The Russians are Coming!, 14 Months in the Life of the Town

Chapter 28: Everything Is Clear Now

He entered the police station, walked to his desk, sat down, and stretched.

Jeff Menard had never felt so happy. Sunshine lit up the room, fall was here, and the lovely days of Indian summer had come to the town.

Jeff was smiling, and his colleagues glanced at him with surprise. The police chief looked out from his office.

«Jeff,» he called. «Come here.»

They entered the office, and kept silent for a while.

«Jeff,» his superior started in a friendly way. «You have to understand. The whole city already knows about David and Marina. Now you and Vera.»

«We are adults.» Jeff looked right into the face of his superior officer. «It’s our private life.»

«But you’re not a civilian,» retorted the chief. «You’re a police officer; you represent authority. I know you love your job, and I don’t think you want to lose it. Such misbehavior can defame the status of a policeman.»

Blood rushed to Jeff’s head, and he stared at his boss. He was ready to argue, but the image of Vera appeared in his mind, and Jeff surprised himself, realizing how easy his decision was.

Slowly Jeff took out his police badge, put it on the desk, and left the office without saying a word. The chief ran after him.

«Jeff,» he called. But Jeff did not look back, and kept going.

The policeman sighed, and shook his head. All the officers gazed at him, and he shrugged his shoulders.

«He’ll be back,» the chief said in a positive voice. «I’m sure.»

* * * * *

Smiling, Jeff went along a street. He was thinking about Vera, and he wanted to sing.

He had quit his job, and did not know yet what he was going to do, but it was no matter to him. He had made his choice. Happiness and love overflowed his heart. He threw up his police cap and uttered, «Hurrah!»

He felt like a huge weight had been tossed off his back. Some people gawked at him, and he waved to them with his cap.

«I love Vera!» he exclaimed happily. «I do love her!»

The people whispered to each other. Menard continued his walk. He saw Bill Thompson, sitting on the porch of his house, and he saluted to him as well.

Bill watched Jeff and thought about Alla. He went to the backyard, and called his pet. Lying in the shade, Goldy only looked at its master, then lowered its head again.

Thompson hesitated. He recalled the cheerful Jeff, then he remembered that Alla would leave the country soon and he made up his mind. Bill checked the water in Goldy’s bowl and moved it close to the dog. He petted the retriever and left.

For the first time in years he went to the park without his companion, but he saw Alla, and this sight erased his sadness and a smile surfaced on his lips. She was swinging on the swings.

She bravely swung herself so high that, when the seat was reaching the highest point, the chains were parallel to the ground. Her skirt was fluttering and flapping like a sail. She was laughing loudly, yet despite her age everything looked very natural and run-of-the-mill.

Flying up, she saw him and waved, and Bill got scared. «She’ll fall!»

But she did not, just slowed herself, and, getting up from the swing, she asked him, «Where is Goldy?»

«She doesn’t feel well.» It was their only dialogue, but they understood each other without additional words.

Silently they walked to a bench and sat side-by-side.

A boy ran after a squirrel, and Alla yelled at him. «Leave the animal alone!»

The frightened child glanced at her and raced to his mother, and the woman angrily addressed Alla. «You have no right to shout at my son!»

«Really?» Alla smiled. «Today he chases a squirrel, tomorrow he’ll be after a girl. One day it will finish in jail. You have a wonderful boy, ma’am. I don’t want him to become a prisoner. But maybe you want him to?»

The woman gaped at Alla and quickly went aside, taking her son with her.

«A troublemaker,» Bill Thompson thought about Alla, but he liked it. «Gosh, she is a troublemaker!»

He was glad that this incident gave him a subject for conversation and he asked her, «Did you watch the program about squirrels yesterday on the Discovery Channel?»

«No,» Alla replied sadly. «I just started to watch when Vlad came home. He asked me if he could change the channel, and I felt myself uncomfortable to refuse. Do you understand what I mean?»

