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

Chapter 10: The Day of Love

David VanStein and Vlad Lapin were playing ping-pong in the recreational center.

They could not go home due to the experiment that was running in the laboratory, but it did not require their constant attention, so they had a little time to stretch their limbs.

They were playing and talking.

«I heard your friend helped you fix your car,» David said to Vlad.

«Ruslan is a handyman,» Vlad replied, hitting the ball. «I’m very glad that he met Mr. Limpson.»

«Yes, I was very surprised when I heard Mr. Limpson paid for his study here. Do you know why?»

«Because, I bet, Ruslan will be a second Edison, and Mr. Limpson is smart enough to realize it.» He made an adroit strike, and smiled. «That Christmas party was a very good idea.»

David thought about Marina. He missed the ball, and giggled nervously.

«When Marina sang that song, I was shocked,» the professor said, hoping his voice sounded casual enough.

«Yeah, David,» Vlad shook his head. «You should be more careful. In Russia, professors often have student lovers…»

David stood still, and lost the ball again. Vlad drew near to him, and continued, dropping his voice, «But as I know, here in the U.S.A. you can have trouble.»

«We are not lovers,» mumbled David. He looked at Vlad, and saw he did not believe him. «My God! I swear, nothing has happened between us.»

«Relax, professor.» Vlad tried to support his adviser. «I’ll be the last who will throw a stone at you.»

The professor staggered to the bench and tiredly sat down. «Vlad, what shall I do?» Clutching his head, he murmured with depression. "Fire her or what?»

Realizing that his chief spoke the truth, Vlad was taken aback, and kept silent for a while.

«I think you should talk with her,» Vlad said to him finally. «Marina is a very good and kind girl. She’ll understand.»

David gazed at him with hope. «Do you think so?»

«I’m sure.» Vlad looked at his watch. «Go right now. If Megan calls, I’ll cover for you.»

They shook hands, and David quickly left.

* * * * *

He drove to her apartment building, and carefully looked around. Nobody was here, and David parked his car in the next street. He walked to the door of Marina’s apartment, and knocked.

Marina opened the door, saw him, and gasping, she stepped back. Frightened that someone would see him here, David hastily went in.

«Marina, I…» he started and turned towards her. She embraced him. Her lips pressed to his, stifling his voice. Her enigmatically sparkling eyes bewitched him, and he lost his will to resist.

«My God!» he thought unexpectedly sensing pity for her. «How she loves me! And she’s so alone!»

She led David to the couch, brought him down, and got on top of him.

«Marina,» David murmured, feeling as if he was going insane.

«Ssshhh!» she whispered, pressing her aromatic hand to his trembling lips. «Listen to my story. Once upon a time there was a brave pirate captain. His people boarded a ship and got a lot of prisoners. Among them there was a young girl, and he took her for himself…»

She caressed David giving vent to all her saved tenderness and love, and, sensing this, the shocked David could not force himself to push her away. He just closed his eyes.

«It’s delirium,» he thought. «I’m simply sick and raving.»

Marina explored his stunned face, and she was smiling, thinking she understood the reason. She had never felt herself happier. She was pleasing her beloved man. He belonged to her now, and nothing else mattered.

* * * * *

He gazed at her. Silently standing near the window, Marina was looking outside.

David felt dizzy. «What have I done?» He thought, amazed with himself. «I came here to make things straight, and made everything much worse!»

«Marina,» he called, and did not recognize his own voice. «I’m really sorry.»

«I’m not,» she interrupted him, not looking back.

Shaking, he got up off the couch. He had headache. David did not know what to say, how explain to her what was going on in his soul.

«I’m married,» he squeezed out.

«I know,» she replied calmly. «I didn’t ask you to divorce.»

«I love my wife…»

«Good. So you shouldn’t tell her what happened.»

«No!» he screamed with despair. «That’s no good.»

«Why?» She turned to him. «We didn’t hurt anybody.»

Her glittering icy-gray eyes mixed up his thoughts.

«Marina, dear.» He went close. «It was an awful misunderstanding. Honest.»

She looked at him with surprise. «What do you mean?»

«I came here, because I wanted to tell you to lay off me,» he confessed.

«Lay off…» she repeated. Her eyes roved over his face.

«Yes.» David was afraid she did not understand. «Your love is too noticeable. Please, leave me alone. Just let me be, okay?»

