I Was Gently Waltzing When Life Boogied In, Part 6

Nikolai’s trip to the edge of the abyss, his peeking down into the void that although postponed, still awaits him somewhere out there, just out of sight but with a presence clearly felt and understood, left a mark on his sensitive mind and a persistent erection in his pajamas. It was as if life, reveling in having been given a second chance, was not going to waste even a single ticking of the clock’s longest hand and having been reminded of the precariousness of the length of its stay, was now brandishing its own tools and devices … at maximum length.An so, once Nikolai’s body had had sufficient time to recuperate, he and Julie could be found, a smoldering coal among the ashes of war, ranked by increasing audacity: under the sheets in Nikolai’s room, in the bathtub ( which started a whole bathroom phase) ,in bathrooms at a friends party, two bars, and even once at a funeral.Julie did not have her period that month. It wasn’t what they had planned for, but it was by no means an unexpected turn of events either, considering the laws of cause and effect.Looking back, the nine months of pregnancy seemed to pass in a flash, and here was Nikolai now, following the nurse to the room where Julie had just given birth, where the distant crying of his child could be heard from and was getting louder as they approached.He walked in. a nurse was holding the baby and rocking it slowly from side to side. He could tell Julie was awake, but she had her eyes closed and her head was resting on the pillow. Her face had the restful aura of someone who has just gone through an excruciating task: a deep, calm weariness.The nurse holding the baby saw Nikolai and walked around Julie’s bed to hand him his daughter. He could feel the excitement growing in him, like an almost painful tickle in his stomach. The nurse placed the baby in his arms: he looked on, riveted for a moment, not knowing what to think.He hadn’t seen enough newborns to not be surprised by their smallness. The hands, the feet, so small. The whole thing completely left at the mercy of another, completely helpless. A strange surge of some feeling he couldn’t quite name, something along the lines of protectiveness went through him.And then, suddenly, something was off. Something stood out … the baby had brown eyes. Brown. The word went around Nikolai’s head like a satellite. Neither him or Julie, nor anyone in their family had brown … they were all blue eyed!*****
The brown earth keeps the blue sky humble, though it remains aloof. And life is an intruder on life, one can only choose whether to welcome it or not.Nikolai walked over to Julie and kissed her brow. It was warm but salty from the sweat. She opened her eyes and gave him a weary smile that expanded slowly until her lips grew slightly apart and the white of her teeth showed, and a wetness welled in her eyes.