Instead of the preface

In my memory, as a deeply embedded dream, which cannot be forgotten, a multitude of book themes with a thirst to write have taken place. These themes always moved in my mind, in no particular order, and they began to unfold throughout my life, weaved with new themes, in accordance with the events of time, which were plenty. The only one, which is not part of the “register” of early
memory, is the book about my contemporary life… It had a special thematic object: It will be dedicated entirely to my
wife. But, being together for six decades, I can’t avoid, in any way, life descriptions for myself, where every episode,
event, occurence is related to her far or distant, bitter or sweet, in favor or not of our life … The theme of this book
was prompted or born late, when we were nearing 76 years of life and 60 years of our celebrated marriage.
For this proximity of years of life with marriage, many may “reject” it as unreal, but I, with this brief explanation,
will not reveal details of life to undermine or quench curiosity, before the last page of the reading “fall” from the
book. I thought that, simply, in this treatment, I would explain the reasons why the whole theme, including its
essence, will be dedicated to my bright, the blossom of my life, Age, the name associated with ‘agmi’, my beloved wife,
who honored and respected me in every situation, in every attitude of mine related with her.
The theme of the book, already clearly defined to be written on its front page, will be “The Dawn of my Life”
(The Noble one). In this book, with a real theme, there will be real characters, who have been part of this splendid life,
according to my definition. The characters of this book are treated without embellishments and excesses, but
described as a normal life of development, which prologues, from the first day, when we received the great news of our
engagement, until the day, when I put down on paper this extensive “elaboration” of life. This book of the realistic
novel genre deals with events and episodes over the years that were actually experienced, without the need for
many characters, or made up, nor their embellishments or exaggerations. Every single person, in life, has the desire to write
down his life, its episodes and especially the traces he or she leaves behind. But my intention and motivation to
write in this genre, a realistic novel with my wife as the main character, is simply to present to the reader the great
art, dynamism, ingenuity of a woman in life, who has very much emphasized the art of respect, motivation, harmony,
toleration, restrain and coping with her husband and others, at work, with superiors and subordinates, in the
company of friends and up to the highest leadership of the state, with whom she has had contact.
I must clearly indicate, first of all, that in my life, there is no one better than my wife. But, compared to the rest of
the knowledgeable part of the society, I have not been able to balance her with anyone, inside or outside my kin, with those special and prominent qualities manifested by her, balancing, with whomever She has had contact at work or in her life, in society and in the family and in any situation. In my life experience I have known courageous women who are stable, women with strong and invincible
character, in front of unfavorable positions, intellectual women who left you speechless for their intelligence and
oratory, model women in behavior with their husbands and children, seductive women, who, due to their agreeable character they attracted the others, receiving afterwards the best human estimations; I have known women in various difficulties in economic, family, health and government relations. I have known women with many troubles in life, from the most diverse, with possible
ways out and difficult ways out. As I have known women of different natures and characters, who were “read” very
easily, with little difficulty, with great difficulty or even those who were impossible to analyze their features, their
characteristics. Regarding the female characters, as well as the experiences of everything, troubles and problems during
life, my Age, would resemble all those female categories, as a typical representation of them, but also as a special
unique woman. She and I, together, tried all these, lived and enjoyed all these, according to the way of construction
and selection, in accordance with the nature, as how they came to us, from outside, or from us as self-beginners.
Every episode of relationships, every personal problem of mine or both of us, internal or external, every personal
or family problem, every problem with the state, every threshold of goodness or lucky perspective, my wife gave
them, not only a solution, but also the last hand, as an end.
She melted as active defining “characters” and became one with the episodes, always interpreting the positive
role, encountering not only the negative phenomenon of the case, but stopping, analyzing and extracting the total
truth, in confrontation with the experience of her life, not only with the negative phenomenon of the case, but
by confronting and completely removing from her life those negative characters who were “initiators” or had
the objective of wrongdoing. In other words, for 60 years, my wife with her strength, endurance and resistance, but
also with her initiative, courage and clear vision to walk the family path towards joys and happiness, She can
be compared to a “ship”. in the middle of the sea, which withstands the storms but also the great calm without
waves, under the sun’s rays, which warms the soul, enjoying everything that comes after.
