ola smiled in Polish and hugged Ali too. She introduced herself to Josef in Polish and Ollie in pretty good English. "My husband Piotr has brought our car and I am driving my parents car so  we can transport you all to our village. It was about a 25 miles to Liplas- the village that Babcia and Dziadek live. Josef's family however was from the north, near Gdańsk. Ali and her mother and Józef travelled with Ola, while Zosia and Ollie traveled with Piotr, who, it turned out spoke almost perfect English since he worked in the city for an international company. "Have you been to Poland before?" Piotr asked Ollie. "No, I haven't."
"It's a very beautiful country...mostly" Piotr replied. "I'm planning to take him to Krakow one day, and maybe to Wieliczka, the salt mines." Zosia told Piotr
"Marta is looking forward to seeing you both today, and Maciej seeing you Zosia and meeting Ollie." 
Piotr drove into a village and Zosia's face lit up. There were lots of good sized houses set back from the main road. Piotr pulled in to a driveway behind Ola. By the time Zosia got our of the car, Marta was letting Ali into the house. "You go and say hello." Piotr said to Zosia and Ollie "I'll get your stuff."
Ali had hugged her Babcia and dziadziek.  "Cześć" Ali said shyly to her cousin Wiktor and they hugged awkwardly. "I forgot you wouldn't be the nine year old who beat me in snowball fights and stole my toys." She smiled.  "I know," Wiktor replied "you don't have plaits for me to pull anymore."
"You were always picking on me," Ali replied her shyness fading.
"you always gave as good as you got!" Dziedak said laughing "you were a feisty little thing Natalia."
Wiktor a year Ali's senior and Ali herself  grew up together, they were very close as cousins but fought like cats and dogs, but if anyone at school said or did anything towards Ali, Wiktor would always look out for her. Lukasz came along, 3 and a half years younger than Ali, and Kasia, Ola And Piotr's youngest child and only daughter was born after Ali had left the country.
Ali, Zosia and Klaudia- Ali's mother had only met her once at Ania's funeral.
Ali hugged Lukasz and then looked at Kasia "you probably have no idea who I am do you?" Ali asked the little girl. "I do," she said "you're my big cousin Natalia, Babcia has lots of pictures of you and tells me about you. You're my Ciocia Klaudia and you." She said looking at Zosia "you're my cousin Zosia and you are a doctor. I don't know who you are." Kasia said looking at Josef. "Or you." She looked at Ollie.
"That's Ollie, my boyfriend. He doesn't speak Polish, only English." Zosia said. He looked very confused at all the Polish being spoken. "My name Kasia." The young girl said in disjointed English, "I have 7 year old, I live in Poland, my birthday is tree of October, I very like drawing and dancing." She repeated all the English she knew. "You speak English so well" Ali said in Polish picking the little girl up into a hug and planting a kiss on her cheek. Wiktor at 17 spoke almost word perfect English and Lukasz age 13 was getting there. So Wiktor was chatting to Ollie "My father told us we must learn a language I chose English, I hoped to move there one day but that may no longer be possible because Brexit." Wiktor was saying.
Zosia, Ollie and Ali were staying at Babcia and dziedak's home whereas Klaudia and Josef we're staying at Ola and Piotr's.
"I can show you your room?" Kasia told Ali and led her upstairs. Ali gasped when she saw the room, it looked exactly the same as it did when she left it as a child. "I used to live in the room." She told Kasia. She walked over the the bed and sat on it, there were lots of soft toys on it and she picked up each one, remembering the names she had given them. A black and white dog. "Pawel pies" a small orange cat "Kamila kot" a very fluffy sheep "Oliwia owca" a well loved brown bear with matted fur "Maryisa Miś, this one was my favourite." She smiled
"Why didn't you take them all with you to England?" Kasia asked
"My mama told me I wasn't allowed to take any  because we could only take a suitcase and there wasn't room and she'd buy me some toys in England, we did but I missed these teddies."
"I play with them sometimes, Babcia said she didn't think you'd mind."
"Of course I don't mind." Ali told the little girl, "I'm glad that they have someone looking after them." Seeing her own room was nostalgic but it made her happy. "Can we play now? With your toys?" Kasia asked
"Of course." Ali replied and picked up Marysia the bear, a huge smile on her face.