The Name — Peter — Chapter from the Novel "Stone" by Volodymyr Shablia
The Name — Peter
Stone — Book One: First Steps Toward the Light and Back — Chapter 2
by Volodymyr Shablia
January 1920. The village of Tomakivka, Ukraine.
Danylo returned from work toward evening. His mother-in-law came out to meet him, a newborn in her arms.
“Congratulations, Danylo! You’re a father.
Mariia has given you a son. The boy was born prematurely, but he’s healthy. And
Mariia seems to be feeling a little better, too.” Iryna handed the bundle to
her son-in-law.
The unexpected news left the new father
stunned. A whirlwind of conflicting feelings, thoughts, and emotions swept
through his mind:
‘A son, an heir! But
premature?! And what about typhus? What if he gets sick? I’ve dreamed of having
a son all my life! He’ll be Alexander—that’s my favorite name. Hurray!’
Danylo took his son into his arms. The moment
he saw him, he fell in love with the beautiful little creature. Afraid of
hurting him, yet unable to resist the temptation, the father gently kissed the
baby’s cheek, barely touching it with his lips. But somehow, he could not bring
himself to call him Alexander.
‘No, he’s no Alexander! He’s Peter! My son is Peter!’ Danylo thought as he entered the room where his wife lay.
“Mariia, thank you for giving me a son!” he
said aloud, and gently kissed his wife.
“Danylo, you should give our son a beautiful
name.” Mariia watched her husband’s reaction closely and realized that her
mother had been right: her husband should indeed be the one to choose the
child’s name. Iryna had insisted that this would strengthen the family and bind
the fates of father and son more closely together. At first, Mariia had
objected, but later she had listened to her mother’s arguments.
‘Yes, Mother is a wise woman,’ she
concluded silently, and smiled.
“Mariia, what if we name our son Peter? I had
other names in mind before. But when I saw him, I knew he was Peter—that no
other name could suit our boy better.”
“Give me my little son. Let me see how the name
suits him,” Mariia said.
Taking the bundle into her arms, she gazed
intently into her newborn son’s face.
“Yes, you’re right, Danylo. He is Peter. Let it
be so!”
The parents did not know the original Greek
meaning of the name they had chosen. Still less could they have imagined how
perfectly that meaning—“STONE, ROCK”— would correspond to the very essence of
his remarkable life.
Like a stone, like a rock, he would stoically
withstand adversity and emerge victorious, so that he might fulfill with
dignity the mission God had ordained for him—a mission of goodness, wisdom,
honesty, and justice.
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Stone — Book Two: Difficult Roads to Hell
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