A Touch of Light Read online

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  499 O’Brien Road, Renfrew, Ontario, Canada K7V 3Z3

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  ISBN 978-1-771238-66-3

  Copyright © Cilika Kunovic, 2013

  No part of this book may be reproduced, stored in a retrieval system,

  or transmitted in any form or by any means without

  the prior written permission of the publisher or,

  in case of photocopying or other reprographic copying, a licence

  from Access Copyright (Canadian Copyright Licensing Agency),

  1 Yonge Street, Suite 1900, Toronto, Ontario, M5E 1E5.

  Cover art, design, formatting: Magdalene Carson

  Published in Canada.

  Cataloguing data available from Library and Archives Canada.

  Contents

  Title Page

  Copyright

  Dedication

  Acknowledgments

  The Families

  CHAPTER ONE / The Kramers

  CHAPTER TWO / The Carpenter and His Son

  CHAPTER THREE / Mira and Mat

  CHAPTER FOUR / Joe and Katherine

  CHAPTER FIVE / Ivan

  CHAPTER SIX / Lucille

  CHAPTER SEVEN / The Absent Son

  CHAPTER EIGHT / Mat and Mira Wed

  CHAPTER NINE / The Zantons

  CHAPTER TEN / Monika

  CHAPTER ELEVEN / Lucille and Mark

  CHAPTER TWELVE / Helena

  CHAPTER THIRTEEN / “The House”

  CHAPTER FOURTEEN / The Mill

  CHAPTER FIFTEEN / The Proposal

  CHAPTER SIXTEEN / The Wedding

  CHAPTER SEVENTEEN / Lucille Fits In

  CHAPTER EIGHTEEN / Parenthood

  CHAPTER NINETEEN / Mark Jr.

  CHAPTER TWENTY / “Talk of War”

  CHAPTER TWENTY-ONE / Leni

  CHAPTER TWENTY-TWO / Worse Things to Come

  CHAPTER TWENTY-THREE / Grandpa Zanton Says Goodbye

  CHAPTER TWENTY-FOUR / The Little Miracle

  CHAPTER TWENTY-FIVE / A Tragedy

  CHAPTER TWENTY-SIX / The War Takes Its Toll

  CHAPTER TWENTY-SEVEN / The Partisans

  CHAPTER TWENTY-EIGHT / The Gambler

  CHAPTER TWENTY-NINE / A Facelift

  CHAPTER THIRTY / Marie and Janko

  CHAPTER THIRTY-ONE / Mark Says Goodbye

  CHAPTER THIRTY-TWO / Uncle Drago Says Goodbye

  CHAPTER THIRTY-THREE / The Empty Nest

  CHAPTER THIRTY-FOUR / The Light Is Extinguished

  About the Author

  For my children and my grandchildren:

  You inspire me to rise above sorrow and

  to feel that my life has not been a waste.

  I love you guys.

  Acknowledgments

  My sincere thanks go to:

  Alison Roesler, publicist, who first introduced my work to GSPH.

  My family, for believing in me.

  Eric and Elizabeth Pond for their help.

  My special thanks go to Jane Karchmar, senior editor, for editing this novel with her sharp professionalism. I have learned a great deal from her about pride and dedication, for which I will always be grateful.

  But most of all, my thanks go to Tim Gordon, publisher, GSPH, for his willingness to publish my book.

  The Families

  THE KRAMERS: JOSIP (JOE) AND ANNA

  They had four children:

  JOE Jr., who married Katherine Spencer

  They had four children: Ksenia, Rudolf (Rudi), Martin, and Joe 3rd

  MIRA, who married Mat Brune

  They had three children: Mike, Tamara, and Nada

  IVAN, who had a daughter, Ivana; and he later married May Dosan

  LUCILLE, who married MARK ZANTON

  They had five children (see below)

  THE ZANTONS: MARTIN AND VERONIKA

  They had five children:

  MARTIN Jr., who died in action during World War I

  MONIKA, who married Boris Poblar

  They had three children: Toni, Andy, and Katya

  HELENA, who suffered a major stroke and never married

  MAGDA, who married Eric Kelsen

  They had two children: Karl and Nesta

  MARK, who married LUCILLE KRAMER

  They had five children: Vera, Mark Jr., Marie, Leni, and Silvia.

  Vera married Darko Presnik; Marie married Rudi Lenard; and Leni and Silvia married much later.

  CHAPTER ONE

  The Kramers

  IN SLOVENIA, THE MONTH OF MAY is the most favourable time of the year. Many different types of flowers have triumphantly produced full blossoms by then and they show the way for others to come forward and flourish in the spring. This month is one of hope and prosperity. When the winter lingers on for quite some time, things get messy, so the April showers always clean up and wash away the mess and provide for a new beginning.

  Lipa is a small community of about thirty houses, with a highway running more or less right through the middle of it — the Kramers’ house being one of the houses right by the highway. The house was small but quite charming — not large enough for a family of six, but when the children were small, the size of the house did not matter, and it all worked out. On the main floor were the kitchen, a pantry, two bedrooms, and the parlour, where they would entertain guests as well as spend evenings together. There was another bedroom or loft on the second floor. A large veranda at the back was where Anna Kramer sat and enjoyed the sun.

