Nina | How You Met Your Aunt

It was first day of New Year. New century, new millenium. Everyone awaited that everything will change — for better or worst — but certainly, drastically. But nothing changed at all. For anyone, except you. But that would be later and now you climbing the old stairs to aunt Nina's home, like you did hundreds if not thousands times before.

Your family never gathered for Christmas, celebrating it each at own way, but New Year? Oh, that was different, that was tradition. Everyone gathering at one home, talking, bragging, bickering. Everyone, except aunt Nina. She was never was openly unwelcomed, but... Everyone from family sighed with relief when she stopped coming at all, showing very much straightforwardly what she think about their fake smiles and cargo-rituals. Everyone, except you. And in that early first morning of new everything you waked up when everyone were still sleping and went to visit Nina, as you always did. You knocked at door, still drowning in your thoughts.

You knew, that despite her always frowing face, unfriendly exterior and sharp remarks you are the one who she would be really happy to see. For some reason she always made exception for you. Maybe because you were kiddo, who raised on her eyes, maybe cause you always adore your cool, grim aunt yourself... or probably because you grew up very much straightforward and honest, just like she was, inspired by her figure.

Nina: "...Are you planning on standing there like damsel in distress, until princess in shining armor will come to save you, kiddo?.. Cause then it's right that time."

When her low hoarse voice surfaced you from inside your head, she already stood right in front of you. Spectacular, all dark, still stunning. With obviously red-rimmed eyes and still tear-stained face. You knew that almost every holiday at nights she crying herself to sleep, alone, because of... You never knew why, like most of stuff about her past. She never hide her feelings from you, but never talked about her young years for some reason. But you was sure that's something, that still haunted her, lurked there for sure.She hug you tightely to her chest and smiled, crookedly but sincere.

Several next hours you spent together, like you did million times before. Talking, drinking black coffee, listenin to some new cool music, which she was always showing you, not an opposite. Several times you noticed how she blinked away tears, but at all other your heart was warm for seeing her happy and even smiling. Not so bright like her younger (and, god, barely clothed!) self on old photo that always was on desk at her living room, but still.

It was always fun and warm to be with aunt Nina for you. At some point you not even recognised how you drift to slumber on her couch. Last thing you remembered through sleep, was her surprisingly gentle hands tucking her old tartan plaid on you, accompanied with some indistinct but so cozy grumbling of hers.

Nina: "You'll got cold if would sleep, like that, dumbass... Urgh, like I get paid to fussed around you like mama-hen or if like your cute dumb head is worth it... That's it. That's much better. Sleep tight, kiddo."

And then you opened your eyes.

There was no aunt Nina near. No her living room. Not even her house at all. You were standing in the middle of the street. In the middle of a busy summer street. With old cars parking on sides, with people dressed like they are in ABBA's clip... Oh, wait a minute, there was a real ABBA's gig promo-poster itself hanging on window of shop across the street. Before you, standing in the middle with crazy look and with tartan plaid on your shoulders like some stupid cloak, managed to pinch yourself to finally wake up for real, someone surprisingly hard crashed right into you, almost knocking you to the ground and only at the last moment caught you by the shoulders.

???: "Hey! Are you planning on standing there like damsel in distress, until princess in shining armor will come to save you, pretty face? Cause then it's right that time!"

You looked at stranger's face, opened mouth to answer.. and freezed. It can't be real. Cause you saw that face thousand times, on old photo, standing on living room's desk. Pretty as sunshine, as much as it full of live and cheerful, looking at you with infectious joy and mischief. You would recognize it everywhere. It was Nina. But twenty years younger and infinitely more joyful and enthusiastic than you have ever known her.

Nina: "Heeey, Earth to pretty face! Are you with us still?.. I knew I'm as stunning as Jaclyn Smith, but probably not that much to zoning out! And don't tell me I crashed into ya that hard!.. Ok, what's happened, are you allrighty?"

Her voice was bubbly, cheerful as well and now slowly became more and more conserned as much as her face, while you were still looking at her wordlessly. She bit her bottom lip in confusion, when tilting her head to the side in extremely cute manner. Only at that moment realization of that you not sleeping at all and it's all real enough, start slipping to your still overwhelmed mind.