Bill nodded. Last summer one of his sons visited him with his family. The daughter-in-law was watching soap operas all day long, at evening his son watched wrestling, and Bill dared not ask about changing the channel.

Their kids exhausted Goldy with their games, and the master and his pet sighed with relief when these noisy guests finally left.

«Would you like to watch the Discovery Channel in my home tonight?» he suggested. «If it’s okay with you…»

«Great!» She clapped her hands. «What time?»

«After six p.m.» Thompson smiled, gladdened by her reaction. He looked around at the sunlit park, and this bright nice day perfectly corresponded with his cheerful mood.

* * * * *

Oleg entered their apartment, and glanced at his wife. As usual, Vera was painting. The picture, showing a little black boy playing with a kitten, was almost done. The child was laughing, and the cat also seemed to be smiling. It was an amazing piece of artwork, and Oleg even felt a little guilty. But he thought about Lana, and went back to his senses and plans.

«Vera,» he started resolutely. «We’ve gotta talk!»

She turned toward him. Her strange gaze confused the man for a while.

«You always were a smart person.» He carefully chose the words. «I met another woman. Sorry. I want a divorce.»

Her brows crawled up. Oleg expected her to be upset or angry, but his wife looked surprised, that was all.

«Really?» Vera smiled, and Oleg thought she did not understand what he had said.

«I’m going to divorce you,» he repeated loudly. Vera laughed. Then suddenly she wept, and pressed her palms to her cheeks. Oleg calmed down. He thought it was a more natural reaction.

«Don’t cry, my dear, I promise to help you with money.»

Dropping her hands, she gave him some very stern advice as to how he could use that money in another way.

«Oh, Vera.» Oleg was shocked. «We are a cultured people. Let’s not use such language. I understand you’re upset…»

«I am upset, am I?» She guffawed.

Someone knocked, and Jeff Menard entered. He looked at the Russians, and saw Vera’s tear-stained face. He lunged at Oleg, and grabbed his shirt. «How dare you offend her?»

«Calm down, Jeff,» Vera said softly. «Oleg has just agreed to our divorce, and I was simply too excited to hear it.»

Confused, Jeff released Oleg and reached out to his beloved one. Oleg gawked at Jeff and Vera in amazement. They hugged each other, and Jeff tenderly stroked her back. Oleg never would have imagined that his reserved, calm wife could possibly find another man. He felt jealous, and surprised himself.

«Good luck!» he voiced as coldly as he could. «I’m glad that you took it so easy.»

Nobody answered him, and Oleg left the apartment.

He got into his car, and muttering, drove back to Lana.

A limousine was parked next to her car and, feeling a little worried, Oleg entered the house.

The living room was full of people.

Sitting on the couch Mr. Limpson was hugging his daughter. Lana’s bodyguard, Tom, stood near the window, and another hefty man immediately blocked the entrance as Oleg went in.

«What happened?» Oleg felt his lips shivering. «Lana, honey? I have just talked with my wife. I told you she will agree, and she did.»

«It’s okay,» Mr. Limpson answered instead of his daughter. «I feel sorry for that woman, and I will help her. My firm will be her sponsor. I saw her works. Each picture is a masterpiece. She is a great artist, and it’s not her fault that her husband is a scoundrel.»

Oleg blanched. A man wearing a business suit took out a tape recorder and pushed the button. Oleg gasped and his legs gave way under him. It was his last talk with Nikolay. Lana cried, and the man stopped the tape.

«We’ve already heard the translation,» explained Mr. Limpson. «And if it was up to me, I’d send you to jail now. But my poor girl has a real crush on you, so we compromised. I bought you a ticket to Moscow. Your flight is tomorrow, and you’ll leave the town right away. My man will accompany you until you reach Russia. But if you ever come to the United States, or try to contact my daughter again, a copy of this tape would be given to the FBI.»

Oleg kept silent. He did not understand how he could have made such a mistake. Of course he trusted Lana; he just had not expected her to help her daddy trap him.

