Chapter 9.
"What! How! What happened?" I cried steering her to the settee and sitting with her on my lap, cuddling her.
"There... there was an accident... he went hunting with a friend and he was shot... he is dead" she replied in short sentences, "I can go home..."
That hit me like a sledgehammer, 'She could go home and she would be safe with her mother and sisters. But what about me, would she come back, would she want to' I thought in almost a state of shock as she was.
She started to cry and I held her tightly, wiping her tears and kissing her cheek. We sat like that for some time until she stopped and took a slow deep breath and let it out equally as slowly, then she turned to me and smiled.
"I can go home now... I can see my Mum and Amelia and Katarina and my friends too, I miss them all so much!" she exclaimed happily.
"Will you come back?" I asked quietly, dreading the answer, now that she would be safe there with her family.
She turned and looked at me, her smile fading fast and then realised what I had asked and her mouth dropped again and she had that shocked look again.
"Ohh..." was all she said and I guessed the worst and tears started to run down my cheeks as I looked sadly at her.
"Jamie I..." she hesitated, sorting the words out, "I go, I come back, dummy. I love you!"
I stared, she smiled and then I did too, we kissed passionately and with massive relief for different reasons and it seemed to be the sweetest kiss ever. When we finally separated to catch out breaths, we grinned at each other like idiots then she spoke.
"When I say 'I go home', it to see Mum, Amelia and Katarina, help with funeral, make sure the bastard goes in the ground!" she finished viciously.
"Would you like me to come with you, I would like to meet your family and maybe I could help?" I offered.
"Yes, I like that but it be in a few weeks when the weather warmer, it minus thirty degrees at night and minus five in day at home now, cannot dig grave until ground gets warmer" Ania explained, "I get deposit for room, then I can afford ticket to fly home."
"We will have to explain to the college that we will need some time away from our courses, maybe we could keep up to date on the college website, so we would have less to catch up on when we get back?"
"But I not have computer!"
"When is your birthday?"
"April fifteenth, why?"
"Because you will have an early birthday present from me and my parents of a nice new laptop for all your coursework and be able to go online to access the college website, okay?"
"Ohh thank you Jamie and I must thank your parents too."
"I'll have to ask them first." I replied and laughed.
I called and Mum answered.
"Hello James, what can I do for you?"
I explained about the funeral and my suggestion for us to buy Ania a laptop for her college work while we were in Poland.
"What a good idea, I'm sure you father will be happy to help, he is quite struck by her."
"Thanks Mum, I'll buy it and let you know the cost and you can transfer your share into my bank account, the funeral won't be until mid-March when the ground thaws enough to dig graves."
"How is she taking it?"
"Shocked at first and then very happy, she can go home and see her mum and sisters at last and I will get to meet her family."
"Do give her our love Jamie, bye."
I put the phone down and turned to her and explained,
"Mum and Dad are happy to contribute towards your birthday present and send you their love, honey."
"When will we see them again?"
"Maybe Easter, it will depend on when the Easter break is compared with the funeral, otherwise it will be during the summer break" I replied.
"Can we go to bed Jamie I need cuddle?"
"Of course we can." And I picked her up and carried her to the bedroom.
We were soon naked and in each other's arms. We kissed and cuddled for some time then she fell asleep and I didn't mind in the slightest. She'd had a shock which turned out to be a good thing, her evil bastard of a father was dead and would never abuse any of her family again.
She could call them at any time to talk and we would be visiting them in a couple of months and still get to spend a week with my parents too. Ania woke after an hour and apologised for falling asleep and I laughed and kissed her nose which always made her laugh.