From Russia With Love
Chapter Three
It was another two years till she saw Gerard again. She had attended the ceremony welcoming the new soldiers home with her parents, dressed in a crisp pink dress and matching shoes. Her hair was even longer, lapping at the curve of her behind, and her hips and chest had started to fill out, making her feel like less of a kid and more of a woman.
She sat on the stage, carefully scanning the faces of the row of soldiers all dressed in black, looking for a familiar face. She barely recognized him, standing among all the other men in matching uniforms. He’d lost the roundness to his face and now he was tall, muscled and broad. He stood tall, proudly among the other soldiers, and when he spotted her looking at him in the crowd, the corner of his mouth pulled up in that familiar smile and he winked at her.
When his name was called out and he walked on stage to receive his training medal, she stood up and clapped and cheered as loud as her voice would allow. It had been so long since they’d seen each other she almost forgot all their teasing and taunting and wanted to hug him till he burst.
After the ceremony, he found her outside by herself and corned her in the garden.
“Gerard” she breathed, “don’t creep up on me like that!”
He chuckled and pulled her in towards his chest, holding her tight for a second.
“Its been too long, I missed you a little, kid” he said quietly. His voice was even deeper than before, he sounded different from when he left.
“Were you gone? I didn’t notice” she laughed back, pulling away. His hair was shorter, clipped close to his head, it made his eyes stand out even more than before. She searched his face for a minute, trying to find any trace of the gangly teenager who’d left two years ago.
“What are you lookin’ at?” he asked.
“Nothing. You look different, that’s all” she replied. He broke out in a grin.
“So do you. Still a funny looking kid though”
She punched him lightly in the side of his arm.
“At least you haven’t changed”
A few weeks later her Mother came looking for her in her room. She was on the floor of her room, legs wide apart, head flat against her knee and her arms over her head holding her right foot.
“Ah, to be young and flexible again” her Mother said, leaning against the door frame “is this for ballet or something else?”
“Stretching for ballet” Dominika replied, switching her head to the other knee.
“I wanted to ask you something, can I come in?”
“Sure”
She wandered in and sat on the edge of Dominika’s lacy lilac duvet. Dominika exhaled suddenly and brought her arms together, pushing them out flat on the ground as she lowered her chest closer to the floor.
“The American military is throwing a ball next weekend for the Russian and American soldiers to ‘mingle’” she said, “trying to improve relations”
“You want me to be there?” Dominika said, glancing at her Mother out of the corner of her eye, “I’ll go”
“Well yes, but there’s more to it than that”
“You’re not going to make me speak in front of crowds again are you? Can’t Monika do it? She’s older, you know I hate public speaking!”
“Calm down, Dominika, its nothing like that, I just want you to help our family display a united front with the Americans”
“United front?”
“If they see us being friendly with the Americans they are much more likely to be receptive to them too, Dominika, we need to bring a feeling of togetherness and brotherhood to the people”
“What is it exactly you want me to do?”
“You’re going to go with the Way’s elder son to the ball”
Dominika stood up suddenly and flicked her hair out of her face, eyes wide at her Mother.
“ANYONE but him!”
“Oh come on, you’ve known Gerard since you were a little girl, at least I’m not asking you to go with a complete stranger”
“But he’ll annoy me, or embarrass me, he always does! No, I don’t want to go with him”
“You don’t have to do anything but smile and sit with him, pose for some photos, its really not a big problem, Dominika, just put on a happy front”
“But Mot-“
“Enough. This is bigger than you Dominika, it affects the way the people see us, how can we expect them to trust the Americans if we don’t?”
“Fine, but only for the stupid country” she muttered. Her Mother stared at her incredulously for a moment before rising from the bed and walking out the door, shaking her head.
Dominika looked out her bedroom window down to the neighboring house under the oak trees where the Way family lived, scowling.
"Stupid responsibilites"
She sat on the stage, carefully scanning the faces of the row of soldiers all dressed in black, looking for a familiar face. She barely recognized him, standing among all the other men in matching uniforms. He’d lost the roundness to his face and now he was tall, muscled and broad. He stood tall, proudly among the other soldiers, and when he spotted her looking at him in the crowd, the corner of his mouth pulled up in that familiar smile and he winked at her.
When his name was called out and he walked on stage to receive his training medal, she stood up and clapped and cheered as loud as her voice would allow. It had been so long since they’d seen each other she almost forgot all their teasing and taunting and wanted to hug him till he burst.
After the ceremony, he found her outside by herself and corned her in the garden.
“Gerard” she breathed, “don’t creep up on me like that!”
He chuckled and pulled her in towards his chest, holding her tight for a second.
“Its been too long, I missed you a little, kid” he said quietly. His voice was even deeper than before, he sounded different from when he left.
“Were you gone? I didn’t notice” she laughed back, pulling away. His hair was shorter, clipped close to his head, it made his eyes stand out even more than before. She searched his face for a minute, trying to find any trace of the gangly teenager who’d left two years ago.
“What are you lookin’ at?” he asked.
“Nothing. You look different, that’s all” she replied. He broke out in a grin.
“So do you. Still a funny looking kid though”
She punched him lightly in the side of his arm.
“At least you haven’t changed”
A few weeks later her Mother came looking for her in her room. She was on the floor of her room, legs wide apart, head flat against her knee and her arms over her head holding her right foot.
“Ah, to be young and flexible again” her Mother said, leaning against the door frame “is this for ballet or something else?”
“Stretching for ballet” Dominika replied, switching her head to the other knee.
“I wanted to ask you something, can I come in?”
“Sure”
She wandered in and sat on the edge of Dominika’s lacy lilac duvet. Dominika exhaled suddenly and brought her arms together, pushing them out flat on the ground as she lowered her chest closer to the floor.
“The American military is throwing a ball next weekend for the Russian and American soldiers to ‘mingle’” she said, “trying to improve relations”
“You want me to be there?” Dominika said, glancing at her Mother out of the corner of her eye, “I’ll go”
“Well yes, but there’s more to it than that”
“You’re not going to make me speak in front of crowds again are you? Can’t Monika do it? She’s older, you know I hate public speaking!”
“Calm down, Dominika, its nothing like that, I just want you to help our family display a united front with the Americans”
“United front?”
“If they see us being friendly with the Americans they are much more likely to be receptive to them too, Dominika, we need to bring a feeling of togetherness and brotherhood to the people”
“What is it exactly you want me to do?”
“You’re going to go with the Way’s elder son to the ball”
Dominika stood up suddenly and flicked her hair out of her face, eyes wide at her Mother.
“ANYONE but him!”
“Oh come on, you’ve known Gerard since you were a little girl, at least I’m not asking you to go with a complete stranger”
“But he’ll annoy me, or embarrass me, he always does! No, I don’t want to go with him”
“You don’t have to do anything but smile and sit with him, pose for some photos, its really not a big problem, Dominika, just put on a happy front”
“But Mot-“
“Enough. This is bigger than you Dominika, it affects the way the people see us, how can we expect them to trust the Americans if we don’t?”
“Fine, but only for the stupid country” she muttered. Her Mother stared at her incredulously for a moment before rising from the bed and walking out the door, shaking her head.
Dominika looked out her bedroom window down to the neighboring house under the oak trees where the Way family lived, scowling.
"Stupid responsibilites"
❤️❤️❤️❤️❤️❤️❤️
12/15/17