Vera's Book Corner

December 2013 Tom is the only person in the whole world who supports my decision to move to New York. When I told him about my plans for the next academic year, he wrote to me the same day, and he said: "You made a smart choice Nina! New York is the world's capital! With your talent, you'll take New York, and when you succeed in New York, you'll have the whole world at your feet!" Tom understands that at the beginning, it will be difficult for me to adapt to the huge city. Because he is the only person I know in New York, he promised me that he would always be there for me. Tom also promised me he'd introduce me to his siblings and to all his friends, show me the entire city and his favourite places, and he promised me he'd find me an apartment to live close to him. Unfortunately, I'll have to live on the college campus because I can't afford to share an apartment with roommates. It's too expensive for me. As I expected, two months ago...

October 2013, In the first couple of months after I met Tom, I was afraid we could never be together again. It seemed impossible. He has his life in New York, and my life is here, in Croatia, where my family and friends are. I tried everything to get him out of my head and to forget him, but nothing helped. My heart is like a broken compass, and it shows me only one direction. My love is not a passing thing, and it won't fade away. Distance means absolutely nothing when someone loves as much as I love him. I love him more than anything in the whole world. He is a love that happens only once in a lifetime, and my life could never be complete without him. I can't spend the rest of my life sitting here, longing for him, and doing nothing. I can't give up on him. Like a lioness, I'll fight for his love. I must do something, and I must do it fast. If I don't do something, I know I'll regret it for the rest of my life. A month ago, I was at the Embassy of the...

August 2013 I can't remember if we ever had a hot summer like this one, and it appears this hot summer will never end. The days are unbearable, and the nights are too long. I'm wandering around in the house, all night, until dawn. It's impossible to sleep. My parents think I can't sleep because of the heat, but they know nothing about the heat that keeps me up all night. Finally, rain. I ran out of the house when I heard the first drops falling on the ground. For a moment, I felt free, like a little child running barefoot on the grass among the roses in my garden. Sometimes I regret that my childhood, that beautiful and innocent time of my life, is over. Then life was so simple. Now life is complicated. Love is complicated. I love it when it rains in the summer. I love feeling the raindrops on my skin, and I love the smell of the dust on the hot concrete. And the summer rain suddenly stopped. Then everything returned to normal, but after I returned from Italy l...

The hardest thing I ever had to do in my life was to find a way to stop the tears from rolling down my face and say goodbye to Tom at the bus station. "Have you checked your passport and your ticket?" I asked him. "Yes, I have, twice." "Good! Do you have my email and my phone number?" "Yes, I have them here, in my backpack, and don't worry, by now I have memorized them." "Please write to me, and call me as often as you can." "I will, but I think it's better to send each other emails. The long-distance calls are too expensive." "Yes, you're right. Tom, I had a great time with you, and I promise I'll never forget last week." "One day, I will come back to Rimini." "So will I." "Maybe we should come back at the same time." "That would be perfect." "Nina, I want you to promise me that straight from here, you'll go to school. Okay?" Tom s...

If only I had the power to stop the time and make this day never end. Then I could stay with Tom in our little room in Rimini forever. If I could, I would build a small kingdom just for Tom and me, a little heaven on Earth. He was still here, but I was already missing him. I was counting the hours until his departure, as I was expecting something beautiful and exciting to happen. Tomorrow at this time, he will be on his way to Rome, and there is a big chance that I'll never see him again in my life. "Tom, what places did you like the most in Rimini?" I asked him this morning while we were making a plan for how to spend the last day of his holiday. "Quick, make a list, and we'll visit them today again." "That is the best idea ever! Thank you, Nina! But, I'm afraid there is not enough time to visit my favorite places in Rimini because I liked the entire city!" "I know. I just want you to pick two or three favorite places. Today is yo...