Page 15 of Unholy Matrimony

3. flower

4. baby

5. Baby

6. flower

7. love

8. Love

9. Love

10. My beautiful flower

11. Flower

12. baby

13. baby

14. flower

Chapter eight

Kalina

Iwake up before the sun has risen, I look over and see Lenya deep in sleep. I look over at the clock on his bedside table and it reads 4:30. Looking back at him laying there so peacefully, breathing deeply, I think to myself how baffling this all is. I’m falling in love with a man who is part of a criminal enterprise that is forcing me into a marriage. Though he is kind of saving me from a life, I wouldn’t have chosen for myself.

My papa would have tried to pick a man for me to marry, no doubt an awful man like him. My hand would have been forced and I would have given my life over.

I would have become a nun just to save myself from it. It wouldn’t have been the worst thing, but it isn’t what I would have dreamed of myself. I want a husband that loves me; I want to have children. Part of me is still angry inside that Lenya didn’t just talk to me like a normal man, try to ask me on a date, and see how things went from there. The likelihood of my papa being okay with that is slim, so I also see why he did things the way he did. Unlike everything that is said about him, he has been nothing short of gentle and absolutely enamored with me. It’s so confusing.

I get out of bed quietly and head to the bathroom to get ready for the day. After getting dressed, I leave the room and search around to see if I can find an icon. After searching around, the only icon I've found is in the library of the Theotokos and Christ as a child. I say my morning prayers, then look around to grab a book to read while I eat. This library is incredible, so much classic literature, and lots of it in English. I am very fortunate that my mama took pride in our education. Raisa and I can both read, write, and speak English fluently. I am guessing Lenya can, too. I still have so much to learn about him. Grabbing a copy of One Hundred Years of Solitude, I head for the kitchen. There is a small table nestled next to the big window that looks out into the wooded yard. Setting the book down, I search for something to eat.

After putting together some cut-up fruit, I sit and open the book. I get so lost in the words of Marquez, in the delicious fresh fruit, that I don’t notice Lenya leaning in the doorway. “What are you reading, Lyubov1? '' he asks, making his way to the table. “Gabriel Garcia Marquez’s One Hundred Years of Solitude. I found it in the library after I finished my morning prayers.”

He leans down and kisses the top of my head, “Next time wake me and we will do prayer together” He steals a slice of apple from my plate, and takes the seat next to me. “We can have a proper icon corner put together so that it's easier to do prayers. You can pick where it will go and choose the icons. How does that sound?” Love fills my heart. He knows this is something important to me. Looking at him, he has a slight grin.

“Thank you,” I say in almost a whisper. I can feel tears in the corner of my eyes beginning to form.

“Lyubov2, why are you crying?” His voice was filled with worry.

I turn to face him, and cannot stop the words that come out. “You could have had your pick of all the beautiful women in Moscow. All of Russia even. But you chose me. Why? Lenya, I am so average compared to the women I’ve seen. I’m sure some women fall at your feet and would give you anything you ask. I just don’t see why.”

He leans back in his chair, taking a moment to gather his words. Pushing the chair out, he comes to me and drops to his knees. He pulls and turns my chair to face him. Looking me dead in the eyes, he grabs the side of my face.

“You want to know why I chose you, Lina? When I laid my eyes on you in that church, I saw a woman who didn’t care about anything but her faith, her family, and nothing trivial. Looking at you was the first time I felt any semblance of peace since my mother died. You moved with grace, you were respectful of everyone. Listening to you laugh and talk with your family was like an angel was in my presence. I asked some men about you and they said you never talked to anyone, never dated, even though you're stunning. You became my obsession. I had to know everything about you. I followed you around like a lovesick puppy, watching you with your mama and sister, at the bookstore, and when you ran errands. You volunteered every chance you could, even giving up further education to help in your family’s business. The joy you exude when you are around others is infectious. You are a light, Lina. I truly feel that God led me back to that church because you are supposed to be the light to my darkness. I feel peace, unlike anything I’ve ever felt when you are around.”

He catches my tears with his thumbs and wipes them away. Leaning in, he kisses both sides of my face. My breathing is uneven and I can feel my body trembling. “I wasn't bothered by you ignoring me, but I got upset when I overheard your father trying to arrange a marriage for you during coffee hour. I knew I had to do something. I took the opportunity and put your family's business on Pakhan’s radar. It was successful and a perfect way to launder money. It was a win. I posed the idea of the marriage to ensure your father stayed in line. In reality, I wanted to make sure that you would be safe.”

As I stare deep into his eyes, he has tears forming.

He wants me safe. Safe from my papa who was going to trade me off to God knows who. Lenya would have rather I hated him, thinking he was a horrible man forcing me into a marriage for business. Then to see me in a marriage to someone else or the monastery.

Before I can get a word out, he speaks again.

“Lina, I am a wicked man. I won’t lie to you. My actions result in others being hurt. I kill people. The blood on my hands has stained my soul so deeply that surely I won’t be joining you in the kingdom of heaven. I am a devil ensnaring an angel he’s become infatuated with.”

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