Chapter 82

Flashback – Ben – Leaving Moscow

She pointed to the now disappearing ass end of her car and answered, "Прадед took my car so I thought I would ride with you."

I sure as hell didn't like the way Oksana and I were being pushed together so I said, "You are welcome to ride with me because I do not know the way to your house."

I unlocked my door, climbed in my козел, then reached across the seats and unlocked her door. She climbed in, smiled at me and said, "Thank you Comrade Captain."

I glared at her and curtly replied, "I tolerate that from your great-grandfather and Sergei because of their service to our country. However you never served so you need to call me Anatoly Andreev."

She grinned even more widely at me and answered, "Excuse me Comrade Captain, you assumed incorrectly. I served in the military for our country."

I figured it was better if I kept my mouth shut instead of putting my foot in it again so I followed her directions, drove past many places that looked so bad they should have been condemned¹ and finally we pulled up in front of nice as hell house. It wasn't big by any means, but it was comfortably sized and looked to have two stories. The upper part of the house had the typical intricate woodworking so common in the small villages in Russia. What set the house apart was that instead of being in disrepair, it was clean as hell and painted a nice shade of robin's egg blue. The lower half of the house appeared to be made of masonry and was painted brilliant white which was so clean and bright it made my eyes water. There were flower gardens everywhere and I could just see the edge of a huge produce garden behind the house. A short distance away stood a huge barn with a color palate matched the house and against the side of it was a huge chicken coop.

¹ The disrepair of the older houses in the small villages in Russia is unfortunately very common. It's a hard life in the smaller villages of Russia so many people cannot afford to repair their houses.

Oksana noticed the way I looked at the house and said, "So Comrade Captain, was this not what you thought you would find?"

I carefully considered my choice of words so as not to offend and answered, "Your house is like something out of a fairy tale. You must work very hard to keep it this way." I secretly wondered where Oksana or Oleg got the money in this small village to keep the house in such good shape but knew better than to ask.

I knew I said the right thing when she smiled at me and answered, "Thank you Comrade Captain. My Прадед and I work very hard to keep this house like it was when my Прабабушкой (great-grandmother) was alive."

I answered without thinking, "Well, when your Прабабушкой looks down from heaven she must be very happy."

Oksana displayed a strange look on her face which I didn't understand. Then I noticed one single tear crept down her freshly washed face. She quickly wiped it away and answered, "Thank you Sir for your kind words about my Прабабушкой, however I am not sure she would be totally happy with all that I do." I assumed she referred to the way she looked last night and the things she offered to do.

Oleg came to the door and waved at us as Oksana continued, "Comrade Captain, we need to get inside because I must finish cooking."

We exited my козел and as I locked it Oksana scolded, "Comrade Captain, there is no need to lock your vehicle here."

I answered with a chuckle, "I am sorry but it is a force of habit from living in Moscow."

Oksana laughed and answered, "Yes, I still have many of my bad habits from when I lived in Moscow."

This piqued my interest so as we walked toward the house I asked, "You used to live in Moscow? What sort of work did you do?"

We walked into the house but I was distracted and missed her answer because the inside of the house was even better than the exterior - hell it was immaculate! There were the nice typical oriental style rugs covering the wood parquet floors, a very dated but obviously cared for; a camelback sofa facing a huge blazing fireplace; three matching and very stylish wingback chairs; and a sofa which surrounded a coffee table that amazingly and perfectly matched the parquet floors. Its pattern matched so perfectly it looked like someone lifted a piece of the parquet out of the floor and made the table out of it. But what dominated the room was the eastern wall: It was covered with so many Orthodox Icons it resembled an Iconostas². I saw the shoe rack by the door, with slippers on it and knew what was expected so I reached down, untied my boots, placed them on the shoe rack, found a pair of slippers that fit and put them on.

² Iconostas - is a wall of icons and religious paintings, separating the nave from the sanctuary in an Orthodox church.

Oksana had done the same, then she nudged me and questioned, "Comrade Captain are you still alive, you didn't say anything about my former occupation."

I was still in shock and sort of mumbled, "Excuse me what did you say? I was distracted by this wonderful room."

She stepped in front of me, made sure she had my attention, smiled and replied, "I told you I was a petrochemical engineer for OAO Gazprom."

I was impressed and answered, "OAO Gazprom is the largest extractor of natural gas in the world and also one of the world's largest companies. It must have been hard to leave that and come back here?"

Oleg walked out of another room carrying a square wooden box and answered for Oksana, "Comrade Captain, do not insult us by acting like a typical officer. There is no comparison to living in Moscow and here. Moscow is dirty and noisy and here we have peace."

Oksana impressed the hell out of me as she continued, "After my Прабабушкой passed away, Прадед couldn't take care of himself or the house. The house was falling into disrepair like many of the houses in this area so it was my responsibility to come home and take care of him."

I looked around the house, remembered the exterior and questioned how bad it could have looked. I remarked, "Well you sure can't tell that there was any problem with the house now."

