He had been living in Kenya for five years. Alone.

His best friend was his job - a workaholic one

might say. All these years he was so absorbed in

work, in that job opportunity he was offered while

working in the headquarters in Prague. He couldn’t

let anyone down, neither his boss nor himself. After

all, if something went wrong he would never be

able to

forgive

himself. It

would turn

out to be a

fatal mistake

on his behalf as he had chosen to leave his wife and

follow his dream.

The day he announced his job promotion to his

wife Samantha, who was pregnant, the same day

his wife wanted to tell him she had an ultrasound

and there was something strange going on with the

baby.

Also they were supposed to celebrate their first

wedding anniversary having dinner at a fancy

restaurant by the sea. He had bought a very

expensive set of pearls for his beloved wife

Margaret, the

love of his life.

It was August

26th, the

second full

moon of the

month. The

romantic night,

however, ended up in the most catastrophic way: a

surprise from both sides that became a

disagreement and turned into a quarrel. He

couldn’t handle the arrival of a child in his life at

that moment and she wasn’t able to understand his

priorities. It was such a tremendous shock for her.

They had known each other since Junior High

School, yet it proved out that they didn’t know

each other at all.

His wife went into labor and they had to go

straight to the

hospital. The

baby was born

prematurely. It

was a boy and

they called him

Ryan

Everything was very confusing… he had everything

already prepared to live to Kenya to work and he

couldn’t go back with his word.

He was all the time he could by his son at the

hospital but decided to do something strange when

his wife was not there, never to forget him.

Five years went by… all by himself in Kenya, work absorbed him so much time… he hadn’t never even accepted to go in safaris, hunting

rhinoceros, visiting

wildlife parks… He had lived to work as always.

Today, there he was in that TV dressing-room,

hiding from

someone he

didn’t really know

who, thinking on

what was about

to happen.

He flew all the way from Kenya to be in that TV

studio that evening. He wasn’t really sure why but

something deep inside kept pushing him...

especially that box mentioned by the TV reporter

almost a month ago: there was a box with

something in it which the person looking for him

gave to the TV producers to use; he was not

allowed to

know what.

He was

given a key

and he could only open it if he accepted to go to

the TV studio. Once there, live, he could use the

key to open the box and have a guess on who could

be looking for him.

He was so curious that he hadn’t slept almost a

week.

At some point he forgot all about it as he had huge

responsibilities at work (he was vice-president of a

branch of a worldwide famous shipping company)

but when his secretary reminded him of the flight

arrangements his heart started tapping again.

A lot of questions were in his mind: ‘‘Who can be

looking for me?”, “A friend from primary school?”

“Someone in my

family I haven’t seen

for a long time?”. He

wondered.

It seemed so long… he

was anxious… he was

looking forward to know what he will find in that

box.

Suddenly a woman appeared and asked him to

come into a small space just next to the studio and

wait for his turn.

Inside the room there were posters and photos on

the walls. He was looking at them and felt like a

boy: he was with his father and mother! They all

were happy;

his father was

keeping his

small hand

and was

speaking to

him all the time. His mother was walking next to

them; she was beautiful and so charming when she

wore her big sunglasses like Audrey Hepburn.

Suddenly, Margaret appeared in his mind - those

sunglasses..., they looked the same. The image of

the actress also made him think of Samantha. “Why

do I keep thinking of family?” he wondered.

“What am I doing here?” - He thought. Nobody was

in the room, so he continued watching the photos.

He saw another one with an athlete biting a gold

medal and again he

remembered childhood:

a little boy with his

father going to a school

championship, both very

excited. Father is giving last

advice to his son how to run to win. The boy is

listening very carefully, then father hugs the boy

and the competition begins. The boy is doing his

best, and he wins. He’s so happy! His father is very

proud... Suddenly, he hears “Mr., it’s your turn.

You’ll go into the studio now, please”.

At last he enters the studio. He looks around and

he knows nobody.

The presenter asked him if he had a clue of whom

was looking for him and he answers he hasn’t the

slightest idea. Then he shows him the box for

which he has the key and tells him that he could

have a clue with what’s inside the box and only

after he could meet the person. He wasn’t sure

about what to do but he was so anxious to know…

Slowly, with trembling hands, he started to fit the

key to the keyhole and it didn’t suit; he tried again

- a quiet “click” was heard.” Is this what I meant?”

He unwrapped beautiful, Christmas decorated

paper, then another one and at the bottom of this

box he could see a small roll of paper with a

glittering red ribbon. He

unrolled it impatiently

and saw.... a small

baby hand

print. Although he

thought himself as a

tough man he couldn’t stop

his tears flowing; it was his “blood and bone”, his

offspring and he didn’t even know how he looked

like and his wife or ex-wife ...How did she feel

about him ?

The presenter asked him again the same question

and he wasn’t able to speak. He undressed his coat

and put up his sleeve and showed a tattoo: his baby

boy hand print together with a female name… his

wife’s

name!

He had done it short after arriving in Kenya. He

brought his son’s handprints when he was by his

side in the hospital and didn’t know what was

going to happen. “I made a difficult decision at that

time but I never forgot my family!”, he told the

presenter.

His wife and son appeared and they got together in

a long embrace. There was nothing to say only to

feel.

The three of them left the TV studio together and

went home.

The couple had a lot to speak about and chatted

through the night.

It was Christmas time and his family was together

again. His wife had shown him how important he

was in their lives in spite of everything.

In Christmas Eve he offered his son a cabriolet

and next day

they spent a

lot of time

looking at

him driving

it in the

garden!

This story has been written by:This story has been written by:This story has been written by:This story has been written by:

Anabela Brígida (Portugal)

Anna Szczepaniak (Poland)

Georgia Kosma (Greece)

Magdalena Goc (Poland)