She hissed like a cat, like a snake, like a boiling teakettle! David thought she wanted to spit in his face.

With unexpected power Marina grabbed him and tossed him out of her apartment.

On the steps David barely kept his feet. His coat flew out after him and fell on his head. He took it off and saw a few students nearby gawking at him. They recognized him and burst into an insolent laugh.

David rushed to his car.

* * * * *

He drove home, ran to the bathroom, and thoroughly washed his face with cold water. Strolling into the living room, he fell into the armchair, and pressed his hands to his cheeks.

«Honey?» The worried voice of his wife gave him a start. «What happened?»

David wildly glanced at her, and, at the same time, noticed a police car stop in front of the house. Jeff Menard came out, approached his door, and knocked.

«What if Marina reported that I raped her?» Recalling her ’pirate story’, David felt his heart stop beating for a second. Pallid as a ghost, he slowly got up. Looking at her husband with concern, Megan opened the door, and David gazed at the entering police officer like a hunted deer looks at the oncoming dogs.

«Dr. VanStein?» Jeff addressed him, and the frightened David could not even breathe.

«You’re working with the Russians, aren’t you?»

David’s legs gave way under him.

«Can I borrow your English-Russian dictionary, please?» asked Jeff. «The library has none. Just for two days?»

As in a trance, David went to the bookshelf, took down the dictionary, and handed it to Jeff.

«Just two days,» repeated the policeman.

«It’s okay, take your time.» David breathed out slowly recovering his wits. «I have another one in the lab.»

Jeff left, and Megan came close to her husband. «What’s going on?»

Laughing, he hugged her. Hilarity overtook the professor. «Nothing!» he exclaimed, relieved. «I just realized, how much I love you. You can’t believe, how important you are to me!»

Megan shook her head smiling at him.

«Let’s go to a restaurant,» David suggested. «Right away.»

«But the kids?»

«Let’s go to McDonald’s, then. I want to have some family fun.»

«Oh, David…» and feeling happy, she went to get the children ready.

* * * * *

Marina slammed the door, and sobbing, she fell onto the couch that was still warm with the heat of their bodies.

«This is the man that I loved,» she whispered, distressed as never before in her life. «This is the man that I used to love. Oh dear God, kill me. Send me death right now. Damn Fate! You have killed all my hopes and dreams. Kill me next, what are you waiting for?»

Resolutely rising, Marina strode to her chemical reagents safe. A professional, she knew what to drink to die without additional suffering. She opened it and took out a vial. A knock at her door changed her thoughts.

«He’s back!»

She flung herself to the door and threw it wide open. Marina stared at her guest and at first did not even recognize who it was.

«Are you okay?» Nina Lapina asked with worry. Marina could not reply, and feeling that something was amiss, Nina went in without invitation. Not saying a thing, just as though in delirium, Marina closed the door and turned toward Nina.

«I called Vlad to tell him that I was coming to see you. He told me not to go. But I felt something strange, so I’m here.» She gazed at the ashy face of her friend. «Now, I see, I was right. What happened, Marina?»

«I committed a mean act, and have been punished for it,» she replied with a lifeless voice.

«Give me a break.» Nina snorted. «I know you. You couldn’t do this.»

«What do you call it when someone uses property that doesn’t belong to him?»

«If that person’s starving, and needs vitally to use it,» Nina retorted, «it’s not a good act, but only barbarians could pronounce this person guilty for that.»

She looked at the vial that Marina held. Nina had studied chemistry. She read the label, glanced at Marina, then understood. Gasping, she leapt to Marina and tore the vial from her hand. She slapped Marina. «Stupid!» She slapped the girl again. «Damn stupid hell-doll!»

She ran to the safe, put the vial in, locked it and removed the key.

«Have you lost your mind?» Nina went back to Marina. «How could you even think about it?»

«Who cares? I’m alone,» mumbled Marina. She saw sincere pain for herself in the expressive doe eyes of Nina. «Sorry… You’re right. I’m a fool.»

The women hugged each other and cried together. Nina did not ask anymore about what had happened to Marina, but she understood everything clearly, as she saw it herself.

* * * * *

As she was leaving, Nina gazed at Marina again. «No more stupid actions?» She gave her a wink.

«No, more. I swear.» Marina nodded. She honestly felt fine now. Closing the door, Marina thought about David, but now those thoughts did not hurt anymore, becoming just memories.

