Boomerang of Happiness - 6

When Alex got back to the station that afternoon, he didn't go to work straight away. Instead, he decided to go to Anna's house in the evening. He was pacing the living room of his small studio apartment, thinking about what he would say to Anna, coming up with various scenarios. None of them made him look good or noble even in his own eyes, so he was hesitant and fearful. But facing Anna at work in front of other people was his least favorite scenario, so Alex finally pulled all his strength and courage together and went to her house.

It was a little after 10 pm when he got there. Anna's apartment was on the third floor, and Alex noticed that her window was still lit. He picked up a little pebble from the ground and threw it at Anna's window. “Just like a teenager again,” Alex thought to himself. Anna didn’t hear the sound of the knocking pebble the first time, so Alex picked up a slightly bigger rock and threw it at the window again. Anna appeared in the window on the third try. When she did, Alex waved at her to come down.

She showed up in less than a minute, although for Alex it seemed like an eternity. Anna was running, tripping in her loose home slippers. It was a warm late spring evening, and she just threw a light sweater on top of her home dress. Anna halted just a step away in front of Alex and stood there, waiting for him to start talking. He could tell it took her an enormous effort not to say anything.

“Hi, I didn’t want to do this at work, with all the people around,” Alex said shyly, “but I came to say how sorry I was for leaving so abruptly. It was very cowardly of me and I am truly very sorry.”

“You are sorry??? Really? You just took off without saying a word after my father asked you if you liked me! I didn’t know what to think. How could you do this to me?” Anna said, her chin trembling and her eyes full of tears.

“I don’t know. I panicked. I am really very sorry,” Alex said again, looking into her eyes.

“Apology accepted,” Anna said and wiped her tears, smiling at Alex. “I missed you.”

“I missed you too,” Alex responded, amused by his own realization that it was not untrue.

“Let’s get married then!” Anna said half-jokingly, ready to laugh it off if needed.

“Why not? Let’s do it!” Alex responded with a little too much enthusiasm. “You know, my younger brother is getting married at the end of July, at my parents’ in Alma-Ata.”

“Great! That’s almost two months away. We could have a double wedding!” Anna was all business-like and straight on point, as if she were afraid to spook Alex with her habitual chatter.

“That’s an excellent idea!” Alex said.

“You really think so? Are you sure? Your brother wouldn’t mind sharing his wedding day with us? What about your parents?” Anna fired those questions quickly, afraid that Alex would suddenly change his mind or say he was just joking.

“Mind? Not at all! They all will be very happy!” Alex was not sure this was true and thought that he’d need to call them all immediately. “How about your parents? Would they mind going to Alma-Ata for the wedding?”

“Are you kidding me? They’ll go anywhere to see me getting married! To the very end of the earth!” Anna turned to their apartment and noticed her mother spying on them from behind the curtain of the kitchen window. Alex followed Anna’s gaze and waved hello at her mother. She immediately retreated from the window and Alex understandingly smiled at his embarrassed bride.

Anna closed the distance between them with one step, tenderly embraced Alex and gave him a long, slow and longing kiss on the lips. Alex was surprised by how good it felt. Anna leaned away and looked into his eyes. An unspoken question in her dark eyes was waiting for an answer. Without a word, he pulled her closer and kissed her back. Again, it felt good. Alex could hardly control himself from getting aroused.

Anna stepped back, completely and utterly happy and embarrassed at the same time. “All right, then,” she said as matter-of-factly as possible. “I’ll go tell my Mom. Dad is probably asleep already. Or will you change your mind tomorrow?”

Anna was smiling at him as she asked the question, again ready to turn everything into a joke, but Alex noticed a flicker of horror in her eyes.

“No, I won’t,” Alex responded as firmly and as reassuringly as possible.

“OK, then, I’ll see you at work tomorrow,” Anna said, turned around and ran back home to share the news with her mother.

“Good night,” Alex said, waving back at her when she turned around and waved, without stopping. On the way home, he tried to listen to himself, but could not understand how he felt about what just happened. He definitely did not feel happy like people in love do when they agree do get married. Relieved, perhaps, was the best word for it. One thought amused him, though: he realized it was the shortest conversation he ever had with Anna.

It was well after midnight when the long-distance call he ordered to Tomsk finally got through. When Alex heard a groggy Andrey’s “hello” on the other end, he said quickly, “Sorry for calling so late, big brother, but they couldn’t place the call right away, you know how badly it all works… sometimes I feel I need to put my own hands on the entire Soviet phone system to repair it…”

“Yeah, yeah,” Andrey said, still half asleep and clearly annoyed. “What’s so urgent?”

“I couldn’t wait to share the big news with you. I’m getting married!”

“What??” the news jolted Andrey back into being alert. “To who?”

“Anna, who else? Not that I can find another woman in one day…”

“But how?? Why?? Just yesterday you were so unsure if you wanted to see her at all… Aren’t you rushing this, just a little bit?”

“You told me yourself I should think long and hard about my relationship with Anna. I’ve thought about it all the way here.”

“Obviously, not long enough.”

“I don’t get it. Just yesterday you were trying to persuade me to get married, and now?”

“I just don’t want you to make such an important decision in a rush. Are you sure it’s what you want?”

“Yes, I am. It’s already decided. I am glad Anna proposed to me, I probably wouldn’t have had the guts to do it myself…”

“What?? She proposed to you?!?”

“Yes, she did.”

“How did that happen? Now I am even less sure you are doing the right thing…”

“Don’t worry, I am. I’m sure it would have happened anyway. If not today than later. She proposed as a joke, and I accepted. It’s better that way.”

“Well, little brother, I am happy if you are happy. But…”

“No ‘buts,’ please. It’s decided. Can I ask you to do me a big favor?”

“Sure, little brother. Anything for you.”

“Could you please call Lyova at a more godly hour tomorrow and ask if he and Anna would mind to have a double wedding? It was my Anna’s idea,” Alex said, surprised by how strange “my Anna” sounded from his own lips, even though he really meant only to distinguish his Anna from Leo’s Anna.

“I could, I guess, but why can’t you do it? Better yet, you and your Anna together, since it was her idea?” Andrey suggested.

“I wouldn’t dare ask Lyova myself. He may think we want to hijack his wedding. It’s such an important day in anyone’s life, they may rightfully want all the attention just for themselves. If they say no, we’ll understand and do it at a different time. But it would be nice to have two weddings on the same day, to gather the entire family together. I think Mom and Dad wouldn’t mind either. I’ll call them myself later, if Lyova says it’s OK.”

“All right, I’ll call him tomorrow.”

“Thanks, big brother! I knew I could always rely on you. I owe you big.”

“Yeah, yeah,” Andrey said, using his annoyed big brother tone again. “We woke up Nina. Do you want to say hi to her?”

“Not if she tries to dissuade me from getting married,” Alex said, laughing. “Say hi to her for me, will you? And go back to sleep. Sorry again!”

“All right then, good night, little brother.”

“Good night,” Alex said and hung up. He was relieved to have finished this hard talk with Andrey. Now there was no turning back. Alex was getting married.

To Part 7

Back to Part 5