by Sherie Keys
“It is not hard.” Dimitri emphasized.
“I understand that now.” Alicia looked over at him. “Are you a terrorist?” The words came out of her mouth before she could stop them. Horrified, she clapped a hand over her lips. “I’m sorry. I—"
She did not know what his reaction would be. Would he be furious? Would he tell her that she was right? She didn’t know what to expect. But she certainly did not expect what actually happened-Dimitri was laughing.
“Yes,” he answered between trying to control his laughter, “that is exactly what I am. Have you not realized it yet?”
“I’m sorry.” Alicia let out a nervous laugh of her own. “I mean, you just hear so many stories….”
“You hear them in my country as well.” Dimitri stopped at a red light. “You know of Chechnya?”
“A bit.” She’d heard about it on the news, but she didn’t really know much about the country itself. “It’s a big threat to Russia, yes?”
“Yes.” Dimitri moved on through the light. “Russia has terrorists too.”
Alicia didn’t push the subject further. But Dimitri apparently wasn’t finished.
“I hope, one day, you will trust me.” He shot a quick glance over at her. The amusement had dropped from his voice. He seemed serious…convinced that he wanted her to trust him. Alicia smiled softly.
“I’m sure that I will.”
The bar that Alicia had chosen was nicer than a dive bar, but not too fancy. She wanted somewhere that all of them could go and be comfortable. This place had good drinks, and served food. Those were both huge advantages tonight. She hoped that no one would need too many drinks to keep them going through it.
She and Dimitri got there first. Rather than get a table, they waited at the bar for the others to arrive. Alicia ordered an Amaretto Sour. She watched as Dimitri ordered just vodka on the rocks.
“Can you drink straight vodka?” She was a combination of amazed and horrified.
“It is all that I have ever drank.” Dimitri took a sip. “Vodkas in America are not nearly as strong as the ones in Russia. In Russia, many people make their own.”
“Really?” Alicia had never really liked vodka. It was the one alcohol that could make her sick in excess. “I think some of the ones we have are pretty bad.” Dimitri laughed out loud at that comment.
“Some of the ones that you have are pretty bad-but not in the way that you say.” He grinned at her over his glass.
She spied Casey and Ben coming in. The other couple joined them at the bar. Alicia gave a few awkward greetings. She didn’t get into what Dimitri was to her, she simply introduced him. If he got along well with the others, she’d tell the full story. Surprisingly enough, Dimitri and Ben seemed to connect immediately. Alicia guessed that she should have assumed that would happen. Ben was a contractor, and also into fixing things. So when Dimitri mentioned that he was a mechanic, it seemed to all go together for them.
“Dimitri is pretty cool.” Casey nodded to where the guys were chatting. “I mean, at least he’s serving as a pretty good baby sitter for Ben.” Alicia had to agree.
“He’s very handy. He fixed my garbage disposal. And he can cook.”
“Wow.” Casey continued to study Dimitri. “And you two have been seeing each other for how long?”
“Um, about a month…give or take a few days.” She’d tell the full story later. She was not having this conversation now. It was too early.
Katie soon joined them. She also found Dimitri to be extremely pleasant. She shook his hand, asked him a bit about himself, and then came to join the girls.
“Personally, I think it works out great.” Casey said. “Dimitri can talk about building stuff with Ben, and we can do our own thing.”
“Apparently we can.” Alicia was impressed at how easy things were going. If the rest of the night went this smooth, she’d be thrilled. At least Dimitri was coming off well to her friends.
Eventually, they took up a table in the back of the bar. Eventually a waitress came over, looking for drink orders and then food. Alicia ordered mozzarella sticks. When they arrived, Dimitri simply shook his head.
“American food is so different.”
“You don’t have those in Russia?” Ben asked, reaching for one. Dimitri shook his head.
“The art of the fried cheese has not come that far.”
“Well, look who’s here.” A man with blonde spiked hair and a pink polo appeared at the table.
