detail from: KRK Art dizajn

A CHILD OF FIRST LOVE

NOVEL IN INSTALLMENTS-5

After some years

Several years passed, both Boris and Dunya graduated from university, he became an engineer, and she became a gynecology and obstetrics nurse. Boris got a job in the company that sponsored him, and Dunya returned to her region and got a job in the health center from which she came to study. Both liked the jobs they worked on. Boris was good at drawing, so he started designing industrial facilities, and Dunya enjoyed working with newborn babies the most. She felt that she was contributing to the establishment of new lives. She was hardworking, it was no problem for her to work night shifts, and as a rule, most babies were born at night.

Immediately before the defense of his thesis, Boris stayed in Poland, as part of an international student exchange. He liked the Poles as a people, and especially the Polish girls, who loved the Yugoslavs. He had the opportunity to travel a good part of Poland and learn a lot about their country. In Warsaw, he experienced the meeting of two twin brothers, one of whom was raised as a Pole and the other as a German, they were separated by the war, so that neither of them knew the other's language. They looked at each other, but they didn't know what to say to each other, they communicated through a translator, and they looked at each other "like an egg to an egg". Everyone in the group cried when they watched them silently hug each other.

Boris's projects in the field of design soon took him on world trips. Not much time passed, he traveled to England for postgraduate studies. He spent one school year, nine months there, learned the English language quite well and visited several important places: Oxford, Cambridge, Blenheim and others, and spent a lot of time visiting galleries and museums. In Blenheim, he visited the castle where Churchill was born. He got to know a lot of the world from the domain of scientific and research work, some of which will later help him to go to Canada for further training.

After completing her studies, Dunya decided that it was best to return home, although she had the opportunity to find a job in Belgrade, as her profession was in demand in all parts of Yugoslavia. She knew that her mother was left alone, so she did not want to leave her as soon as she finished school. And her mother was certainly very happy. Mom's friend Mladen had already made his home with Branka, and Dunya soon got used to his presence and he didn't bother her. And Mladen also seemed cheerful, it seemed that Dunya didn't bother him, although he was still more comfortable with Branka when they were alone.

Dunya worked hard and was especially useful to Dr. Marija Mitić. The two of them represented a good team, which quickly became established and all patients had great confidence in them. When one of Dunya's school friends, Esma, gave birth there and Dunya assisted her, Esma took her as her godmother. It didn't bother any of them that they were of different faiths, their generation didn't look at it, they loved each other as good friends.

About a year after Dunya started her permanent employment, a young doctor, Slobodan, came to their outpatient clinic. From the very beginning, he stared at Dunya. He had a reason, she was extraordinarily beautiful and handsome, that such a person had to be sought far and wide. She behaved reservedly, seemed disinterested from the beginning, although her thoughts were not entirely absent when they met. They always contacted each other in a friendly way and asked about their health and the like, until he was the first to suggest that they go out together. Dunya realized that there would probably be nothing from Boris, since they lived at a distance, each occupied with their own jobs and worries, and besides, he was almost constantly traveling abroad. Boris even truly loved world travel, he liked to travel and get to know countries and peoples. In addition, he had material benefits from those trips, and most of all, vistas opened up to him that he had only dreamed about before, and while he was traveling, he began to collect information about the countries he visited, which he came to, and began to write about them. While he was traveling, with Dunya he kept in touch less and less, so she realized that nothing would come of their relationship.

As they stopped maintaining relationships, both Boris and Dunya did not even notice how time passed too quickly for them. Each of them did their own work and lived their own lives. Boris' world trips became more frequent, and some of them quite long, for example, he stayed in Peru for three months, in India for two weeks, in Russia for a week each time, and he stayed in Russia eight times, and so on. Boris got married in the meantime, and he didn't even know what was happening with Dunya anymore. She didn't know anything about him either.

***

When Slobodan invited Dunya to go out together, she accepted the proposal, even though she hadn't gone out anywhere for a long time, only occasionally meeting and seeing some of her former school friends. First, they walked along the street by the river, then they climbed up to the fortress, told each other about some details from their past lives, for the sake of personal acquaintance, and then returned and sat in a small restaurant whose terrace was above the Una river itself. Slobodan ordered dinner and drinks, and while they waited to be served, they enjoyed the sounds of the river roaring below them. The mournful willows by the terrace towered over the water, and through their branches you could see the waves breaking over the rocks. The bubbling water was more pleasant than the music from the radio, which was heard in the restaurant hall.

