Readers, this is an epilogue of the story of the same name - Pole Dance.
To soak in the characters, I recommend you read the first two parts of the story.
I do hope you liked the first two parts.
I hope you enjoy this one.
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część 03 - epilog
The one critical conversation I needed to have with Antoni as soon as we stepped into the house was, 'where do we go from here?'
"Antoni, what happened in Zakopane......." I started. We were sitting in our main living room with cups of coffee in our hands.
"Mama, I know. It will never get mentioned in this house, or for that matter, anywhere else. Be assured of that. I promise." It was his way of reassuring me that it won't get talked about, but I needed some more commitment.
"Antoni, you know I love you more than anything in the world. But you also know what happened in Zakopane will never EVER get repeated as well. It was a one-off, and we both got carried away, or I must say I got carried away in the mood with everyone. But..." I was demanding another assurance.
Antoni came to me. I was sitting on the sofa. He sat in front of me on the floor, he rested his head on my knees and wrapped his hands around my calves. My hand spontaneously came to his head, and I caressed him.
"Mama, please don't worry. I won't mention it, and I won't expect anything." There was no embarrassment or shame in his voice. If anything, he felt proud.
He added, "Mama, I am grateful for what you did for me by coming along."
I smiled and patted his cheek. From where he sat, he had to look up towards me and he saw me nodding.
He rested his head again on my knees, and we stayed in that position for some time before Antoni added, "Mama, I hope you enjoyed the holiday," looking up towards me again.
"yes, I did." I nodded and smiled back.
He rested his head again on my knees. I added, "Your friends are very nice," almost as an afterthought.
He cheered up and looked back at my face to check if I was serious. I was. His smile broadened.
Life went back to normal. Surprisingly enough, I did not feel any guilt of any kind. My life with Jakub and Antoni was as if Zakopane had never happened. But it had.
Antoni returned to his cheery self. He never misbehaved with me, sexually. He often hugged me, kissed my cheek, and sometimes my neck - if he was kissing me from behind for a greeting or a goodbye. But no lingering kisses, no groping. I began to appreciate his closeness and his self-control.
Then a few months later, in the summer one afternoon, I was alone at home and answered the doorbell.
Standing in front of me was Maja, and two steps behind her stood Zuzanna. Both of them cheerfully shouted, "SURPRISE."
Maja opened her arms for me as she spoke. She expected I would welcome her with a hug. I must have turned white in shock because I didn't respond.
Then before Maja's arms fell back down, I recovered and opened mine to welcome her in my arms, "Woooow, Maja."
After the awkward hug ended, Zuzanna stepped up and hugged me. I had collected myself by then and gave her a proper hug.
Obviously, they had to come in. I made way and looked beyond them into the street and found no one else.
We moved into the main living room, and they sat together on the sofa. I took the one opposite them.
I offered to bring something to drink, "What should I get you? Something to drink?"
They denied it, politely, "No. thank you." said Maja. Zuzanna shook her head.
Looking at them all cheery and joyful, I remembered what a wonderful time I had with them and how nice all the kids were.
"Guess what, Julia?" Maja asked.
Before I could answer, Zuzanna shouted, "Maja is getting MARRRRRIIIEEDD!" she pulled her hands up and exclaimed.
"Oh my god, Congratulations!" I, too, got excited and got up. Maja jumped up, and we hugged. She hopped like a kid who had received a new toy as a gift.
We screeched, "YYEEEEEEEYYYY,"
"Filip?" I asked, just to be cautious.
"duhhh, Juliaaaaa," she responded as if I had asked a dumb question. It was indeed Filip. They were so meant to be together, everyone knew it.
The Maja showed me the ring. I took her hand in mine and brought it close, and exclaimed, "BEAUTIFUL." I appreciated the lovely pink diamond Tiffany ring.
She then spontaneously hugged me again, "Thank you," she said.
We shouted, "EEEEEEEE," again as if not really knowing how else to respond in excitement.
Zuzanna, too, hugged me and then Maja while jumping in dance, excited for her friend. Then she bowed and introduced herself, "let me tell you who the
maid of honor
is."
We all laughed at her joke.
After the excitement settled down, Maja animatedly announced, "Needless to say, you and Zoifa are the bridesmaids."
I opened my mouth in surprise, not really knowing how to respond.
Zuz announced, "I have organized her bachelorette. And you, Julia, have to make yourself available from the eleventh to the fourteenth of June. We'll be going for three days and return on the fourteenth."
I was absorbing a lot of information now.
Without waiting for my response, Maja added, "the wedding is planned for the nineteenth of June at St. Mary's Basilica, followed by a reception at the Bonerowski Palace."
"Congratulations," I forgot I had congratulated her many times already. But the joy I felt for her made me keep saying it again and again.
Maja sat with my hands in hers, telling me the details.
She spent a good part of the hour filling me in the details. I was caught up on everything there was to know of her wedding.
We kept hugging, bouncing, and shouting as if the engagement had just happened that morning. Maja's and Zuz's joy and laughs were so infectious that I could not hold myself back either.
More details followed. Her trousseau, the Oczepiny, and the Poprawiny.
"The Poprawiny has been planned at the same hotel the next day. We've booked sufficient rooms for everyone, and everyone has to stay there."
Even though the news of her marriage, and their exuberance, had overwhelmed me, the elephant in the room for me kept dancing about. We flowed along, but it was time to address that.
Finding one right amount of pause in our conversation, I entered my question, "did Antoni tell you where I live?"
They both flushed up and fidgeted for a bit. But one of the two had to reply.
"where else would you be staying, if not here," said Zuz, as if it was a pointless question.
I had no reply, but before I could find myself in another hole, Maja, who was sitting next to me, said, "we know Antoni stays with his
mother
and father." On the word 'mother', her hand cupped my cheek.
For a brief while, the earth below my feet sank. The room around me went blurry. I must have fainted or was going to when Maja moved forward and wrapped me in her arms, recognizing the need for me to absorb the news without looking them in the eye.
With her face next to my ears, she spoke in a low voice, "Julia, it changes nothing. We love you for who you are, the most lovable person in the world."
I shut my eyes, My arms not finding the strength to hold Maja from her shoulders. Tears rolled from my eyes, I wasn't sobbing but my eyes let loose a torrent of tears, and onto Maja's shoulder. If she felt anything, she didn't say. Recognizing my need to compose myself, she just held me close, and let me weep; she only let me loose when I pulled back a little.
Maja then looked at my face and cleaned my face with her hand and then bent forward to kiss my cheek.
"I....I....." I started to speak. Maja cut me off with, "shhh," and brought a finger to my lips.
"i..." I started again to say something, but Maja just did not let me. She pulled a hand on my lips, ensuring I got her message clearly.
She, or they, needed no explanation.
If I felt relieved, it wasn't then.