AllFreeNovel
Share Us
“Okay.”
I fix him a plate and then walk around to the other side of the bar and sit down. After a moment, he sits next to me. I almost want to ask him where he went, but I'm not sure I have that privilege. Maybe I don’t even want to know.
We eat in silence. No talking. Just the clinking of of silverware against plates. A second after Sergey finishes his meal, he looks at me full of conviction. “Divorce is off the table, Galina. So is a baby.” I open my mouth to object, but he raises his hand. “You know I've always cared about you and I know you hate being married to me, but we've never attempted to make it work. Don't you think we should try that first?”
“You mean, actually be married?”
Sergey nods. “You give me three dates to convince you that we stand a chance to make this work. If you think it's hopeless after that, we'll get divorced and I'll handle talking to our parents.”
“Okay.” What do I have to lose with three little dates? Plus, when it does fall apart completely, I don't have to deal with the aftermath. No one can blame me, because I’m certain our parents will find a way to put this all on me. It’s me who is the troublemaker. It’s me who won’t listen and do what is supposedly my “duty.” But if Sergey fights back for me, with me? It’s totally different for them. This seems like the perfect out.
He nods, satisfied. “This is good. Thank you. I've missed home cooking; I try to go over to Scotty's every so often so they can feed me something good.”
That doesn't surprise me. One of Sergey's favorite things is food, but only if it's made at home. That is something his mother stressed to me in her efforts to make me her son’s perfect wife. What a lost cause that was. I finish eating in silence, fatigue wearing me down with every bite. But still, I stand to wash the dishes once I’m finished.
“Galina, leave them.”
He doesn't have to convince me, especially when I'm so tired. “I think I want some sleep. I hope it's okay that I unpacked.”
Sergey nods. “You are free to make this your home. You can have the bed, too.”
With a quick nod, I put some space between us to find something to change into and get ready for bed. A few minutes later, I crawl between his soft sheets. Sergey is putting dishes away, causing me to sigh with relief. Maybe I can fall asleep quickly. The ridiculous nerves of the situation prevent me from falling asleep as fast as I want, though. I lie awake long enough to hear Sergey get ready for bed.
He stands on the other side, curses, and then swipes a pillow. His footsteps move away from the bed and the next rustling I hear sounds as if he's making a bed for himself on the couch.
“Galina?” Sergey whispers after a bit.
“Yeah?”
“This is awkward, yes?”
With a little laugh, I confirm.
“You must have hope this will work out as it should. I know how you like to be a pessimist.”
“Okay,” I whisper. He's not wrong. I'm not even a glass half empty kind of girl. I'm more of a the glass is broken with water spilling everywhere kind of girl. That’s just what my life has turned me into ever since my teenage years.
“Good night.”
“Good night, Sergey.” I close my eyes, relaxing. Sergey said he'd take me on three dates to convince me we can make this work. I honestly don't know how I feel about that, but it ultimately feels as if it'll be my ticket out of this mess. I keep reminding myself of that. Hope blossoms within for the first time in years at the thought of a resolution, allowing me to fall asleep.
When I awake in the morning, I sit up in time to see Sergey doing the same. The deal we've made is heavy on my mind already.
“Why do you want to do this?” I ask with curiosity. We've been married since we were seventeen, and now we’re twenty-six. All these years, we've lived apart. “Why should we try to make it work?” My eyes fall to his bare chest, landing on his wedding band. The sight does funny things to me, things I don’t understand.
“People want to know where my wife is when they see it, so I stopped wearing it so I can stop answering that question,” he says instead. I can't believe he ever wore it at all, or even long enough that people around him asked questions about it. But then, Sergey did always seem the honorable type. “I know you don't like the decisions our parents made for us, but we ultimately agreed. I wouldn't feel right about divorcing if we didn't at least give it a fair chance.”
I nod in agreement about giving it a fair chance, but I’m tempted to argue because I did not agree to this marriage in the first place. No one asked if this was what I wanted. No one cared.
“I have to go work out. We'll talk more when I get back.”
I watch him stand and disappear into the bathroom; a few minutes later, he leaves. Sergey is gone longer than I expect and at some point, it's just time to get out of bed to work. I am a full-time instructor at a university. I do very well for myself.
I'm grading assignments when Sergey returns.
“Working?” he asks when he sees me on my computer.
“Yeah.”