  The Kramers’ dog, Pepper, never grew very big and was a mixture of some sort unknown to his family. His fur was mostly black, with some white contrast on one of his paws and on his neck. He tried to warn people in the passing vehicles not to get too close to the property — small as he was, it did not stop him from trying to sound mean and mighty — and he was quite comical.

  “Now, don’t you get overly excited and get too close to those cars! One of these days, you will get yourself killed by running right into the path of one of those vehicles,” Anna would warn him. But he kept on running and barking as before, without paying much attention to what his mistress was saying.

  Molly, the cat, was smarter. She had a long, bushy tail and was beige, white, and light brown. To look at her, one would think she was good-natured, but her personality did not match her colouring. If provoked, she would take on a dog of any size. However, she chose to spend her valuable time chasing the neighbour’s cat and often some field mice. When Pepper first joined the Kramer family, being very small, Molly sort of tolerated him as a bit of a nuisance. Pepper, in turn, sought her company and cuddled right up to her and slept beside her.

  “Molly, you should be ashamed of yourself for giving Pepper such a hard time. He is a very kind little animal, which is more than you can say for yourself,” Anna would reprimand the cat. Pepper never gave Molly any trouble. Whenever he misbehaved or got too rowdy, she promptly smacked him a few times. That would usually stop him — if only just for a while. The only reason she tolerated Pepper was because he was smaller than any other dog she knew. When reprimanded, Pepper would roll like a ball and misunderstand the whole thing as playtime. Molly found herself totally bewildered. Eventually, she realized that there was no getting rid of this silly dog so she decided to simply ignore or tolerate the poor thing. Later on, Molly became quite a mentor to him — but Anna loved them both.

  Anna was quite attractive in her you
nger years. She’d had several opportunities to pick herself a husband, but she chose Josip, whom everyone called Joe. She had known him all her life and she trusted him as well as being in love with him. He was very handsome and he knew it. He could have picked most any girl, had it not been for his arrogance and his selfish personality. He was a good, hard worker but at the same time a “know-it-all.” As for Anna, she’d had a crush on him ever since she was a little girl. She was certain that she could change him once she married him. That part was later proven to be false — much to her disappointment. She still married him and never regretted doing so.

  Once they were married, she soon discovered that she was expecting their first child. She waited for a suitable time to tell him. “Joe, how would you feel if I was to tell you that we are expecting our first child?” she gently broached the subject — knowing quite well what his response would be.

  “What do you mean? We can’t afford to have children this early in our marriage!” But as soon as he spoke, he felt bad. He loved his wife and knew that it wasn’t something she did to spite him. This was to be the fruit of their love, and he should be happy. He should be counting his blessings instead! “Everything will be all right. I will work hard and provide for us.”

  Sure enough, he plunged himself into work, and soon after that, Anna found herself feeling very lonely. She could not talk to Joe about anything regarding the baby, as he was too preoccupied with his work and business problems. In these years before the start of the First World War, there was not much preoccupation with world events. It was a time of peace, and the village went about its business.

  During Anna’s pregnancy, she started having problems with her hip, which was determined to be a sciatic pinch and would not go away. Joe was worried, but not enough to pay more attention to his wife and less to his work. “You have to go to see the doctor again and explain to him that you can’t walk properly — you can’t even bring me lunch to the shop. I can’t help you carry the baby, so he had better do something about this so-called ‘pinch.’ ”

  “But, Joe, you simply need to be more supportive and not give me such a hard time for not being as flexible as I was before the pregnancy. I don’t think I am asking too much.”

  Needless to say, when the baby was born, and it happened to be a boy, he had his destiny written out for him immediately. Joe was ecstatic — and the fact that they later had three more children did not matter — he now became “Joe Sr.” and they named the baby Joe Jr.

  Anna was now busy looking after the baby and had no time to be lonely. With a demanding husband and a newborn child, there was much to do and to be happy about. Her hip had eased up after the pregnancy. Joe and Anna were happy and doted on their firstborn. He was a healthy baby and a happy one. He inspired love and hope in Anna, as well as pride in Joe, who had great hopes for the future — his dreams and ambitions increased, all with the boy in mind.

  “You will see, Anna, what little Joe and I will create for our future. The boy will be a great carpenter.”

  “But Joe, you mustn’t overdo things so quickly. Let’s just hope that he will be a healthy baby and later a healthy boy. Surely you realize that things do not work quite that way and that you must give the boy a chance to be a child first . . .” Anna was beside herself over her husband’s sudden overreaction — there seemed to be no room for compromise. She felt that she should hold the baby a lot in order to prevent bad things from happening to him. Of course, not having been given the gift of prophecy, she would later realize this was a forlorn hope.

  She also noticed that whenever she felt tense, her hip acted up. It was likely the stress that promoted her nervous system to react. She tried to relax and concentrate on the baby.

  In the evenings, after supper, Joe spent some time with the baby, while Anna washed the dishes. She observed the two of them with love. Joe had few skills as to what to do with a baby but that did not stop him from loving the boy. He would tell him all about his day at the shop, and in this way, Anna was able to learn at least something about her husband’s life.

