Page 59 of Saved By The Grump

We booked the tickets the next day, and arranged for Addie to watch the kids while we were gone. That was about a month ago, and now that the day had come to actually pull the trigger, it was obvious Katya was more than a little nervous.

She was tapping her foot restlessly, and when they finally called us to board, she shot up out of her seat like a rocket.

The flight was ten hours, but she didn’t sleep the entire way. I couldn’t blame her, I was nervous too and I didn’t have as much at stake. I held her hand and encouraged her, reminding her that if things didn’t go well, we would leave. We could spend the rest of the trip exploring her favorite childhood memories or catch the first plane home, the choice would be hers. She smiled softly and thanked me and then looked out the window.

We arrived in Moscow by 11:00 am and were able to check into our room at The Four Seasons. The room was incredible but Katya was too anxious to notice. We still had over an hour before we were scheduled to meet her parents, so I drew her a bubble bath to help her relax. It seemed to help and we held hands as we walked to the corner café to wait for Katya’s parents.

I noticed Katya’s parents right away, considering Katya was the spitting image of her mother. The older couple stood near the doorway, eyes scanning the crowd. When they saw her, they nearly took off running in our direction. Still holding my hand, Katya stood and waited for her parents to approach. They rushed toward Katya, and when her mom wrapped Katya up in her arms, all three of them began to cry.

They held each other in silence for a full five minutes before finally letting go. Without saying a word, I motioned for everyone to take a seat. Still holding onto Katya like they were afraid she would disappear again her father spoke first.

“Katya, my love, my daughter, it has been so long. Your mom and I were beginning to think…” He shook his head, unable to say to his fears out loud.

Her mother nodded in agreement before saying, “For the last four years, we’ve wondered and worried about you and the baby. I prayed that you were alive and safe with enough to eat. I thank God that he has brought you back and you are sitting before me now.”

Swallowing her tears, Katya mustered the courage to tell her parents what was in her heart. “I’m happy to see you both as well… but… but you have to understand why I left.”

Her dad nodded grimly. “We know it was because of us, Katya. We did not react well to the news of our sixteen-year-old having a child and we pushed you away and for that we are sorry. We have lived with the guilt every day for the last four years, but we have prayed that we would get the chance to make things right. And now here you are.”

“Yes, Dada,” Katya said, ringing her hands. “I was angry with you and Mama for how you handled the news. I was young and scared and needed your love and guidance but that is not what made me leave.”

“It wasn’t?” asked her mother.

“No, Mama. By then, I was used to you and Papa trying to control my life. I left because of what happened to Sergei,” Katya stated.

Looking at each other in confusion, her mother finally looked back at Katya and asked, “Katya, my dear, what are you talking about? What do you mean what happened to Sergei?”

Sighing, Katya responded, “Mama, please do not play dumb or act as if you do not know. For days after you forbade me from seeing him. I tried to reach him but no one had heard from him or seen him. When he stopped going to work, I realized something must have happened to him. No one simply vanishes like that unless they had help or were forced. I knew how much you despised him so it wasn’t hard to figure out which of the two it was. Realizing that I needed to protect my baby from his own grandparents, I fled.”

Her mother’s hand flew to her mouth as she gasped in horror so her father spoke for both of them. “Oh, Katya, no… No, my love, that’s not what happened.”

“What do you mean, Papa?” asked Katya.

“Sergei did not vanish for the reasons you thought. He ran away to avoid taking responsibility for you and the baby. About a year after you left, I saw him working as a chauffeur for one of our neighbors, so I stopped and confronted him. He admitted that he had not wanted to be a father and rather than tell you, he left. Eventually, someone told him you were gone and so he felt it was safe to come home. Your mother and I have made many mistakes in our life, especially when it comes to you, but we would never do what you suspected us of.”

Katya’s tears began to flood with the realization that her parents were not the monsters she had believed them to be. Her mother quickly went to her oldest daughter and held her while they cried together. It was a beautiful moment and I struggled to hold back my tears.

When their tears finally subsided, Katya’s mother took her seat, and Katya grabbed my hand and smiled. “Mama, Papa, I would like you to meet Zane Grey, my fiancé. It’s because of him that I had the courage to come back here. He made me feel safe and brave, and I would never have had the confidence to do this if it wasn’t for him. He is also… the father of this baby.” She put a hand on her stomach and her mother gasped again.

Her dad took a moment to collect himself after hearing this news, then looked at me. “Mr. Grey, it is a privilege to meet you and we are forever indebted to you for making our daughter feel safe. If there is anything we can do to repay you for helping reconnect us, don’t hesitate to ask.”

Humbled, I replied, “The privilege is all mine, Mr. Belinsky. The honor of loving your daughter and seeing her happy is more than enough but since you mentioned it, there is something you could do for me.”

Katya and her mother looked confused but as a businessman who was used to negotiations, her father quickly said, “Of course. Tell me what it is and it is yours.”

Smiling at their nervousness, I said, “I have already asked Katya to marry me and she has said yes, but it would mean a lot to both of us to have your and your wife’s permission and blessing?”

The tension at the table eased and in unison they responded, “Of course!”.

“It is obvious you love our daughter,” her mother said. “And her happiness is all we have ever wanted. We would be honored to have you as a member of our family.”

“Thank you. That means the world to me.” I smiled at them both. “We are planning on a Christmas wedding next year after the baby is born and we would be thrilled if you would attend. Of course, we hope that you will visit much sooner than that as well. There is a special four-year-old who I know would love to meet his grandparents.”

They immediately said yes and started planning a visit in the spring. I had a feeling there would be quite a few FaceTime visits in between and I couldn’t be happier. We spent the remaining time at the café with Katya showing them pictures of Luca and telling them all about him. They couldn’t wait to meet him and were ecstatic they would not miss out on the birth of their next grandchild.

It had been quite an emotional afternoon and we all needed some air, so we agreed to meet at their house for dinner that evening. Now that she could relax, Katya wanted to show me around her hometown. We strolled through the city streets and she pointed out important buildings and places she had loved as a child. As we were walking among the snow-capped trees in one of her favorite parks, I heard the cooing of a dove and saw it staring at me from a high branch. I no longer questioned how I instinctively knew certain things, but I knew this was Sarah telling me she was happy for me and that she was okay.

I smiled at the dove and then at Katya and continued our stroll into the rest of our lives.

THE END

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