[Shakrin]

Chapter 10

“Here.” Yulia said before plopping down on a patio chair next to Lena, and handing her a can of Coke. Lena just smirked.

“Caffeine in this time of night? Guess I’m not going to sleep tonight then.” Lena said quietly as she popped the can open and took three big gulps.

“Well it *is* your favorite drink, so I thought it was the right thing to bring you. And besides… I’m really trying to cut back on alcohol.” Yulia replied, popping her own can and taking sips of it herself. Lena just chuckled.

“Yeah, seems like the obvious thing to do after… Never mind.” Lena cut herself short before taking another deep drink out of her can. “Thanks by the way. I was have one of my fizzy cravings.”

“Anytime.” Yulia stated simply. An awkward silence ensued. But suddenly Lena broke it in a tone of wonder and curiousness.

“Wait… How did you know that my favorite drink is Coke?” Lena asked, her eyes filling in with lively hope.

“Well of course it’s your favorite drink because I remember you stealing…” Yulia trailed off, closing her eyes in impatience. “…Damn.” She just said before sighing.

“I see.” Lena was surprised she even had a voice to keep talking at all. She was still awestruck in her own little way for finally seeing her lover awake. Yulia suddenly smirked.

“Now that I think about it, I don’t even know your name. And I don’t even know what your relation is to me.” Yulia said in a casual but in a questioning voice. One of her brows up her, her index finger playing with the soda can’s tab.

Lena just sighed. “I think… Maybe… It’s better that way. Just think of me as an old friend.”

“A friend without a name?” Yulia persisted grudgingly.

“Oh… you may call me, Bob.” Lena said in a half serious and half teasing way. Yulia rolled her eyes in annoyance.

“Something tells me ‘Bob’ isn’t really your name.” Yulia was getting a little grouchy with the way this… enchanting woman with red hair was acting towards her. Acting like a tease, acting like she had all the cards in her hands, and that she knew everything. But the punch line that pissed her off the most was the fact that she did know everything, and was probably just not spilling the beans.

“I’m guessing that ‘Something’ is your busted sixth sense. You never know, my name might really be Bob, and you’re really hurting my feelings right now.” Lena teased again, finishing up her Coke. Yulia groaned in frustration.

Lena slowly got up from her seat and plucked off her jacket that hung loosely from her chair. “Well, I’m going to head off. Is your busted sixth sense telling you now that we are somehow going to meet again?” She asked, smiling mischievously.

“Actually, yes. Is my sixth sense telling the truth now?” Yulia answered with another question.

“Maybe.” Lena replied with a teasing smile and was already making her way away from the patio. But Yulia’s call stopped her.

“Bob! Wait! I’m going to give you my number just in case…” But Lena cut her off half way.

“I already know it. Good night!” Lena called back before waving her hand good bye and walking away.

Yulia watched “Bob” turn a corner and disappear from her line of sight. She snickered and shoved the scrap piece of paper back in her pocket as well as her pen. “Crazy…” She muttered before sitting back down on the chair and dipping her own can of Coke in her mouth to finish it off.

*****

Through all the excitement of Yulia possibility of permanent amnesia, Vik had forgotten about the video tape. The tape which had all his proof of what he had done to Lena. Leaning back on his sofa, he picked up his bottle of beer off his coffee table and took a light sip.

There was no one other than him and Kolya who knew about the plan. Nervously taking out his packet of cigarettes from his back pocket, he fished one out and lit it. He took a long drag, trying to ease his strenuous popping thoughts and hectic mind.

Why would Kolya ever betray him? He should know that if he was to rat out on him to the fuzz, he would automatically be a tag along as well. It just didn’t make sense. Then suddenly a flash of memory bumped out his train of thoughts.

“…Taking a life is hardly something to look forward to…” The gentle mutter of Kolya’s words under his breath rung instantaneously in his head. He knew Kolya was a bit on the religious side before, and sometimes he had the sharp conscience of a knife. But still, it was very much far fetched. But something in the back of head kept repeating the fact that he and Kolya were the only people who knew about the plan.

Unless there was something he wasn’t remembering.

No, he wouldn’t have forgotten something like that. He sighed as he assumed his conclusions in his head. Mother fucking bastard, he thought bitterly.

A burst of shrills of the phone ringing made him jump. Cursing he picked up the phone and greeted the unknown person on the other line, casually.