  Joe Sr. seemed to become a different person just by looking into the baby’s eyes. How precious they are at that age.

  “You are a different person when you look at the baby — you should try to spend a little more time with him. They don’t stay this little for very long, you know. He just might change you.” A wish expressed, but perhaps not fulfilled.

  In the meantime, Anna knew that she was likely expecting again. Every indication suggested it. Not that she was disappointed; however, knowing that she would have no help with the children frightened her to a degree. What if her hip started acting up again? What would Joe think of having another one so soon? But then, he should know better. Somehow, they would manage.

  When the second child was born, it was a girl, and they named her Mira. She was a tiny bundle of joy right from the start. Now they had a perfect family. Life was good, and the children were doing well. Anna had much less trouble with her hip this time during her pregnancy. She felt quite well. As much as Joe Jr. resembled his father in looks, mannerisms, and temper, Mira, on the other hand, resembled both parents in looks but had her mother’s nature. The gentle and always peaceful touch that she brought into the family helped them all.

  “Luckily she has your nature,” Joe would say. “You know how to smooth things out, and the little one is just like you.”

  Anna was surprised and happy to hear him say things like that. It was true. Later, when Mira was a bit older, she tried to smooth things out just like her mother. The fact that her big brother was spoiled never bothered Mira — she simply took it in stride. She followed him around, much to his annoyance, and he let her know it in more ways than one. “Must you always follow me?” But she could not keep up with him anyway and thought, so much for that.

  Anna was finding her husband somewhat detached, but with a toddler around, she was pleased that Mira was ever so placid and less demanding. Anna was happy. After all, she had her husband and her children. This is what she had been dreaming about for a long time.

  Mira knew that her brother had very little time for her. Sometimes she would tell her mother: “Joe is always being mean to me, but I understand him. He is just being a boy.”

  “Whatever do you mean? Joe loves you! You are his sister. That does not mean that he doesn’t love you. You’re right — he is just being a boy.”

  That usually satisfied Mira. She mainly wanted to help her mother in the kitchen, even when she was too little to help. But she could fetch things for Mother so that she would not have to painfully move around more than was necessary. That pleased her father, who loved her very much but had very little time for her. After all, she was a girl. Girls tend to be fragile and sensitive to a man’s approach. He never quite knew how to talk to her but he soon found out how to yell at young Joe. Poor Joe had to be perfect in his father’s eyes or he was in trouble.

  Ivan was the second boy to be born to Joe and Anna Kramer. In his father’s mind, his future replacement was already in place, so there was no mention of Ivan ever joining the family business. Ivan had the looks and, for the most part, the personality of his mother. She worried about him. He was a delightful little boy who had a good appetite. A very good baby, undemanding, and as soon as he was able to sing, he became a natural entertainer. He was everybody’s friend. He always found something to do, such as chasing the chickens, cats, dogs, or other children. By the house there was a little creek, and Ivan loved to play there with the little pebbles and little fish. This was as good as a babysitter. Mira often joined him, and he was happy at first but soon he would be so involved in his own world that she would leave him and return to the kitchen to the company of her mother. Mira often found her lying down due to the pain in her hip and her leg. It seemed that with every pregnancy that hip would get worse.

  “Mama, are you all right? Why don’t you tell me if you need anything? I
want to help you.”

  “My dear Mira, you can’t possibly carry the whole world on your shoulders. You are much too young to worry about everybody. Get your father in to help me get up from this position before I lose my mind. And while you’re at it, get some fruit from the pantry for you and Ivan to eat.”

  Ivan was born smaller than his older brother; however, he was more independent and self-sufficient, even as a baby. He played well by himself and pretended to have friends around him to play with. He loved his big brother and tried to copy him, but unsuccessfully. Joe Jr. liked Ivan as long as he did not get in his way; but Joe Jr. had more patience with Mira. She and Ivan both wanted to please their big brother. He was at school most of the day and when he came home, they all welcomed him. Anna, especially, enjoyed those moments.

  “How was school?” their mother never failed to ask.

  “I don’t want to talk about it.” Joe never talked much about anything, unlike Ivan and Mira. He always seemed preoccupied with one thing or another. He seemed stressed most of the time. Their father put too much pressure on him from day to day.

  “Where is Dad? Is he in the shop?” And before anyone could answer, he reluctantly went out to join his father. If only for once he could come home and not have to join him. Joe wanted to have some time to himself. The boy needed friendship. He needed young people around him.

  When their fourth child came along, after what seemed to Anna an endless pregnancy, they now had two boys and two girls. They named the new baby Lucille. She received plenty of attention at first. After all, there were three siblings to greet her as well as her parents. She had completed the count.

  “There is no way that I am going through this again.” Anna was adamant. “Just remember that!”

  “You always wanted children and now that you have them, you are complaining. There is no pleasing you, Anna. You know very well that I have to work hard in order to provide for all of us and therefore I don’t have time to spend looking after the children.” Joe knew that Anna needed help, but in order to get help, he would have to work even harder.