An angel of Svaneti forest

Chapter 4

"Gio, Lile. This is Dato, your father..." My mom said with a trembling voice.

Our eyes shifted to the other side of the room to see the man standing in front of us. Tears filled my eyes. It was like two big metal wights were dragging me underground. I couldn't move...

"WHO?" Gio looked at our mom, shocked.

"He is your father!" Lida's voice was still shaking.

"Oh! Did you remember that you have a family now? What, you got bored alone?" Gio looked at the man, disgusted.

"What is he doing here?" He looked at Lida bitterly, pointing at the man. "Why did he leave in the first place and why the hell did he return if he didn't want us?" He continued shifting his eyes to the man again. "Why are you just standing there and calmly looking at the person who killed your heart years ago?" Gio's voice was rising as he spoke. He wanted to scream at the top of his lungs but it seemed like something was stopping him. He was trembling with anger.

"Calm down, son!" Mother was in tears

"Calm down?" Gio smirked. "Before you say anything to me, 'dad' He spoke to the man standing in our kitchen. "I'll tell you one thing." Gio continued, and the man, just like Lida said: our father, stood there, saying nothing, doing nothing. Just a pair of tears falling down his cheek. "When you walked out that door," Gio pointed at our entrance, "You didn't think how our poor mother would have to raise us. You haven't even considered how one day the three of us could just die out of hunger or cold. I asked my mother "When will dad be coming back?" And I got the answer: "It's not our business anymore, son." When Lile entered school at the age of five, she had to watch her classmates being picked up by fathers. They showed her the dolls their parents bought for them. Do you even know that your daughter stole the doll for an hour to just play and pretend that it was hers?" My tears finally broke out from eyes and came rushing down on my cheeks simultaneously. "She always wondered why she didn't have such a person in her life. I was watching all this in silence and had to endure everything, just because I knew my father would not be coming back. I was eight years old, do you understand? eight! And now, you have come here, in front of us and silently expecting something from this family! Now, I can give you one last chance to explain what is the meaning of all this, 'dad'."Gio finished his speech with irony. I was looking at them in shock, only tears were moving on my face.

"Gio! Lily!" I heard a man's sad voice "Lida! You have no idea how happy I am to be with you... with my children and my wife."

Gio smiled ironically. "I had high hopes based on you. Giorgi! son! I kept telling you to grow up and be a proud man, protecting your mother and sister. And here, today, I'm convinced that you listened. I knew you would protect your younger sister and mother. That's why I wasn't afraid to leave Lida and Lile with you." Gio shook his head with disapproval. "But it was very difficult for me to do it. There are not many brave people like you, son! Lile!" Green eyes shone on me "my angel girl! Look how beautiful you are! When you were born and I held you in my arms, I immediately thought that this girl would be a special gift to everyone! I knew you would grow up to be as beautiful as the sun. That's why I gave you that name. You see, I really didn't leave you all completely. I watched how Gio took care of his family. I made sure your mother would get the job to feed you. Your aunt Gvantsa helped me so much. I watched how diligently Lida worked, the kindest person I've ever seen, who I loved and still love to this day with all my heart. I watched how Lile hunted in the forest and how she loved Svaneti. I saw that she loved to sit and think on the place where I used to sit in that forest. I didn't take my eyes off of you even for a second, I just didn't want you to see me. It was also me who brought the gifts that Uncle Thomas sent you. Now, why did I leave so suddenly... 2-3 months before Lile was born, my father called me to his factory." With these words, he turned to my mom. "You know that he refused to talk to me after I married you." He then turned to us. "He didn't even give me one cent after I married your mother. So...he called me and asked for my help. He told me how sure he had been in winning a large sum of money and how easily he got deceived by the people he thought he knew well. This resulted in him going bankrupt. He was afraid he couldn't pay without selling his factory and that the threat would be passed on his life. I asked what he was expecting from me and he told me this:" during the time he spoke, we all sat down, listening to his story carefully. "Apparently," he continued. "Due to his disgusting attitude towards everyone but his own self, he got himself quite a number of enemies. As a result, there was no one he could trust at that point. He wanted me to be his right hand and deal with financial problems. "I have a family! I can't risk my life and abandon people who love me" my answer was loud and clear that day. After several days, my father was killed." He looked at Lida. "Do you remember the day before I disappeared? I was as worried as never. Don't think that was because of my father. That man refused me as a son ages ago. That day, I was the one who was supposed to bring Gio home from kindergarten. When I arrived, all the children were gone. I asked the teacher about Gio. She told me some man wanted to take him, claiming he was his father's friend, but the woman refused. After some time, Gio had disappeared straight from the room." He looked at Gio, who had a rather thoughtful face now. "I nearly had a heart attack. I searched for you everywhere nearby. Until I got a call. My father couldn't stop causing me trouble, even from the ground. The person who was in charge of collecting my father's debt called me and asked for the whole amount with a deadline of only a day. I couldn't even get my hands on my father's factory as the review of the will was still in process. There was no chance I could collect that kind of money in a day. I called home and told you that Gio and I were hanging out in the zoo." He looked at mom. "I couldn't get back home without my boy. After minutes of thinking, I knew exactly what to do. I called the man and asked him to let me meet his boss. After a long conversation, we agreed on terms. I would work for him no matter the job, my boy would return home safely and I would cut off all connections with you. I had to stay with him until the debt was entirely covered and then I would be free."

