Chapter 56: Joel and Milena

December 31, 1983, McKinley, Ohio

"Mike!" Milena gushed when Clarissa, Tasha, and I walked into her mom's house.

"How's the blushing bride?" I asked.

"I don't think Milena has blushed since she was twelve!" Doctor Blahnik teased. "Hi, Mike! Hi, Tasha! Hi, Clarissa!"

"Hi! Milena, where's your intended?" I asked.

"His friends have custody of him until the wedding starts at 8:00pm! But the rule was he had to be sober, able to stand on his own, and have no injuries!"

I chuckled, "So much for the wild bachelor party!"

"Put your things in the guest room, Mike," Doctor Blahnik instructed.

"Will do; then we need to walk Tasha to where she's staying tonight."

"Is Kimiko going to be here?" Milena asked.

"Yes. She'll be here for the wedding, but she's going home after they cut the wedding cake. Sandy should be here any time now."

"And you, Clarissa, and Sandy are sharing the guest room?" Doctor Blahnik asked with a smirk.

"If so, Sandy is WAY more likely to get lucky than I am!" I chuckled, earning a smack on the arm from Clarissa. "But the bed is big enough for the three of us to share without any concerns."

Everyone laughed. Clarissa and I took our things to the guest room, and then she, Tasha, and I left to walk to the Sokolovs' house.

"Your professor is so funny," Tasha said. "Teasing you about a threesome!"

"If the Sokolovs wouldn't tell your dad, we could go for a foursome!" I chuckled.

"«Ты некультурная свинья» (ty nekulturnaya svinya)!" Tasha exclaimed, but she laughed after she said it.

"He can really be an uncultured pig, can't he?" Clarissa commiserated.

"I'm beginning to suspect all men have those fantasies," Tasha said.

"They do!" Clarissa agreed. "Want to hear Mike's most recent fantasy?"

"Lissa!" I snapped.

"She'll find it as amusing as I did!"

"And you think it's OK to share that without my permission?" I asked crossly.

Clarissa was quiet for a second, then breathed out slowly.

"No. I'm sorry. I guess I let the teasing get out of hand."

"No fair!" Tasha protested strongly. "Here, you tell me there's some wonderful fantasy, but then you don't tell me?"

"I'm sorry, Tasha," Clarissa said. "I shouldn't have said that. And Mike, I am sorry."

I took my own deep breath and let it out.

"Sorry, I shouldn't have snapped at you that way."

"It's OK."

We were all quiet for about a block before I spoke.

"I guess this is a good sign, in a way," I said carefully. "The fact that you two are comfortable enough with each other to talk that way is a GOOD thing, but I think the two of you and Jocelyn know so much about me that we have to be careful not to violate anyone's privacy."

"You're right," Clarissa said. "Do you agree, Tasha?"

"Yes, though that doesn't change my curiosity! But forget that for now; is Glenda going to be here?"

"Yes, but she's going to drive home after the party just like Kimiko, which is why I'm sharing the guest room with Mike. Well, and Sandy, because she couldn't find a place to stay. Anyway, Glenda's family has a big New Year's Day gathering to watch the Rose Parade and the Rose Bowl. That tradition started when her parents were dating in the late 50s. She said they watched Ohio State beat Oregon in 1958, and that's when they decided to do it every year. They married the year after, and Glenda was born in 1962. Glenda finds it amusing that Ohio State didn't go back to the Rose Bowl for eleven years from the time the tradition started. Then they went a lot in the 70s."

"We never watched much football in my house," I said. "But my mom loves to watch the Rose Parade. But isn't it on Monday this year?"

"I thought it was always January 1st," Clarissa said.

"Me, too, but Mom said it was going to be Monday morning, and she was happy that it was the official work holiday."

"Strange," Clarissa replied, sounding uneasy.

I had an uneasy feeling as well and wondered if Glenda had made a mistake or if there was something else going on.

"When did you talk to her last?" I asked.

"Christmas Eve," Clarissa said. "But we didn't talk about the wedding except for her telling me she'd arrive around 4:30pm."

"Maybe there was a miscommunication on her end," I said. "My mom didn't realize until she checked the TV Guide yesterday."

"Maybe," Clarissa replied, sounding unsure.

"You can ask her in about forty-five minutes," I said. "Don't get yourself worked up for no reason!"