Oleg had set the wooden box on the floor, pulled out a new bottle of vodka, began to wipe the dust off it with his blood tinged handkerchief and answered, "I am ashamed to admit it but my darling Oksana is once again covering things in sweets. I was so depressed that I practically destroyed this house, then Oksana came here and had everything repaired."

I whistled, moved my arm in a way to encompass the entire room and answered, "That must have cost many Rubles."

Oleg smiled and said something that didn't sit quite right, "Yes it did, but my маленькая ангел (little angel) was smart when she worked in Moscow. She saved her money and used it for the repairs."

Oksana took the bottle of vodka from Oleg's hands, walked over to a curio cabinet, opened it, took out three crystal glasses, set them on the coffee table, opened the bottle and poured three shots. She handed the first glass to me, the second to Oleg, took one for herself and said, "My Прадед makes the best vodka in the world."

Oleg held up his crystal shot glass and said, "Here's to the best Правнучка (great granddaughter) in the world."

Oksana blushed (and it wasn't from the vodka) then she informed us, "You men relax by the fire while I finish making dinner."

We took the wingback chairs which faced away from the fireplace. I began to sit but my back felt like shit since the muscles were tight as hell. I finally got them loosened enough that I could sit and Oleg handed me the bottle of vodka and suggested, "Comrade Captain, please enjoy yourself in our house."

I'd already had much more vodka than I was used to drinking so I handed the bottle back and answered, "Thank you but anymore vodka will impair my performance tomorrow."

He laughed, took a big drink and answered, "Comrade Captain, the night is young."

I reminded him, "However, you still need to fix the trigger on the PTRD."

He set the bottle on a nice cedar coaster that was on the parquet table, and answered, "Yes Sir!"

Oksana called, "Dinner is ready."

Once again I was shocked by the amount of food on the table, hell it could have fed the whole Spetsnaz team. We faced an Icon of Jesus on the wall and Oksana and Oleg said the Lord's Prayer and then gave thanks that I was visiting. Oleg wasn't lying, Oksana was a great cook - the dinner was one of the best I had ever had.

Dinner was finished and Oleg suggested, "Comrade Captain, we need to take your козел into the barn where my tools are. There I will show you what a trigger should feel like."

I suggested, "Perhaps I should first help Oksana clear the table?"

Oksana blushed and answered, "Please Anatoly Andreev let me do that. I know Прадед cannot wait to work on the PTRD."

Oleg and I headed to the front door. Oksana followed and helped Oleg into his ва́ленки (Valenki - Russian wool felt boots - comfortable and warm as hell), then she asked, "Comrade Captain, do you need help with your boots?"

I shook my head and answered, "No thank you, I am not that old yet."

I realized my mistake when Oksana blushed and Oleg began to berate her, "Ксана (KsAna – diminutive form of Oksana)! Do not!!!"

I was angry as hell and tired of seeing Oksana treated like shit so I interrupted, "Oleg! This might be your house however if you want me to stay you need to treat Oksana with more respect!"

I tossed him the keys to my козел and continued, "You can fix the trigger on the PTRD by yourself. After a wonderful meal like that, I am staying here and helping Oksana wash the dishes. She is a wonderful woman and has given up many things to give you a comfortable life and you need to show her more respect!"

Oleg was dumbstruck and stared at me, I saw tears fall down Oksana's cheek and she said, "Please Comrade Captain, go with my Прадед. I do not need help with the dishes."

I glared at Oleg, he looked down and confessed, "Comrade Captain you are correct. I sometimes forget how lucky I am to have my Ксана here. I will sit by the fire while you help her with the dishes, then we will work on your PTRD."

Now Oksana looked dumbstruck. Oleg tossed my keys back to me, slipped out of this felt boots, back into his slippers and shuffled off to his seat by the fire. I headed toward the dining room, Oksana figured out what I was doing then dashed after me.

We got into the dining room, Oksana surprised the hell out of me with a huge hug (because of Tatiana her hug made me uncomfortable enough that I didn't return it). She pulled away looked at me and said, "Sorry Comrade Captain, if I made you uncomfortable. I just wanted to show you my thanks for talking to my Прадед; he does not understand what he does because he is from a different time."

I smiled at her and said, "Oksana like I told you when you drove up behind me, I have a girlfriend in Moscow."

She smiled and answered, "Well she is a very lucky woman."

We had a great time doing the dishes, walked into the living room and Oleg had fallen asleep by the fire. Oksana ran into another room, came back with a blanket and lovingly tucked Oleg in. She looked at me and pleaded, "Comrade Captain, please let my Прадед sleep because I have not seen him sleep so well for a very long time. You and Прадед can work on your rifle tomorrow morning."

I looked at him and he did look comfortable as hell so I consented, "Okay Oksana, but we need to wake up early tomorrow."

Oksana went to hug me again, I crossed my arms, she got the hint and said, "Comrade Captain, I will take you to your room for the night."

