Red spent her Saturday at her local branch of the New York Public Library. Since she wasn't going to visit Gloria and Nicky today, she decided it would be a good idea to do something productive to distract herself. It would be useless to hang around the house brooding, and spending time with her family today would only remind Red of how much she missed the two ladies who were not there. So, she had ended up at the library, browsing the shelves aimlessly before settling herself at a computer, and asking a technician to show her how to work it. Her sons certainly would have found the image of their sixty-year-old mother learning to operate a computer, for the first time in her life, wholeheartedly entertaining. They had gotten enough amusement, at her expense, when they had taught her how to text and make calls from her cell phone. Red felt much more comfortable alone at the library, where nobody knew her. She had intended to use the computer to type up a resume, but instead, Red found herself completely enthralled by the wonders of the internet, and spent her entire morning googling every subject she could think of.
Her phone vibrated, and Red hastily answered it. "Hello?" she said distractedly, as she pulled out the headphones she had been using to listen to different videos that she had stumbled upon. An inmate from Litchfield Penitentiary is attempting to contact you. To accept this call, please press 1. Red hastily pressed one. "Hello?" she said again.
"Hey, you," Gloria's voice spoke, and Red could almost hear the tired smile she knew would be on Gloria's face at the moment.
"Gloria?" Red asked anxiously, "how is everything?" She bit her lip in anticipation, but could not resist the impulse to mindlessly continue to scroll, using the mouse the way the guy had shown her how to do. It was really addictive.
"Well, they're gone now," Gloria told her monotonously, "it went as well as I could have hoped it would."
"Uh huh, that's good," said Red distractedly, "whose gone?" she asked, "Your sons?".
"You're not even listening to me," Gloria said irritably, "what the f**k are you doing?" Red closed the screen so that there would be no more distractions.
"I'm sorry," Red apologized, getting up from the computer and walking out into the foyer. "I'm at the library and I was on the computer. It actually made me forget about everything I was stressing about today, for a little while. Have you ever used one before? It's wonderful! All the information in the world is the wires!"
"You mean the internet?" Gloria snorted, "yeah, Red, I know a thing or two about that. So that's what you've been getting up to today? It sounds like you're been having fun!"
"Did you ever notice how amusing cats are?" Red asked, "there are bazillions of videos of cats doing the most peculiar things. It's so funny." She leaned against the wall, and looked out at the snowy street of New York, where people were bustling past as they hurried to get out of the frigid air. "Maybe we should get a cat once you're out? That would really help make our house into a home. Although, Nicky probably would want a dog," she rolled her eyes, "filthy animals."
"Shouldn't we focus on finding a place to live, and us getting out of prison, before you start shopping for pets?" asked Gloria.
However, Red's thoughts were still evidently a mile a way, racing at lightning speed, and distracting her from anything substantive. "We could call her Solntse, that's Russian for sun," she continued to ramble, "Isn't that pretty?"
"I can't even pronounce that," Gloria told her, "are you there all by yourself? I'm not so sure it's wise for your kids to be letting you out of the house unsupervised. Maybe I should call them." Gloria cleared her throat, "anyways, I wanted to talk to you about the boys. Do you want to hear about that? Or would you prefer to keep naming imaginary dogs?"
"I don't want a dog," Red corrected her, "I'd rather get a cat because when I was a little girl, I…" she heard Gloria sigh on the line, and she stopped talking at once. I'm sorry," Red said again, "I'm just excited. Yes, of course I want to hear about how it went. Although, I'm almost positive there will be nothing good to say. Am I right?"
"Sort of," Gloria admitted, "I mean, I never expected them to take it well. The positives are that nobody stormed out, yelled, or disowned me; at least not yet." Red began to pace around the foyer, as she waited uneasily for Gloria to continue. "They both hugged me goodbye," Gloria pressed on, "although, Benny really didn't want to."
"If he really didn't want to, he wouldn't have," Red told her wisely, "I bet he just acted that way because he didn't want to let you off the hook too easily. He's going to punish you for awhile."
"I feel like he's been punishing me since the day he was born," Gloria admitted with a sigh, "but he handled it better than I thought. He's convinced your boys only pretended to like him now because you made them, but I told him that they know nothing about anything. In time, he'll realize that and it will be okay."
"He has a lot to be angry about," Red told Gloria, "he's not my child, so I might be wrong in saying this, but I've always found that the kids who need love the most will always ask for it in the most unloving ways. Nicky used to be like that, but look at what a good girl she is now." A man stood up from the bench he had been reading the paper on, and Red swiftly took his seat before somebody else could occupy it.
