Story about Matjaž's family - part 2

Saturday at the Vineyard

It was Saturday morning. "Let's go to Tomaž's," Karmen said to her husband, Matjaž, who was sitting on a chair, and their son, Miha. Karmen, a woman in her early middle age, had just finished washing the breakfast dishes; she was taller and more robust than Matjaž. Tomaž is Matjaž’s older brother; he owns a vineyard cottage and a large plot of land with a vineyard and an orchard. Their mother had inherited it from her parents. "I’m looking forward to it," Matjaž said, slowly rising from the dining room chair and heading toward the hallway to get dressed. Matjaž was weaker than Karmen. His body showed signs of general frailty and exhaustion. Every step was an effort for him. "Your cousin Primož is coming to help with his family, too," Karmen added. "Yes, I know, they need more men for carrying the grape baskets (brenta)," said Matjaž. "Tomaž can't do it all by himself," said Karmen. "And I will sit in the cottage and rest," Matjaž replied. "Yes, that’s right," said Karmen.

Karmen parked in the space in front of Tomaž's cottage—specifically, in front of the upper floor. From the parking area, a path gently descends directly to the cellar, where large vats for the crushed grapes and a grape mill were prepared. Beyond the cellar, the plot—one massive vineyard—slopes steeply downward. The entrance to the upper floor is reached via a paved path, while just before the entrance, there are stairs leading down to the cellar level. A railing with a handrail runs alongside the stairs. They got out of the car and walked slowly toward the upper entrance so that Matjaž could keep up. "Good morning," said Tomaž, who appeared at the top of the stairs at that moment, having heard the car engine and footsteps. He was dressed in work clothes. Tomaž was taller than Matjaž, Karmen, and his wife Ines, who stood behind him greeting the visitors. Their son, Žiga, was nowhere to be seen. Meanwhile, Miha had already run down the stairs; from the sounds coming from below, Matjaž knew that Miha and Žiga were already playing. "Good morning, Miha and I are here to help," said Karmen. "That’s wonderful, I’m glad. Matjaž, you can sit at the table in front of the cottage down there. I’ll help you down the stairs," Tomaž offered. "Thank you, Tomaž," Matjaž replied gratefully. "How are you, Matjaž?" Tomaž asked. "I feel tired," Matjaž said. "You must rest," Tomaž said compassionately. "And how about you, are you tired?" Matjaž asked him. "No, I’m not tired. Why would I be?" Tomaž replied.

Matjaž walked slowly down the stairs, then turned right past the cellar entrance, where two large vats stood, one of them topped with the grape mill. Further past the cellar entrance was a table with chairs. Matjaž’s elderly parents were sitting on two of them. "Good day," they greeted him. Matjaž’s parents were old but still possessed some strength. "Good day," Matjaž replied. "Matjaž, sit right here," his mother said, pointing to the only free chair, which had a cushion on it. The chairs the mother and father were sitting on also had cushions. His mother noticed that Matjaž looked tired and weak. He had always been that way. "Karmen, I’m glad you and Miha came to help," the mother said after Matjaž sat down, still wearing his jacket.

At that moment, another car pulled into the parking area. Primož, his wife Ingrid, and their son Mitja arrived. Primož was around Matjaž’s age, but taller and stronger than Tomaž. Primož greeted his frail cousin, his aunt, and his uncle. He remembered how Matjaž had always been weak and sedentary, unable to move around much. He took a chocolate bar from his pocket and offered it to Matjaž: "Here you go, Matjaž," he said. "Thank you," Matjaž replied. "Is anyone else coming?" Ines asked. "My younger brother Blaž is coming with his wife and their son Aljoša," Primož said. "Great," Ines replied. Just then, another car pulled into the parking lot. There was barely enough room left for it. Blaž, his wife Karin, and their son Aljoša got out and headed toward the cottage. They greeted everyone present. Blaž looked toward the table. He looked at his sick cousin Matjaž with deep empathy. "How are you, Matjaž?" he asked. "I’m tired," Matjaž said. "I’m sorry to hear that. We’ll do the work so you can rest," Blaž said with a sense of compassion that only he knew how to express. "Thank you," said Matjaž.

Matjaž’s brother and cousins with their families went into the vineyard, while Matjaž remained at the table with his parents. He looked around at the surroundings. To the right was the cottage, and to the left was the hillside covered by the vineyard. A massive vineyard. Then he picked up the book he had brought with him and began to read.

"Matjaž, the young ones work so that we can rest," his mother said. "I know, and I’m grateful for that," Matjaž replied. "You were always such a 'sunshine'. You always rested while others worked and made sure you could rest," his mother said. "Yes, I know, and I’m grateful," Matjaž said. "Do you rest at home as well?" his father asked. "Yes, I rest at home too. My body is partly in heaven, so I must rest," Matjaž said. "Yes, it’s true that your body is partly in heaven; ours are already partly in heaven too, and we also need to rest. Karmen has told me many times how she helps you, and Tomaž has told me how he comes over to your place to help out," his father said. "Yes, I am very happy and grateful for that," Matjaž said.

In the vineyard, the pickers were harvesting grapes and enjoying themselves. Soon, Primož arrived back at the cottage with a full back-basket of grapes. He held three clusters of grapes in his hands. He walked up to Matjaž, who was sitting and reading, and his parents, and said: "Here, I brought some grapes." "Thank you!" they all said. Matjaž was very fond of Primož, and Primož was very fond of Matjaž. Like all of Matjaž’s cousins, Primož was very strong, but also kind and compassionate. Primož emptied the grapes from the basket into the mill and then headed back to the vineyard. Shortly after, Tomaž arrived with a full basket. This cycle repeated alternately throughout the morning. "I wonder how things are down there," Matjaž asked Tomaž. "We have a lot of work; people are picking grapes, and Primož, Blaž, and I are carrying the baskets," Tomaž said.