"You're right," she replied, slipping her hand into mine.

We arrived at the Sokolovs' house, and Tasha left her bag in their guest room and then got a key from Mrs. Sokolova. After a few minutes of polite conversation, we started back to Doctor Blahnik's house.

"Where are they going on their honeymoon?" Tasha asked.

"Aruba," I said. "They decided someplace warm was a good choice for early January!"

"As if they're going outside!" Tasha declared mirthfully.

"Not everyone is a sex fiend, Natalya Vasilyevna!" I teased.

"I don't hear YOU complaining, Mikhail Petrovich!"

"Mike's sense of self-preservation is WAY too strong for him to do that!" Clarissa declared.

"What she said!" I said.

"Tasha, how did you decide to have sex?"

Tasha laughed softly, "I didn't! My hormones did! I went through puberty, and my body said, 'I want to have Mike fuck my brains out,' and who was I to say differently?"

Both Clarissa and I laughed hard.

"As I said, Tasha's virtue wasn't safe with Tasha! She made ME the custodian."

"And then I had to argue with him because I'd made him promise!"

"And you didn't care that you wouldn't marry?"

"I was pretty sure we wouldn't, so I really only had one option — have Mike fuck my brains out repeatedly before I found the man I'll marry. Which, once I convinced him to relent on his promise, he was VERY happy to do! And he's very good at it, too!"

"Thank you for the endorsement," I said with a huge grin. "And may I be «некультурный» (nekulturny)?"

"You may," she said playfully.

"She fucks MY brains out, and she's VERY good at it!"

"So," Clarissa smirked, "we've established that both of you are good at fucking! But you don't want to do it for the rest of your lives?"

"Nobody said THAT," Tasha laughed, "but we're not going to marry, and I think his future wife and my future husband might object just a bit if we continued to fuck each other senseless after we married other people!"

"May I ask you why?"

"Because, as adults, neither of us believe we're the right partner. It's not a problem. When I was fifteen I would have been very upset if someone said that, but I think I need a different sort of man. And I think he needs a different sort of woman."

"Do you have anyone in mind?" Clarissa asked.

"For me? Or for Mike?"

"Both, I guess."

"For me? There is a college student at Saint Michael whom I've known for almost as long as I've known Mike, who has wanted to date me for ages. And I think he's interesting enough to consider."

"May I ask who?"

"Nikolas Dmitriyevich."

I nodded, "A junior at OSU who's going to be a mechanical engineer. He's a good guy. And I think his situation, graduating in eighteen months and with very good job prospects, is more compatible with Tasha's desire to start a family soon."

"Is that really the concern?" Clarissa asked.

"It's important to me," Tasha said. "I know most girls want to wait these days, but I want to start a family, and you know Mishka really can't do that for at least six years. And even then, for two years, he would have almost no time for me and our kids. I love him, but I think I would be very unhappy and discontented. Mike warned me about that, but I didn't really understand it when I was fifteen. Well, I mean, I understood, but not the way I do now."

"Do you think the other guy is interested?"

I laughed, "Is that a SERIOUS question? As soon as Tasha says 'hello', he'll be putty in her hands. I sure was!"

"Oh no, Mishka, it was VERY hard in my hands and my..." she teased, leaving the sentence hanging.

Both Clarissa and I laughed.

"And who do you have in mind for Mike?" Clarissa asked.

"You, of course, if you weren't lesbian. Otherwise? I don't know Maggie well enough to say, so I would have to say Oksana Mikhailovna. I would suggest Elizaveta Viktorovna, but she's only fourteen, so dating would be difficult for almost two years."

It was fascinating to hear Tasha analyzing which girl would be best for me because, in some ways, she knew me better than anyone except Clarissa, but she had a completely Orthodox mindset, which Clarissa didn't have. I decided to keep my mouth shut and listen.

"Why them?" Clarissa asked.

"I know both girls very well, and I know that both like Mishka and are both in a better situation to handle having babies even while Mishka is studying."

"What do you mean?" Clarissa asked.

"I want to move out of the house and be on my own. They get along really well with their mothers and grandmothers. That opens other options. Both families are well-to-do and could provide support if it were necessary. As I said, even though Elizaveta is the best choice, she's too young, so I would say he should talk with Oksana. I'm sure she'll jump at the chance."

