SHE WAS THE YOUNGEST OF SIBLINGS

Submitted into Contest #9 in response to: Write a story that focuses on the relationship between siblings.... view prompt

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In the suburb of a Bosnian town, one winter night, she was completely conceived by mistake. It was not planned that her father, after three marriages and ten children who had already, to be the father of this eleventh child in a row.

He was already in the years, and just at that time he had got grand-daughter of the son from his first marriage, therefore it was not questionable whether is it okay to come into the world this child too. If it would be born it would be pure surplus, burdensome and shame for this family, and Good heavens, disgrace because of the neighborhood. What would say their friends and neighbors?!

Because of this, the father forced her mother to drink tea from any grasses, carry a heavy burden, to do everything that at that time in such situations, on her own hand, worked unskilled women.

And she really did everything to obey the command of her husband, not with her own will, but she did not manage to please him. Of course, no one even asked what she wanted, and she did not dare to oppose her husband's orders.

However, God was obviously on the mother's side and on the side of an unborn child. In spite of any teas that should be destroyed at the beginning, it continued with God's help to develop, strengthen and clean its own path to birth and further...

So one August's day, on Kurban Bajram (a great Muslim holiday), a little girl came into this world, incidentally, by force, without the tears of joy and some enthusiasm from her father.

She was the youngest, not only of siblings (of course including step-brothers and step-sisters), but also she was the youngest aunt in her family. She was the aunt of her father's granddaughter or daughter of his son from his first marriage, her step-brother. Namely, her step-brother had got a daughter a year before the birth of this little girl, and so she became an aunt while she was still in her mother's stomach, and whose already worn clothes and shoes would be worn for a long time by this little girl, with endless gratitude, because her parents could not afford a lot.

It was perfectly normal for her to wear inherited clothes and shoes, school bags and school supplies until they were completely worn out, and then, with the renunciation of a family of minor things, she got her first school bag only in the fifth grade of elementary school, of course, the cheaper one.

She received her first dress that was not worn, inherited, that was a new, purchased at the store, and still of her choice, after completing her fourth grade of elementary school. Just then, at the end of the school year, her step-brother who lived with his family in Slovenia arrived in Zenica. He brought her to the shop so that she could choose a dress as a reward for great success, by her choice. When they entered the store he presented her to a saleswoman first:

-         This is my little sister, an excellent pupil, and please, show her the most beautiful dresses for her age. It does not matter what it costs!

She was a little uncomfortable, but at the same time, she felt somehow special. So how could not - the first time in her life she gets a new dress, from the store, that our seamstress did not sew, and also it had to be beautiful and expensive, not cheap because her step-brother sought that. And she chose it. Her step-brother also helped her in choosing the dress.

She remembered this dress well, every detail of it. It was a light blue dress with tiny white dots, sawed at the waist and pleated, and the chest had a white ruffles and short ''poof'' small sleeves that ended in beautiful soft lace. It had a blue ribbon around the waist and tied in a bow in the back.

                Oh, how she looked at it! When she looked in the mirror for a moment she thought it was a little girl jumped out of the movie ...

Maybe exactly this dress was an incentive for her to succeed in the future, to be able to afford nice and expensive things, to be someone, so everyone would be proud of her, just as her step-brother was proud that day.

Born as the eleventh child, the youngest of siblings, she had some privileges but not the most important one.

If she was the tenth child in a row - she would be Tito's goddaughter and received the package on 29th November each year.

Namely, it was a rule that every family in the former Yugoslavia, to the tenth child in a row, at its birth, President Tito would be a godfather. From his office on the 29th November on Republic Day to the family, or more precisely, to the child, would be sent a package with a card signed personally by President Tito.

This honor was given to her three years elder brother. However, although it is intended for him, any such package would be shared to all children – to her, her sister and brother, but also to the children of her step-brothers and step-sisters, her father's grandchildren. It was an unwritten rule that was given by their father.

