A Modern Cowboy's Dream

Uncle Vlad

Nikolai looks at Katya and her brothers with a smile "would you three like to make a mess in the kitchen?" The boys imediatley answer "YES!" Sasha says "don't waste anything!" Katya says "this should be fun." Doug lets them out and the kids follow Nikolai their second cousin into the kitchen. Doug sits back down across from Sasha and she sighs looking at the three of them walk into the kitchen. "They're growing up so fast." Doug says "yeah they are that's for sure." Sasha says "I'm gonna cry when they graduate school, colleges or whatever they do and get married." Doug says "well my dear those days aren't here yet so let's not think about it too much." He takes her hand and kisses it making her half smile. Doug finally pays attention to the music and Sasha sees him looking up at the speaker on the celing. She says "traditional Russian folk tunes and classical pieces have always been my favorite." Doug says "not hardbass?" Sasha sighs "God no." Doug smirks "why not?" Sasha says "because every stupid person I knew blasted that shit." They hear 10 seconds of said music until Aunt Irene shouts at Nikolai in Russian to turn it off. Doug laughs and Sasha facepalms "you had to mention it." Doug just grins and Sasha says "Nikolai used to do a lot of dumb shit when we were growing up." Doug says "I find it funny a good portion of your family ended up over here before the war started." Sasha shrugs "better job opportunities." She then says "you did not..." Doug says "I'm not accusing them of anything." Sasha sighs "I'm sorry." Doug says "it's alright. It's clear to me they are good hard working people like most people tend to be. It's the few ugly people in this world that messes it up for everyone." Sasha says "unfortunately some of those ugly people become powerful." Doug sighs "well that can be found in the history books." The back door is heard opening followed by surprised gasps. Sasha raises an eyebrow and Doug pulls out his 1911 "I just got this back too." Doug creeps back there and everyone is heard talking in Russian which to this day still Doug isn't quite fluent in. He looks around and recognizes a familiar face aged some twenty years. Doug sees he has no weapon therefore putting his gun away seeing Victor and Irene hugging him. Doug can't believe it but it seems to be Sasha's long lost older brother Vladimir Belekova. Doug walks into the kitchen casually and Vlad makes a cocky smirk "hello Doug." Doug nods "Vlad." Vlad smirks "oh come on you can be more friendly than that! Aren't you going to introduce me to these children?" Doug clears his throat and says "my sons Doug and Willie, and my daughter Katya." Vlad grins "you are just as beautiful as my sister. I am your Uncle Vlad." Katya just half smiles shocked by the fact she only learned of him maybe an hour ago. Sasha walks into the kitchen and gasps. Vlad grins "baby sister!" Sasha seethes "get away from my children!" He smirks looking at Doug and Sasha "neither of you trust me." Doug says "with good reason." He steps away from the children and walks up standing toe to toe with Doug the two men similar in size. Doug says "get out of my face before I force you." Sasha looks at her Aunt and Uncle and mouths "why is he here?!" They both shrug and Vlad turns "if you're wondering how I got here I saw the ad in the local magazine for this place. Figured I'd pay an early visit you know since we're family." Sasha asks "how the hell did you get out of Prison?" Vladimir smirks "good behavior, and I had a good lawyer." Vlad steps back from Doug and walks towards Sasha but Doug stands in front of him. "Not even going to let me hug my own sister? What a shame." Sasha seethes "you betrayed me and tried to break up our wedding by sending your cousin while locked up!" Vladimir says "it is you who betrayed me baby sister by marrying this man." Sasha says "Doug step out of the way." Doug says "not a chance." Sasha comes up beside Doug "fine then I stand next to you." Sasha says "may I remind you that you married an American woman." Vlad makes a face "she is irrelevant now but she was of Slavic decent anyway." Sasha folds her arms "why are you really here?" He clears his throat and speaks to her in Russian "I came to find you to apologise." Sasha twists her lips then replies back in her native tounge "go on then." Vladimir says "well in private." Sasha sighs then looks up at Doug then back to her brother "Doug comes with us." He nods and Sasha walks out back into the dining area followed by her brother and Doug. Nikolai keeps hold of the Batson children and Katya says angrily "why do they keep shit a secret from us?!" Uncle Victor speaks "because some things are too painful to talk about. Parents don't want their kids knowing about terrible pasts but as smart as you are you kids tend to find out anyway or something like this comes up." Katya sighs and storms off into a back room. The boys are simply confused and Little Doug says "why?" Uncle Victor says "Your Uncle Vlad made choices and your Mother made choices as well that they both have to live with. Those choices caused a schism between them. I just hope some amends can be made for everyone's sake." He sighs "that's just one of many tragedies from that damn war." Aunt Irene hugs her husband and Nikolai nods in approval. At the farthest booth Vladimir looks Sasha in her eyes "yes I am out of prison, but I will be deported back to Russia soon. Forbidden to return." Sasha asks "then how are you roaming around freely?" He says "I'm not, I must check in with whichever local police department I'm nearest to, I also have this." She looks under the table and he points to an ankle monitor as he pulls up his jeans. Sasha