Silence. Silence. Silence. I sit beside my brother staring at my parents who are trying their terrible best at acting prim and proper. My mother of all people is eating without making a sarcastic comment or toying at my patience. This two people are my saviors and tormentors. Cluttering and clattering of their utensils against their plates make my ears itch. I feel a nudge at my knee below the table, I send Nikolai a look, he eyes me then cocks his left eyebrow tilting his head over mother's direction. I know I'm not the only one who thinks having a peaceful meal with my parents is weird.
I hear my phone ping. "Excuse me" I pick my phone from my pocket. A message from Nikolai appears on my phone.
'please say something! The silence is killing me!'
I switch off my phone before returning it to my pockets. My eyes flicker from the old man to his wife. My dad is very good at acting whereas my mother is hardly getting it together. Her eyes keep fleeting looks to me when she thinks I'm not looking. I notice the change of her glasses and I'm pressured to speak.
"Davinia extends her greetings" I mutter with intent, awaiting patiently for their reaction. For seconds, none of them said a thing then suddenly mother dropped her cutleries loudly on her plate, her rigid posture relaxes and she let's out a dramatic gasp.
"Oh, Isn't that vonderful" her eyes opened a bit wider and her face breaks into a gleaming smile. Old man on the other hand tries his best to hide his grin but fails terribly. "You hear that Christian, they're getting along just fine" her hands clasp together, her face beaming with joy. Pops nods slowly, cutting through his steak with purpose. His cool collected gaze meet mine for a split second.
"Any problems?" He chews the steak carefully before gulping it down with the red wine beside his plate.
I clean my mouth with the napkin. "No problems" our eyes meet and we stare at each other. His black orbs stare hard at mine and I know what he wants to say but can't say because of his wife. 'How did she handle the matter of the explosion?' 'Any leads on the bomber?' why are you so calm?. Its hard not to laugh in his face. My dad is not the Don, I was picked as the Don because of the hard work I put into this organization. For this reason, old man feels anxious anytime there's an issue like this. He should know by now that I have control over the mafia.
"We'll talk about it later" I assure him instead of the mind reading that he wants to engage me in. "I see you've changed your glasses mother. Any improvement?" I switch topics, watching mother's expression as it immediately falls. That alone tells me all I need to know. Quickly, she covers it up with a weak smile.
"I have hope" she mutters lowly with fake enthusiasm. "pfft" she waves me off with her right hand, like I'm the one sputtering nonsense. "Who needs eyes when I have this" She nudges her old man who tries to hide his pain with a fake laugh. "Am I right?" she asks but no one says a thing. For a dead second, no sound can be heard. Her fake smile crumbles. "Right?" she says, louder with annoyance hitting the edge.
Nikolai burst into fits of laughter. Fake, of course. He slaps my shoulder playfully but stops when I send him a silent glare. He scoffs, waving his hand at mother. "Who needs eyes when you have this human walking stick. Pfft" he continues. Old man didn't like that too much but he has no choice but to go along with the flow. He laughs along, smiling brightly at his wife.
"Come on, my love. It will be fine." He nudges her by the arm, making her whole body shake. "Have some more wine. Davinia desperately wants you to have it. Isn't that right, son?" He throws the last question at me and I nod in response. Mother's face brightens and she immediately gulps the whole thing. "Easy now," old man chuckles nervously at his wife when she begins to down the wine straight from the bottle.
The banter continues quietly in the background as I allow myself to slip into my own world. Mother will soon lose her sight. My father had saved her from the black market. She was in the hands of some Romanian men who were manhandling her, one thing led to another and mother got into a accident which affected her eyes. It wasn't as bad as it is now when I got accepted into this household. She didn't even need glasses but as she ages, it becomes worse. The doctor tells us to prepare for it but mother hangs on to a grain of hope. She doesn't give up until her last breath and that is why she is the first woman to earn her my respect.
I sip a bit of wine, savoring the taste in my mouth. Davinia decided to use the apples we picked the the other at the orchid to make this wine. An atom of jealousy swirls in me at the fact that I'm sharing this wine with the rest of the family. This wine taste greats, it makes me anticipate on how she really tastes. I bet she tastes better than this apple wine and I cant wait to have her to myself.
"I'm sure he's thinking about her right now. Look at him" I hear Nikolai comment before he gulps loudly. My mum giggles uncontrollable.
"It's been years since I've seen him like this. Your boy is whipped" Her giggles turn into cackling as she slaps her husband aggressively. Poor man could only nod in agreement. A smile makes it way to my lips. No matter what happens, my home is always homey. I twirl my wine glass, watching the liquid swirl in its glass.
Davinia shipped the wine over to Moscow with a letter. She didn't want to drink it alone so she decided to share. Now I wonder if she is also getting drunk while thinking of our night together or she is drinking her wine while looking through blueprints for the building of her hotel.
I pick the latter.