The first evening together was pleasant for both, especially since the day was also pleasant, and they already knew each other from work. When they went home, Slobodan accompanied Dunya to her house, which was about one kilometer away from their workplace. There were no other passers-by on that road, so Slobodan took Dunya's hand and she did not refuse him. At parting, he kissed her on the cheek, to which she just laughed. Returning to his apartment, he went alone, but as a man, this did not bother him at all. The next day they met at work and felt closer to each other than the day before. Slobodan, it's true, didn't go into the delivery room, except when they invited him, because he was a general practitioner and he worked at the reception of patients with all kinds of diseases. In more difficult cases, Slobodan turned to Dr. Dragan Mitić, who was the director of the institution, with good experience, for help and advice.

Some days of the week were very difficult and tiring for Slobodan. Countless patients came to him, mostly from the countryside, and each of them asked to be examined as soon as possible, so that they could return home as soon as possible. Their jobs were waiting for them in the countryside. Dunya’ days were not easy either, only she, as a woman, did not complain. She is used to working as much as she needs to and that every job done is done properly and with the best possible result. She was like that from childhood, accustomed to domestic upbringing. Growing up without a father, she knew that she had to do everything for herself because she had no one to replace her. Night shifts were even more difficult for both of them, when there were usually even more obligations. Sometimes their shifts coincided and sometimes they didn't. So when their shifts ended, the tired ones went to their homes to rest. In healthcare, there are 24-hour shifts, followed by two days of rest. And when their shifts coincided and they each had two days off, then the two met and spent time together. Those became the most beautiful days for them, they became close to each other over time, they started having real fun. Since then, they haven't even hidden it. In the institution, all the employees noticed it, and passed it on to each other, but they all approved of it. They seemed like a nice and good couple. Doctor Maria once said to Dunya:

-Dunya, I noticed that Slobodan and you meet more often, will anything come of it? It seems to me that nothing will come of that Boris of yours, time takes its own course. And what did you rich man do with that sample of yours from Belgrade?

Dunya answered her: - What will happen to Slobodan, we are not sure yet. Judging by everything from the previous contacts, it seems to me that he would like us to get married, although he has not proposed it to me yet. I don't want to force him, so time will do. And as for my sample from Belgrade, I brought it and you know it's there.

I don't mind, so keep it, when I decide to destroy it, that will be the easiest thing to do. It is easy to throw it into the river, so let the water carry it as far as it will. And if there is an opportunity to try to apply for it, it's there, so how does it turn out.

She always got along well with Dr. Marija. Dunya, and Dr. Marija hugged and kissed each time they parted.

It was the last day of April when Slobodan and Dunya agreed to meet the next day, the first of May, at the old bridge and celebrate the holiday together. And they found themselves already in the morning hours, when the sun shone on the river where the waves were spreading, and flowers of all kinds swelled on the river bank. The day was warm, most pleasant for walking in light clothes. They hugged and kissed when they met, then held hands and walked along the river. They told each other that they loved each other and it was their first time, although they both felt it before, but kept it a secret. They spent all the time before noon in nature, avoiding much of the present world. They liked to be alone, to be able to hug and kiss each other, to enjoy the love that had only recently come true.

When it was time for lunch, Slobodan suggested to Dunya that they go to his apartment; he had already prepared a dish of his own choice. The apartment he lived in was not far from the river, in a building where several families from their health facility lived. He got the apartment from his institution when he was accepted for a job according to the competition. When they entered, Dunya was surprised how everything was nicely arranged, clean, elegant furniture, with a lot of flowers in front of the window and on the dining table. First, Slobodan brought out the drink that they drank, toasting each other, wishing that it would be for their mutual happiness. When they put down their glasses, Slobodan hugged Dunya, and she also hung around his neck, so they stayed in a standing position, kissing, for maybe ten minutes. Then Slobodan began to lower his hands down her body, and when he reached the lower part of her legs, he knelt down and said:

- Do you want to marry me Dunya, I love you?

Surprised, she, holding him by the neck, answered:

- I will, I love you too.

