by Sherie Keys
It was good work, and he could live in the apartment over the shop rent free. Stan and his family lived next door. Dimitri went to see them occasionally, but he wasn’t fully comfortable around them. He didn’t want to tell Stan that he was here illegally. He needed to get himself a Green Card.
He’d weighed his options, and the only thing that he had come to determine was marriage. It seemed to be the simplest way. He just hoped that there were a lot of American girls who were anxious to get married. He didn’t know where to find them, so he went to the logical place: the internet.
‘Connections From A Far’ had come up easily. Dimitri had browsed profiles, but at the end of the day he’d trusted the site’s recommendation. That had been Ashley.
In terms of wives, he could have done worse. He knew it was only a Green Card marriage. He knew he meant absolutely nothing to her and she meant the same to him. But she was a nice girl, and a good girl. And he could not deny her looks. She was also a pretty girl. She was just a little down on her luck.
He’d been saving his money since he’d come, plus he had the money he’d saved in Russia. For an immigrant in a new country, he was doing quite well for himself financially. Five thousand really wasn’t a lot of money for him. He felt it was a fair offer for basically allowing him to sponge off of her citizenship.
He’d now officially been a newlywed for five days. He hadn’t seen or heard from his wife since then. He had not had one of those wild, newlywed sex nights. Actually, he didn’t even know when he would see his bride again. Oh well. He had the paperwork to prove that he was married. That was all he needed to stay in the country.
Dimitri glanced up as a police car cruised down the street. It idled for a moment outside of the shop, and then finally pulled into the parking lot. Dimitri held his breath. He’d had no trouble with the authorities since coming to the United States, and he wanted to keep it that way. He didn’t want to interact with them in the slightest to avoid bringing any attention to himself.
But an officer was already getting out of his car. He was crossing the lot of parked cars to where Dimitri was working.
“Mr. Mitchell?” Dimitri got up, wiping his hands on his coveralls.
“No. Mr. Mitchell is owner. I am…just the help.” He tried to smile convincingly. The officer looked him over. Dimitri’s accent was still heavy, and he was working on his English. He tried hard not to let it come across as broken, but sometimes there were just words he didn’t know. English was a difficult language to learn.
“Ah. I’m Officer Graham.” The Officer nodded. “Is Mr. Mitchell around?”
“He is…” Dimitri paused to try not to sound too nervous. “Mr. Mitchell is in the house.”
“Ah.” The Officer repeated. Dimitri hesitated. He was not comfortable in this situation. He hoped that he wasn’t showing that too greatly.
“Can…can I help you?” Dimitri tried.
“We wanted to talk to Mr. Mitchell about some kids that are trying to swipe parts off of cars.” The Officer gave him another long, suspicious look. “You haven’t had any trouble around here, have you?” Dimitri shrugged, holding up his hands.
“I have not seen any children. Teenagers, yeah? They cause all sort of trouble.”
“Yes, yes they can.” The Officer agreed. “I’m sorry, your name was?”
“Petrescu. Dimitri Petrescu. I work for Stan-Mr. Mitchell. He lives next door. Should I get him?”
“No, no, that’s ok.” Officer Graham gave him a tight smile. “How long have you been in the country, Mr. Petrescu?”
“Ah, since last August.” There. That didn’t sound so bad. It was a whole eight months. That was a good long time. It didn’t look suspicious at all.
“Where are you from?” Graham asked. OK, maybe it hadn’t sounded as good as he had wanted it to.
“Russia. You know Moscow? Outside of there.” He forced a hard smile on his face. Graham did not look convinced at his words.
“No, I’m not familiar. You have all of your paperwork?” Well, there it was, the million-dollar question. Dimitri couldn’t let his confidence waiver.
“No, no I don’t. I mean, I do not have it with me. It is at home…with my wife.” There it was. He could finally play the wife card. He had a wife. They couldn’t deport a man with a wife at home. Here he was, just trying to make an honest living for his family. Which was entirely true, minus the family part.
