I’d love to see a luka story where his wife or girlfriend doesn’t speak slovenian and they’re there for the summer. But even tho she can’t speak the language everyone loves her. You know like dancing with kids in the street, holding old ladies hands in silence, his parents loving on her. Things like that. I think it’s be sweet.
Love is the best language
The first morning in Slovenia, Luka woke up before his wife.
Sunlight spilled through the curtains of the house he’d grown up visiting every summer. Outside, birds chirped, church bells echoed somewhere in the distance, and the smell of fresh air drifted through the open window.
He rolled over to find her sleeping peacefully, one hand tucked beneath her cheek.
Every year the offseason brought him home.
He got to bring home the love of his life.
He brushed a strand of hair away from her face before kissing her forehead.
“Good morning, beautiful.”
“You ready to meet everyone?”
She groaned dramatically.
“I am… but I’m still sad I don’t know any Slovenian.”
“And you know ‘I love you.’”
“The only one that matters.”
The first few days, Luka expected the language barrier to be difficult.
Not because she suddenly learned Slovenian.
But because she somehow communicated with everyone anyway.
She pointed dramatically when she forgot words.
Old women at the bakery pinched her cheeks and insisted she take an extra pastry.
Children waved every time she walked through town.
The florist handed her flowers “just because.”
The butcher refused to let her pay for a slice of homemade sausage after she complimented it with nothing but a thumbs up and an exaggerated “Mmmm!”
Luka stood beside her shaking his head.
“How does every person you meet become obsessed with you?”
He slipped his fingers between hers as they walked through town.
Every few minutes someone greeted Luka.
Almost every single one greeted his wife too.
Despite not sharing a language…
One afternoon dark clouds rolled over Ljubljana.
People hurried toward awnings.
The neighborhood children did the opposite.
They ran into the street squealing.
His wife watched them through the café window.
Luka noticed that look immediately.
“I don’t know what you’re talking about.”
“You want to go dance in the rain.”
“You packed white sneakers.”
Before he could stop her…
She darted into the rain.
Within seconds, half a dozen children grabbed her hands.
Someone started clapping to a rhythm.
She spun in circles with them, laughing so hard her head tipped back toward the sky.
Little girls copied her twirls.
Little boys splashed giant puddles around her.
One tiny toddler hugged her soaking wet leg. And she gladly picked her up and spun.
Luka stood beneath the awning smiling like an idiot.
A man beside him laughed.
“In love?” he asked in Slovenian.
Luka never took his eyes off his wife.
She nodded enthusiastically.
He stepped into the rain.
Immediately she splashed him.
“Oh, that’s how we’re playing?”
He scooped water toward her.
The kids erupted into laughter.
For twenty minutes they danced in the middle of the street.
Neither of them cared that they were soaked.
A week later Luka drove her to one of his favorite old villages.
Flower boxes overflowing with color.
“This is beautiful,” she whispered.
They wandered through little shops all afternoon.
She bought lavender soap.
An embroidered table runner because she said it reminded her of his grandmother’s house.
As they walked toward the square, she suddenly slowed.
An elderly woman sat alone on a bench.
Then quietly walked over.
She sat beside the woman.
The older lady looked surprised.
His wife gently reached over and took her hand.
The other didn’t know Slovenian.
His wife occasionally smiled at her.
The older woman squeezed her hand.
Kissed the elderly woman’s wrinkled hand…
And smiled warmly before turning back toward Luka.
The old woman looked up at him and spoke quietly.
“Your wife has a kind spirit.”
Luka looked back at his wife.
The elderly woman nodded with tears in her eyes.
As Luka and his wife continued walking, she slipped her hand into his.
“‘Your wife has a kind spirit. Cherish her.’”
He lifted her hand to his lips.
He kissed the back of her hand.
“I don’t even know why I sat down.”
“You saw someone who needed you.”
“I didn’t want her to be alone.”
“You have the kindest heart of anyone I’ve ever met.”
She wrapped her arms around his waist.
“And you have the biggest.”
“I don’t think love is a competition.”
That weekend they spent the evening with Luka’s dad.
After dinner his father pulled out a deck of cards.
“You shouldn’t have said that.”
Luka’s dad pointed at her dramatically.
“I promise I’m not cheating!”
His father narrowed his eyes.
His father threw both hands into the air.
She was laughing so hard she nearly fell out of her chair.
Even Luka was wiping tears from his eyes.
His father leaned toward her with a smile.
She pointed to herself proudly.
The rest of the night every single time she won…
His father looked at Luka.
It became everyone’s favorite joke.
A few days later Luka’s mom invited her to lunch.
He dropped her off outside a little restaurant.
“A little, but we know each other enough.”
Three hours later she came home glowing.
“There was a little of everything.”
Several days later his mom texted him.
“My mom wants to kidnap you again.”
“You’ve definitely been chosen.”
The next morning Luka handed them his credit card.
His mom laughed knowingly.
“We’re not spending all of that.”
His mom linked arms with her.
They disappeared into town.
Hours later they returned carrying a handful of bags.
His wife proudly handed him the card.
“We stayed under budget.”
He knew she never cared about expensive things.
She simply enjoyed spending time with people she loved.
Gabriella and Olivia had officially decided their stepmom was their favorite person.
Every morning they climbed into bed beside her.
Tiny hands carefully brushed her hair.
Colorful clips ended up everywhere.
She walked around the rest of the day proudly wearing every crooked braid.
Outside she chased them around the backyard until all three collapsed in the grass laughing.
She pushed them on swings.
Built fairy houses from flowers and sticks.
Olivia insisted on holding her hand everywhere they went.
Gabriella loved sitting beside her while she colored.
Movie nights became everyone’s favorite.
The girls curled against her beneath blankets.
Halfway through every movie…
Someone always fell asleep against her shoulder.
Luka quietly carried them upstairs.
Every single time he came back downstairs…
Watching the way she tucked blankets away.
Watching her rinse popcorn bowls.
Watching her hum softly while cleaning up.
Watching the woman who loved his daughters as though they’d always been hers.
His heart felt impossibly full.
On one of their final nights in Slovenia, they sat outside beneath the stars after everyone had gone to bed.
She rested against his chest while he wrapped an arm around her.
Neither of them spoke for a while.
Finally Luka broke the silence.
“I’ve been watching you all summer.”
“I watched complete strangers fall in love with you.”
“I watched you dance with children in the rain.”
He kissed the top of her head.
“I watched you sit with an old woman for 45 minutes because she looked lonely.”
“I watched my dad laugh until he cried. I watched my mom gain a daughter. I watched Gabriella and Olivia find another person they feel safe with.”
“And somehow… I fell even more in love with you.”
She looked up, her eyes shining.
“Aw honey…i’ll cry. Thank you, baby.”
She smiled that same gentle smile he’d fallen in love with.
He reached over, tucking a loose strand of hair behind her ear.
“And that’s the best part.”
She leaned up and kissed him softly.
He smiled against her lips.
“And I hope you never change.”
She rested her forehead against his.
He looked out across the quiet Slovenian countryside before looking back at the woman in his arms.
Coming home every summer had always meant peace.
Home wasn’t just a place anymore.