They remained embraced like that for a few more moments while Slobodan held her around the legs, and then he took out a box with a ring from his pocket, opened it and put the ring on her hand. Getting up, he didn't let go of her embrace, and while kissing her, he began to unbutton her blouse. She did not resist him, she realized that she was engaged at that moment. They moved into the bedroom, undressed and lay down on the bed, continuing to make love. They didn't get up until the afternoon.

And sometime in the afternoon, they went to Dunja's mom to tell her the good news. Both of them were beaming when they appeared at Branka's door. Dunya told her mom that the two of them had just gotten engaged and that they wanted to celebrate the engagement next week, on St. George's Day, when they normally celebrate their baptism. Branka hugged and kissed them both, offered to sit down and served coffee, and then asked what to treat them to. She agreed to invite Slobodan's parents, brother and sister, who all live in Sarajevo, as guests. Slobodan was quite silent, he left it to Branka to be happy, and Branka was truly delighted by the news. She waited for her daughter to get married soon, which she had wanted for a long time. They stayed until late in the evening to sit with their mother Branka, and around ten o'clock they both went to Slobodan's place to sleep. From that day their happiness together began.

The following Saturday, Slobodan's parents and their daughter, Slobodan's younger sister, arrived in the afternoon and settled in Slobodan's apartment, and in the evening they all visited Branka. Slobodan's brother did not arrive, he had an urgent meeting and said that he would come to them as soon as possible. Slobodan's parents stayed to sleep at Branka's home that evening, and his sister came with the two of them, and slept in her brother's apartment that evening.

On St. George's Day, Slobodan's parents welcomed Branka to help her prepare food for the celebration, and the younger generation, Slobodan and Dunya and Slobodan's sister Jelena, slept until almost noon and appeared at the celebration just in time for lunch, as agreed. The celebration was extremely cheerful for everyone. They celebrated the engagement more than the baptismal glory itself, although everyone was even more pleased that it happened just for the baptismal glory, expecting that their marriage would stay in celebration and joy. On that day, they also agreed on the wedding day, and decided that it would be for Slobodan's birthday on the first of September, when he was twenty-seven years old. Dunya just turned twenty-four in May. They both graduated from university, they both had jobs, and he already had an apartment, so to begin with, they were provided for life. When they went to work after the May Day holiday, they officially informed the management of the institution and booked annual vacations.

Slobodan's parents, brother and sister came to the wedding, along with some other close relatives from Sarajevo, and doctors Marija and Dragan from their institution and close associates of Dunya and Slobodan. On Dunya's side, next to her mother, her aunt Ivana came with her daughter Milkica from Zemun. The wedding took place in the municipal premises intended for that purpose, and lunch was held in the hotel. The very next day, the two of them went to the sea, for their "honeymoon" and annual vacation, and the relatives began to disperse, depending on who had the transportation. The two of them were enjoying themselves, both in love with each other, starting their life together in harmony, peace and true happiness. The parents of both were satisfied. Branka, as mother, especially liked her son-in-law, as well as her new friends. Branka's dream finally came true, she married her daughter and she could live with Mladen in a relaxed way.

And life went on as usual. Dunya and Slobodan worked, Branka occasionally saw friends, she even traveled to their place in Sarajevo. Everything was normal, as the people would say, everyone was happy. Branka, Dunya’s mother, occasionally took an interest in her daughter when they were planning a new baby, to which Dunya replied that they still had time.

Several years have passed since the two of them have been married and there is still no baby. Mama Branka was already starting to worry that something was wrong. She asks her daughter:

- Are you sure if you can give birth?

- As far as I know about myself, I'm OK, Dunya answered her.

- And how is the situation with Slobodan? - Men can be infertile as well as women, although most of the world always thinks that it is only a woman's problem. - How about if you both get checked, so whoever it is, take action while there's still time. You know, daughter, women have a limited life of fertility, you should stick to it. - Check yourself while you still have time, and since you both work in health care, it is still closer to you than to others.

Dunya didn't answer her anything, but she started to think about it herself. -Think, everything should be done in its own time. She will discuss this with Slobodan, so that she can hear his opinion and reaction when she suggests a fertility check. Men usually don't like it. But since he is a doctor himself, he learned more about it than Dunya, and it is about him and her, so I guess he will have a positive attitude about it.