The girl kissed her father and left, not even looking at her ex.

* * * * *

Goldy barked, and Bill Thompson heard a rap at his door. His heart jumped, just as though he was a teenager before his first date.

He glanced at a mirror, neared the door and opened it wide, letting Alla in. The woman entered with her slight dancing-like walk, and the tender cloud of her perfume enveloped him. The elegant smell of lilies of the valley made Bill smile dreamily.

«Thank you for coming!» He exhaled.

«Thank you for inviting me!» Alla walked around his house looking about.

She went to the kitchen, and, smiling, she checked out the place.

Bill was afraid she would like to move and sort the kitchen stuff, as most of the women who came here tried to do. He hated it, as when he could not find something he needed he would spend a lot of time restoring the order he liked. But Alla did not do this.

«Do you have cereal here?» She opened the door of the first kitchen cupboard, and it surprised Thompson, as she was absolutely right. Without a single mistake she named things, opening doors, and pulling out drawers.

«How do you know?» murmured Bill.

She shrugged her shoulders. «I don’t know. I just feel it. Well, maybe just because if I’d put those things in the same places.»

«Sweet, sweet woman.» Bill felt incredible tenderness filling his soul. «How strange, we spent decades living thousands of miles from each other. But it seems like we grew up and lived together all our lives.»

They went to the living room, and Alla threw her arms up, seeing candles light up the refined coffee table with a large pizza in the center. Decorated with flowers and numerous houseplants, the salon seemed part of a timberland. The light green blinds were closed, and the huge screen of the TV showed some view of the woodland. It appeared as if dinner was served in the middle of the forest.

«Wow.» She gasped, delighted. «Oh, Bill, you are a true romantic!»

They watched program after program sharing their comments and memories.

Being enamored of his guest, Thompson could not move his eyes from her. She even ate in a way that he liked.

Usually, while chewing, women irritated him, but now he admired every bite that Alla took with her thin, slightly yellow teeth. When she swallowed, a tender trembling went down along her throat, and Bill yearned with desire to kiss her neck, and feel her dainty skin under his lips.

«Oh, if you could stay here tonight!»

It was a cry from the bottom of his heart. Alla looked at Bill, and he became confused, realizing that he had said it aloud.

«What have I done!» he thought, getting upset. «She’ll take offense!»

She picked up the receiver of the phone, and dialed a number.

«Nina?» she said calmly. «I won’t be home tonight.» She spoke in Russian, glanced at Bill, then repeated it in English. «Bye, honey.» And putting the receiver in its place, she stretched, smiling at the ecstatic man. «I think in our age it would be stupid to follow all these formalities of courting.» She pronounced it so naturally that not even a single vulgar thought came into his mind.

«What age?» he whispered, hugging her, and feeling her hot arms around his strained body. «Young lady, are you old enough to do this? I don’t want to go to jail, if you are a minor.»

Giggling with pleasure, she responded to his kiss.

«Just to be with someone who understands you.» She said it barely loud enough to hear, or maybe Bill just thought this phrase.

* * * * *

About one week later, when Vlad Lapin walked into the laboratory after lunch, he noticed the new teaching assistant turn toward him with a strange smirk on her face.

«Your wife called again.» The assistant chuckled. «She wanted to know where to get ticket prices for New York. I think she’s gonna run away with her lover.»

Struck by her words, Vlad gaped at her.

«Why not?» the girl continued. «Marina, the Merkulovs. I think it’s a Russian tradition to break a family, eh?»

It was a sunny day, but the daylight dimmed for Vlad.

«What if she’s right?» he thought, growing cold. «How would I live without Nina?»

Shaking, not saying a word, Vlad spun around and rushed out. In the entrance he collided with David VanStein, but he did not stop.

«Vlad!» the surprised professor called after him, but Vlad did not reply and just continued running.

On the ground floor Vlad saw a phone. He grabbed the receiver and made a call.