“Oh, you’re married?” The Officer was now looking down at Dimitri’s hands. Dimitri held up his left hand in triumph. “How long have you been married?” He hadn’t been expecting that. How did he answer that question? Did he say that it was just a week? He had to come up with something-quick.
“Oh, just a few weeks. We are newlyweds, yeah?” Dimitri felt as though his face was going to fall off from all of the fake smiling he was doing. Somehow, he wasn’t convinced that he was winning this particular battle.
“Well, congratulations. How exactly did you two meet?” Would these questions never end?
“Online dating.” That was certainly true.
“Of course.” Officer Graham did not look impressed. “Well, Mr. Petrescu, you have a good rest of your day.”
“Thank you. And to you as well. Should I tell Mr. Mitchell that you were looking for him?”
“No.” Office Graham stared back to his car. “But a word of advice, you might want to keep your paperwork on you. You might get questions from other officers. You can never be too careful these days.”
“Absolutely. I do that. Have a good day, Officer.” Dimitri waved, probably too enthusiastically. The cop probably thought that he was a joke.
Graham merely tipped his hat. He walked back across the lot and got into his squad car. Dimitri watched it start up and drive out of the parking lot. He let out a breath that he hadn’t realized he was holding. He was going to have to work much harder. He did not feel that he had given a valid performance. If this officer had been suspicious, everyone else would be as well. He was going to have to be better prepared the next time.
Chapter2
It had been three weeks since the wedding. Alicia had gotten one email from Dimitri. It said that he hoped she was doing well. It also said to let him know if she needed anything else. Alicia frowned. She hated that she’d given the impression that she was so hard for money. Not that it wasn’t true, she did need money. But the five thousand he had given her was holding her well. So far, she didn’t regret her marriage.
That wasn’t quite true either. She regretted the type of marriage that she had fallen into. And from what she’d read, she’d be stuck under this marriage for two years. It would take that long for the proper authorities to do a validation check, and then to issue Dimitri his unlimited Green Card. So she’d have two more years of emails.
She thought about dating, but wondered what she’d do if she met someone that she really cared about and wanted to see long term. She didn’t want to try and explain that she’d married a man for money so that he could stay in the country. No good man that you’d want to bring home to your parents would ever be accepting of that situation. So she wouldn’t be able to get involved with anyone for at least the next two years.
It was depressing when she thought of it in those terms.
So to take her mind off of it, she decided to focus on what she had. She sat down and sent Dimitri an email. She told him that she was doing well, and she wished him the same. She hoped that she would hear from him again without assuming that she needed money.
Things had gone well this month. Not that they ever really went terribly for Dimitri. Even if he had a problem with a customer, he didn’t really let it slow him down. He worked, he paid what few utility bills that he had, and he ate. That was all he needed to do. He had no one to impress in Baltimore. As long as his old Russian friends were leaving him alone, he was happy.
And he was happy as long as the police were leaving him alone. That was exactly what he was thinking now as he watched a police cru
iser pull into the parking lot. Oh well. It was probably nothing-more kids messing around with stolen parts again.
“Mr. Petrescu.” It was the same officer who had been here last month. Dimitri held his ground. He promised himself that he would be less nervous this time. But he already felt it creeping up his spine.
“Officer Graham.” He held out his hand to him. The officer shook it. Dimitri’s mind raced. What if he was here about something else? What if somehow he’d connected Dimitri back to his old gang? Just what would happen then?
“I just wanted to stop by and make sure everything had been well here?” Officer Graham raised an eyebrow at him. Dimitri held his breath for a moment, carefully picking his words.
“Yes. Yes. We are all fine here. We have no problems.”
“Good. Good.” Officer Graham still looked serious. “Did you get all of your paper work sorted out after your marriage?”
Dimitri wasn’t quite sure what he meant. He couldn’t get a full Green Card-not yet anyway. Wasn’t the marriage enough?
“I…uh…am not certain what is it that you mean.”
“Well, did your wife change her name?” What business was that of his?