"That all sounds good over the phone," Gloria replied, "until you remember that I'm in prison, and not exactly in a position to be passing out too much love. I wish I could."
"You're not going to be in there forever," Red reminded her, resting her elbow on the bar of the bench, as she held her phone firmly against her ear. "I didn't get Nicky until she was almost thirty. I don't think it's ever too late, if it's something you both want. I know you want to make things better with them, and I'm positive that they want that too. Anybody can see how much they love you."
"You're not just saying that?" Gloria asked her quietly, her voice lacking its usual strength and confidence. Motherhood, the component of her identity that most defined her, also was her greatest source of angst and regret. Gloria loved her boys but, if she were being honest, she didn't always like them. That was the deepest burden of her heart, and her greatest source of shame.
"No!" Red exclaimed, her pitch rising an octave from its intensity, "Gloria, I promise. I mean every word I say."
"Does that mean you were really serious about naming our future pet after some Russian word that nobody will be able to say?" Gloria teased, "or was that part just your crazy surfacing?"
Red hiccupped. "You know what I would do if I were you?" she said seriously.
"What?" asked Gloria.
Red crossed her leg, and alternated her cell phone to her other ear because it was getting uncomfortably hot against her face. "I would call up your sons and make sure that they are alright. Don't say anything more about us, unless they ask, just let them know you're thinking about them."
"They won't speak to me," Gloria said, "they never do when they get moody like that. If I try and make them talk, it only provokes them."
"You don't need to make them talk," Red said adamantly, "you just need to let them know you're there if they want to. Besides, it would be a good idea to speak to your aunt about them. Keep updated on all their stuff so that you can jump right in once you're home."
"I guess I'll talk to Lourdes," Gloria agreed, "I have to admit that I'm pretty curious to know if they said anything on the drive home."
"Did they say anything about me to you?" Red asked hesitantly, embarrassed at how nervous she sounded. It was ridiculous that two pubescent boys could unnerve her as much as they did. She'd done almost two decades in federal prison, and yet she was intimidated by two teenagers. Red would never admit this aloud, even to Gloria, but she really wanted them to like her. However, her cringeworthy history of trying to befriend and impress unlikely people in the past, had convinced Red that it was best if she didn't try too hard. Instead, she was hoping that supporting Gloria and helping her to bridge the divide that existed between mother and sons, would demonstrate to them that she was not their enemy. Maybe then they would like her.
"No," Gloria lied, "only what I already told you they said about your sons. Benny said they probably had ulterior motives in befriending them, but I know he'll come around." Gloria would rather gouge her eyes out than tell Red her sons had called her old and crazy. Nothing would be gained from that besides making Red sad, and that was something Gloria would avoid doing at all costs.
Red let out the breath she had been holding. "I love you, Gloria," she said meaningfully, as relief surged through her.
"I love you too," Gloria smiled, "I think I'll take your advice and call Lourdes now. You can go back to watching stupid cat videos or whatever the f**k you were doing. Did you have any real purpose for being at the library today?"
"I want to find a job," Red admitted, "I'm getting restless without work, and if I start making some money, I can start looking for a home for us."
"Well, look at you," said Gloria in amusement, "aren't you cute? And here I was imagining that you were going to stay home, keep house, and look pretty for me." Red giggled. "I'll leave you to that, then."
"Make sure you ask to speak to the boys," Red reminded her, "try and talk to them, but if they won't, then talk to Lourdes. They need to know that you want them the most."
"Okay, smarty pants," Gloria teased, "I promise. I love you and I'll talk to you tomorrow." When they hung up, Red got up and decided to take a walk down the street. It was cold, but she was craving some fresh air and the solitude that came from being outside in the world, surrounded by a sea of people, but completely anonymous. Such a welcome change after being forever on display to guards and other inmates. After being reconnected to her family, regaining her privacy was what Red appreciated the most about being free. She buttoned her coat up and stepped out into the crisp February evening. The sky was dark, it always got dark so early in the winter, but the lights of the city all looked beautiful to Red as she walked. As supportive as she had been to Gloria, a lot was weighing on Red's mind. It troubled her to have their life hanging in such a delicate balance between what was right for the children and what was right for them. Red would never give up Gloria, but it would torment her if Benny and Julio never accepted her. Red's children were all grown up and her job was basically done, but Gloria's weren't. Red couldn't help but care about them, they were a part of Gloria after all, and she always believed that children came first in all things. She had based her entire life around that belief. Red's life had always been one of servitude and sacrifice for the sake of her babies. She had given up her chance at true love, when she'd remained in a loveless marriage for the sake of her sons, and she'd given up her freedom in order to protect her family from dangerous people who wouldn't hesitate to harm them if she'd fallen out of line. Red needed it to be about the children; it was why she encouraged Gloria to call and never cease trying to win back her sons. It was the best part of her, but it also caused her the most grief.
