The rain outside the window had been pouring in an endless waterfall for days. That did not bother Jovan as he sat by the kitchen table and aimlessly looked out the window. The fact that he sat there alone though did. He did not know how the last two weeks had passed by. Or how he was able to get up in the morning and function through the day. Or how he was going to move past the gut-wrenching pain of loneliness. Bojana had passed away unexpectedly, leaving him behind to pick up the pieces of his life which now seemed more scattered than ever before.
As the rain bounced off the window, fueled by the cold breezes of late November, Jovan held a cup of çay that had turned cold in his hands. He had come to see his grandmother because she was the only person who understood him. She raised him after his parents passed away and knew how restless his soul could feel. He was a young child when he survived the accident that claimed his parents' lives. He did not remember much of it because he was knocked unconscious. When he woke up after the accident, Bojana's face was the first one he saw. He never forgot the look of love and concern in her eyes. Bojana's voice would help ease him back to reality from the nightmares that had haunted him. Her hands would wipe away the tears from his eyes during the countless nights he had cried for his parents to either come back or take him with them. And now, Bojana was gone.
"Are You sure You can handle another round?" asked the bartender one night when Jovan decided to head into the town's bar across the lake.
"Definitely," Jovan replied, as politely as he deemed necessary.
"You sure seem to be built for it." The bartender tried to make the conversation last a bit longer to gauge whether Jovan could actually handle another round or not.
"I seem to have been built for other things too, but now that's a moot point." Jovan replied without looking at the bartender. He was more interested in the amber golden color of his drink than in the conversation.
"I wouldn't underestimate life's crossroads if I were You. As Your grandmother used to say, life knows how to pick paths for Us that matter the most," replied the bartender, gauging Jovan would be able to handle pretty much anything that came his way. He saw the sparks that lit up Jovan's eyes the moment he mentioned Bojana.
"She also said to enjoy life, for there is nothing in this world that we can call our own," Jovan said in the old Albanian dialect, more to himself than in response to the bartender.
The bartender replied in the same old Albanian dialect," She was a very wise woman. Never too old, but timeless, I would say."
"Heavens! She would never have allowed anyone to reference her age or the flow of time. She would have scolded You all the way into tomorrow if she heard You." Jovan sighed, but kept his smile. He was glad he decided to come out on this night. Somehow remembering Bojana now did not seem as painful.
After a moment, the bartender placed another drink in front of Jovan and said, "She sure knew what mattered in life. And how to make everything count."
"She sure did. Women like her do not come around too often," Jovan replied and cut his words short.
"That is for sure. She had an uncanny ability to figure people out. The good were good. The bad were bad. And yet, she would always give someone a chance to redeem themselves." The bartender paused and waved goodnight to the last of the bar's patrons on their way out the door.
"Wish I had that ability." Jovan sighed as he twirled the drink in his hand, realizing he had already taken the last sip of the golden liquid for the night.
"That ability comes with wisdom, not with age." The bartender smiled and took the untouched drink out of Jovan's hand.
Jovan looked up and offered the bartender a faint smile. "Easy for you to say."
"Of course, it is. I am wise AND old," the bartender replied in the old Albanian dialect.
"You're a good man too." Jovan smiled from his heart as he replied in the same dialect.
"I most certainly am that, and I believe I will prove it by taking You home. I don't let my clients drink and fly. And You, dear boy, are in no shape to fly tonight." The bartender went toward the back of the bar and turned down the lights.
"I do not mean to cause any trouble for You. I came here in my own boat, You know. I'll just take it back home." Jovan stood up to zip up his jacket. He immediately felt a bit lightheaded which had never happened before.
"Bollocks. It's no trouble to me. Plus, if I keep Your boat here, You will have to return and buy another round for Yourself. It's a selfless act of profit for me." The bartender grinned from ear to ear as Jovan bellowed out a loud laugh that echoed through the empty bar.
"You sure do have a big heart, and it definitely shows." Jovan patted the bartender on the back as they walked out of the bar.
"Don't mention it. If the word gets out that I offer to take people home, all the town's men will ask for it. If that happens, I do not look forward to all the housewives that will beat down the doors of my bar," the bartender said as they got into his boat.
Jovan replied, "Got it. I hope You know the way to my side of the lake."
"Young man, I know these shores better than the back of my hand. I could make the trip to Bojana's house and back with my eyes closed," replied the bartender with a laugh.
Jovan asked, "So, how many times have You made that trip?" His words cut the bartender's laugh short.
The bartender answered, "Do You recall that proverb You quoted tonight? About enjoying life for there is nothing in life we can call our own? Another time, another place, and she would have accepted my heart. I missed my mark once when it came to her love, and regretted it ever since." After saying this, the bartender grew quiet.
"So Bojana was in love?" Jovan asked, curious and surprised.
"That is not for me to say. I can only comment on my heart's calling," replied the bartender.
"She did say often that wit and humor mattered in life. So does not waiting to test love but seeing how important it is when it came one's way." Jovan narrowed his eyes at the bartender.
"Did she? I shall remember that. Thank You for sharing it with me," the bartender said. He began to slow the boat down as they neared the lake's shore by Bojana's house.
"Thank You for tonight. I didn't realize how much I needed to get out of my own head for a while." Jovan patted the bartender on the back as he began to exit the boat. He appreciated the bartender all the more for making the trip back home with him.
"I would recommend my services for the future, but under rather different circumstances." The bartender laughed lightly.
"Definitely." Jovan laughed too as he tried to keep his posture steady while getting off the boat.
"Watch Your step, and Yourself." The bartender said then smiled as Jovan lost his footing and landed in the water.
"Definitely," said Jovan as he stood up and realized just how cold the late November night breeze felt against his wet and soaked back.
"Will You make it home on Your own?" the bartender asked as he began to turn the boat around.
Jovan replied, "For sure. Thank You again!" and began walking toward Bojana's house. It was not very far but the closer he got to the house, the more lightheaded and disoriented he felt. He tripped, fell, and passed out on the doorstep of the house...
YOU ARE READING
THE TIDES OF TIME
Romance⚔️ "Being born and raised to respect life and its rules, Jovan Galanis made something of himself. He was ambitious, outgoing, disciplined, and righteous to his very core. His parents died when he was a young boy, and having been raised by his Macedo...