«Please, be home!» he begged, he prayed, waiting for an answer. «Please, be home!» Every ring, little by little, killed his hope. His hand could not hold the receiver, and Vlad dropped it.

He ran to his car. The students’ parking lot was far away from the laboratory building, and today the weather was great, so Vlad had parked his car at the end of the lot because he did not care if his walk was a few minutes longer. Now he was running, damning this act.

When he crossed a driveway, an oncoming car almost hit him. The driver jumped out and shouted at Vlad, but he did not even notice what had happened.

All his thoughts were concentrated on his family.

Vlad was hot. The autumn sun scorched as if it was summertime. He ran and ran, and thought he would never reach his damned car. The way through the parking lot seemed endless.

Dripping with sweat, Vlad got into his car and drove away.

The air-conditioner did not work, and Vlad opened all the windows to let in fresh air.

«She is at home,» he whispered, forcing himself not to lose hope. «She was in the bathroom… She was outside… She was asleep…The phone isn’t working… Oh, Nina, please, don’t kill me!»

Suddenly he heard a siren behind him. He looked in the mirror, saw a police car, and pulled over. Jeff Menard walked to him, and looked in.

«You missed the stop signal,» he told Vlad, but he saw his shocked face, and asked, «What happened?»

«My wife…» Vlad did not know how to explain. «I have to find her…»

«You have to stop the vehicle completely at every stop signal.» Jeff sighed, and continued softly. «Turn at the next left, drive three blocks, then turn right. It’s a short cut. Just drive safely.»

«Thank you,» mumbled Vlad.

«Good luck!» Jeff did not give him a ticket, and returned to his police cruiser.

* * * * *

Vlad stopped the car in front of his house, ran up and pushed the door. It was locked.

His hands were shaking as he took his keys out, and he could barely shove the key into the hole. He opened the door, and quickly went in.

He looked around and saw a letter on the coffee table.

«She’s left me!» Vlad felt despair. «It’s a good-bye note!»

Not feeling his legs, he walked to the table, took the paper, and stared at the letters; he could not even read it. He made an effort, then looked again.

«We are in the park,» he read. Appalled, he did not understand, and read the note again.

«We are in the park. Kisses, Nina.»

Vlad tried to take control of himself. But even this letter did not appease his fears.

«What if it is a trick?» he thought with worry. «What if she wrote it to have time to run as far as she can?»

He walked around the apartment, trying to determine if all her things were still here.

«What if she only took necessities?»

He dashed into the living room and examined the drawer with their papers. All the documents were here, and he calmed down a little. He looked through the window into the back yard, and saw the clean laundry on the line.

«I’m a fool,» he told himself. «Don’t play Othello, Vlad.»

However, doubt was still in his heart. He went to Larisa’s room and checked out her toys.

Anxiety fell on him again. He could not find the toy rabbit that Larisa won in the Easter lottery. He knew she would never sleep without it, and it was too big to take to the park.

He hastily turned over the box with her toys, then the bedclothes. There was no rabbit here. Gasping, he rushed out and saw Alla enter the house.

«Where is your daughter?» he asked her. Alla laughed and struck a theatrical pose.

«„I brought my daughter to you,“» she caught his question and continued a dialogue, quoting from a Russian play. «„So, you answer me, where is my daughter?“»

It was a well-known play about how a girl ran away with her lover, and Vlad’s legs gave way under him. Feeling just as though he was dying, he sat straight down onto the carpet.

«What happened?» Alla got worried. Vlad could not talk, only showed Alla the letter. She read it and she shrugged her shoulders. «They are in the park. So what?»

«Do you think so?» Vlad gazed at her, as a suspicion rose in his soul. «What if she’s just covering for Nina?» he thought. «Mother would rather help her daughter than a son-in-law.»

Forcing himself to get up, he went out of the house, and drove to the city park.

He walked through the playground, looking for his daughter. A lot of children and babies were playing and running around, making him confused. The dazzling sunlight made his search even harder.