"To jump him?" Clarissa asked with a smirk.

"Obviously!" Tasha replied. "But also as a good match for a deacon and a doctor."

"Any comment, Petrovich?" Clarissa asked.

"You know I'm involved with Kimiko, and she's the one I think I should be with."

"I'm not sure she's the best choice for you," Tasha said.

"You aren't the first person to say that," I replied.

"You, Clarissa?"

"Yes. I don't really know the Orthodox girls, having only met them at church, so I can't comment. It's my opinion he'd be better off with Maggie or Sophia."

"The Greek girl he went skiing with?" Tasha asked.

"She decided marrying a doctor isn't off limits," I said. "But there are other areas of conflict, such as her not wanting to stay and practice in this area."

"That's a big challenge, I would think," Tasha said.

"It is," I agreed. "But I have time to work things out because I promised you I wouldn't make any decisions until we had our talk after graduation."

"But we both know how it will turn out, right?"

"And in our lives, nothing has ever changed out of the blue because of some unexpected event?" I asked.

"So, you still think it's possible?"

"Anything is possible, Tasha. I won't absolutely foreclose the possibility until June. Too many things could happen before then."

"True. And it's not like it would be torture to be married to you!"

"Gee, thanks," I replied sarcastically.

"Oh, stop!" she said with a soft laugh. "What I said before is true, but as you say, it is not impossible, just unlikely."

We arrived back at Doctor Blahnik's house to find Sandy waiting for us, along with José and Rebekah and Sophia, Robby, and Lee. Glenda arrived a few minutes later, and she and Clarissa moved away from the rest of us to talk.

"What do you think, Mishka?" Tasha asked in Russian.

"I have no idea," I replied in Russian. "It depends on what the truth of the matter is."

Kimiko arrived just then, interrupting the conversation. We exchanged a chaste hug, which was the norm for any public greeting between us. Pete, Jason, and Fran arrived a few minutes later, which was a surprise. It was also a surprise that Pete had arranged for a motel and invited Sandy to join him. I was somewhat confused about why they hadn't communicated, but Sandy didn't seem upset. A minute later, Clarissa came up to me and asked me to the guest bedroom.

"A misunderstanding," Clarissa said. "She thought the game was tomorrow, just as you did. Would you be upset if I stayed with her tonight?"

"Not at all. Where?"

"Glenda called Jennifer earlier and arranged for us to stay at her house. She tried to call me, but we'd already left West Monroe. Glenda only found out right before she left home when she said something to her mom, who told her the game was Monday, not tomorrow."

"Good," I said.

"You were just as worried as I was."

"I suspect so," I said.

"Are you alone then? I see Pete's here, so I guess Sandy will be with him."

"So it would seem. I'll live!"

Clarissa laughed, "I'm sure there will be plenty of bed warmers available if you're interested!"

"Violet isn't here," I grinned.

"I'm sorry I said anything to Tasha before."

"It's OK. I just need you to be careful with what you say to Tasha and Jocelyn. I share things with you that I don't share with them."

"And they both get to sleep with you."

"You get to sleep with me, Lissa! It's the stuff we do before we sleep that's different!"

"I was surprised by Tasha."

I chuckled, "I wasn't. You're talking about the girl who, at fifteen, told me that all things were possible in the marriage bed, and she wanted to do ALL of them when the time was right!"

"I think she missed the mark," Clarissa teased.

"Perhaps," I agreed with a silly grin. "But that's between her and Father Herman. Shall we go out? I need to find Deb's younger sister so we can practice our duet at least once before we sing it for real."

Clarissa smirked, "You sing Endless Love to her, and she's going to be in your bed tonight, guaranteed."

"I haven't even met her!"

"How many non-Orthodox weddings have you been to?"

"Zero," I replied.

"Weddings put girls in the mood," Clarissa said. "Add in New Year's Eve, AND you singing to her? Sure thing."

"I seriously doubt that."

"Want to make a friendly wager?" she asked saucily.

"I remember what happened with Kristin," I said. "So I expect I'd lose that bet."

"And Fate has delivered you a bed devoid of other women!"

"Oh, stop!" I chuckled. "Let's go find Chloe."

We left the guest bedroom and found Deb, who introduced her sister, a pretty dark-haired girl with nice curves.

