Page 83 of Sin Wager
The old man's handshake is firm despite his age as he greets me, his grip testing my character through that simple contact. He holds my eyes during the greeting, and I see intelligence there along with the wariness that any sensible person feels when dealing with my kind of business.
"Mr. Vetrov," he says formally, but his eyes are inky like the blackness of night. "Welcome."
"Batya," Vera interrupts, "we need to talk." Her eyes flick around the tiny living room with its dingy walls and tatty carpets. It won't do, her family living like this. The first thing I'm going to do is provide a means for them to elevate their lives out of this poverty. What's hers is mine, and I care for what’s mine.
"Humph," he grunts, turning back toward his seat by the window. He hobbles back to it, planting his butt in the chair that squeaks under him.
Vera leads me to the worn plaid sofa, and we perch on the edge as she kneads her hands in her lap. I can see how scared she is and with everything inside me, I want to squash that fear and make sure it never returns. So I speak for her.
"Sir, we've come to tell you that we are in love." I meet his eyes hard, because I'm not one to look away when things gettough. "I want to marry your daughter." Keeping my voice level, I don't break eye contact. It's not something I picked up from my years of serving my family. It's how a man declares his intent to his future father in law.
"So you're pregnant?" he grumbles, narrowing his eyes at Vera, whose head drops.
"Sir, with all due respect—" I begin, but he cuts me off.
"Mr. Vetrov, I know who you are, and I cannot give you my blessing." His eyes blaze fire, but Vera's touch on my knee calms my anger. It's like a trance she puts me in, where the inner beast I have is mesmerized and sedated.
"Batya," she says soothingly, "I'm going to marry Misha, and I want you to walk me down the aisle. And I want Elvin to be there too."
"Elvin is sick, he?—"
"Is going to recover," I say, cutting him off this time. "I've paid for him to attend one of the best cancer clinics in the country, and I want to see you all provided for better." His hard gaze turns on me again. "I'm sure that I am every single thing you think I am, the very things fathers fear their daughters will fall prey to, but I assure you, Vera has never been safer or more well-provided for than she is now."
"Or happier," she adds, staring up at me with a dreamy expression. "I'm in love, Batya. And I want to marry him."
Anatoly grumbles again, leaning back in his chair and crossing his arms over his chest. When I sense movement out of the corner of my eye, I see Elvin standing in the doorway.
"Did you say pregnant?" he asks softly, and Vera nods, her cheeks stained crimson.
"Yes… and Misha is going to pay for your treatments now." Her smile lights up the room, and Elvin stumbles in, parking at the other end of the couch with a shocked expression on his face.
We've left a lot of things out of this story, and I'm sure those details will find their way to the surface over time. Anatoly will be furious to know how dangerous the situation was and how I barely controlled Vera's wild spirit. She was shot at, smacked around, almost drowned, and put in danger more times than I care to admit, but she's safe, and right now, she's happier than she's ever been.
"So no more long hours at the track?" Elvin asks cautiously.
"None, and maybe we'll go on a real vacation when you're all better." Vera reaches out and touches Elvin's hand, and my arm instinctively curls around her hips protectively. She leans into my side and her nearness grounds me.
This is what life is supposed to be like, with family around and the bonds of intimacy and trust strong and healthy. It's something I've always known, but in the life I live, it's not often spoken of or prioritized.
Men act like egomaniacs, insulting one another, vying for position and power. We kill mercilessly and hunt for the next victory to assert our dominance, and yet with our loved ones we are tender and meek. Should anyone see the way my heart leans toward this woman, I'd be ridiculed, mocked, and laughed out of the family. But it would never stop me from feeling this way or yearning to entertain the sensitive and tender side of myself that desires closeness with this woman.
I turn back to Vera's father, whose expression still hasn't lifted to anything resembling acceptance or light-hearted hospitality. He's brooding, knowing he's losing his little girl, grown to become a woman in her own right. But he will come around. I've seen it before, men who remain stubbornly planted in their beliefs until one day, the light dawns and they change.
"Mr. Kovalenko, I'd like to ask for your blessing on this relationship because I want you to understand that underneath everything I am and everything I do, I am just a man like you,with a heart that bleeds just like yours. And I love your daughter with every breath I take, every drop of blood in my veins. I want to spend every day for the rest of my life making her happy and keeping her safe."
Anatoly nods and lifts an eyebrow. "If this is what you want,Milaya, then yes. I give my blessing." His words are crisp and tart, but there is a sentimentality in them that I don't miss. He cares for his daughter very much.
"Oh, Batya," she says, dropping to the floor at his feet and draping herself over his lap. "I missMamochka. She would want to be here."
His hand rests on Vera's back as sadness washes over his expression. Life hasn't been easy for them, but I intend to help lighten that load now. "She would," he says, "but you'll do her proud. You’ll be a wonderful mother, Vera."
My heart is full. Every day lived until today was nothing in comparison to the fullness in my chest, the lightness in my shoulders, and the hope springing in my soul. Vera Kovalenko started out as a target, and maybe I knew from the beginning she would be different, but I never expected to find the love of my life and the part of my heart that was always missing.
"Why don't you go wash up,Milaya?" Anatoly says. "Mr. Vetrov and I have some things to speak about. And you smell like a dead fish."
Elvin snorts and stands up, grabbing his sister's hand to help her to her feet. They walk down the hallway, and my conversation with Anatoly devolves into talk about the weather, and then the maintenance of this apartment, and then dinner. It feels like he's accepting me as part of this family against his wishes, but it's a start. And every beginning is small.
It's the journey I'm interested in.
Life doesn’t always turn out the way you think it might. In my forties, I’d all but given up hope that love would become mine tobehold and cherish. I’ll find raising a child challenging. I’m stuck in my ways and my temper needs work. But I have no doubt Ms. Vera Kovalenko will find a way to soften my rough edges and humble me in any way I need it.
It’s what I’m counting on.