From Russia With Love
Chapter Two
The next time she remembered seeing him was down by the stream next to the woods. Her parents often allowed her to wander the estate on her own as long as she stayed close to the house, and on this particular day, she had her white cotton dress bunched in one hand and a wicker basket in the other as she stepped barefoot down the hill to the water. She looked up from her feet as she heard splashing ahead to see the Way boy sword fighting an imaginary villain with a stick. He was barefoot with his jeans rolled up to his knees as he splashed in the water. She ignored him as she knelt at the creek side.
“Hey” he called, “How long have you been there?”
“Only a minute” she paused, “You talk funny”
“You talk funny” he replied “I can barely understand you”
“Why are you talking to me then?”
“Don’t worry about it then. Just trying to be friendly”
She picked through the muddy creek bed, plucking out the shiny rainbow colored stones as she found them. Pink, purple, turquoise…
“So you’re a princess, huh?”
“I guess, my brothers will be kings though, I’m the youngest one”
“I’m the oldest of my family”
“Do you have any sisters?” she asked hopefully. Her sister was already a teenager and rarely had the patience for her games.
“No, sorry, just a brother”
“Oh”
“I never thought I’d see a princess digging in the mud” he laughed. She scowled at him and got up, rinsing her hands in the cool water. A breeze blew through the trees from the woods and rustled her dress. Just as she turned around to leave, cold water splashed her back and she whipped around to stare at him accusingly.
“Don’t splash me!”
“It wasn’t me, must have been a sudden rain shower”
“You’re mean Gerald!”
“Its Gerard”
“Whatever, I’m going now”
“You have a lot of attitude for a five year old” he retorted.
“I’m going to be six soon”
He sniggered and pulled something from his pocket, holding it behind his back.
“What’s so funny?”
“Nothing. Hey, Dominika, are you afraid of snakes?”
“Wha-?”
She didn’t have time to finish before his white hand flew out from behind his back and towards her, and to her horror a black snake landed only a few inches from her feet. She screamed loud enough to scare every single bird out of the woods and took off running towards the estate.
“Wait, Dominika!” Gerard yelled in-between laughing “its just made of rubber!”
She cringed at the memory, ever since then, he had taken every opportunity possible to trick or scare her, and while he thought it was hilarious, it annoyed her to no end.
The Ways had attended her Confirmation Day when she was twelve, and seventeen year old Gerard sat next to her in the church pews. She had just started to come around to the idea of boys in the last year or so and she was acutely aware of being in close proximity of cute, annoying Gerard. Her white lace gloved hands tucked neatly in her lap and her rosary beads hanging around her neck, she glanced sideways at him under her lashes. He was annoying, but cute and sometimes sweet, and she felt like they had kind of grown up together.
The occasion was bittersweet, Gerard would be shipped off to America soon for his military training and she wouldn’t see him two whole years. She pretended she didn’t care, but deep down, she didn’t want her friend to go.
The priest told the crowd to kneel and they shuffled to their knees, heads bowed and hands clasped as a soft hymn began to float through the stone church.
“Psst” Gerard hissed. She glanced at him sideways with her head down.
“What?”
“Whatever you do, don’t imagine the priest standing up there in his underwear”
She burst out laughing, and buried her face in her arms trying to stifle her laughter.
“Don’t think about it!” he urged, but she could hear the laughter in his voice. She shoved him with her elbow and he lost his balance and fell into the carpeted aisle. The whole church was silent as they stared at the two of them, now laughing uncontrollably on the floor.
Dominika heard a throat clear above them and looked up to see the elderly priest staring down at her, disapproval written all over his face.
“You two. Out!”
That Gerard always got her in trouble.
“Hey” he called, “How long have you been there?”
“Only a minute” she paused, “You talk funny”
“You talk funny” he replied “I can barely understand you”
“Why are you talking to me then?”
“Don’t worry about it then. Just trying to be friendly”
She picked through the muddy creek bed, plucking out the shiny rainbow colored stones as she found them. Pink, purple, turquoise…
“So you’re a princess, huh?”
“I guess, my brothers will be kings though, I’m the youngest one”
“I’m the oldest of my family”
“Do you have any sisters?” she asked hopefully. Her sister was already a teenager and rarely had the patience for her games.
“No, sorry, just a brother”
“Oh”
“I never thought I’d see a princess digging in the mud” he laughed. She scowled at him and got up, rinsing her hands in the cool water. A breeze blew through the trees from the woods and rustled her dress. Just as she turned around to leave, cold water splashed her back and she whipped around to stare at him accusingly.
“Don’t splash me!”
“It wasn’t me, must have been a sudden rain shower”
“You’re mean Gerald!”
“Its Gerard”
“Whatever, I’m going now”
“You have a lot of attitude for a five year old” he retorted.
“I’m going to be six soon”
He sniggered and pulled something from his pocket, holding it behind his back.
“What’s so funny?”
“Nothing. Hey, Dominika, are you afraid of snakes?”
“Wha-?”
She didn’t have time to finish before his white hand flew out from behind his back and towards her, and to her horror a black snake landed only a few inches from her feet. She screamed loud enough to scare every single bird out of the woods and took off running towards the estate.
“Wait, Dominika!” Gerard yelled in-between laughing “its just made of rubber!”
She cringed at the memory, ever since then, he had taken every opportunity possible to trick or scare her, and while he thought it was hilarious, it annoyed her to no end.
The Ways had attended her Confirmation Day when she was twelve, and seventeen year old Gerard sat next to her in the church pews. She had just started to come around to the idea of boys in the last year or so and she was acutely aware of being in close proximity of cute, annoying Gerard. Her white lace gloved hands tucked neatly in her lap and her rosary beads hanging around her neck, she glanced sideways at him under her lashes. He was annoying, but cute and sometimes sweet, and she felt like they had kind of grown up together.
The occasion was bittersweet, Gerard would be shipped off to America soon for his military training and she wouldn’t see him two whole years. She pretended she didn’t care, but deep down, she didn’t want her friend to go.
The priest told the crowd to kneel and they shuffled to their knees, heads bowed and hands clasped as a soft hymn began to float through the stone church.
“Psst” Gerard hissed. She glanced at him sideways with her head down.
“What?”
“Whatever you do, don’t imagine the priest standing up there in his underwear”
She burst out laughing, and buried her face in her arms trying to stifle her laughter.
“Don’t think about it!” he urged, but she could hear the laughter in his voice. She shoved him with her elbow and he lost his balance and fell into the carpeted aisle. The whole church was silent as they stared at the two of them, now laughing uncontrollably on the floor.
Dominika heard a throat clear above them and looked up to see the elderly priest staring down at her, disapproval written all over his face.
“You two. Out!”
That Gerard always got her in trouble.
❤️❤️❤️❤️❤️❤️❤️
12/15/17