When after a few days they got into bed and started making love, Dunya mentioned it to him casually, and Slobodan asked her a little surprised: - Do you think it's time for us to have children? - To tell you the truth, I haven't thought about it yet, I'm really happy with you, so I think everything will be like this for as long as we live. But you have the right, the years go by and you should have children on time. You women are limited in time in this regard, and we men always think that it is never too late. -You are right. -You are my angel who takes care of everything. He pulled her to him, kissed her and held her in his arms.

They made love more and more often, taking into account the dates of the woman's fertility and exchanging thoughts about it, but the changes did not happen. They both began to worry about it. They began to read more professional books and magazines, and Dunya once asked Dr. Maria for her opinion, just to hear how others view it.

They agreed to get both tested. Dunya took a swab, and Slobodan gave his sperm for analysis. When the result came, the finding was that Slobodan has ureaplasma, which is a type of bacteria that is transmitted during sexual intercourse, and the more a person has, the greater the chances of the bacteria being transmitted. When there is a mass reproduction of these bacteria, the problems that arise are pelvic inflammation and, in women, loss of pregnancy and/or miscarriage. Over time, they can lead to sterility. Ureaplasma usually does not have any symptoms of its presence in the body, so many people do not suspect it or get tested. Antibiotics erythromycin, fluoroquinolone and tetracycline are usually used to treat ureaplasma.

After learning what happened to him, Slobodan underwent treatment with antibiotics erythromycin and tetracycline, admitting to Dunya that he had sexual relations with several women and that, as a young and inexperienced man, he did not take care enough, thinking that nothing could happen to him. Talking about it, she admitted to him that she had a boyfriend with whom she was very much in love and that she saved his sperm quite by accident. She didn't want to tell him the details, or tell him who it was, but she told him that she collected it in a test tube after intercourse and then froze it. Her professor at the university recommended that she keep it, so if she needs it, she can try to use it. Whether it would work or not, no one wanted to guarantee it, but she decided to keep it. She said to Slobodan:

- After all, you know that I wasn't a virgin when we had our first relationship, and as you can see from the results of the analysis and your confession, you weren't a saint either. If you had been more careful, this probably wouldn't have happened and we wouldn't have to worry about whether we would be able to have children or not.

- Well, that's what happened to us now, said Slobodan, then he continued: - I'm going to undergo treatment, and we'll see if it works, and you, if it doesn't work, you can freely try your idea when you've been that sample for so long guarded. - I will not object if you remain in a different state fertilized with someone else's sperm, none of our people will know and I will recognize the child as my own. Let us be lucky.

Dunya did not comment on Slobodan's words, she just accepted them, feeling free to undergo artificial insemination when, and if, she ever decides to do so. She consulted with doctor Maria and after a few days decided to act on her advice, to arrange a trip to the VMA, where two of Maria's professors worked. According to Maria's suggestion, they calculated the days that are most suitable for Dunja's fertility days. Dunja and Slobodan traveled together and Dunya was placed in the VMA hospital for examination for the first three days, and then her sample was prepared and inserted into her uterus. During that time, Slobodan stayed in a hotel, and spent his free time in museums and libraries. When the doctors told Dunya that she could go home, they packed up and went back to their regular jobs. At the hospital, they saved more fertile cells just in case, knowing that often the first attempts fail. That's what happened with Dunya, too. Even her first attempt was not successful, so they invited her to repeat the procedure. Dunya was not disappointed either, she knew that most artificial inseminations are repeated several times. And hers only succeeded at the third implantation.

When on the third control it was determined that the fertilization was successful, everyone was satisfied, and Dunya was the happiest. Slobodan was also happy, although they didn't want to tell anyone the news yet, especially they didn't want to tell Branka's mother or Slobodan's parents yet. According to some popular belief, they waited for it to be seen on her stomach, and then to make the situation official, as completely normal. And when it became visible, mom Branka was the happiest. At work, everyone accepted her condition as normal and they were just waiting for the day of childbirth, from when Dunya will receive legal leave from work. During that time, her replacement was found, since it was necessary to have a nurse in the obstetrics department in the institution. Slobodan performed his duties normally, and he made sure that Dunjy was not exposed to greater efforts. And she was aware that she had to be more careful. Since she was six months old, she took a leave of absence and stayed at home, to rest.