"What’s wrong with Matjaž? Why is he just sitting there?" Mitja, Primož’s son, asked. "He is ill and has trouble walking," Primož explained. "That’s why he just sits," Mitja noted. "Yes, that’s why," said Primož. "He has that chair he can drive around on," Tomaž added. "Yes, he has a mobile chair," said Primož. "A mobility scooter," Karmen clarified.

At noon, it was time to prepare lunch. Karmen, Ines, and Ingrid brought out a pot of food and plates. "Matjaž, how are you doing up here?" Karmen asked him affectionately. "I’m doing great, and I’m happy to have such a loving family," Matjaž said. "I hope you’re not bored here," Karmen said, giving him a hug. "No, I’m not bored. But could you please get my mobility scooter out of the car? I’d like to go for a short ride up the road later; maybe I’ll be able to see the whole vineyard better from there," Matjaž said with a smile. "Yes, right away," Karmen said, calling Tomaž, Primož, and Blaž to help. Together, they took the mobility scooter out of the car, and Karmen brought it to the table where Matjaž was sitting. He thanked them. After a very tasty lunch, they went back to picking grapes, leaving Matjaž alone once more.

Matjaž took out his phone and contacted his friend Damjan, who uses an electric wheelchair. "Hello, Damjan, how are you?" Matjaž said. "I’m good. I’m going to watch a football match at Stožice today. What are you up to?" Damjan asked. "I’m at my brother’s for the grape harvest. I’m sitting on a chair in front of the cottage, watching people work," Matjaž said. "If you had personal assistance, you could go somewhere you’d really enjoy," Damjan suggested. Damjan, who had grown up and lived in the city, didn't know the pleasure of spending time in a vineyard. He didn't even know what a grape harvest was. "I enjoy it here; I like it. Even if I had personal assistance, I would still come here," Matjaž said. "Did you apply for personal assistance?" Damjan asked. "Yes, I applied, but I’m still waiting for the decision. It’s been dragging on for months," Matjaž said. "I hope they get it sorted for you soon," Damjan said. "I’m curious, though—can a personal assistant help with work around the house or the yard? Do you take care of your surroundings yourself?" Matjaž asked. His mother’s eyes flickered, but she said nothing. She knew that Tomaž loved helping Matjaž and she didn't think it was right for a stranger to take over that role. She nodded to Blaž, who had just come up from the valley with a basket, set it down, and went into the cottage for a drink. "I don’t know. At my place, the building manager and contractors take care of the common areas and the grounds," Damjan said. "Ah, okay," Matjaž said. "Can’t you go into the vineyard with your mobility scooter?" Damjan asked. "No, it’s too steep," Matjaž replied. "Maybe you’d be eligible for a power wheelchair. With that, you might be able to go into the vineyard, and you could use it inside the house or the cottage. A mobility scooter is too clunky for indoors," Damjan said. "I could certainly drive a power wheelchair around the apartment or the house—we have a house—but I still wouldn't be able to go into the vineyard," Matjaž said. "Why not?" asked Damjan, who didn't quite understand the problem, even though he knew that paths like the one up Šmarna Gora were too steep even for him. He couldn't go there in a wheelchair. "Because it’s too steep," Matjaž said. "At least try," Damjan urged. Tomaž arrived at the cottage with another basket. "Matjaž, I hate to interrupt, but Blaž and I need to turn on the mill so we can crush the grapes. Primož’s basket is almost full too, and he’ll be here soon. People are waiting with full buckets of grapes. You can continue later," Tomaž said, knowing that once the mill started rattling, Matjaž wouldn't be able to talk on the phone. "Damjan, I have to go. My brother and cousin need to start the mill to crush the grapes," Matjaž said. "Okay, we’ll talk via Viber messages," he said and hung up. Tomaž turned on the mill. Together with Blaž, they slowly fed the grapes into the mill to be crushed. Matjaž took a photo of the vineyard and sent it to Damjan. "Wow, it really is steep where you are," Damjan wrote back.

After a while, Karmen came back to the cottage. "Matjaž, tell your wife about the personal assistance," his mother said. "Karmen knows I’m in the process of getting personal assistance," Matjaž said. "Yes, he submitted the application three months ago, but it’s not resolved yet," Karmen said. "Damjan and I were talking about personal assistance, and he also advised me to get a power wheelchair, saying I could go into the vineyard with it," Matjaž said. "We’ll see about the wheelchair next month when the lifespan of your mobility scooter—which serves you perfectly—expires. We’ll see what the doctor says," Karmen said. "In the past, before mobility scooters were covered by health insurance, I had a power wheelchair," Matjaž reminded her. "Yes, but I see that the scooter serves you well. You can’t go into the vineyard with a power wheelchair anyway. You could, however, use it in the house when you’re too tired," Karmen said.

When Karmen went back down to the valley, Matjaž sat on his mobility scooter and drove up the path past the parking lot to the local road, which led slightly uphill. He drove along the road. At a safe spot with a clear view of Tomaž’s plot, he stopped and looked around. He could see the pickers in the middle of the vineyard. He even recognized his wife and Tomaž. Then he returned to the table. He was happy that the mobility scooter allowed him to move around without getting exhausted. The other young people could stay on their feet all day, sitting down only for a meal before going back to work, but he could not.

In the evening, when the picking was finished, they had dinner—a barbecue. Then Matjaž, Karmen, and Miha said their goodbyes and headed home, everyone full of wonderful impressions from a beautiful day at Tomaž’s.