Feeling her phone vibrating in her pocket, Red pulled it out. "Hello?" she said into it, covering her other ear with her hand to block out the noise of the traffic.
"Hey Ma, it's just me," said Vasily. "I'm just calling to check in, you know, make sure you're still alive and not lost, or anything," he laughed as if he were only joking, but Red knew it wasn't too far from the truth.
"Vasily Reznikov, I'm about to hang up this phone on you," Red said sternly, heading off of the main road so she could hear a little better. "Don't you dare treat me like a senile old lady!"
"Ah Mamochka, I'm just kidding," Vasily laughed, "but I can't help but worry a little. This freedom is all still new to you, and I don't want you to get overwhelmed."
"Now you're treating me like a child," Red said in a hurt voice. She hated that her sons thought her incapable of doing the most mundane things on her own. She had tolerated Lida babysitting her for a few days, truthfully, she had been grateful for the support at first, but her independence was important to her. Red stopped walking and leaned against the wall of a building, resting the sole of her black boot against the bricks.
Vasily paused. "I'm sorry, mama," he said, "I don't mean to. I just love you, you know? I'll stop calling just to check up on you. I know you don't need me to. I had another reason for calling you right now though, anyway. Lourdes Mendoza, you know Benny and Julio's aunt? She called and wanted to talk to you."
Red's breath got caught in her throat, as panic shot through her veins, making her feel weak at the knees. What could Gloria have said that would make her aunt seek her out this way? Red placed a hand against the brick wall to steady herself, and tried to calm herself down before she replied. "Did she say why she wanted to talk to me?" she asked her son shakily.
"I don't know, Ma," said Vasily, "call her and find out. Do you want her number?"
"Sure," said Red through gritted teeth. She reached into her purse and pulled out a small notepad and her pen. "What is it?" She scribbled Lourdes' phone number down, using her lifted knee as a desk. "Thanks, honey," she said.
"You sure you're okay, Ma?" asked Vasily, wondering why a nice lady like Lourdes would put his mother into such an obvious frenzy.
"For the millionth time, yes," snapped Red irritably.
"Okay, sorry," said Vasily, "are you going to be home soon for dinner?"
"I don't think so honey, I'll see you later, okay?" Red hung up the phone without waiting for his reply. "F**k," she hissed to herself, running her thumb across the digits of Lourdes phone number. A part of her wanted to throw the number away and pretend she hadn't received the message, but Red was not such a coward to actually shirk away like that, no matter how enviable it seemed. She headed into a quiet coffee shop, deciding to find a quiet table and get this phone call over with. It seemed better to do it right away, before she lost her nerve.
Red dialed the phone, her alternate hand was clasped firmly around the disposable coffee cup. The phone dialed a few times, and for a moment Red thought she might not answer, that she had been spared, at least temporarily. The phone stopped dialing. "Hello?" said the voice belonging to Gloria's aunt.
"Lourdes?" Red asked shakily, "this is Galina, Galina Reznikov. My son told me that you wished to speak with me?" Red wanted to hit herself for how pathetic she sounded.
"Mijha!" exclaimed Lourdes warmly, "yes, I wanted to speak with you. I've heard so many things!"
"From Gloria?" asked Red uncertainly, releasing her coffee and pinching the bridge of her nose.
"Who else?" said Lourdes, "she told me about you a long time ago. I never really thought she would end up like this, but after all the terrible men she worked her way through, I'm actually sort of proud to see her with a different type this time."
"Uhhhh," Red mumbled incoherently, not having a clue what she was supposed to say to that. It sounded as if Gloria's aunt was trying to compliment her, but it came out sort of offensive.
"I never thought it would actually come to this though," Lourdes continued, "but I suppose if she wanted to include the children, she must be very serious about you." The best thing about this conversation, Red decided, was that it was occurring over the phone. It would have been a million times worse if she had been forced to sit across from the woman right now, Red wouldn't be surprised if Lourdes could feel the heat radiating off her face through the phone.