Alicia bit her tongue. It was Eddie. Eddie had been a friend of hers and Katie’s in school. She used the term ‘friend’ loosely. Eddie had been an IT guy, and had assumed that anyone who went into computers was better than everyone else. The women had gone drinking with him a few times, until he’d gotten too grabby for them. Alicia hadn’t seen him in months, and she wasn’t sure how she felt about this now.
“Hi Eddie.” Katie responded simply. She picked up her drink, taking a small sip.
“Hi Kates.” He slipped his arm over the back of her chair. “Who’s everyone else?”
Ben and Casey introduced themselves. Dimitri did as well, but Katie quickly added:
“He’s Alicia’s boyfriend.”
“Your boyfriend?” Eddie echoed. Dimitri glanced at Alicia. She was glad he’d left his wedding ring at home. She’s made the sight request just so that their secret didn’t come out too quickly.
“Ah, yeah. See, that’s kind of why we’re all out tonight.” Alicia forced a smile. “I wanted Dimitri to meet all of my friends.”
“Well, glad I showed up then.” Eddie pulled up a chair, settling himself beside Katie. Alicia shook her head, but said nothing.
In an instant, she could see that the night was turning. Eddie ordered himself a shot and a beer. After he’d finished both, he ordered a round of shots for the table. Before long, the night was turning into a blur of alcohol. Alicia felt herself having more than she should-more than she ever did. But she was so caught up in the moment, she didn’t stop herself. Perhaps her recent stress level was coming out in alcohol.
Ben had convinced Dimitri that he should join him for a game of darts. Casey quickly hurried after him. Despite the fact that she was feeling her alcohol, Alicia remained at the table. She didn’t want to leave Katie all alone with Eddie.
“So where’d you meet your white Russian?” Eddie nodded to the game room where the other three had disappeared.
“Ah…online.” Alicia sipped her drink to avoid answering anymore questions.
“Doesn’t quite strike me as your type, but he’s ok.” Eddie shrugged, downing the last of the beer in front of him. “Now we just have to find one for Miss Katie. You want a Russian too? Or you want a good English speaking boy?”
“I don’t want either right now.” Katie snapped. Alicia figured they’d probably all had too much to drink. Even though it was fairly early, she wondered if they should wrap things up.
“I’ll be back.” She slipped down from her chair. Making her way into the game room, she caught the back of Dimitri’s arm.
“You ok?” He looked down at her curiously. Alicia nodded.
“Maybe just…slightly too much to drink.” She’d had at least two strong drinks-maybe three. And Eddie had ordered at least two rounds of shots. That was more than she’d had in months. She’d only eaten the minimum amount of bar food.
“Where is Katie?” Dimitri’s arm was suddenly around her. Alicia gasped slightly, but didn’t really mind.
“I left her at the table with Eddie.” Dimitri frowned.
“I go check on her. I do not like that boy.”
“Dimitri, you don’t have to--" Alicia didn’t want him to get too worked up on the matter. He seemed to sense her hesitation.
“All right, then let us go back to the table, ok?”
“OK” That she could handle. She let him lead her back over to the corner. As soon as she reached it, she could see that Katie was not impressed.
“Aw, you guys came back,” Eddie whin
ed. “I thought you guys had taken the hint that Katie and I wanted to be alone.” He slipped his arm over Katie’s shoulders. Katie looked disgusted.
“I do not think that you should touch the lady.” Dimitri frowned.
“Oh?” Alicia knew the look of defiance that was rising on Eddie’s face. “You don’t, do you?” He slipped out of his chair. “What exactly are you going to do about it?”
Eddie came up to about Dimitri’s nose. He had to lift his head to meet his eyes. Alicia’s mouth dropped. If Dimitri hit him, Eddie would fly.
“Dimitri-” Dimitri ignored her. Instead, he wrapped his hand around Eddie’s arm. Turning him, he pressed his back against his chest.
“I think you will leave Katie alone. I think you will leave all of us alone. After all, you were not invited, were you?”