* * * * *

Jeff went to the gift shop to browse through Valentine cards.

He dearly wanted to make a special card for Vera. This is why he borrowed the dictionary. He wanted to write something in Russian to her. He spoke Spanish, and in school he studied German, so he understood that this task would not be easy, as most of the cards contained words that would lose their meaning in translation.

In addition, he did not want his card to be too open-hearted, so he made his choice very carefully.

Finally he chose a card.

At home he attentively read the instructions on how to use the dictionary. He paged through the book, and he was glad to find a lot of examples.

He wrote a few phrases, chose one of them, and hesitated for a while.

«It’s okay,» he said to himself, checking the sentence again. He thoughtfully copied these strange looking letters, sighed, and put the card into an envelope.

* * * * *

Vera Grach collected the mail, and quickly sorted it as usual, separating the personal mail for her husband.

She opened the envelope with the phone bill and checked it. Oleg called Russia sometimes twice a week; he needed to control his business. However she was surprised to see that during the last month he called Moscow more often. But he never let her into his business, so Vera only shrugged her shoulders. Taking a pencil, she marked her calls, then checked the other mail.

This small red envelope had no return address. Vera ripped it open, saw a Valentine’s Day card. She opened it with curiosity.

She saw a picture of a bee holding a heart. The big hand-written letters caught her attention, and she was astonished when she realized it was written in Russian.

«You to be mead,» she read, amazed, and looked at the English text: «You are honey.» Then she understood and gasped. «Oh, Jeff…»

She pressed the card to her chest. Although there was no signature, she realized at once from whom it had been sent. Her gaze fell on a huge bouquet of fourteen scarlet roses that Oleg had given her today, and the woman blushed, feeling guilty.

«Oh, Jeff,» she whispered, not noticing the tears running down her cheeks. «Why are you doing this? I can’t, I simply can’t…» And, sobbing, she hid the card in her jewelry box.

She heard a knock, hastily rubbed her eyes, opened the door, and saw Nina and Larisa Lapina there. She invited them into the apartment.

«Auntie Vera!» The girl hugged her mother’s friend. «Happy Valentines Day!»

Larisa held out a card that she had made all by herself. Vera gave the girl lessons in art, and she noticed with pleasure that Larisa had used her acquired knowledge.

Taking up her painting equipment, the girl started working on a new picture. Today was not a lesson; she was doing it just for fun, so the women went to the kitchen to talk without disturbing her.

«Are you hungry as usual?» Vera teased Nina, who demonstratively frowned.

«That’s not hospitable to ask like that,» she said, then laughed, taking a piece of chocolate cake that Vera held out for her.

«How many times have I had lunch at your home?» Vera smiled with her memories. «I can’t forget all those delicious dishes that your mother, Alla, cooked. Do you miss her?»

«I miss her badly.» Nina sighed. «All my life, I lived with her. It’s the first time we’ve been separated for such a long time. But for Vlad I’m ready to leave even Larisa. I know it sounds awful, but we’re friends, I can speak openly to you.»

«I wish, I could love my husband so,» Vera said slowly. «Have you ever thought about another man?»

Nina giggled. «Of course.» She dreamily closed her eyes. «Yes, sometimes I imagine a man who loves me, even knowing that I’m married. He suffers with the desire and hopelessness of the situation…»

Listening to her, Vera stood still, thinking about Jeff. She suddenly realized that all that Nina was talking about fit the actions of this policeman who touched her heart.

«He sends me love letters and small cute gifts,» continued Nina rocking herself with those dreams. «When he sees me, he gets shy and ashamed. He looks at me, like a mouse looks at cheese, and I see his heart wants to jump out of his chest. He pants and sighs, and finally he declares his love. „Alas!“ I reply. „I’m touched by your feelings, but I’m married, and I won’t betray my husband!“» and, making a theatrical gesture, Nina laughed, but her smile went out when she saw that her friend was certainly depressed.

«But if it really happened?» Vera asked in an unusual voice, and Nina looked at her very attentively.

«It’s just a fantasy,» Nina replied shrugging her shoulders.

«Okay,» thought Vera. «Next time I see Jeff, I will talk to him, and I’ll say to him… What can I say? I’m married? He knows. I don’t like you? It’s not true. The worst part is I do like him.»