"The boys must be pretty upset," Red said slowly, attempting to steer Lourdes focus off of her, "are they doing alright?"
"Meh," Lourdes replied indifferently, "I'd take it more seriously if they weren't always looking for things to be upset about. Gloria can't do anything right in their eyes. I just got off the phone with her actually, I told her to do what makes her happy. They'll get used to it." Red unfastened the top two buttons of her coat, she was feeling very warm suddenly.
"It's a lot for them," Red said quietly, "I don't expect them to be thrilled about it. I hope they do accept it in time." She brushed her hair out of her face. "It will mean a lot to Gloria that you've given her your blessing," Red continued, "she's always said you're the closest thing she's ever had to a mother."
"I raised that girl," Lourdes said passionately, "after my sister died, god rest her soul, and Gloria's father ran off. I didn't expect to end up raising her children for her as well, but I guess I always did say I'd do anything for her." She chuckled, "pair of troublemakers, those two, sometimes I just don't know how they're going to turn out."
"I've met them," said Red gently, "they seem like they can be pretty sweet, when they want to be."
"So long as you're not telling them what to do," Lourdes replied. "Gloria was always mouthy too, as a little girl, but not like this. Kids today don't have as much respect as they used to."
Red wasn't sure what she was supposed to say to that. It didn't feel right to her to just blindly agree with Lourdes, if only in case Benny or Julio were hanging around listening. The last thing Red wanted was them to catch her bad mouthing them with their aunt, no matter how slight. "Well, I know my sons really enjoy them," Red said, "I'm glad they've gotten to know one another. Maybe that will help them adjust, since they already are pretty close to most of my family."
"Don't worry about them," Lourdes said loudly, "so long as you don't give one of them a black eye, like Gloria's last boyfriend did, this will be an improvement for them. They'll be fine. I really wanted to call you so that we could make plans to meet in person. Gloria is the closest thing I have to a daughter, it seems only appropriate that I meet the woman she says that she is in love with."
Red took a deep breath. Gloria's aunt seemed friendly enough and she knew that meeting her was something that needed to happen. Red was grateful Lourdes had made the effort to reach out to her, it would only be harder the longer they waited and Red wanted to make a conscious effort to get to know her, for Gloria's sake. It was just a very awkward position to be in. Trying to win over Gloria's aunt at the age of sixty, was nothing like what it had been like to develop a relationship with Dmitri's Mamochka. Back then, Red had just committed herself to being the sort of daughter anyone would have been pleased to have, and it had also helped that she had wanted a mother fiercely, after leaving her own behind in Russia when she'd immigrated with Dmitri's family. The relationship between her and her in-laws had been good; at least until things began to deteriorate between Red and her husband. However, none of that applied with Lourdes now. They were both older women and Lourdes would never be in a position of authority over her, they way Red had been obligated to obey Dmitri's parents to a degree. If Red was to connect with Lourdes on any level, it needed to be based on mutual respect and on them being equals. What a peculiar situation, Red had found herself in.
"I'd like to meet you too," Red said into the phone, "maybe we could meet for lunch or something sometime next week?"
"What are you doing right now?" asked Lourdes bluntly.
"Nothing," Red admitted, "I just stopped in at the Starbucks to have a coffee," her accent was thick with uncertainty.
"That's perfect!" exclaimed Lourdes, "I don't live far from you and I'm not doing anything right now either. Which one are you at? Just sit tight and I'll come find you!" A few moments later, and the phone call had ended. Red drummed her fingers on the table as she sat in anticipation for Gloria's aunt to show up. She should have lied and said she was busy with her grandchildren or something, she had not had time to mentally prepare for this meeting. Red was irritated that Gloria had not bothered to call and warn her. However, Red reasoned, it was not as if Gloria would have had much time. Lourdes must have called Vasily's house the moment she had gotten off the phone with her niece. Red wondered if Gloria had even known what Lourdes was planning to do.
"Mijha!" a petite woman, with dark curly hair exclaimed loudly from across the shop, causing several onlookers to look over at her. Lourdes rushed over to Red, who stood up slowly to greet her, and wrapped her arms around her, kissing Red on both cheeks.
"How are you?" Red asked with an awkward laugh, "I'm happy to meet you."
"Same to you, my dear," said Lourdes brightly, "it's strange, though isn't it? This is not what I expected of Gloria at all. I never thought she would go that way, but she seems happy enough, so who am I to judge? You seem like a nice enough lady, even if you were in prison." Lourdes was still speaking quite loudly, and Red felt many eyes cast upon her at the mention of prison.