Throughout the life span of these 60 years together, despite the insufficient education, because of economic
impossibility, she was left an orphan at the age of 8, I found her focus, care and attention to learn and embrace the
progressive new, to learn everything that would serve for a better and more comfortable life in the existing conditions,
to learn even to speak, the use of words and social, official or regional-dialect communication. She, with a
perfectly focused attention, followed the conversation and communication with the local and central leaders, adapting
herself very intelligently to the conversation, through self correction or finding the answers, as they required or
fitted them. In any case, afterwards, she also received their evaluations and opinion: “What a good woman!
I have never been present at work and during work, nor the contacts she had with the “majors”, cadres, such
as the First Secretary, the Chairman of the Assembly, members of the Political Bureau, the Chairman and ViceChairman of the Council of Ministers, with Secretaries of the Committee and those in the Congresses, where she participated, but, afterwards, her appearance, behavior, service and official and social communication, I and our society have learned constantly later, as a woman of great balance, clever, and of great authority, and I rejoiced. I rejoiced because she was walking and progressing even
though she did not have the necessary education to deal with people of these ranks. I was glad that she was learning by finding the language of communication with anyone. I was glad that my beloved, my wife, had an innate intelligence; she had a magical adaptation to people and situations, she had an assimilable appearance at first, but after the gratitude of the circle or individual, who, at the
the very first glance, she won their hearts, she showed them her appreciation, always receiving the response:
“She is a very good and right-minded woman”. Historically, after the first decade of marriage, except in various jobs,
during eight hours, we have spent all the rest of the time together, without being separated, everywhere, on walks,
in meetings, in visits to friends and colleagues, in distant and close trips. The question is rightly raised: “Who was
the final external evaluation for both of us, from those we met and talked to?”
“You are very noble man, but your wife is more than a noble woman.” From childhood, as I have learned from her
parents, after we married, and then started joint life, she was valued as a person with special and stable traits and
character. Without the need, at all, for superlatives, the most defining evaluation is given by my friends and colleagues,
who loved her as a sister, because She, all of them and at all times, appeared with her husband and four children.
As a mother’s position, towards children, I don’t want to comment, since between them there is love without end,
love for life. A short comment deserves the reservation of everything humane that she dedicated to her husband,
regardless of the fact that he (I), “called” to himself and his wife, the presence of bad, even dramatic situations.
She overcame the pain with her stoicism of strong character and she had the strength to smile as if nothing
had happened. With a rare sweetness of communication, which one could hardly find, she gave you courage and
hope, healing the wound, as if by magic, with two or three words: “Don’t worry, because you have Age Zefe with you!”
Or, even more hope and confidence for overcoming the situation: “With Age Zefe we will overcome everything!”,
“You will see how easily we will succeed in this situation”, etcetera, etcetera. No matter how the sorrow came from
inside or outside, small or big, She was capable to find so much human dignity and strength in the soul and heart
that she brought us complete relief of spiritual suffering. Even when her husband (I) would risk prison by going to
its doors, or when we were both fired from our jobs, she found the courage to continue living in those conditions,
calming the souls (mine and children´s) with the words: “Remember my words, everything will turn out for better”
(i.e. remember my words). Age Zefe dedicated her life and soul to her children and her husband, without sparing
herself, She overcame all, during six decades, the good and the bitter, making possible the good upbringing and
education of three sons and a daughter with the best human virtues, and, therefore, bringing us a very comfortable and very satisfying end of life. Thanks to her rare qualities and virtues and her comprehensive care, we managed to create
a model family for the time, a model for all ages, a model and example for today’s youth and as a model of a life with
many complications, for anyone who will be able to read this book.
The author
Lezha, August 2022