She could not forget that erratic feeling, when inside his police car he touched her hand, linking their skin and their souls. Memories about it filled the woman with a hot and sweet sense, like fragrant, spicy, boiling mead, and, recalling his card, Vera thought that the Russian text was also correct despite the grammatical error.

«Do you remember that police officer who drove me home?» Vera asked casually.

«The black one?» specified Nina gazing at her friend.

«Yes.» Grach became ashamed. «His name is Jeff. He’s a good and kind man. Please, don’t make fun of that.»

«I never would,» Nina answered very seriously. «You are my best friend. But you know that people started to talk about Marina? Be careful, buddy, we are not in Moscow.»

Vera nodded thinking: «She’s right. I should avoid any communication with him. But how? Do I have to ask Jeff not to contact me, not to talk to me? He could take it as racism. Well, I will just be polite with him, that’s all.»

Vera was lying to herself, yet deep in her heart, she knew the real reason that she would still keep in touch with Jeff. But remembering her marital status, this honest woman was afraid to confess it even in her soul.

Chapter 11: True Love

It was an ordinary demonstration. David VanStein explained the chemical reaction. Vlad and Marina assisted him.

The students, for the most part, watched very conscientiously, taking notes, but Lana Limpson did not pay attention. Absently looking around, she mechanically drew some pictures in her notebook.

She was thinking about Oleg, and erotic dreams gathered in her mind and drove her thoughts away from the demonstration. Lana had not been a virgin when she met Oleg, but only with him, for the first time in her life, had she reached the peak of enjoyment. Every time he showed her something new, discovering her body and feelings, and every ’session’ was a saturnalia.

Lana recalled Saint Valentine’s Day, when Oleg gave her the elegant bouquet of fourteen red roses. It did impress her. All her men had given her presents, some cards and candy, all of them did it… except Ruslan Grafinsky.

She caught up to him in the University the next day, and asked why.

«Your heart is busy,» he explained, not looking at her.

«My heart is big enough to respond to any true love,» Lana uttered passionately, watching his reaction. His skeptic grin hurt her.

«Girl, what do you know about real love?» He snorted. «Sorry, I have to go.» And he left her standing alone in the corridor. His words made her think about her relationships, and the girl tried to understand her feelings for Oleg.

«Real love,» Lana thought staring at David. «What should we call „real love“?»

She thought about the incident at the Christmas Party when the naive expression of Nina Lapina pointed out Marina’s crush on the professor. But, a short time ago, some students started claiming that he visited Marina, and often.

«Interesting,» Lana thought. «Is it true or not?»

David noticed her gaze, and it confused the professor. He tried to take control of the situation and addressed her: «What’s the matter? Doesn’t the demonstration excite you? What would you prefer to hear?»

«A love story…» Lana drawled significantly. Everybody laughed, and David felt his cheeks blush. But Marina turned to the auditorium, looked at the students, and their laughing faded. Her freezing glare made their blood curdle, as if a real Russian killing frost enveloped them.

«Then you’re taking the wrong course.» David forced himself to speak with a calm voice. «It’s chemistry, not literature.»

«Professor,» the girl said and grinned. «Tell us how you found your true love?»

«We were studying in the same graduate school, and after our graduation we got married,» David answered hoping to finish this crazy talk.

«How many times did you fall in love with a student?» Lana Limpson asked impudently, and whispering ran over the hall. All the students stared at the professor, and he could not find words to answer.

«I recommend you save your curiosity and attention for the next test. You’ll need it,» Marina told Lana, and other students laughed. The tension abated and the demonstration returned to its normal course.

But this dialog revived memories in Vlad’s heart, and he thought about his first demonstration, because that day changed his whole life.

Studying in the Moscow University, Vlad Lapin was the best student, and he was the first to prepare and show a demonstration all by himself. Bashful, Lapin tried to fight his shyness. So, while telling his report, Vlad forced himself to look at the other students.

His eyes met the gaze of a girl whom he had seen every day during the months gone by, due to the fact that they studied in the same group. However, only at that moment did Vlad suddenly notice how different she looked from her schoolmates.

Most of them were blonde and slim, but this sturdy girl had black curly hair. Doe-eyed, she stared at Vlad with seeable delight, and her brown eyes, framed with long eyelashes, displayed all her feelings and the slightest nuance of her emotions.

Her sincerely rapt glare flattered Vlad, and he sensed such enthusiasm as never before.