Red cleared her throat, "don't you want to get a coffee or something first?" she asked Lourdes, as the older woman took her seat at the corner table Red had been waiting for her at.
"No, you couldn't pay me to drink that stuff," answered Lourdes, "overpriced and not even very good. Come to my house sometime, and I'll make you a real cup of coffee."
"I'll keep that in mind," Red said, sitting down and taking a sip of her own coffee, which was now cold.
"You must be so relieved to finally be out of prison," Lourdes said eyeing Red with scrutiny, "Gloria said you were in for some sort of mafia involvement. That's pretty scary stuff, but she said you were sort of coerced into doing it and that it was in the past. That's a relief to hear."
"Definitely in the past," Red said firmly, her hands tightening around the paper cup. She was a little annoyed at Gloria for telling her aunt that about her, but she supposed it couldn't be helped. As soon as one heard about somebody being to prison, the natural question that would follow would be about what they had done to deserve being locked up. Lourdes did not seem like the sort of person you could effectively keep secrets from, so it was probably best to just tell her the truth when she asked, and not have her believing Red to be in for murder or something worse.
"It's a crime itself how they lock up mothers," Lourdes proceeded to say, "when Gloria was arrested, I told her not to worry because they would never send a mother to prison. I couldn't believe it when I realized I was wrong. No wonder there's so many gangs and out of control kids these days, no mothers at home to take care of them. How old were your children when you went to prison?"
"They were teenagers," Red said very quietly, becoming increasingly irritated that Lourdes was making her talk about such things in the middle of a crowded coffee shop. "Vasily, my youngest, was about Benny's age, and my oldest had just turned eighteen. I missed his high school graduation by a couple of days."
"You poor woman," Lourdes said sympathetically, "that's the worst thing about it, isn't it? Being separated from your own children? It's not natural. I don't think Julio or Benny would act out as much as they do, if they had a mother at home to watch out for them. They need Gloria back. We all miss her."
"I can only imagine," said Red sympathetically, "it's wrong in every way. They're strong boys for getting through this, and you're an incredible woman for stepping up and taking care of them in Gloria's absence."
"Who watched your sons when you went to prison?" asked Lourdes curiously, "your husband?"
"Yes," said Red, "Dmitri took care of them. Quite an adjustment for him, I imagine. He had never been very hands on with them when I had been around."
"Men can be lazy and selfish," said Lourdes, "I guess that's why so many women end up pairing up with each other, like you two have. Gloria's first husband took her completely for granted. Never appreciated anything she did, and when they divorced, he took her two daughters with him. They barely keep in touch with their mother now, and they never visit her. He has them completely brainwashed, I suppose. It's my fault, I pressured her to get married when she didn't want to, just because she got pregnant."
Red couldn't help being a little bit curious about Gloria's first husband and the two daughters whom she rarely spoke of. It was almost like they didn't exist, Red knew so little about them; but whenever asked, Gloria would always claim to have four children. She wanted to respect Gloria's right to tell her story in her own good time, but Red couldn't resist questioning Lourdes was she realized that she had the chance to.
"Why did they divorce?" Red asked her casually.
"Well," Lourdes sighed deeply, and suddenly, to Red, she seemed very tired, "he never wanted to marry her. I told them they had to make things right, and I bullied him into making Gloria his wife. I didn't really give Gloria the option of turning his proposal down. She'd made her bed, I told her, so now she had to lie in it." Lourdes rubbed her hand over her mouth. "She had the first girl, and then the second almost immediately after. Meanwhile he was out cheating on her every night, and eventually they got divorced. The girls wanted to stay with him, he was the fun parent to them." Suddenly Lourdes looked angry, "well, of course he was more fun than Gloria! She was the one doing all the work while he was out doing whatever he pleased!" Lourdes, folded her hands, almost as if she were praying, and rested her head down on them for a moment. Red waited impatiently for her to look back up. "Gloria asked me if I'd hate her if she left him, and I gave her my blessing to do so," Lourdes continued after a moment. "A few years later, she got with Julio and Benny's father; and he was married to someone else. I guess she hadn't learned from her mistakes."
"Gloria was involved with a married man?" Red asked in surprise, "that seems so unlike her." Gloria was so headstrong, and had such a low tolerance for bullsh!t, it seemed unfathomable to Red that she had willingly fathered two children with a man who never was actually hers. It was bizarre that Gloria would have ever fallen for somebody so deceitful, but maybe that was why she was the way she was now. Gloria's impatience and need for practically and order, stemmed from the chaos of her past. She wasn't that person anymore. Gloria would never be taken advantage of again.