"Mike and Clarissa, meet my sister Chloe. Chloe, meet Mike and Clarissa."

"Nice to meet you," I said.

"Same here," she replied.

"Doctor Blahnik is in the music room," Deb said. "She's waiting on you two."

Chloe and I went into the music room where the wedding was going to be held. The room had been rearranged a bit, with the piano in a corner in what would be the back of the room, given the way the folding chairs were arranged. Doctor Blahnik walked over to the piano, and we joined her. I'd sung the song many times with Milena, so it was just a matter of any minor variations in the way Doctor Blahnik would play the accompaniment that I needed to hear.

"I hear you've sung this duet before with Milena," Chloe said.

I nodded, "I have, but she's going to be otherwise occupied when it comes time to sing!" I said with a grin.

"Shall we?" Doctor Blahnik asked. "No need to belt it out. Clarissa? Would you shut the doors, please?"

"Would you play through once?" I asked. "I'd like to hear how you play versus how Milena plays."

Doctor Blahnik smiled, "You're learning."

"I have a very good teacher!"

She laughed and played through the song, and I listened for any variations. There were a few, but they were minor, mostly different flourishes. When she began again, both Chloe and I sang softly, and neither of us put too much emotion into it. We ran through it a second time, and both of us said we were comfortable.

"Milena and Joel wrote the entire ceremony," Doctor Blahnik said. "Judge Landon is officiating, but he really only has a small part. Mike, you're going to sing Every Woman in the World, just before they exchange their vows."

"Against my better judgment," I replied.

"I hear you!" Doctor Blahnik said with a soft laugh. "But you know Milena can be a romantic little girl at times."

"Which is a good thing," I said.

"And Chloe is going to sing We've Only Just Begun."

"Kill me now," I chuckled.

"Oh, stop!" Doctor Blahnik laughed. "You're a romantic at heart! Do you need to rehearse your piece? Or the one you're singing in place of the bridal march?"

I'd practiced earlier in the day by singing to Clarissa, who had done her best to make 'goo goo' eyes at me, trying to get me to laugh.

"I'm ready," I said.

"Good! See you both in about twenty minutes!"

I left the music room and saw that most of the rest of the guests had arrived. Derek was talking to an older couple, who I assumed were Joel's parents, as the man bore a resemblance to Joel. I recognized most of the guests as Milena's friends, but there were a few others who I assumed were Joel's. I got myself a glass of ice water, then joined Clarissa, Glenda, Kimiko, and Tasha.

"How was your skiing trip?" Kimiko asked.

"I didn't break anything," I replied with a silly smile. "But I also didn't attempt any runs that were too difficult because it was my first time. Have you ever skied?"

"No. Did you like it enough to want to do it again?"

"I think so, yes."

"What did you do, Clarissa?"

"Hung out with Tasha and Jocelyn. Have you met her?"

"Not yet," Kimiko replied. "She's supposed to be here in August, I think."

"Actually, in June," I said. "She's going to take a Summer class. Things aren't so good at home for her."

"That seems to be a pattern for all the girls you're close to," Clarissa said with a soft laugh.

"Sadly," I said. "But I had problems at home, too, so maybe it's just something that happens when you go your own way and your parents don't agree."

"No doubt! Shall we get our seats? It's about ten minutes to go."

We went into the music room, and everyone took seats, with Kimiko and Clarissa saving a seat between them for me. I went to stand by the piano and wait. A few minutes later, the judge walked to the front of the room, and Doctor Blahnik came to sit at the piano.

"Ready to make some beautiful music together?" she asked with a sly smile.

I chuckled, "I'm still a student!"

She laughed, "You blushed SO deeply last time. You're not blushing now!"

"I'm not the same person I was a year ago!" I replied.

"I'll remember that in eighteen months!" she said with a wink.

Deb signaled that Milena and Joel were ready, so Doctor Blahnik began playing Ready To Take a Chance Again. It was fitting, given what Milena had done to reconnect with Joel. They walked down the aisle together, followed by Deb and a guy I didn't recognize but later found out was Joel's friend Herb.

I finished just as they arrived in front of the judge and turned to face their gathered friends and family. They began by alternating, telling their story of how they met at thirteen, fell in love, lost touch, and then found each other. I'd heard Milena's side of the story, but it was interesting to hear Joel's side, which filled in the missing pieces for me.