Vadim*
She has a son? An Ivanov?
How did she end up hiding him from us all these years? Five years?
No tracks. No records. Like he never existed till now.
Why didn't she tell us? Why did she keep him from us?
All these questions has been running wildly in my head since she lost consciousness. Everytime I look at her on the bed connected by tubes all I see is more lies wrapped up like a kebab. What else could she be hiding that I do not know?
Soft feminine voices is heard from the distance not aware of our presence in the garden as Andrei distracts himself with ordering our men about the club acting like our woman is not dying and we are not fathers. It was like his coping mechanism; don't think, don't feel, lock it in a box.
"Who do you think he belongs to, Sonia?" I listen with apt attention trying not to reveal myself behind them rather eavesdrop on the conversation.
It came as a shock to everyone, I had no option but to call them back to the states. And since then, they also have waited cautiously to know the truth.
"I can't say. He looks like my son but definitely displays your crazy family genes."
"My family is not crazy, Sonia." Andrei's mum chides having my mum retort back pointedly.
"Really? Alexei and Andrei's cookoo train doesn't scream crazy to you."
"They are special." Mrs Rosie compliments having the first smile show on my lips at the irony of her definition of my cousins and Uncle. Special indeed.
"Really mum, aunt Sonia? Really? Now is the time to argue about whose sperm did the job?" Anastasia's voice cuts through, reprimanding the mothers.
"Just saying." My eyes roll at mother's remark knowing she shrugged even without seeing her do it.
Mrs Rosie jumps in questionably. "Did you know your brothers were having a secret affair with Trinity?"
"I kinda suspected when we were little."
Mum exclaims. "Ha! I told you Rosie. I knew something was sceptical with how attached they became to her and poor girl didn't realize it earlier enough till she fell into their charms."
Ana is right. Andrei and myself developed a strong attachment with Trinity since we were babies. She was sweet, smart, kind, beautiful and the most precious smile falls on her lips whenever she smiles. We knew she will be scared if we came direct with our feelings at such young ages; so we waited it out in other for her not to pass us as horny teenagers crushing over their baby sitter.
It was more. Much more than a crush.
We wanted her, craved for her, desired every muscle of her, lusted over her body. But we waited still. She wasn't ready.
Our world came crashing down when we got a call for Dad that she is leaving. He knew we needed her like our next breath so he and Uncle Alexei quickly proposed a plan for us without our mothers knowledge avoiding them fussing about how we are choking Trinity and she is a woman blah blah blah of her own.
It worked at first up until the next month she disappears right in front of us. Waking up that morning in our beach home to find it empty. She left every piece of clothes and jewelry we got for her, took nothing and disappeared.
Wrecks puts it lightly. Andrei ran mad searching for her, I completely withdraw myself from everyone and everything. She was gone.
How could she do that to us? How could she leave us knowing how vulnerable we were at that age? She knows how much she meant to us and she ran away.
Obsessed. Fascinated. Desired. Love. Passion. Family. It threw us completely out of track as days drags into months and months turns into years. She vanished into thin air.
I built my heart to hate her, a very deep hatred that I burnt everything relatable close to her. Andrei like I said detached himself from everyone but me. He never came home, no more holidays, buried himself in the club and women; that was his own coping mechanism. He lost himself. He became the psycho.
And then she made a slip up, god's eyes found her in a restaurant with cctv directly above her table. She was alive. That was all that ring in my head. It can't be.
My hatred doubles up seeing her with another man in the restaurant living her best life while she caused havoc on me. I became very angry, I felt like a boy once again watching them talk and laugh. My heart shatters more seeing him look at her the way I do and she giving him that hopeful beautiful blue eyes.
Andrei immediately ran his data on both of them. Track everything down to the coffee shops. I wanted to know why she did it. Why she left us. Why she broke us.
And when the time came for that, seeing her at the balcony I find out that it wasn't hate I had for this woman. I couldn't even hate her if I wanted to. Driven by my desires I took her right there rekindling the lost memories yet too afraid that she will hurt me again and this time I feared I may not survive the next. Ignoring her completely.
For the first time in five years, we both stand in the family estate with her and the new addition to the family.
My eyes flits to Andrei talking in hush whispers telling Nino what to do during the Spain trip. I sigh.
"Russians." Mum quips. Taking my mind back to their conversation.
Mrs Rosie concurs. "Russians. Sadly, we love them."
"Do you think that is why she ran away... With the baby?" Mum asks again.
"Very much says so."