"I told her it was a mistake," Lourdes replied, "but she wouldn't listen to me. He always claimed that he was in love with Gloria and would leave his wife for her when the timing was right. Well, they never do, do they? Eventually, but not soon enough in my opinion, Gloria picked up what was left of her pride, took the boys and moved on. He never tried to get her back, and, last I heard, he and his wife are still married."
"She must have loved him to put herself through that," Red said quietly, staring at Lourdes intently, leaning on the table, with her chest heaving in eagerness. Red had wanted to hear these stories from Gloria, but she was glad to be getting the truth at all. It had always bothered her when Gloria wouldn't reveal too much about her past. Red knew that was because it was painful, but she didn't know how to help Gloria if she was consistently kept in the dark.
Gloria always said he was the love of her life, or at least she used to; this was before she became gay," Lourdes said all of this without skipping a beat, and Red had to resist rolling her eyes. "And then," Lourdes continued, "she got with that Arturo."
"I know about Arturo," Red cut in, not wanting to hear about the abuse that still brought tears to her eyes. It enraged her than anybody could ever treat Gloria so horribly. Red was glad that he was dead. "I didn't really know about the other two, though," she admitted with a sad sort of shrug, "I guess she just doesn't like to talk about it. I've always hoped that she would tell me eventually, but she never has."
"Don't take it personally that she hasn't told you, Gloria doesn't like to talk about this stuff," Lourdes replied, "she's too closed off for her own good sometimes." Red nodded in agreement with that.
"I hope that I can provide her with what she's never had before," Red said sincerely, her voice heavy with emotion. "She deserves to be happy, and I want to give her that."
"I can tell that you mean that," Lourdes smiled across the table, and patted Red's hand affectionately. They were both quiet after that, consumed with their own thoughts as they stood up to leave.
"I'm really glad we did this, Galina," said Lourdes warmly, taking Red into her arms, as they stood outside on the sidewalk, ready to make their departure.
"Me also," Red admitted quietly, with a small smile. "It's nice to put a face to a name. I feel as though I've known you already for awhile, Gloria talks about you a lot."
"I've had to coax every detail I knew about you, out of her," Lourdes said impassively, "she's always telling me to mind my own business." After meeting Lourdes, Red could hardly blame Gloria. "Where are you headed now?" Lourdes asked her.
"Hmm, home I suppose," Red considered, "or rather," she hesitated, "how far of a walk is it to Olcott street from here?" she slung her purse over her shoulder.
"Olcott?" Lourdes asked, "it's about two intersections down the road that way," she pointed. "You know somebody who lives down thee?"
"My son lives on Olcott street," Red told her, buttoning her coat back up, "but I've never been to his place yet. I think I might walk over and see if he's home."
"I'll walk with you," Lourdes said immediately, "that's the direction my neighbourhood is in anyways." She started walking in the direction of the street Red was looking for, and Red followed, hurrying to catch up.
"None of my children know about Gloria yet," Red told her, as she struggled to keep up with Lourdes quick strides.
"Why not?" asked Lourdes.
"I'm just waiting to tell them," Red admitted, "I'm planning to tell them soon. However, I don't think it is a very good idea for me to show up at his house with you. That might make them curious."
"I understand," nodded Lourdes, "I'll walk you over and then I'll head home. I promised the boys I'd be home in time for dinner anyways."
"Okay," Red agreed, relaxing immensely. She was eager to see Maxim. Yuri was still crashing at Vasily's house, so she saw both of them much more frequently than she did her middle son. Maybe Maxim and her could go out to dinner just the two of them.
"Are you planning to live with Gloria once she's out?" asked Lourdes curiously.
"Yes," said Red with a small smile, "and with my daughter, Nicky, at least for a little while."
"You have a daughter?" asked Lourdes in puzzlement.
"I adopted her," Red smiled, "I met her in the prison, and fell in love with her immediately. She's very adorable and very sweet. She'll probably want to find her own apartment eventually, but she'll live with me for a little while."
"Where do you want to live?" asked Lourdes, "are you okay with the boys moving in too? I'm sure Gloria will want them back, and that will help me out a lot. I won't pretend that it's been easy all these years with them by myself."