“I…uh…no.” Dimitri shook his head as he tried to laugh it off. “She is…how you say…one of those independent women? Needs no man.”
“Yet she married you.” That had apparently been the wrong thing to say. “Mr. Petrescu, I need to see your work visa.”
There it was. Dimitri’s mouth went dry. Obviously he didn’t have one of those.
“There a problem here?” Stan was making his way across the parking lot. He was a big man for his age. His hair was a dirty gray beneath his faded Orioles baseball cap. It seemed to carry the lifetime of grease from working around car engines.
“You the owner here?” Graham turned his attention to the old man.
“I’m Stan Mitchell.” He looked from Dimitri to the officer. “Dimitri, there a problem here?”
“Ah, no, Stan.” Dimitri had never shown Stan paperwork. Stan had never asked for it. They’d seemed to have an understanding.
“Actually, Mr. Mitchell, there very well may be. I stopped here about a month ago to talk to your boy here about some theft in the area. He ever shown you any paperwork?”
“Paperwork?” Stan was a no nonsense kind of man. He looked at Dimitri curiously. “Why should he show me paperwork?”
“Because Mr. Petrescu is from Russia.” The Officer frowned. “I had a suspicion the last time I was here. He mention anything to you about his wife? Or his wedding?” Now Stan was looking at Dimitri more seriously.
“What’s he talking about, Dimitri? You don’t got a wife.”
“You didn’t show him your wedding ring?” Dimitri sighed.
“I can explain.” He was talking to Stan more than to the officer. He knew he might have trouble with the police, but Stan had been good to him. He didn’t want to upset Stan.
“Mr. Petrescu, why don’t you come with me?” Officer Graham took his arm. “We can have a further discussion about this down at the station. I bet your wife might even like to come down and discuss this with us.”
Dimitri lowered his head. The game was over. If they called Alicia down, the entire story would come out. He’d be arrested, put in jail, and spend however long in there waiting for the next flight back to Russia. At least he’d get to see his parents.
He felt a hand on his opposite arm. Turning, he saw Stan directly beside him.
“Go on, Dimitri. Get this all straightened you. Your job will be here when you get back.” He hoped that Stan meant that-if he was ever allowed to leave the authorities again.
Alicia was stunned. It was the only word that she had to describe the situation. She’d been stunned as soon as her cell phone rang. She’d been at work, but she’d stepped outside to take the call. The caller on the other end identified himself as a Baltimore police officer. Alicia made the first mistake by stammering when he told her that he wanted to talk about her husband. Her immediate reaction was that she didn’t have a husband, which fortunately she managed not to say. But she had paused long enough to sound suspicious.
“We really need to speak to you, Mrs. Petrescu.” She felt like the officer was intentionally using that name to make certain that he got a reaction from her. Alicia sighed reluctantly, but agreed to come down.
Her boss had been even more stunned when she told him she had to leave. She said an emergency came up, but Alicia was usually very transparent. If something had come up, she told what the issue was. This time, she was vague. Finally, Dr. Bernard had told her there was no problem. He was a good boss-better than she deserved. She’d explain everything to him tomorrow…at least she hoped that she would. Hopefully, someone would have explained it all to her by tomorrow.
At the police station, she sat in further stunned silence. They’d let her in, and then escorted her into an interrogation room. She hadn’t done anything wrong-at least she didn’t think that she had. She sat, sipping on the water an officer brought her. She stared at the frayed strap of her purse. This was nerve wracking. Every nervous habit she’d ever had came to show its head. She bit her nails, played with her hair, everything.
Down the hallway, Dimitri wasn’t faring much better. He didn’t want to go back to Russia. In Russia, it would be entirely too easy to get mixed up in his old life of crime. He wanted to be a good man, a hardworking man. He could do that here. He couldn’t in his homeland.
“Mr. Petrescu, your wife is here.” The officer sitting across from him watched his face. Dimitri was intrigued. He wasn’t sure if it came across as excited.
