The Name — Peter: Chapter 2 of the Novel “STONE”
A family name, a child’s identity, and the beginning of a life shaped by history
Before You Read
In the first chapter of Stone, a child was born.
Now he receives a name.
That may seem like a small event compared with the historical upheavals surrounding his family. But a name is never quite as simple as it appears. It connects a person to parents, relatives, traditions, memory, and sometimes to a world that existed before that person was born.
This chapter follows the story of how the boy came to be called Peter.
For me, this is also where the personal nature of Stone becomes especially important.
Peter is not an invented character in the usual sense. He was my father. And his story is part of my family history.
I am telling his story many decades after the events described here. That distance changes the way the past is seen. What was an ordinary family decision at the time can acquire a different meaning when we know what happened to the people involved later.
But the people themselves did not know the future.
They did not know what the coming decades would bring to their family, their village, or Ukraine.
At this moment, there is simply a child, a name, and a family beginning his life.
That is where we continue.
STONE
Book One: First Steps Toward the Light and Back
Chapter 2 — The Name — Peter
January 1920. The village of Tomakivka.
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.
Get Volodymyr Shablia’s stories in your inbox
Join Medium for free to get updates from this writer.
“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.
After the Chapter
A name can be only a few words.
A life is what gives those words their meaning.
Peter’s story is only beginning. The world into which he was born would soon change dramatically, and the choices and circumstances surrounding his family would become increasingly difficult.
The later chapters of Stone follow that life through childhood, Soviet rule, repression, the Holodomor, war, occupation, and imprisonment.
But before all of that, there was a child — and a name.
Continue Reading
If you have not read the opening chapter of Stone, you can begin here:
The Birth of Peter — Opening Chapter of Stone
Peter’s story begins there.
The next chapters will continue to follow his life and the world around him as both gradually change.
About the author
I am Volodymyr Shablia, the author of Stone, a historical biographical novel based on my family history in Soviet Ukraine.
The novel is dedicated to the memory of my father.
