The story of a pair of children’s shoes
The year is 1995. The place is Yugoslavia. One Croatian man, Dalibor, had enough with the constant threats that the Yugoslav Wars presented. His primary responsibility was the safety of his three-year-old son. His son meant everything to him; he had tragically lost his wife and only other companion in a brutal attack. His son was the only one left.
Until one day, he made his decision. «I’m leaving this place. I can’t be here forever. But, I’m not leaving for me and I’m not leaving alone», he said to himself. «I’m leaving for my son. Even if I die, I will die happy, because I will know that my son will have a better future», he said.
No sooner had they left their house than a missile struck it and reduced it to a pile of rubble. Dalibor counted his and his son’s blessings; but not for long. Soon, they were caught in the rubble. It took some time before rescuers saved Dalibor and his son from their demise.
«Wait!», Dalibor shouted. «My son’s shoes! We have to find them!». Dalibor’s son’s shoes were of great importance to both of them; Dalibor had saved a lot of money to buy some shoes for his then newborn son, so he didn’t hurt his feet when he would take his first steps. After two grueling hours of thorough searching, the shoes were finally found. They were very small shoes; probably three inches in length and two in width. Brown with white soles, and Dalibor’s son’s favorite objects.
Dalibor had to carry his son, who was wearing his shoes, all the way. With them, Dalibor had brought a blanket and some money, food and water. He and his son had to sleep outside, and food and water slowly started to run out. Eventually, they had to use all of their money to rent a small room and to pay for some food and water. They migrated, moved from place to place for twenty days until, finally, they reached their destination: Serbia.
Initially, the Serbs looked down on Dalibor and his son. The refugees’ new life wasn’t easy. Until they met a man who was not like the others; he was hospitable, kind and understanding. Apparently, he rented out his small house for free to anyone who couldn’t afford it, like refugees.
The man –whose name was Ivan– helped Dalibor get an adequately paying job. With the money, he bought a small house in the countryside, away from violence. He also had enough money to buy supplies to last until his next paycheck.
Dalibor and Ivan became good friends; they had much in common and got together often to share their recollections of past events.
And, of course, Dalibor saved money to repair his son’s shoes. His son loved him very much; even when he grew up to be a brilliant young man and, eventually, moved house, he kept his beloved shoes as a memory, a memory of his father and Ivan, the man who saved their lives.
John Charalampous & Marios Souskas
1st Model Middle School of Athens