I was supposed to be Viktor.
\nWell, okay, maybe not Viktor, but at least some little Paul or Darius, for sure.<\/p>\n
Back in the day, when I first saw the world, only MOTHERS were invited to meet the newborn, while fathers circled the windows of the maternity hospital. The story goes that after my father finally got through on the landline, he was informed: \u201cCongratulations, it\u2019s a healthy DAUGHTER!\u201d (!?)<\/p>\n
The story also says that my father cried into the receiver\u2014not out of sadness, because knowing him, you only ever see him cry from joy or concern\u2014and that he even joked:<\/p>\n
\u201cPerhaps the midwife could come back and check the newborn\u2019s gender one more time?!\u201d<\/p>\n
Though I suspect that\u2019s just the story\u2019s embellishment.<\/p>\n
So instead of Viktor\u2026 here I am.<\/p>\n
Viktorija.<\/p>\n
Though honestly, to my father, I\u2019m not some strictly formal VIKTORIJA.<\/p>\n
I\u2019m Aukselis.<\/p>\n
I don\u2019t remember when he first called me that, but even now, at 40 for me and 70 for him, our phone calls always start with his joyful, \u201cOh, my little Aukselis!\u201d<\/p>\n
Aukselis is Aukselis.
\nViktorija is Viktorija.<\/p>\n
But not being a little Paul or Darius\u2026 well, I\u2019ve always felt a little indebted.<\/p>\n
Because, as the story goes, after the midwife double-checked, no extra little boy grew.<\/p>\n
So that\u2019s how I settled in the family.<\/p>\n
The little sister of big sisters.<\/p>\n
I never asked if my sister had hoped for a brother too.
\nBut looking back on childhood, and knowing that I \u201cmade a mess\u201d no less than a brother would have, I feel she never harbored any great resentment.<\/p>\n
Over time, generous fate helped set things right.<\/p>\n
Enter Dominykas and Mykolas.<\/p>\n
Add the fact that my sister \u201cgifted\u201d Jonas, and now my father is the grandfather of three wonderful boys.<\/p>\n
I look at him now through the eyes of the little Paul or Darius he might have had, and I think\u2014good thing I surprised him with the gender question at the time. I have no doubt he already had plenty of experience and love for raising an \u201coak sapling.\u201d<\/p>\n
But, \u201choly heavens,\u201d the way he preserved that love over the years\u2014conserved it, and then unleashed it, like an atomic bomb\u2014showered our boys with it.<\/p>\n
They have the best grandpa in the world.<\/p>\n
And the fact that his love is more than enough for three \u201coak saplings\u201d and three smiling little girls means I can live completely at peace, having fixed the birthday \u201cjoke\u201d: that I am
\nNot Viktor. Not little Paul or Darius.
\nTo my dad\u2014I\u2019m simply Aukselis.<\/p>\n
Happy Father\u2019s Day!
\nTo ours and our children\u2019s!
\nThe heroes of life!<\/p>\n
Mua,
\nV.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"template":"","class_list":["post-17810","istorija","type-istorija","status-publish","hentry"],"acf":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/viktorijos.lt\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/istorija\/17810","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/viktorijos.lt\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/istorija"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/viktorijos.lt\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/istorija"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/viktorijos.lt\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=17810"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}