Vera's Book Corner

December 2018 The holiday season came so soon, and I couldn't believe it was already Christmas Eve. It's unbelievable how the time flies when we are happy. These holidays are very special to me because I'll have together with me the people I love most: Tom, his family, and my family. My parents came to New York to visit Tom and me, and they will stay with us until my birthday in February. Tom's parents invited us all to spend Christmas Eve with them in their apartment, and when I saw the table full of incredible meals, I couldn't stop wondering how they managed to cook all that food. "Don't worry, Nina. If we ever have to cook for nine people, leave everything to me," Tom said. "Because you are a son of two excellent chefs, that doesn't mean that you can cook like a chef." "Well, as you know, I'm not much of a cook, but I know some awesome places from where we can order food, almost delicious as the food served on the t...

When we got out of the plane, I looked around, and I had no clue where we were. Tom didn't let me watch through the window during the flight. He was afraid if I looked, I'd find out where he was taking me. At our new destination, we arrived on a private plane, and the flight lasted around an hour. That makes me think that we were still somewhere in Croatia, probably in Dubrovnik or Split. All the time, Tom hears my stories about how beautiful the Croatian seacoast is, and I guess he wants to see it for himself. Tom took my hand, and he led me to the car that was waiting for us. The driver said, "Hello", he took our luggage, and he put it in the car. While we were driving in the car, I was looking at the landscape, and everything looked familiar to me. I know that I have been here before, but still, I couldn't tell where we were for sure. When we passed by the first houses and I saw the names of the shops in Italian, I realized that we were in Italy. "Tom,...

August 2018 The strange thing about coming home is that everything looks the same. From the taxi window, I watched the streets of the city where I was born. Everything was as I knew it. The buildings, the trees by the road, the monuments, everything. Until today, I didn't know how much I missed and how much I loved my city and my country. But, above all, there are some people in this city who I miss and I love most. Last week, when I told my parents that I was coming home, they were surprised. We haven't seen each other for four years, and maybe they expected that I'd never come home again. I wish my parents knew the truth about everything that has been happening in my life in the past six years. If I was more open and honest with them, now there would be no need to explain to them why I went to New York, why I'm not working, and why I was engaged to one man, but now I'm coming home with another man. "Nina, my little Nina, it's really you," my fat...

There are different kinds of love. Like love for your parents, love for your siblings, your grandparents, your friends, love for your country, love for your job... Every day, Tom reminds me that before him, I had another love in my life. Before Tom, the theatre was my whole life. "My love for you, no matter how big it is, could never be enough to make you completely happy, and your love for me could never be a substitute for the love you have for acting." Tom is constantly repeating to me these words, and maybe he is right. He understands me, and he knows me because he is like me. The music is the love he couldn't live without. "What do you plan to do for the rest of your life, Nina? Do you want to sit at home and do nothing? If that makes you happy, go ahead. You have my full support, but I don't think that is what you want. You can't use the word "theatre" anymore, and watching a movie is too painful for you. I remember the sparkle in your e...

July 2018 "Hey," I said when I opened my eyes and saw Tom lying next to me. "Good morning!" Tom said with a big smile. "Good morning! What are you doing?" I asked him, still sleepy. "I'm enjoying the view." "Don't you have something better to do?" "I do, but nothing can be more enjoyable than watching you sleeping. Nina, my sweet Nina. Do you know what day is today?" "I think it's Saturday. Why? Is something important going to happen today?" "Stop pretending that you have forgotten. Today is our sixth anniversary. Six years ago, on this day, we met on the beach in Rimini." "This is a very strange anniversary. In the past six years, we have been together for only one week and two months. You were engaged to another girl, I was engaged to another man..." "Well, no relationship is perfect," Tom said with laughter. "In the past six years, we had only pain and s...

In one small suitcase and a backpack, I've packed everything I own. I don't want to take anything from Samuel. I don't want his designer bags and shoes. I don't want his expensive jewelry and beautiful dresses. I don't want anything that will remind me of the hell I've been through in the past two years. I wasn't with him for his money and the expensive things he was buying for me. I was waiting for a miracle to happen, and finally, today, the miracle really happened. "Hey, Nina! What is this suitcase doing in the hall?" Samuel asked at the moment he arrived from Las Vegas. "Are you going somewhere, or you're kicking me out of our apartment?" "I'm going home." "This is your home," Samuel said, confused. "I'm going to Croatia because I can't continue like this anymore. I'm tired of your girlfriends, I'm tired of your parties with your friends in Vegas and Hampton, and I'm tired o...

The doorman was looking at me suspiciously, and I guess he wanted to call the police. For three hours, I was standing in front of Tom's building and waiting for him to come out, but I was not a hundred percent sure that this was the building where he lives. Every time the door opened, and someone was coming out of the building, I thought it was him, and my heart was beating like crazy. If it's necessary, I'll wait a whole day, and if I don't see him today, I'll come back tomorrow. I'll keep coming every day until I talk to him and find out the truth. It was almost 10:30, and there was still no sign of Tom. But what if Tom was not in the building, or what if he slept somewhere else, or what if he left before I arrived? At 10:53, the door slowly opened, and this time it was Tom. I had spent the night thinking about what to say when I see him, but now I was just standing in front of him, wishing I could stop my tears and say something. "You?" he sai...

Half an hour ago, my best friend, Paula, called me. She said she'd stop by at my place to tell me all the details about the well-paid acting job she got today. She couldn't speak over the phone, because she was too excited, and she forgot to tell me if she was going to be in a TV series or a movie. This reminded me of the time when we were in college, and we sincerely supported each other, even then, when we were both going to the same auditions, competing for the same part. These days, we are not seeing each other as often as we want to. Paula is too busy. She has two jobs; she is constantly going to auditions, and occasionally she does theatre plays. But every time I see her, she makes me forget about my problems for a moment. Today, I'll be alone at home all day. Usually, the housemaid is with me every day, but she had to go to her cousin's wedding in Mexico for three days, and Samuel is on one of his "business trips". "You will not believe me, ...