«Larisa!» he called out, not noticing the astonished gazes of the people. «Nina!»

They were not here, and when Vlad realized that, he wobbled to a bench, and fell down on it. Burying his face into his palms, he was wracked with desperation.

«How do I find her?» thought Lapin. «New York… Which Interstate should I go? Maybe I can catch her bus? What if she took a cab? You’re raving, buddy, no taxi will go so far… Maybe she took a train? Wake up, this is a local road… But maybe she would take a train in the next town?» He was thinking, and thinking, and did not know what to do.

«Papa!» he heard, but still caught up in his thoughts, he did not react. «Papa!»

The child’s arms hugged him, and Vlad opened his eyes and saw Larisa. He was so shocked, he did not realize at once what was going on. He saw Nina walk toward him, and a surprised smile was on her lips.

«I told you, Mom, it’s Dad!» the girl said to her mother.

«Why are you here?» wondered Nina.

«Where were you?» Vlad asked, instead of giving an answer.

«We went to clean Larisa’s toy rabbit,» she replied casually. «The cleaner said it wouldn’t be ready until this evening. You know that picky girl can’t sleep without that stupid bunny. But it became too dirty.»

Vlad nervously laughed, squeezed his daughter and addressed Nina. «Why did you ask about prices to New York?»

«Mom’s flight to Russia from New York, did you forget?» Nina snorted. «She’s afraid you wouldn’t be able to drive her, so she wants to know what to do in case you can’t.»

Larisa felt bored and ran to the playground. Her parents followed her with their eyes and smiles on their faces.

«When’s Alla’s flight?» The Lapins heard and saw Bill Thompson walking toward them.

«Next week,» Nina sighed and scratched Goldy’s ears as the dog snuggled to her. «I’m gonna miss her.»

«Me too,» mumbled the upset Bill, but no one heard this.

«Time is going so fast!» Vera Grach neared them, and also petted the retriever.

«You’re right.» Heavily sitting on the bench, Thompson replied with bitterness. «Today Goldy had difficulty getting up. And just last year she was so active. She could even run.»

«Want me make a picture of it?» Vera asked.

Bill looked at her with surprise. «How?»

The artist smiled. She took her notebook, made a sketch quickly, and gave it to Thompson. «It would be like this.»

Bill looked with amazement.

The picture showed a retriever running towards him with all four legs. The animal was shown on the highest point of its leap. It seemed just like with the next jump the dog would land right on his chest.

«It’s great!» Bill gasped.

«It’s just a sketch.» Vera’s colorless face became pink with pleasure. «Would you like me to do a picture for you?»

«Yes, please.» Bill nodded, impressed. «I’d be happy.»

«About what?» they heard, and saw a smiling Alla.

«Great!» she exclaimed. «All the members of the club are assembled!»

Everybody laughed.

«Not all of them.» Jeff Menard came close. «Did you forget about me?»

«I never would,» thought Vera, feeling her breath stop for a second. «Whatever happens to us in the future, I will never forget you, my wonderful black knight.»

«I see you found your wife,» the policeman smiled, addressing Vlad. «And I found mine.»

Everybody gazed at them, and Jeff kissed Vera. Then they all understood, and burst forth with greetings. Women hugged Vera, and Vlad did the same to Jeff.

Suddenly, looking at the men, seeing their faces close to each other, the artist noticed with great surprise how similar they were.

They had a different build, but their curly hair, plump lips, and big eyes with long eyelashes made them look like twins. The face of her fiancé seemed to Vera as a negative of Vlad, and she giggled, thinking, «Yes, it’s true: all people are brothers.»

«I was looking for you as I moved to Jeff’s house today,» Vera explained, giving a paper to Nina. «Here is my address and phone number from now on. I have to inform everyone about where I now live.»

«Gosh!» Vlad gasped, recalling his work. «And I didn’t even tell David where I was going!»

He waved and went to his car. Everything was clear for Vlad now, and love and peaceful feelings filled his soul.