Mountains of Dawn

Milena glanced toward the bed. "Wouldn't death be better than to leave him like this?" Tears raked her face.

"No! Oh, God, don't say that!" Tanya shouted. "Death is the ultimate end. Right now, there's still hope. Maybe he can improve on his own. Perhaps they can operate later."

Milena wiped her tears from her eyes with the back of her hand, she nodded and hugged Tanya once more. "I'll wait for you outside, Tanya. I'd like to talk to you, if you…"

"I'd love that. Please, just give me a few minutes with Kevin. My two visits to him make my day. It's all I have, now." She gave Kevin a look full of love. "I'll join you in the cafeteria."

The two women sat in silence, sipping their herbal tea.

"I feel so guilty," Milena said, finally. "I always feel guilty when I think of Kevin. I hurt him, deep inside, by doing something I couldn't repair. I feel so terrible, especially now." Tears came into her eyes once more.

"I'm sure he's forgiven you," Tanya said. In this particular moment, he last thing she wanted to hear was Milena's relationship with Kevin. Not now, please, she prayed silently.

"Kevin found me in bed with another man," Milena said, staring into her tea cup as if the answers to life's problems could be found within. "I didn't care about the man. I was bored. Kevin spent long hours at his Shoppe. I felt neglected." She paused, looked up at Tanya. "He told me I killed something inside him that day. He never said one single angry word-just that, for him, it was over. Nothing and nobody could do anything about it."

Annoyed, Tanya tried to be patient. She realized Milena needed to talk, to purge herself through confession. She tried to think of something to say. Nothing came to her mind, nothing appropriate.

"Your tea must be cold," she finally said, rising from her seat. "Let me fetch some more hot water for you." Tanya lingered at the counter, giving Milena a chance to regain her composure.

"I've heard of an excellent brain surgeon," Milena said briskly as Tanya returned to the table. "He's operated on patients no one else would touch. He lives in Cape Town." She patted her lips with her napkin. "I'll dig out his name for you, if you want."

"Certainly. I was going to ask for a second opinion on Kevin's case. I've waited until now to give the doctors all the time they needed to evaluate his case."