Chapter 1 Part 4

'I know you don’t approve of me. I’m not going to ask you for that approval.'

I walked over to Anna, looking at her with my worn out bloodshot eyes. I placed my hands gently on her shoulders.

'Please don’t abandon Petra and your new grandchild.'

She looked at Petra and didn’t say anything for a few moments. I wondered if my request was too much for her. Perhaps her feelings towards me would blind her feelings towards Petra and our new baby.

She paused for a few more moments then looked at me.

'Can I see the baby?' She asked.

'Of course, I’ll ask the nurse to arrange it.'

I left the room so I could speak to a nurse. I asked the nurse if it was possible to bring our baby to see her grandmother. The nurse said she would be able to do this in an hour.

Walking back to Petra’s hospital room I made a detour into the men’s toilets to wash my face. I looked at myself in the mirror with a three day old beard wondering what ugly person that is in the mirror staring back at me. I realized at that moment just how old I am as compared to Petra.

That feeling of being old passed away very quickly because my love for Petra was stronger than anything I had ever known. The passion between us was so strong that sometimes I wondered if this was in fact a dream. It was something you imagine only after watching an old romantic movie or reading a classic novel.