19 September 2012
Anna was a wife, mother and an accomplished socialite. That's all she knew. She had married Michael young. She was only nineteen and he twenty seven and from the wrong side of the Danube. She was upper class and he from working class parents. Although being a lawyer he was now considered the new middle. They met shortly after the failed uprising of 1956. Her father disapproved of his outspoken socialism, preferring to hide in the shadows with his political views. Michael relented, and to avoid the wrath of the Soviets and her father, he put his politics to one side for his one true love. They lived an non eventful but happy life, with two beautiful daughters. He continued to practice law, but his interest in home and foreign affairs grew. He at last followed his heart and entered the Foreign Ministry as a leading aide to Somogyi. It was around the time that he had been travelling to Vienna, to withdraw from the PACT that Anna noticed a change, his energy levels were low and a general feeling of malaise cast over him. However, a proud, dedicated man, he had a job to do and his country needed him.
It wasn't until the final withdrawal of the troops, when he was home more, that she noticed the weight loss and the frequent trips to the lavatory. One day when the girls were out, she followed him. Her anguish at the sound of her husbands muffled cries from the bathroom. She could not bear this suffering any longer. Michael was diagnosed with cancer a month later, and it was aggressive. That was five years ago. It was a secret they could no longer keep outwith close circles.
~~The Gathering #9~~. ~Part 9~ • Opuss № I