«Any questions?» the professor asked the students when Vlad had finished. The brunette timidly raised her hand. Her query showed she did not understand a thing, and everybody, except Vlad, laughed.

«Is she mocking me or what?» he thought gazing at the girl. She blushed and cringed confusedly glancing around, and Vlad felt pity to her. He calmly answered, summarizing his report.

«I’ve got it!» Gladness and gratitude shone in her expressive eyes, and Vlad smiled.

«Oh, if even Nina understood,» the professor sneered. «I think, missy, you’re taking the wrong course. Your last project was awful. I’m simply amazed, why do you study here? You’ll never be a good engineer. You’re just wasting the government’s money.»

The girl burst into tears, and, sobbing, she ran away.

Forgetting everything, Vlad rushed after Nina, and saw her in the corridor, standing by a window. Pressing her forehead to the windowpane, she cried violently.

He neared her, and, as tender as he could, said, «Don’t mind him. But anyway, if it’s so difficult for you to study here, why don’t you change your major?»

Resolutely wiping her eyes, the girl looked straight into his face.

«Because I love you,» she answered very casually. «And this is the only place where I can see you.»

Her naive frank declaration confounded Vlad, and he gaped at her. Shrugging her shoulders, Nina slowly walked away.

«Wait!» Vlad called her over. Nina stopped and looked back.

A very tempting idea came to Vlad. At that time in Moscow it was almost impossible to rent a room, and the government gave the students dwellings in the campus free of charge, but it was like a barracks. The students had to live with at least six people in the same room.

Vlad knew that the girl was living with her mother in an apartment. Nina even had a separate chamber.

Vlad quickly weighed the pros and cons. «It would be great to live in your very own room… Calm, silence, all the conditions for peaceful studying. She’s a nice, kind, and caring person. She loves me. She will be a perfect wife. If I’m wrong about her, I can divorce her any time,» he thought, and lied aloud addressing her: «All those months I was watching you, and I just waited for the right moment to ask you. Would you marry me?»

Her huge eyes became even bigger. Gazing at him like a wounded gazelle, she came close.

«Really?» She trustfully reached out for him, and Vlad felt guilty about his lie.

But he honestly liked Nina. He wanted to cheer her up, and her emotional love impressed him. So, he nodded, and opened his arms.

Nina hugged Vlad, and when she did it, and he sensed her pressing to him, something turned over in his soul.

He could not understand what had happened, but all his mercenary thoughts about her room were gone at once. For him she was the only person on the Earth from now on, and he knew he would not hesitate to sacrifice his own life and the whole world for her. He would go through fire and water for only one of her tears or for her smile.

Vlad had two tickets for the evening soccer game. He had planned to invite another girl, but no one else existed for him now, just Nina. Still holding her, Vlad whispered tenderly kissing her soft, sweet-smelling ear, «I’d like to go out with you. Right now. Would you come?»

She nodded, and did not even ask where they would go. Hugging each other, they walked to the exit not looking back, so they did not see the professor and the other students watching them in amazement.

* * * * *

At the end of the day David and Marina were the last people in the laboratory.

They did not exchange a word about what had happened between them in her apartment, but David could not forget about it and felt uncomfortable all the time he was alone with Marina.

«It was not my fault,» thought the professor, remembering how she instantly took control of the students during the demonstration. «She’s a real lamia. She can captivate anyone. It was not my fault! Or was it?»

«I’ll bet,» he said aloud, and surprised himself. «If you had come to the U.S.A. three hundred years ago, you could have been burned as a witch.»

Marina looked at him, and grave sorrow and melancholy, as well as hopeless depression, could be seen in her face.

«What have I said!» A painful feeling struck David’s heart, as if a merciless boxer punched him into his chest. «She’s just a lonely, deeply unlucky girl beat up many times by her Fate. Oh poor young thing! Why did I say it?»

«Sorry,» he mumbled not knowing how to explain his expression.

Not answering, the girl took her bag and left. David waited for a while, then went out of the laboratory, too.

His car was parked next to the building and he drove home.

Passing by the students’ parking lot, he saw Marina striding to her car. The weather was awful, and she was struggling through the icy wind and heavy rain as she did through her difficult life – not looking back, not asking for help, without any support.

David wished to offer her a lift, but he knew she would have refused this, so he did not even stop.