“No….” Eddie’s face had paled. He apparently didn’t trust what Dimitri could do either.
“Then good night.” Dimitri shoved Eddie towards the door. Eddie went-scampering towards the bar’s front door like a rabbit. Alicia and Katie merely looked at one another.
“Seriously, Dimitri, thank you so much.” Katie closed her eyes. “You have no idea what an ass that guy is.”
“I can tell,” Dimitri assured her. “It was not good, how he treated you. I can only imagine how he will treat others.”
“How he does treat others.” Katie downed the rest of her drink.
After the downer that Eddie had created, everyone decided to have one more drink to lighten the mood. Alicia knew that she didn’t need one, but she drank it anyway. She even took the chance to steal Dimitri’s glass. She took a long sip of the clear liquid.
“Ugh!” She put the glass back on the table. “That is awful.” Dimitri shook his head.
“You should not drink it if you do not have a tolerance.”
“Really?” She leaned into him. “Is that a fact?”
“Yes.” Dimitri took her drink out of her hands. “It is also a fact that you have had too much to drink. I think it is time that we go home.”
“Me too.” Katie had her phone out. Dimitri took her arm.
“You are not driving?”
“I am not driving.” Katie turned the screen, showing the Uber display. “I’m getting an Uber.”
“Us too.” Ben was clicking on his own phone. “No risks tonight.”
They all said their good nights. Alicia didn’t remember much of it. The next thing she knew, Dimitri had her purse in one hand, and was leading her out of the bar with the other.
“I’m tired.” She whined.
“That is why we are going home.” He opened the passenger’s side door. He eased her gently into the seat before he closed the door. Alicia slumped back against the leather. Her head was spinning. Beside her, Dimitri slipped into the driver’s seat.
“Let’s get you home.” He started the car. As soon as it began moving, Alicia started to feel sick. She made it about two more blocks before she reached out, grabbing his arm.
“I think I’m going to be sick.”
“What?” Dimitri hit the brakes for a second, and then kept going.
“Seriously, pull over.” Alicia felt her throat tightening. She coughed, hoping she could keep it under control. But suddenly the muscles contracted again, and she threw up the contents of her stomach all across her lap, clothing and bag.
Beside her, Dimitri sighed.
“No more alcohol. Ever.”
Sunlight was her first conscious memory. Alicia opened her eyes. Her mouth was dry, and she felt like her head weighed a thousand pounds. Slowly, she forced herself to sit up.
The first thing she noticed was that was in her own bed. Not only that, she was in her nightshirt. It was an oversized Baltimore Ravens t-shirt and nothing more. How had this happened? Had she done it herself? Or had-?
Dimitri.
She remembered fragments of the drive home-after she’d thrown up of course. Her clothes had been disgusting. She vaguely remembered Dimitri leading her upstairs.
And then what? She didn’t remember taking off her clothes. She supposed she had to ask him. She pushed the blankets off, easing onto her feet. The vague thought of locating pants crossed her mind, but she brushed it off. Slowly, she made her way into the living room.
The television was on low. CNN was rambling about Donald Trump. Dimitri was pacing between it and the sofa, eating a plate of scrambled eggs.
“Good morning!” He put his plate down on the coffee table. “How are you feeling?”
“Awful.” Alicia pressed a hand to her head. “How did I get in here?”
“I brought you.”
“And how did I get changed?”
“How do you think?” Dimitri knew what she meant. “Don’t worry. I saw nothing. I was very careful.”
“Well, thanks. I think.” She dropped onto the love seat. “I never meant to have that much to drink last night.”
“It happens.” Dimitri finally sat, facing her. “Do you want food?”
“No.” Her stomach rolled at the thought. “You must have a tolerance like no other. You were drinking straight vodka and you still drove us home.”
“I have been drinking it for many years. Plus,” he winked, “I am slightly bigger than you.”
“Just slightly.” Alicia closed her eyes. She was content to lay here on the love seat-until it occurred to her that she wasn’t wearing pants. “Um, I’ll be right back.”