After nine months, the birth went quite successfully, in her department where she herself worked, and during the birth, Dr. Maria was present the entire time. A son was born, whom Dunya immediately named Borislav. She didn't want to explain it to others, but she had already decided that the name would contain the name of her boyfriend, Boris, from whose sperm he was born, and the word "lav" in the English language (love), combined with "Boris-lav" ''. As it is a normal Serbian name, Borislav, everyone accepted it as a beautiful name, without any combinations. Even Slobodan never had a reason to think about it. The child was well raised and grew up in good conditions. He was surrounded by his parents' carelessness, and he was treated especially by his grandmother Branka, where she came every day to see him and talk to him. As soon as Dunya came home, Slobodan's parents came to visit them, with their son and daughter. When Borislav was about a month old, Dunya started taking him regularly for walks around the river, where there was no traffic and the air was clean. The natural surroundings and the sound of the river suited him to sleep all the time. There were also several linden trees in the nearby streets, which smelled wonderful in the spring. Dunya remembered her company while they had fun at the fortress, with the music of her friends Amir and Sejda. Slobodan joined her for walks in the evenings.

***

After Boris got married and after many years during which he completed numerous projects, he proved himself as an expert whose name became known throughout the country. He gained the status of a United Nations expert in his field. Projects continued to take him on world trips more and more, which suited him, he really liked to travel. He visited almost all countries in Europe, some more than once. He officially stayed in Denmark at least ten times, in Russia eight times, several times in the Czech Republic, Belgium, the Netherlands, Spain, Switzerland, Germany, Austria and the like. In all those countries they already knew about his name. In Switzerland, he received professional recognition, in Denmark, two famous global companies accepted him as a professional associate on whom they could always count, and in Russia, their secret service followed him upwards, although he did not look back on it, knowing that he was not doing anything to damage their country. He felt happy and brought souvenirs and gifts to his wife and children from all countries.

On one occasion, he stayed in America with his wife, when they visited New York, San Francisco and Los Angeles as tourists. In New York, they visited many landmarks of that world metropolis: Hudson River Harbor, Madison Square Garden, Rockefeller Center, Metropolitan Opera, New York State Theater, Brooklyn Street and Brooklyn Bridge, Little Italy, China Town, Soho, Greenwich Village, Wall Street, Trinity Church , Harlem, Central Park, Guggenheim Museum, Carnegie Hall, United Nations Building, Empire State Building, Times Square and Broadway, Columbia University, Fifth Avenue, and on the last day they had tea at Tiffany's.

In San Francisco, they visited: Golden Gate Park and Golden Gate Bridge, California Avenue, Nob Hill, Chinatown (the largest Chinatown in the world), the Barbarian Quarter (an area where criminals, vagabonds and prostitutes lived), Clementine Street (famous prostitutes). Driving that tram, the brakeman jokingly asked the passengers if anyone wanted to take over his commands, not expecting anyone to apply. And Boris answered without hesitation: -I want to! And he went towards the brakeman, and the passengers, seeing what would happen, shouted: -Please don't give it to him! Then the brakeman stopped in front of Boris, apologized to him and continued driving down the steep streets of Los Angeles.

Los Angeles, a city composed of 57 cities and towns, with a population of 13 million at the time, they cruised up and down, visiting: Twentieth Century Fox, ABC Broadcasting Corporation, Beverly Hills, Pierre Cardin and Cartier houses, Hollywood Center and Hollywood Boulevard, saw the house Marilyn Monroe at 637 Doheny Drive, where John F. Kennedy used to visit her, saw the Fox TV Center and visited Disneyland, which they thoroughly enjoyed, and visited much, much more.

Boris also worked for the United Nations, specifically for the UN Industrial Development Organization, (UNIDO), based in Vienna. Their activity included technological development in the food industry. On official duty, he traveled to Vienna several times, which always suited him.

One of the more significant projects he worked on for several years was related to companies from Finland, where he also visited several times. He argued a lot with the Finnish equipment manufacturers about the technology, because they tried to reduce their delivery, but he finally managed to prove to them that he was right, which they finally admitted to him, and reduced the value of the offer by 6 million Finnish marks, in favor of Boris's company, which he represented. Finland delighted him with its natural beauty and cleanliness. It is a country with over 150 thousand lakes and beautiful forests. During his trip to Finland, he also visited Sweden on one occasion, namely the city of Stockholm, which delighted him in many ways.

Cascades of River Una

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