Page 31 of Unholy Matrimony

“Good morning Madam! Heading out for the day? What would you like me to prepare for supper tonight?”

“You know, I think I would like to cook for Lenya this evening.” I say, smiling .

Alina’s eyes light up as she says, “I think he would like that very much. Is there anything I can prepare for you so that you will be ready to cook when you return?” I make a mental list of what I will need.

“Yes, I need some lentils to be soaked and onions chopped. I can do the onions when I return. Have a good day, Alina.”

Headed to the door. I grab my coat off the hook. I lock the door to the house, and the car is parked right in front. Right where Lenya left it last night.

Starting up the engine; I put the phone on the mount on the console. I bring up the maps app and type in Mila’s address. The estimated time to get there is only twenty-five minutes. They live closer to the church than we do. I search for something to listen to on the drive and I settle on an audiobook. On the drive, I look at where our home is located and marvel at all the trees. We live in a really pleasant area, and it makes me think that any children we have will grow up in a safe area.

Not only that, they will have a devoted father who will protect them. The feeling that brings to my heart makes me wish I were pregnant already. But I don’t know the first thing about getting pregnant, other than you have to have sex. I know when my cycle starts every month, but that’s about it. Maybe it's something I can ask Mila. Maybe that will be too weird to talk about the first time we are meeting each other.

The turn for Oleg and Mila’s house leads down a block full of smaller homes. I pull in front of their house and cut the engine. Exiting the car, I head to the front door. Before I can even knock, the door swings open!

“Privet!12 Please come in Lina. I am so happy to have you. It has been forever since I had a friend over who is the same age as me.”

She called me her friend. I have never really had a friend besides my sister.

Mila ushers me inside and holds out her hands for my coat. She takes it from me and I see the pile of shoes near the door. Out of respect for her home, I remove my boots. “Come, I have Samovar waiting.” She beckons from the kitchen. I head down the hallway and turn into the open door. Their kitchen is smaller than ours, but it is just as homey. They have a traditional Russian wood oven and I can feel the roaring fire coming from it.

“I made some vareniki and they are vegetarian. Will that be okay? I know you follow the fast strictly, but,” she places her hands on her belly, “we get dispensation to not fast so strictly.

“Don’t worry about that at all,” waving my hand around, “your hospitality is a blessing. I wouldn’t even say anything if you fed me a dish with meat in it.” I take a seat at their table.

Mila places a cup of tea in front of me, a dish of sugar, milk, and some small cookies. She sits in the seat across from me. “So Lenya finally settled down. You know, Oleg thought it would never happen. I knew he would find someone. He has a big heart underneath that hard exterior. I knew his father hadn’t ruined him with all the shit from the bratva.”

Blowing the steam from my tea, I nod. “Most don’t marry, right?” I state.

“It’s against their code. Wives and children make you a target. You go soft. Though Oleg is the same as he has always been. Hard as nails. I doubt this little one will change his demeanor.” She laughs as she rubs her belly.

“Lenya wants a baby,” I whisper as if it is a secret.

“Do you want one too?” She looks me in the eye, her tone inquisitive.

I take a moment to ponder my answer. I know when Lenya asked when we were making love; I said yes. Being lost in the moment, it just came out. Do I want this? I'm only nineteen. Well, Twenty in two months. When I saw the determination and want in his eyes, I knew I wanted that, too. I am just scared that it’s all so much, so fast.

“Da13, I think I am just scared and nervous.” My eyes look up from my cup of tea and she gives me a grin.

“Do you track your cycle? It's pretty easy to figure out when you need to have sex to conceive.” She sees the embarrassed look on my face and reaches for my hand. “Hey, no need to get embarrassed. We are both women. It's part of our life.”

She wipes the crumbs from the cookie she ate from her hands. “Okay, when was your last period?”

Trying to think back, I mentally count. “Uh, like thirteen days ago.” Mila pulls out her phone and pulls up an app, inputs the date of my last period, and looks up at me. “How long does your cycle last?”

I shrug, “Maybe twenty-seven or twenty-eight days” Satisfied with my answer, she waits a moment before her eyes go wide.

“According to this, ovulation should be soon. Or you could have ovulated last night.”

Confused, I ask, “Ovulate?” All of this is so new. My doctor never talked to me about any of this and neither did my mother. I am definitely feeling naïve for an almost twenty-year-old woman. Mila gives me a kind smile and says, “It’s when your body releases the egg.”

“Sorry my parents didn’t let me have sexual education in school, and thinking I was going to be a nun one day, I never looked into it all myself.” She laughs, rising to clear the table. “Please let me help!” I implore.

After helping clear our mess from tea, she showed me around their home. It's quaint and homey, and she shows it off with pride. “Oleg saved up for this home for over a year. This was his wedding gift to me. So our children will always have a home.” She has tears in her eyes. She sniffs. “Sorry, I just get so emotional, what with being pregnant. I grew up bouncing around houses because my father always owed people money. We never stayed in one place long. When Oleg and I got together, even though we were just kids, he promised I would always have a home to come to. He made good on that.”

The rest of the early afternoon, I chat with Mila and she explains a great deal about the Bratva and how things work. What’s expected of us as wives, especially since wives aren’t particularly welcome. I offer to help Mila with some tasks around the house and finally, around 2:00; I leave. Remembering the need to head to the store to grab some things for the supper I am going to make for Lenya. I send him a text letting him know I'll be heading home soon.

After returning home, I get started on making supper. I am making a Lebanese lentil dish that I think Lenya will like. It may not have meat, but it's very savory and fills you up. Mujaddara is one of my favorite lentil dishes. Lenya is going to love the caramelized onions! I am in the kitchen cooking away when I hear the door open at the front of the house. My heart skips a beat when I hear the door close and his footsteps making their way down the hall. He stops briefly at what I assume is our room when I hear him call out. “Tsvetok14, where are you?”

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