In her bedroom, she added a pair of pajama pants to her attire. She went to the bathroom and brushed the taste of old alcohol out of her mouth. Only then did she return to the living room. Dimitri was setting a mug on the coffee table.
“I made you some tea.”
“Thanks.” Alicia laid back. “I didn’t realize that I had tea.”
“You did not until I went to the store.” Dimitri picked up his plate again. “When you feel like eating, I will make you something else.”
“That won’t be for a while.” She sipped the cup of tea. For a moment, they were silent. They let the television explain to them why Donald Trump was so popular amongst voters.
“You were great with Eddie last night.” She finally brought up. Dimitri shrugged.
“It was not hard.” He did not mention to her that he had a specialty in those trades from having dealt with those types in his past job. He was not going to bring that up now-or ever.
“Katie really appreciated it.” Alicia looked over at him. She met his eyes, and the two shared a smile for a moment.
“I am glad. Katie is a nice girl.” Dimitri put his plate aside. He kept his gaze on the television screen. Alicia considered what else she was going to say, and then decided on it.
“Thank you for last night. You could have….” She trailed off, giving him a knowing look. Dimitri seemed to harden, but gave her a firm nod.
“I could have done a lot of things. But I would not. That is not me. Not now, and not ever.”
“You’re a good man.” Alicia said the words. “You will never stop surprising me.”
“Good.” Dimitri turned back to her. “Now that I have impressed friends, I must do the same with parents, yes?”
“I suppose you do.” There was no point in hiding that aspect. She figured they might as well get it over with.
“Maybe on Easter?” Dimitri suggested. Alicia sipped her tea before responding.
“Sure. Easter it is.”
Easter dawned bright and sunny. It had rained for three days before hand. The storms that hit the night before impressed Alicia for how early it was in the year. But by morning, there was only a lit fog and some dampness hung fresh in the air. Alicia woke up at eight, but didn’t actually get out of bed until eight-thirty.
Dimitri was already in the kitchen when she walked in. She had heard him out there for a bit, but she didn’t know exactly how long he had been up.
“Good morning.” He nodded to the coffee pot. “Coffee is ready.”
The kitchen also smelled of baked
goods that she could not identify. Glancing around, she spotted a loaf of unidentifiable bread on the counter. It looked good. It was shaped more like a cake than a loaf of bread, and coated with some type of white frosting.
“What is that?”
“That is kulich. It is traditional Easter bread in my country.” He grinned at her. “Have some. It has raisins, almonds and orange peel.” He set a knife on the table beside the bread.
“How long have you been up?” Alicia grabbed a mug. She filled it with coffee before adding in her cream and sugar.
“Early,” Dimitri admitted. “But I am not late sleeper.”
She had realized that about him in the last few weeks. He was always up at dawn, or earlier. He went to bed late, which surprised her too. Apparently he didn’t need a terribly large amount of sleep.
“No, you are not.” She added some more cream into her coffee, taking a sip. She needed a moment with it first before she could really face the day. That included real conversation and eating breakfast.
They had bought ham-as Dimitri had promised. He told her that lamb was the usual traditional in Russian on Easter. Alicia found herself considering that. She’d never had real lamb, just the fake stuff restaurants used in gyros. She imagined it was good. Dimitri offered to find a place that sold the real thing so they could try it another time.
She was hesitant to serve it on Easter for one huge reason: her parents. She was already going to have to tell her parents that she’d married without telling them. She could only imagine what their reaction would be to that, so she figured that bringing them in for an unidentifiable menu of their new son-in-law’s foreign customs might be a bit much. She was in favor of cushioning the blow with normal food which they were accustomed to eating. Dimitri had agreed.
Alicia picked up the knife that he had given her. She sliced herself off a hunk of bread. It was still warm. That was a novelty She almost never ate hot, fresh pastries.
“This is amazing.” She told him through a mouthful of bread.
“Good!” Dimitri looked pleased. “It will always be good to know that someone likes your cooking.”