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1031 Words
There were four of them and out of the four was a large man the size of a polar bear! Okay, maybe not that exaggerated, but he was certainly a hulk of a man. His skin was paler than paper, his hair bleached. Hard lines form on his face from all that frowning, and to crown it all, he had a large gash that cut right across his face.
I swear he looked like he could snap a person’s neck with just his fingers. Maybe he has. Who knows. But the moment we got close to the group the man’s scary featuers became even scary when he…smiled.
“DA! VINCENZO! HAHA!” he called out, his thick Russian accent coming through. He looked genuinely happy to see my husband as he shook Vincenzo's hand and pulled him in for a bear hug. And for the first time ever I saw what looked like a helplessness in my husband’s eyes. I laughed behind my hand as I watched on silently.
“I-it’s good to see you too, Ivan.” Vincenzo strained out as he patted the man named Ivan on his back.
The hug lasted for another second before he finally released him.
“Davenko ne videlis, Brat.” (It’s been too long, Brat.) Ivan spoke in his dialect as he laughed.
I didn’t understand a thing he said, but I did here the word brat.
Brat? Did he just call Vincenzo a brat. Even stranger, he didn’t look pissed. No, he’s not pissed. This man freaking responds! With the most authentic Russian I’ve ever heard. Well, I’ve not exactly been to Russia or know anyone who’s Russian. But based on his interaction with Ivan I could swear Vincenzo was part Russian too.
“Ya tozhe rad tebya videt’, Ivan.” (It’s good to see you too, Ivan.)
Just how many languages can this man even speak?
I’ve watched vincenzo exchange words with some of the staffs at the hotel, switching from Italian to Greek, then back again.
And here I am struggling with basic Italian. Now he’s just rubbing it in my face.
Vincenzo shook hands with the other men, and I plastered on my best mafia-wife-but-still-a-lady smile and kept close to him when they nodded my way.
“You remember my younger brother, Viktor, don’t you?” Ivan asked as he patted a younger looking man on the shoulder aggressively. The man shot Ivan an irritated look as he swatted his brother’s hand away and fixed his suit. But Ivan just kept grinning.
Actually, if you really looked at the two, Viktor looked like a younger version of Ivan, minus the scar I mean.
“Da! I’m sure he remembers me very well, starshiy brat.” (Older brother).
Unlike Ivan, I noticed Viktor’s accent wasn’t as heavy or as threatening.
“It’s good to see you again, Viktor.”
He and Vincenzo shook hands briefly before letting go.
“And I presume this is the woman who finally tamed this Shlyukha” (Slut). Ivan finally turned to address me and all the men turned their attention to me.
Oh, okay.
I put up my best smile. But before I could say anything, Vincenzo pulled me against his side and answered.
“Ivan, this is Lena, my wife.” he said, putting much emphasis on wife. Honestly it was kind of hot whenever he got all protective. “Lena, this is Ivan Sokolov. A business associate of mine.”
“Ha? Come on, Vince. You and I have gone past Business associate, have we not?” Ivan almost looked hurt by my husbands nonchalance. As expected.
Would it be right to call him two faced? Just last night he was the perfect example of dotting husband. Fluffing my pillows. Getting me snacks “because it was for the baby”. massaging my feet because….it was also for the baby.
But look at him now. Ever since we got here the only person he’d smiled at was me, and maybe this Ivan guy. Everyone else just got a curt nod or a grunt for a response when they greeted us.
“You’re husband and I go way back, Da! Hah. I remember back in the days when we’d go club to club. It was always one party after another.” Ivan laughed completely oblivious to the death glare Vincenzo was giving him now.
Now, I’m no shrink, but something told me this man had no sense of boundries. Then again, I was definitely enjoying every second of Vincenzo’s uncomfortable misery right now. Did that make me a bad wife?
“Oh really? That sounds sooo interesting, honey.” I was fighting for my life right now not to laugh in front of all these men.
Fuck it, I needed a good life tonight, and Ivan had lots to say about my brooding husband’s wild days.
“Da, da. And there was this one time we were in Puerto Rico, and Vincenzo took this woman-”
“Ivan!” Vincenzo cut in sharply and my laughing died down with an awkward cough, but my smile didn’t completely fall. “I think that’s enough storytelling for one night.” He added with one of infamous glares which finally sent the message loud and clear to Ivan.
Viktor face palmed himself, and Ivan laughed apologetically. “You must forgive me, your husband is such an interesting man.”
Can’t argue with that though.
Thirty minutes passed in a blur as we engaged in conversation. Turns out the Italian’s and the Russian’s had a very good relationship. Ivan introduced the other two men, Samuel and Dirrk. Thankfully the waiters never let our glasses empty, and there was still no sign of Milano.
Viktor Sokolov had left sometime in the middle of the conversation to go speak with a very sexy brunette at the other end of the room.
“Sullivan, that bastard still owes me money.” Ivan clicked his tongue in distaste.
Apparently this Sullivan character wasn’t very well liked. First Vincenzo, and now Ivan.
And then it hit me. Not the nerves. Just a very human, very inconvenient problem.
I needed to pee.
- Writer