"How are you both so calm about this situation? Trinity is in there fighting for her life and you both are grandmothers to a five year old boy. Vadim and Andrei are losing it and you both are casually lounging like everything is okay. Are you both not worried how everything turned out to be?"
"Everything will be fine darling. It's the Russian mafia syndrome." Mrs Rosie says to Ana who seems dumbfounded.
"What? What are you saying mum?"
Having my mum explain further. "She is an Ivanov. Now pass me that drink will you."
Andrei walks up to me telling me he is done and so we come out seeing their eyes on us but no one makes a comment or they pretended like they never said a thing. You can never tell with our mothers, cunning little woman always causing us men havoc. No wonder Trinity took her lessons precisely. She learnt from the best in their field.
Suddenly, Mrs Rosie gasps. "You stole Elijah's drink? Sonia? I can remember he specifically says not to touch his drinks and you are forbidden from drinking after the last time. He is going to kill you."
"And you stole Alexei's bike to get here. See we even. Here have this." All three of us glare at them knowing our fathers hates when they go against their command. They never ever listen. Why?
Laughing humorless downing the drink offered to her by my mum. "Borrowed. I borrowed his bike. My grandson needs me more than his precious bikes."
Mum burst out laughing followed by Andrei's mum shortly."Cheers to not getting caught." I do not know who is far worse than the other.
Little movement at the corner have all heads trained at it... Him. Small steps walks towards us quietly situating himself on the couch opposite the one Andrei and myself sits on. He turns smiling at his Grandmothers and Ana resting a blank look on Andrei and myself. Dauntless.
"He is a very strange child." The therapist in Mrs Rosie springs out watching the boy watch us keenly, unblinking.
He hasn't said a word to Andrei or me and barely says more than a sentence to my mum or Aunt rosie even Ana. Just asks to see his mother then disappears inside the big mansion.
"Princess!"
"Flower!"
Took them long enough to show up. It was like they are so attached to our mothers, never to be one apart despite them disobeying them over and over again. The love clearly smitten by our parents.
"You both are in big trouble." Ana sighs pouring herself a glass leaving them to argue with our Dads.
She plops on the space beside him. "Hey baby. It's a big house, you know you could get lost if no adult is with you."
He smile a toothy grin. "Yeah, I did actually miss my way. But I love running around the big house. I only run around when Mummy and aunty Loraine takes me to the park."
"Really now? Did you enjoy your time in the park?" Ana makes it sound cheerful but I can see the sadness in her eyes that reflects mine as she looks down at him.
"Mummy never lets us stay longer. She is scared of the bogey men." He says looking at one of our men talking to his com.
"You don't have to be anymore, okay? Daddies will protect and I will protect you. Grandparents will not let anyone hurt you." He looks back at her nodding.
"I got you something." Gifting him the latest complete apple series. His smile brighten just like Trinity's. "Do you like it?"
His eyes tears as lip wobbles holding his gift. "Is this for me? I love it. Thank you."
Ana looks close to tearing up masking it off with a feigned smile, briskly, she sits up not without kissing his cheek sauntering off into the estate.
"Go slow on him, he's still a kid." I hear her say.
Silence. I don't even know what to say even if I wanted to. I was never the people person or good at expressing myself to people. That is why everyone loves Andrei, he filled that part of me without a blink. But it seems, we both has the same difficulty as neither of us says a word looking at the little boy.
"I know I have two daddies. Mummy keeps your picture by my bed. You look older now." Andrei glance at me then back at the boy.
"What do you want to know about us, Tusya?" Andrei's question makes him laugh dropping his gift carefully on the table.
"I know everything Daddy. Mummy tells me about you and daddy all the time." What? She did?
"Maybe you should know me." He drops down from the chair walking towards us. "I have been practicing my speech for today." Standing in front of us like a King. Definitely an Ivanov.
His little voice speaks with power and firmness. "My name is Tusya Bright Ivanov and I am five years old but my friends call me Tus. My daddies are powerful Russians and I am from a big family. So don't mess with us."
He states rather proudly having a grin appear on my lips matching Andrei's own. Seeing that Tusya smiles.
Andrei picks him up sitting him on his leg. "Where have you been?" I ask.
"Hiding. Mummy said it's to protect me from the bogey men." Bogey men again?
"Will she go to heaven because the bogey men shot her? I don't want her to sleep like Grandma Martha." Trinity's mother. He really knows us.
Andrei looks at me then at him. Determined. "No. No. She won't. Her heaven is right here with us."
Andrei is right; Trinity is our light and we are her heaven. There's no heaven without its light.
❤️
Abbie cares