My initial thoughts were correct. We climbed the stairs to a second floor which was cooler - a good thing because it was too damn hot for my likes downstairs. She opened the door and walked into a room. I followed as she walked over to the bed, turned down the covers and said, "My room is just down the hallway if you need anything. Do not worry if you hear me moving around during the night since I will check on Прадед many times."

Then I remembered that I didn't bring in my kit from my козел so I couldn't brush my teeth or anything else. I went into the hallway wondered which door Oksana meant until I heard her singing. I went to her door, knocked on it, heard some noises behind it, she came to the door in her robe and I said, "I forgot my necessary kit from my козел and need to get it so I can clean up before I go to sleep."

Oksana gave me an exasperated look followed by an even more exasperated sounding sigh and answered, "Comrade Captain, I will take you to your козел however we must use the back door as not to wake my Прадед."

I apologized, "Oksana I am truly sorry about this, if I didn't need my toothbrush I would just forget about it."

She gave me a wicked smile, seductively swung her hips, winked at me and said, "Comrade Captain, you are more than welcome to use anything of mine!"

I totally understood the offer was once again for anything I wanted and quickly countered, "Oksana, I told you before..."

She interrupted me, "Yes Comrade Captain, I know, 'you have a girlfriend in Moscow'. Follow me and please walk quietly."

I followed her and I was not so sure that she wasn't accenting the sway of her ass to try to entice me. I quickly muttered to myself and looked away but not before she turned, caught me looking at her ass and began to giggle.

I berated her, "I thought you said we needed to be quiet?"

She continued giggling and answered, "Comrade Captain, are you really sure you have a girlfriend in Moscow? And if you do, how would she feel about where your eyes were?"

I countered with the answer, "Tatiana says she doesn't mind where my eyes go as long as my hands don't follow."

Oksana's giggle turned into a full blown laugh and she informed me, "Tatiana might tell you she doesn't mind you looking at other women, but when she says that she is lying to you."

Unfortunately Oksana's comments hit too close to home and reminded me of the bullshit Tatiana and Masha pulled on me before I left. So I empirically categorized, "Shit that's nothing new, all women lie all the time."

Oksana surprised the hell out of me as she stopped on the stairs. I wasn't expecting it so I ran into her and we both tumbled head over heels down the rest of the stairs. We hit the landing at the bottom, and I complained, "What the hell did you stop on the stairs for?"

Oksana grabbed her leg and began to cry, "Comrade Captain, you insulted all women and so I was going to argue with you. However I think my leg is broken."

Shit of all the MCFs! If her leg was broken this was going to really fuck up my missions because it would be my fault and I would need to stay here and take care of her and Oleg. I looked at her leg and stated, "Well your leg doesn't look broken."

She continued crying and holding her leg and said, "Please check here where I am holding my leg Comrade Captain."

I replied, "Move your hands so I can have a look at it."

She moved her hands and I could see a red mark on her leg. I slowly reached for it, touched her leg, she grimaced in pain and said, "That really hurts!"

I palpated around the mark on her leg, she continued to grimace and cry and I suggested, "Well if it is broken it's not very serious. I'm sure it must be a green stick fracture."

She continued with the complaints and offered additional information, "Anatoly Andreev, it also hurts further up my leg, will you please check it?"

I began to slide my hand up her leg and asked, "Is this high enough?'

She answered, "No, keep going."

My hand was getting uncomfortably high on her leg so I again asked, "How about now?"

She answered, "No! You need to go much higher."

I looked up at her face, saw she had a smile on it and realized I've been had! I snatched my hand back and now it was my turn to complain, "Oksana that wasn't fair. You lied to me since your leg isn't broken at all.

Oksana laughed, "Well Comrade Captain, since you said all women lie all the time I assumed you wanted me to lie to you. So tell me, did you like what you felt because I certainly did?"

I glared at her and teased, "It would have been better if you had shaved your leg sometime in the past week."

She stopped laughing, gave me a dirty look and challenged, "Comrade Captain, now who is lying? I'll have you know I shaved my legs and other places just this morning. Would you like to see for yourself?"

I stood up and announced, "Hell no! I'm tired of this and need to get my bag."

She held up her hand toward me, I ignored it so she stood up by herself and complained, "Anatoly Andreev! You are not even fun!"

She walked away and I followed her. We headed through the kitchen, she opened the door and we walked into a nice mud room. I shook my head and said, "Shit! I forgot my boots in the front room."

Oksana said, "Don't worry about it, just wear my Прадед's boots for now."

I found the biggest pair of boots by the back door, took off my slippers, put on the boots and we headed outside. It was a clear night which means it was colder than hell. Oksana stopped, looked up into the sky and said, "You never see this many stars in Moscow."

There was no way I was waiting around to look at all the stars since it was too damn cold and my coat was in my bedroom. I changed the subject, "I'm going to get my bag, I'll be right back."

I ran around the house, stopped at the back of my козел, unlocked the back door, grabbed my necessary bag and ran back around the house. Oksana was still looking up into the sky and remarked, "Look there is a satellite."

I looked up to see the tiny speck moving across the sky and remarked, "That's fine, now I'm heading back inside because I'm freezing."