“Vik, it’s me.” Vik’s lips twitched in a developing anger and betrayal. Well, hello there, Kolya.

*****

Mr. Katin pretended not notice his daughter sit on the couch across from him. He tried to look like he was focused into an article he was reading, but it didn’t really work because he was trying to act grave with the comic’s page. The presence of his daughter made him feel complicated, making him ignore everything surrounding him.

“Daddy…?” Lena called to her kin delicately, emotionally open and as sincere as she could be, afraid of rejection from her own father. “Daddy?” She called again, more determined this time.

Mr. Katin hesitantly lowered his news paper and set it beside him. Taking off his reading glasses, he looked up to see his daughter in a somewhat fragile and disappointed expression. “Yes, Lena?”

“I’m sorry.” She spilt out softly, looking away. Her fingers were fidgeting, her thumbs twiddling.

Mr. Katin’s expression immediately softened, but still frowning in a slight confusion. “Sorry for what, my dear?”

“For not making you happy, not being normal as you wanted to be and… Just screwing it over with the publicity for our industry.”

But her father just sighed and sadly chuckled, his features softening considerably. “Baby, I know that you did not drive. I know who you are, and I know how you act. You are not the kind of person to go cavorting about drinking then driving. I taught you better than that. As for who you are… That person that you are trying to hide, that person is the reason that I love you. I am proud of my daughter, Lena; I’ve never been more honored, in my life. I thank god every night for giving me the greatest miracle of all my life… You. All I want for you… Is for you to be happy. That’s all I care about, not some stupid publicity. Understand?” He asked authoratively.

Lena chocked and nodded while she snatched her tears away with the back of her sleeves.

“I’m sorry for acting… Sour to you for some time now. I couldn’t help it. I let some stupid lies blind me to the fact that you are my daughter, and how much I love you.” He coaxed as he promptly moved his seat to the seat beside Lena, pulling her in his arms. Then hugging her father full force, she bawled into his shoulder, relieved and glad.

“Daddy…” She scratched in his embrace.

“Yes, honey?” He asked.

“I’m going to give her up.” She said simply.

But Mr. Katin objected. “But Lena, I just told you, I want you to be happy…” But he was cut off with a sad but devoted, determined but pained voice of his daughter.

“No. I’m going to give her up. For your company’s sake and mine.” She said, making it final. But she silently whished that Yulia wouldn’t give her up in return.

*****

“Do you really think that’s a good idea, Lena?” Ivan asked, trying to fix his tie in front of his office mirror for the umpteenth time. Lena just rolled her eyes and teasingly slapped Ivan’s hands away as she went to work on his tie with her own hands.

“Ivan! This is my construction. My dad told me I could do it, and I want to it. It was my idea in he first place. I’m just making sure no one gets their grubby paws off *my* plan, that’s all.” She said as she smiled at the result of her handy work on Ivan’s tie. Ivan checked himself in the mirror again and nodded with a satisfying expression.

“Are you sure that’s all your reason? I heard Ms. Volkova was going to be there at t meeting today. She’s the one cross-examining your blue print… Or so I’ve heard.” Ivan said with a hint of mischief in his tone and he winked at Lena.

“I told you, me and Yulia is over. There is no us. She doesn’t even remember who I am.” She whispered as she collected her stuff off from Ivan’s bureau.

Ivan quirked his brows and leaned his head towards Lena with a stern expression. “Lena…” He said warningly.

“Ivan, stop it. Now, the meeting starts in five minutes! Are you coming or not? Oh I get it; you’re too busy ogling at your self in the mirror. Ever get the thought of flattering yourself way too much there?” She said in a kid like voice as she mock-ditched Ivan in his office and walked out.

“Oh, and she comes out swinging! I’m coming red riding hood, I’m coming! Don’t get your panties up in a bunch now…” He said jokingly but menacingly. As he closed the office door behind him, distant sound of Lena saying, “Ivan! Watch your language; you’re married!”

*****

“There you are Lena! I was just about to send for you. Good timing.” Her father said, pleased. But he was also antsy about Yulia’s presence. Lena just flashed her pearl baring smile at the company and took out her plan in front of the group of audience. Mr. Katina stood, and he gestured his arm at Lena.

“Mr. Pavlovich, this is my coordinator and the team captain of the planning department, Ms. Katina. Ms. Katina, Mr. Pavlovich and the Sanpan company majors.” He properly introduced them both and he sat down.