We were listening with shocked faces as he continued talking. "If I didn't do the job correctly or try to have any kind of contact with you, one of you would be killed."

He took a deep breath.

"As you can imagine, I did lots of bad things under the name of this man. But I kept my promise as well as him. When I got free, a year ago, I didn't know how to face you. I knew how tough life was for you and I decided to give you the things I couldn't give for years. I took over my father's clothing factory due to the will and made it work for a year. The success was unbelievable. I continued his work and now, I'm rich and wealthy in front of you and I'm asking for your forgiveness. I get it, if you still don't want anything to do with me, but remember, I was with you all the time!" he said and turned to leave.

"I'm sorry..." Gio looked at his father with guilty eyes. " I didn't know..."

"You couldn't have, son" Dato smiled warmly, then looked at me.

"Dad" The first time I called someone father. "Do you think I can let you go now?" I smiled.

All the weight was gone and the body started to move by itself. I moved towards my father and hugged him tightly. What a different feeling when you hug your father.

"After all, you still are my little girl!" my father laughed.

* * *

We talked for another hour: laughed, smiled, cried and hugged.

"And now you have to decide. I bought a villa in one of the districts of the central city. Let's go and start all over again!" Dato said with a bright smile. I widened my eyes.

"What?! No, I won't go anywhere! You can go if you want, but I will stay here!" I stood up.

"Dato, I prefer it here too!" Mother supported me.

"Dad! We are used to living here and it would be better if we continued to stay here." Gio agreed.

"As you wish! But we have to redo this place, update it, and before the place is finished, we will have to stay in a hotel!" said my dad.

"What? Did I hear a hotel?" Aunt Gvantsa opened the door. "Are you guys happy your father came?" she asked, and smiled at us as if it was nothing.

"How did you know?" Mom looked at her wondering.

"I heard all this a week before, my friend!" Aunt Gvantsa said with a smile.

"Before I came, I warned her." Now my father got involved in the conversation.

"Oh, and as for the hotel you mentioned... don't you even think about it, when the door of my house is wide open!" Aunt Gvantsa said firmly.

"No, we couldn't... No..." Mother interrupted, but Aunty silenced her.

"You can and you will! These are my last words!" She pretended to be angry, but then she smiled.

Lida opposed many things, but it turned out, our aunt was way more stubborn. At that time, we heard Nino's voice from outside. She was screaming my name.

"Girl! You sound like you are about to die!" Aunt Gvantsa scolded her daughter. I laughed and went down to Nino.

When I went outside, there was a black SUV parked in front of my gate. My eyes widened, it was probably my father's. Nino was standing at the gate of the house.

"Get your a*s out on time girl!" she shouted at me.

"Congratulations, I heard Uncle Dato came!" She said with a smile.

"You knew it, didn't you!" I looked at her with a suspecting look.

"Yeah, I heard it about a week ago." She said with a smile. "sooooo... will you go to the river?"

"What river?"

"And you call yourself Svani"

"You know what I meant!"

"Nothing, just me and the guys decided it would be nice. Come on! don't say no..."

"Oh!... I don't know..." I didn't go to the river often, many times for a walk, but they wanted to go swimming.

"What do you mean 'you don't know'?! Just put on your swimsuit inside that dress and come out soon!"

"Alright! Wait for me, will you?!" I said and ran home.

Mom, dad and aunt Gvantsa were talking about something.

I entered the room and put on a white swimsuit inside of the dress as well as the dress. Soon I was ready and left the room.

"I will go to the river with Nino and the kids..." I said to my parents before going out. The best feeling to say it in plural!

"Go! go!" Father smiled at me, I smiled back and left the house.

I followed Nino. The others were also waiting for us at Nino's house. Everyone congratulated me on the return of my father, including Lasha. Bacho and Lisa did not even look at me. We made our way to the river.

"What about your bet?..." Luka started the conversation and looked at me and Lasha.

"What the hell! Did he tell everyone...?"

"Oh yes! your bet!" Nino looked at me with angry eyes and I didn't say anything.

I looked at Lasha coldly, but she just smiled at me.

"Lile, today is the last day!" Now Nika got involved. I didn't say anything, I was just getting red.

We reached the river. The boys took off their shirts and the girls left only their swimsuits on. Nika and Lika were staring at each other, Nino and Luka at each other, Lisa was staring at Lasha.

"Lile, won't you come in?" Lika asked me.

"No... I don't want to." I smiled awkwardly.

"Is our little girl in a bad mood today?" Lasha asked excitedly. "What will happen to our bet? I'm afraid, you might have to kiss Bacho!" When he said this, Bacho looked at me with a creepy frozen look. "No way..that I can ever kiss him!"

"It's okay, girl..." Lasha continued, but I didn't let him finish.

I got up, went to him, put my hands on his face and kissed him deep in front of everyone. At first, his eyes widened in surprise, then he went in for a kiss. I felt on his skin that goosebumps ran through his body. This kiss might have shocked him.

I immediately pulled him away and covered my lips with my hand.

"Lile!" Nino called out in surprise. I looked at her with a frightened face and turned my gaze back to Lasha, who was looking at me shocked.

"Well, well, well" Lisa seemed to quite like the situation and Lasha, who was still staring at me, immediately woke up from euphoria.