She remembered the contents of these packages well. At the time, it was a real fortune for these children from a poor, working-class family. In each of these packages were large ''Kraš'' milk chocolates, various candies, and in a special, large metal box, those ''505 with a line''. They didn't know why they were called so ... maybe because of a line across each of them, but it didn't matter. The kids most loved them because they were hard so they could last longer to them.

She really wished that she had the honor to be Tito's goddaughter, no matter what package intended for her would be everyone's package, at least her. Of course, it was later, when she was older, but at the beginning, even before she went to school, it was important for her to get the sweets out of the package, it does not matter to whom it was intended.

The exception was the package that her brother got when he was seven years old and he was starting the first grade of primary school. In this package, as opposed to the earlier, were things only for him - school set and navy suit!

He was photographed in it. She saw it many years later, in the photos from his school days.

One year her brother received in the package a set of ''Lastavica'' books that were on the list of books for school reading at that time. She was most pleased with this package! She could read for days ...

After completing primary school, for justifiable reasons, instead of Grammar School, she continued her education at the Technical School ''Djuro Salaj '', an Electrical department, located next to the Metallurgical Institute, which was one of the most important signs of recognition of Zenica and where top researchers of different specialties were employed.

It was an institution, for many unattainable. Only the best have had the opportunity to work there and be a part of that world.

She knew during the school breaks, from the window in front of her classroom, almost jealously watched the Institute's employees how walked in white coats during their breakfast break, strolling through the beautiful park that was the pride of this institution, as well as the whole city. Of course, she could only dream of joining them in the future and being part of that world. Indeed, at times it seemed to her that they were quite different from other employed people in their city as if they had come from another planet ...

She never thought her dreams would turn into reality. She had many kinds of dreams before and doesn't remember that they came true. Maybe some, smaller ... This was more than a dream, much, much more!

She completed her high school education in 1972, also a great success. An important decision had to be made, what to do next - which college to enroll. She has long had a desire to study foreign languages or medicine, exclusively in Zagreb. This city was something special that attracted her, and why, she did not even know. She also thought about economics, but this was not the case in Zenica, only the Faculty of Metallurgy, which was not the least interested in it, and attracted even less!

After graduating from high school, accepting the fact that she didn't have the financial possibilities to enroll in the desired college, she thought of getting a job first and leaving her studies for later.

Whenever she needed some help, support about the school, she turned to her step-brother, whose daughter was only a year older than her, who was her as the father, and it was never difficult for him to do anything for her. She told him of her intentions, and he immediately consulted with her friend what was best for her to do. Only later she learned thus his friend was the Director of the Institute.

His friend suggested her step-brother to she accept a scholarship of the Institute, as an engineer she has far greater opportunities for career advancement, and that as a technician, if she got a job now, she could never accomplish. Since she was an excellent pupil, she could get a scholarship without problems, but under the condition to enroll in studies in the field of metallurgy.

Unwilling to corrupt her step-brother, she enrolled in studies at the Faculty of Metallurgy and pushed her dreams of Zagreb far, far away. So, she accepted a scholarship and enrolled in college, although not one that she wanted, she got a chance to work at the Institute after graduation, what about she previously could only dream of, as well as many. Of course, later, upon graduation, she started to work there.

How she felt wonderful working at the Institute, side by side with top experts in the field of metallurgy, physics, mathematics, and even more importantly, the Academician - dr.prof. Kemal Kapetanovic, who was the head of this institution.

She met him during her studies. He was her professor, and he knew every one of his students, especially those who were scholars of the Institute. He followed their work during their studies, providing expert advice and pointed out the error. In a way, he forced them to be good, the best! It was an honor to know this man, and you can think what it must felt that he is your professor and later the director! A lot of things she learned from him, for the short time that she spent at the Institute when he was alive.

Unfortunately, he died early, to the surprise of all those who knew him, and many people knew him. Experts from many countries, from different parts of the world, knew him. Too bad, and he could give yet so much knowledge to young researchers!

So, she was wearing a white coat too, and she walked during the breaks in the park within the Institute, she proudly participated in various symposiums, she worked on various projects with her colleagues, she learned to be successful, and she was successful.

Finally, from this place, she went into a well-deserved pension.


September 29, 2019 12:10

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