From Russia With Love

Donna led her down the street to a small restaurant planted between two large buildings, crowded with seating. Round wooden tables with matching old-fashioned curved chairs spread over the space inside and out, and live flowered vines grew over the deep earthy purple bricks of the walls on all sides, giving the place a strange underground feel.

The Maitre’d of the restaurant, a stocky brunette woman dressed in a black pantsuit showed them to a table towards the very back of the restaurant. The area was dark in contrast to the sun outside, but a pale candle flickered in the center of the table, casting the area in dim yellow light that was just enough to see by. Donna sat at the furthest end, taking the menu handed to her by the brunette woman. Dominika copied, smiling sweetly as she took a menu. She studied it carefully, trying to understand what each meal listed was. What better time than now to refine her English reading skills?

A young man only a year or two older than Dominika approached their table, producing a notepad as he asked for their drink orders. He returned briefly with a jug of ice water and two glasses, one empty and one filled with dark red-brown liquid she assumed was ice tea, and set them on the table. Dominika poured water from the pitcher into her glass as Donna spoke.

“Have you chosen your meal?” she asked. Dominika nodded and Donna raised her hand into the air, signaling a waitress who was hovering nearby.

“I’m Michaela, I’ll be your server tonight” the girl said in a high-pitched voice. She couldn’t have been older than fourteen “have you decided on your orders?”

They gave their orders, pointing to their menus for clarity, and she scribbled them on her notepad quickly, nodding the whole time.

“It won’t be long” she said, tucking the pad into her apron before she smiled at them widely and disappeared into the kitchen.

Dominika watched the waitress leave, making sure she was out of earshot before turning her attention back to Donna.

“It was Donald that called in the ballet store earlier” she said, stirring her drink with its straw. Her eyes met Dominika’s, clearly bright with excitement.

“He spoke with the American base in Belgorod today, Gerard was promoted to Corporal yesterday due to his efforts in rescuing you”

A strange emotion welled inside Dominika as she considered Donna’s words. Gerard? Promotion? Was this a good thing or a bad thing?

“O-Oh” Dominika stuttered “That’s a good thing….I guess?”

“Of course it is Domi!” Donna exclaimed, her eyes beaming with pride “he’s still so young, but he’s achieved so much, I’m so proud of him. Be happy for him, darling”

Dominika pondered what she’d heard for a moment, choosing her words carefully. She glanced at Donna briefly before fixing her gaze back on her hands twined together anxiously in her lap.

“Does this mean he’ll be more involved in fighting?” she asked quietly.

“Well yes, dear, but don’t forget, Gerard had two years of training, he’s well equipped to fight”

Despite Donna’s attempt at reassurance, all Dominika could picture was Gerard crouching in an open field in Russia, trying to dodge enemy fire that encroached on him from all sides.She moved her hands to resting on the table in front of her.

“I can’t lose him too” she whispered. Donna grabbed her hand and squeezed it tightly, looking her in the eye.

“Please” Donna said “don’t worry about Gerard, he’ll be just fine, I promise. He’s strong like his Father”

“This war is terrible” she replied, shaking her head “I can’t believe this happened to us, to you”

“Politics are complicated” Donna said, darkly “sometimes, prices are paid for freedom”

The dark silence was interrupted by the waitress appearing with two plates of food, setting them down in front of the two women. Dominika grasped her cutlery and poked at her food, turned off eating by the morbid conversation.

“Please eat, Domi” Donna pleaded “you need your strength for your audition”

Dominika began to dissect her food, placing forkfuls in her mouth without tasting it. She gulped the glass of water and set it back on the table.

“How do you feel about Gerard?” Donna asked suddenly. Dominika was surprised by her directness and blushed, swishing her hair over the sides of her face and staring down at her plate absently.

“I…I care deeply for Gerard” Dominika said softly, continuing to stare at her food without touching it.

“He hasn’t told me this himself” Donna warned “but I know my son, and I think he's in love with you, Domi”

Dominika was shocked into silence, wringing her clammy fingers in her lap.

“Donald and I wouldn’t have agreed to your parents’ proposal if we didn’t believe it was something he wanted” she added, smiling.

“I-I don’t know what to say” Dominika stuttered, still unable to look Gerard’s Mother in the eye.

In her heart of hearts, she’d known these things already, just hearing them out loud startled her when she hadn’t been able to process it herself yet. Did she love Gerard too? That was a whole other kettle of fish she hadn’t even begun to sift through. Her reflections suddenly flashed back to their first kiss, and her face burned.

“You don’t have to say anything” Donna said “I just thought you should know, woman to woman”

Dominika looked her in the eye suddenly, cheeks flushed with pink.

“Your son is everything to me”

Notes

A little fluffy <3

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