But behind of all the greasy or bald headed men, there was Yulia, her eyes dancing around the sight of the red headed woman. Lena. That’s what Mr. Katin had called her. Katin. Katina. Father and daughter?

There was laugh evident on Yulia’s features, though she didn’t dare show her amusement while Lena was doing her presentation. Lena. Lena. She said her name repeatedly very quietly in her mouth, trying to marvel at the feeling of familiarity.

She had remained quiet through the whole presentation, and had remained even after the meeting, watching the red had pack up after the Sanpan Company, Ivan and her presumed father. She was still sitting in her original place, in her brown tailored fitting suit with a red striped tie draped loosely around her neck.

“Well Bob… Good presentation.” Yulia said aloud. Lena looked up at the name Bob and blushed. Busted. “And yes, I know your name now. But… I’m going to call you Bob just for the heck of it. You seem to be very fond of it too.” Lena just smirked, proceeding to put stuff away in her briefcase.

Yulia stood and went to where Lena was packing up. She held up Lena’s construction blueprint and held it up with a questioning glance before saying, “May I?”

Lena nodded nonchalantly before closing her case and standing beside Yulia to look over her shoulder at her blueprint. But she heard Yulia click her tongue and saw her shake her head side to side.

Panic arose in her stomach as she took an unintended step into Yulia’s personal space and pressed into the brunette’s back to get a better view of her blueprint. She was unsuccessfully trying to find the flaws Yulia was seeing herself.

“No… This is all unbalanced… Wrong there, there and there…” Yulia murmured to herself ass she pointed to the various parts of her carefully thought out planning. With a bolt of unexpected movement, Yulia ripped the blue print in half. Lena flinched and backed up as she just witnessed what had happened to her week’s worth of work. Yulia turned around to face Lena, making her watch herself crumpling up the ripped paper and litter to litter it to the floor.

“Bob, your ideas are great, very unique. I can see where you’re trying to get at. But what I just saw was a complete contradictory as to what you had presented to me and to the Sanpan in the meeting. It was total crap. Make up another one, one I could accept.” She said in a happy sing song and a little of teasing voice as she resumed to walk out of meeting room.

Then she abruptly stopped and turned around to face Lena once more with a small smile. “Oh Bob, by the way, would you like a tub of ice cream or a handkerchief or anything like that?” She asked in an aloof voice. She suddenly looked very egotistical and contemptuous.

Lena flushed and flustered, she stuttered to place her pissed off word in a full sentence. “You’re so selfish, and bitchy and so damn-..”

“Sexy? I know. Don’t stand there blubbering like an idiot, let’s go out for dinner. And if act like a good little girl, I might even help you with your blue print.” The brunette said with a wink and with her old confidence rising up again.

Lena just squinted her eyes and twitched her lips. “Better be the most expensive restaurant in town…” She grumbled. But she stopped grumbling when Yulia unconsciously strung her arm around Lena’s waist while the hand on the arm poked at Lena’s own hand.

Lena just stared at Yulia in wonder. But she sighed and decided to let it go. It’s not like she wasn’t enjoying herself, and not loving those little unconscious habits she seemed to have remembered before the accident.

*****

“I swear! Why the hell would I do that to you?!” Kolya screamed, his hands soaked in his own blood clutching at his punctured thigh. He was on the floor of him home, crying. Vik’s lips twitched again before his hand went up to reveal a video tape in his hand.

“You lying little shit! I found this tape and six more of them under your bed. Are you still going to lie to me? Huh?!” Vik screeched, then hurling the video tape to the opposite wall. “You think you could threaten with this little fucking joke?!” He yelled again before getting his foot to stomp on the gun shot wound he made on Kolya’s thigh.

An ear splitting scream emerged from Kolya.

“No! That’s not mine damn it!! I’ve been fucking framed, man, I swear! Vik… Vik! Don’t do this,” Vik took aim at Kolya’s head with his simple black, hand gun. “Vik, you’re making a mistake, I didn’t do this! Put the damn gun away, Vik!” He cocked his gun, the click of the sound resonating inside the room and cutting off all sounds from Kolya.

“Good bye, Kolya. And go to hell.”

“Vik, Vik! NO!” A smoldering crack of gunfire echoed in Kolya’s house, and shortly after with a clatter of a gun on the hard wood floor as it finale.