Presidential Affairs

《XV》

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We ended up canceling five plane tickets and keeping just Amelia's and I's. We thought it would be best to leave the children with Katina instead of dragging them all away for one week when they didn't necessarily need to come to this trip. Nikolai booked is plane ticket for two days after Amelia's and I's because his manager said he really couldn't miss the Utah campaign which they pushed to Sunday afternoon instead of Tuesday.

Saying Goodbye to the kids was hard and even Skylar kept asking me why I was going 'bye bye' and if I would come back to her. Levi cried like a baby like usual and Micah threw a tantrum about how it wasn't fair that Amelia got to go to Russia and he couldn't.

But when we arrived at the Moscow airport, I was incredibly relieved that I didn't bring all the kids because I was tired as if. 

The next day which was Sunday, I got us settled down in the apartment suit but on Monday morning I woke up and pulled out the address that Katina had given me. She begged me with every breath within her not to go through with this but my mind was already made up. I wanted to see the boy with my own eyes and look into his documents. And if he was really my husbands son, I'm not leaving Russia without him or atleast reuniting the two. 

Nikolai still doesn't know and I think it's best he doesn't until he arrives tonight. He'll be angry at me for not telling him the real truth about why we are here but I have hope that seeing his son will make him check his anger and distract him from it. Because when Nikolai is angry, he really is a whole different person, a person no one wants to be around.

"Hello? Can I speak to Sister Anna please? Katina sent me".

The Nun looks from me and then down to Amelia who is hiding her face in my back. The ten year old had actually thought that the Nuns were muslim until I explained to her that they were actually catholic but covered themselves like Muslim women. 

We walk down many dark hallways before the Nun leads us into an office where who I assume is Sister Anna is writing a letter.

"F-Fecity?"

I don't bother correcting her and give her my hand to shake, "yes! Katina, my Mother-In-Law sent me here...I came to look into a boy named Leonid Pavlov?"

She nods and hands me a set of documents, "smart boy, turned thirteen last week".

I smile and look through the birth certificate and his Individual insurance account number. 

I look up at the Nun who had been watching me without any emotion. That's what always creeped me out about them, they never seemed to have any emotions on their faces. 

"Do you mind if I meet with the boy please".

She shakes her head and leads me down a bunch of rooms before we stop at an empty classroom. I sit down on a desk chair with Amelia on my lap as we wait for Leonid to come.

I don't realize I had been holding my breath until he walked in and his gray-blue eyes fell on me and Amelia. He was lanky in form and he was dressed in a black suit uniform. Just like the Nunns there wasn't any emotion on his face but he politely gave me his pale hand to shake.

"My goodness! You don't look like you've seen the sun in years! And Gosh, you look just like your father especially with those eyes. That's how they look when he gets angry".

I was trying to lighten the mood but the child didn't even blink at me. He simply offered me a small nod which I think was only so that I didn't feel anymore stupid for rambling.

"Umm...I'm Felicity Pavlov...I'm your grandmother's daughter-in-law...your father is my husband".

He remains emotionless and I shuffle my feet, "well...I came to take you home! What do you...What do you think?"

He looks over at the Nuns who had been watching the awkward interaction.

"I suppose", his voice comes out confident but yet quiet.

I nod as a relieved smile spreads across my lips, "Oh that's great! I legit was so scared that you'd say no. Oh! This is Amelia, she's your little sister. You have four other younger siblings back in America so I hope you don't mind kids".

He stares at Amelia who had been observing him silently before shrugging his shoulders, "no".

I look over at Sister Ana, "what do I need to fill out?"

Turns out I needed to fill out a million documents just to take one child who was biologically my husbands, home. Poor Amelia was so bored and tired that she fell asleep on the chair besides me. At some point her head rolled off my shoulder and over to Leonid who didn't move her off from him like Micah would have.

"That's it", Sister Ana says as she takes the last signed document. "Leonid, pust' Meri osvetit tebe put'".
(R: Leonid, May Mary light your path)

Leonid nods and bids them a farewell in Russian before I lift Amelia to my hip and lead him to the driver Nikolai hired for us during the duration of the trip.

"Where do you want to eat at?"

He looks away from the sun and at me before shrugging, "It doesn't matter".

I frown, "oh come on! It's your first time out of there and you get the choice to eat anywhere you want which I know you never got before. Plus I'm not familiar with Russia, if I pick, it'll be bad".

He finally settles for a small restaurant at a shady side of town but I don't object. I wake up Amelia and we walk inside the restaurant and order our lunch. Leonid is quiet and Amelia although is shy when she first wakes up in a new surrounding and  new person, she begins asking me a million questions about what the food was and where the big Russian dogs she saw with the Russian President are. Leonid seemed to find her humorous and even answered some of her questions.

We were half way through lunch when my phone began to ring. I didn't pick it up at first because it was a strange Russian number but then it rang again and I finally answered.

"Hello?"

"Didn't answer on the first ring but picked up on the second, come on baby,  I taught you to only pick up on the third ring".

My body freezes, "Nikolai? What are you doing here already? I thought you were comin tonight?"

"We ended things early so I caught the closests flight here. I'm at the apartment, where are you two?"

I swallow, "we're eating out at a restaurant".

"Where at? I'll come-"

"No! Umm, we're like done so there's no need. We're heading back right now".

I quickly end the call and rush the kids to finish eating so we could go back. I know Nikolai well enough to know that if we take long, he'll come looking for us and all he'd have to do was call the car driver.

"He doesn't know?"

I blink and look over at Leonid. He's actually a pretty tall kid for only being thirteen. I'm five foot four and he peers down at me still. I'd say he's about five foot six. Nikolai is a good six foot four inches so if Leonid keeps it up, he might grow taller than his father.

"What?"

"My father, he doesn't know I exist", he states.

I bite my lip and pat his shoulder, "well, he's about to...listen, your father has a bit of a temper and I know this won't go well so take Amelia and go into her bedroom until I come and get you".

He silently sares at me for a few seconds before giving me a small nod.