"Of course, I'm okay with that," Red said defiantly, "I'd never take their mother away from them. We'll live in this part of the city, so that I can still be close to my children and grandchildren too." Red shoved her hands into her coat pockets for warmth, "and that will keep the boy's in the same school district," she added considerately. "Before I can do any of that though, I need to find a job. I have a little money from my share of the store that my husband and I owned together, but that won't get me too far."
"What sort of job are you looking for?" asked Lourdes curiously. She was surprised by how much she found herself liking Red. It was obvious how much Red cared about Gloria, and the way she managed to seem both hard and soft simultaneously was very intriguing to Lourdes. There was a sincerity in her eye when she spoke of Gloria, and the way she continually brought the conversation back to the children, which gave Lourdes hope that her great nephews might turn out okay after all. Gloria had always been caught in between her children and the boyfriends who resented them, so it was comforting to see that she had at last found somebody who honoured Gloria for being the mother she needed to be, and supported her in that role. Red seemed, like Gloria, to view the world through a skeptical and defensive eye that would prevent her from ever being taken as somebody's fool again. Both women had paid heavy prices for their sins and their associations, and now it was almost time for their slates to be wiped clean, and for them to look ahead to the future that they intended to conquer together. Lourdes was happy for them. Red was not the person Lourdes had ever wanted Gloria to end up with, but she had to admit that her interferences in her niece's life had never produced the results she had hoped for. Maybe it was time for Lourdes to step back and trust that Gloria knew what was right for herself.
"Whatever work an old lady, with back problems, and a criminal record can get," said Red wryly, "it's not as if I can afford to be picky."
"You know," Lourdes considered, "I finally convinced my boss just the other day that he needed to hire another person. The other cook quit over a month ago, and Jack has been dragging his feet about replacing her; he's pretty lazy and never around anyways. Do you think you'd be interested in something like that?"
"Cooking?" asked Red, with a sharp intake of breath, "that's the thing I'm best at." Her hands shoved into the pockets of her burgundy coat for warmth, balled into fists of eagerness.
"Gloria did tell me something about that," admitted Lourdes with a smile, "just be forewarned that it pays badly, requires lots of night shifts, and a lot of tedious tasks, but I could talk to my boss if you're interested." They turned onto Olcott street, and Red began scanning the house numbers for the one she knew Maxim lived in.
"Will you talk to him tomorrow?" Red asked breathlessly, "tell him that I really want it?" She spotted the 2844 of Max's house and halted her steps on the sidewalk out front. She turned towards Gloria's aunt, and her eyes were wide in hopeful longing.
"I'll talk to him on Monday," Lourdes promised, "we're always closed on Sunday, it's the only day I usually get to have a break. I only had this Saturday off because I booked it ahead of time to take the boys to see their mother."
"Okay, Monday then," said Red crisply, "that is exactly what I need." She moistened her lips with her tongue, and then absentmindedly wiped them with her fingers. She felt like Lourdes had possibly just thrown her a lifeline, a chance to reclaim her identity as the self sufficient woman she had always been before.
"Let's see what he says first," smiled Lourdes, reaching out to squeeze Red's arm encouragingly, "take care, Galina. I'll be in touch. I really enjoyed meeting you."
"Likewise," Red admitted with an embarrassed sort of smile. Lourdes took off in the direction of her street, and Red brushed her hair back and walked up the shovelled walkway to Maxim's front door. The porch light was on, illuminating the home from the sky's darkness. Maxim lived in a white, two story home, with a pointed black tin roof. Red could see through the curtains that the lights were on, so she knew that he was home. She walked up to the front door and rapped on it twice. Red wondered if he'd be happy to see her, she hadn't ventured this far out by herself yet, and she had never been to his house, he had always come to her.
The door slowly creaked upon partway, and Maxim appeared in the opening, blocking the view of the inside with his form. "Mama?" he said nervously, in a voice that was barely above a whisper. "What are you doing here?"
"I was just down the street, so I thought I'd walk over and surprise you," said Red hesitatingly, sensing that something was wrong, "is everything okay, honey?"
Maxim forced a smile, "of course it is," he said, hoping he sounded more convincing to his mother than he did to himself, "I just wasn't expecting you. Are you hungry? There's a great restaurant down the street I like to go to, we could have supper there together. My house is a mess right now, so…"
"Is there something that you don't want me to see?" Red asked him in trepidation, "I don't care if there's a mess."
"Maxim, your letting out all the warm air," a woman's voice called from somewhere behind him. Her voice had a faint trace of a Russian accent, though much slighter than Red's, which suggested she had lived in America and spoken English much longer. "Is that the delivery guy? Don't forget the tip."