“Alicia? Alicia is here? You made her leave work?” He tried to play the concerned husband card. He hoped it came across that way.
“Yes, we did.” The officer seemed to be patronizing him. His tone and the nod of his head indicated he felt that he was talking to a person with extremely low intelligence. “You do know where she works, right?”
“Of course I do!” Dimitri snapped. “She works for doctor!”
“Do you know what kind of doctor?” Dimitri wanted to reach out and punch this guy. What a total ass.
“Doctor is a dentist,” Dimitri grumbled. He’d paid attention on their first meeting. He was not a stupid man. The officer looked slightly annoyed. Dimitri wasn’t falling into his trap.
“I’ll go get her.” The officer made his way from the room. Dimitri heard the heavy door fall shut behind him. It was already like being in a cell.
The same officer opened the door to the room in which Alicia sat. She looked nervously at him.
“Is something wrong?” She finally asked. “Am I in trouble?”
“Ah, no ma’am. Not that we can see at least.” The officer closed the door. He leaned back on the door. “But if I can be honest, we’re not convinced that your marriage is a genuine one.”
Alicia felt like she’d paled at the statement. How could anyone have found out? And at the end of the day, what did it matter? Granted, Alicia didn’t know Dimitri very well, but he’d seemed like nothing but a good hard working man. If he wanted to stay in the country, wasn’t that a benefit for everyone?
“I…why would you think that?” Alicia turned her eyes angrily to the police officer. “How could you even say that?” The officer at least took the moment to look surprised.
“Look, Mrs. Petrescu, we just have to investigate every case that looks suspicious. We have to investigate if someone isn’t in the country under the proper conditions. In today’s world, you never know what type of risk you might be taking. I mean, the Boston Bombers-”
“Don’t you dare say that about Dimitri!” Alicia was proud of herself for coming up with this sudden anger. “I know that you’re just doing your job-but really! Dimitri is a good man! There are far worse people in this city than him. Can’t you go look for a real crime?”
The officer chuckled sheepishly. He apparently hadn’t expected this time of argument.
; “Well, all right then, Mrs. Petrescu. Come on. Let’s go down and tell your husband we’ve got this all straightened out.”
Alicia didn’t fully believe him, but she grabbed her purse to trail behind him. The officer led her down the hallway, opening a door on the left-hand side.
“Well, Mr. Petrescu, your wife has cleared up this whole misunderstanding for us.” He stepped aside to allow Alicia into the room. Alicia locked eyes with Dimitri. He looked just as surprised as she felt.
“That is good. I knew that she would.” Dimitri turned on a smile. Feeling more confident, Alicia returned it.
“Yes. You two are both free to go home. Just make sure you finalize all of your change of address paperwork.”
“What?” Alicia was suddenly stunned. The officer smiled at her. He was up to something. Alicia could see that easily.
“Yes. Your change of address paperwork. Neither of your driver’s licenses carries the same address.”
Dimitri nearly groaned out loud, but Alicia was on a roll.
“I know. That’s my fault. I’ll do it tomorrow. I have to finish the name change paperwork as well.” Alicia pulled the door back open. “Dimitri, let’s go. I need to call work and let them know that I’ll be in tomorrow.”
If Dimitri was surprised, he didn’t let it on. He got up from his chair. Offering his hand to the police officer, he smiled.
“I understand you doing your job.” Now it was the officer’s turn to look surprised.
“I’m glad that you do.” He shook Dimitri’s hand. Dimitri moved passed him. He slipped one strong arm around Alicia. Turning her, he guided her out of the door.
“Good job.” She muttered under her breath.
“You as well.” Dimitri guided her to the double glass doors at the entrance. “Come on. We need to talk.”
They took their discussion to a coffee shop several streets over. There was a Starbucks closer, but neither one of them wanted to risk being overheard, or risk being seen by any more local officers. This particular place was quieter, and more empty. There was only a small crowd of elderly gentlemen in one corner, and a man sitting alone at the counter.