says "how did you know I'd be here?" He says "I didn't. I simply prayed asking God to let me find you one more time before I go. Then I saw the ad for this place and recognized our Aunt and Uncle, surely they knew where to find you." Sasha says "how did you know to come to Georgia?" Vladimir says "again I didn't, I was in a Federal prison near Atlanta. I wanted to visit Savannah so here I am." Sasha sighs and he says "I understand if you never trust me again and for that I am sorry. I'm sorry for everything I've done to you from when we were growing up to 20 years ago when I tried to end the both of you under orders I had. I would have been shot and my own family too if I did not carry them out. Last of all even though I do not care for your husband I am sorry I tried to break up the wedding. Even today it is clear you love him." Sasha asks "what happened to your family?" Vladimir sighs looking sad "Bethany divorced me as soon as she found out the truth and took both our sons. I tried to reach out to them but she has filled their heads with horrible things about me. That's when I decided to try and look for you." She nods and he says in English "and I'm sorry for being a cocky Bastard." Doug smirks and Sasha laughs "you were always a cocky bastard." She sighs and looks her brother in his eyes "I forgive you." He half smiles and nods "thank you." He says "your children are beautiful." She smiles "that they are Vlad." She asks "when do you leave?" He sighs "as soon as the ICE agents come and get me. I told them to find me here." An ICE agent knocks on the glass door and Doug gets up to let him in. Sasha gets up and rushes over to the family pictures pulling the one picture of him, her and their parents down and brings it to him. "I want you to have this." He looks it over then up at her "you and your daughter look like Mama." She half smiles with watery eyes and hugs him as he stands up. "I'll miss you Vlad." He says "I'll miss you too Sasha." He lets her go then pulls a ring out of his pocket and Sasha gasps. He says "this belonged to Mama." He puts the old diamond engagement ring in her hand and Sasha sheds several tears. Two ICE agents approach him but stop allowing him to say goodbye. "Goodbye Sasha, May God bless you and your family." Sasha hugs him one more time "Goodbye Vladimir, God's blessings and forgiveness be upon you." She lets him go and both her, Doug, and everyone else minus Katya watch as the ICE agents apprehend him and take him away. He stops and looks Doug in his eyes "understand we are not friends, I still have my reservations about you, but you have taken care of my sister and you are very protective of her as a husband should be of his wife. For that I thank you." Doug smirks "you just hate me for being a bonafide American with no Slavic genes in me." Vladimir winks, Doug tips his black cowbow hat winking back and Vladimir is taken away. Sasha sits down in the booth looking at the ring and Doug sits next to her. "Wow, that was highly unexpected." Katya comes out from the back ready to rip into her Parents for keeping secrets. Sasha curls into Doug burying her face in his chest crying while he rubs her side and holds her close. When Katya storms into the dining area she stops seeing and hearing her Mother crying. Uncle Victor puts his hand on her shoulder. "I understand you probably have questions, but please ask them in a respectful manner. What I told you is true. One day you may be under similar circumstances with your own children. You never know." She asks "where did he go?" He says "back to Russia, Immigration took him." Katya walks over to her parents and sits down across from them. Sasha wipes her eyes still choking up "I'm sorry I didn't tell you sooner about your Uncle." Katya sighs "it's alright." She looks at her Father "why does he hate you?" Doug says "he is a purist, racist,  Russian nationalist whatever you want to call him." Katya looks confused "but you're all of European decent." Doug says "The Irish at one time were hated in this country. Three World Wars have been fought because of Europeans hating one another. Mankind has a tendency to want to kill his brother. Remember Cain and Abel." Katya nods "I see now." Sasha says "had he dared called you children half breeds I would have murdered him." Katya smirks "I don't doubt that." Sasha says "he became a hate filled man and I did not want that hatred to poison my children." Katya asks "why was he in prison?" Sasha says "he was working as a spy for Russia." Katya raises an eyebrow "is all of our family spies?" Sasha chuckles "no my dear just us two. He felt I betrayed him when I became American no longer helping our homeland and marrying your Father only made him angrier, but he can't understand it is our homeland that betrayed me. I had to run or I would be dead." Katya says "Yeah I remember you explaining it, I guess you could never visit still?" Sasha says "it's a whole new Regime ruling over there but I have heard rumors the old government went underground. It is too risky even if I wanted to go." Sasha says "I pray to God anything like the schism between my brother and I never happens to you children because in the end it is awful and tragic. I loved Vlad and still do remembering the good times as one happy family with Mother and Father." Katya nods and Sasha holds up the ring. "Your Uncle gave me my Mother's old engagement ring as a parting gift." She holds it out to her "I think your Babushka would want you to have it." Katya takes it and looks it over "I don't know what to say Mama." Sasha says "put it in your jewelry box for safe keeping." Katya tries on the ring "hey it fits! Look!" Sasha grins and Doug swallows hard but half smiles anyway.