Red looked at her son questioningly, "is that your girlfriend?" she asked with a confused smile, "is that why you're acting so strange? You don't want me to meet her?" Maxim seemed frozen in place, and he didn't answer his mother, nor call up to the woman who had just addressed him from inside the house.
"Maxim, what are you doing?" the same female voice asked, approaching the door and swinging it open to its full capacity. "Oh," she said in surprise when she saw Red standing on the porch, shivering slightly in the cold winter air. "Hello," the woman smiled, "can I help you?". She shot Maxim a look of concern, as he continued to stand there, his face white as a sheet, still not saying anything.
Red looked back at forth between her son and this woman, who was much too old to be his girlfriend. She didn't look to be much younger than Red herself, in fact. She was a tall woman, with dark brown hair pulled up into a bun, and twinkling brown eyes that seemed to signify her harmlessness, although Red couldn't help but feel very threatened indeed. "Maxim?" Red said in a pleading tone, needing to know what she had happened upon, although she was wishing more and more with each passing second that she was anywhere but here.
A car pulled up against the curb, and with its arrival, Maxim seemed to grow even paler. The brown-haired woman was still staring scrutinizing at Maxim, and paid no attention to its arrival, but Red glanced over in time to see a young man with blonde hair, dressed in jeans, a grey sweater, and a black open coat, hop out of the driver's side and jog up the steps to Maxim's front door. "Welcoming committee?" he called to the group on the porch, who were just shadows cast against the porch light from where he stood. As he got closer, he took particular interest in the shorter woman with scarlet hair, who met his gaze with crystal blue eyes, that looked lost and forlorn to him.
"Miss Reznikov?" he asked in astonished pleasure, "I'm surprised to see you here, but very happy too," he stowed a quick glance at Maxim, who walked out of the door frame to stand behind his mother, resting a light hand on her shoulder. Luca wasn't sure why she was here, Maxim had been putting off these introductions for awhile. Luca quickly refocused his attention back onto Red with a warm smile.
"I'm Luca," he extended his hand towards her, "it's so nice to finally meet you." Red looked down at Luca's hand but did not grasp it with her own. She looked utterly confused, and she looked immediately over at Maxim for clarification.
"This is…" the brown-haired woman covered her mouth with her hand in apparent shock, while she pointed a shaking finger at Red.
"This is my mother," Maxim spoke finally, he placed both of his hands on Red's shoulder, holding her from behind, allying himself with her. Maxim took a deep breath, "Mama, these are two people that I need you to meet. This is Klara", he extended a hand towards the brown-haired woman, and this is Luca", he nodded his head towards the blonde man with the friendly smile. "Luca, is my boyfriend, Mamochka, and Klara is, was I should say, Papa's girlfriend."
"Oh," Red said, so faintly that it almost was unheard.
"I should have recognized you," Klara said with a tight and forced smile, "Dmitri had some pictures of you stowed away in a drawer that I saw one time." She wrapped the gray blanket shawl that she had slung on her shoulder, around herself even tighter, "let's go inside and have this conversation, everyone," she looked over Red's head at Maxim. "It's too cold out here and our takeout will be arriving soon. There's enough for you if you're going to join us for supper," she said to Red.
Red was trembling all over in Maxim's arms, and she brought a shaking hand up to her face and held her cheek, as though someone had just slapped her there. Klara, turned and walked into the house ahead of them. Luca went to follow, but hesitated under the threshold as he looked back at his boyfriend and his mother, who looked as though she would collapse if not for her son's firm arms holding her up. "Do you want to go in, Mama?" asked Maxim guiltily.
Red shook her head adamantly, and looked up at her son with a questioning look of betrayal, that broke Maxim's heart. This wasn't supposed to have happened. They had been going to tell her the truth eventually, but neither Maxim or his brothers had felt she was ready to hear it. She had just gotten home, and they wanted to make her feel secure again, before they sprung too much upon her. Maxim squeezed his mother tightly and turned to his boyfriend. "Luca," he said, "I'm going to drive my mother home. You go inside with Klara."
"Okay," Luca agreed quietly, reaching into his coat pocket and handing Maxim the keys to the car he had just driven up in, and apparently the car that they shared. Red still had not spoken a word. "I'm sorry we met under these circumstances, ma'am," he said to Red quietly, "I understand this is quite the shock."
"Come on, mama," said Maxim quietly, steering Red off of the porch and towards the parked car. "I'll take you home."