Ellis rested upon his chest, curled around him as a kitten to a warmed blanket. She kissed him, rubbing that still sore collar.
It had been merely a day. Ellis had not seen Andrei wearing those proud battle scars, those marks against the canvas.
"My poor baby…" Another honeyed press. "My poor baby."
"I'm not a baby."
"Yes you are. You're a whole year younger than I am."
"It's only a year."
"Yes, but women are always more mature. That makes me twenty-seven in man years."
Andrei only sighed.
"Oh, shut up. Tell me what's wrong, since we're both men. Maybe I can give you some of my twenty-seven year old man advice."
"You're so strange."
"I know…" The pair drew nearer in proximity. "What happened? Who hurt my baby that way?"
"I'm not your baby."
"You're my baby."
" Нет."
"Да. You're my baby. And you're all mine and I love you. So you better stop fighting with me or else I'll give you another black eye. I am five years older than you, after all."
"So are you a man now?"
"Um…Will you marry me if I'm a man?"
"God no."
"Then I'm not a man. You're more important to me." Kiss. "Please, love. Tell me what happened."
"Dmitri and I got into a fight. He quit his job."
"He what? Oh, Andrei. Why would he do such a thing?"
"Dmitri said he was tired. Then we started fighting and it all went downhill from there. You should have seen what I did to him."
"Andrei…" Another stamp to the young man's pallid chest. "Have you two made up?"
"No. Not yet. I told him I would never speak to him again unless he got another job. We still have to give our mother a decent grave. It will take me an eternity if I don't have any help. I already owe my father money."
"Why is that? Is it my bracelet?"
"Yes, darling. It is."
"Well…" A sigh. "Do you want it back? I can't take it if it's going to get you into trouble, Andrei."
"No, Ellis. It's yours. You need some nice jewelry." Andrei tugged his little woman in closer. "I can't give you something and then take it back. That's not right."
"Hmm…" The woman closed her eyes. "You're sweet, Andrei."
Then there was tranquility, wrought with consideration.
"Ellis, do you want marry me?"
"Of course I do! You're so good. You're focused and responsible and you've got a lot of honor in you. That's all the great qualities of a man. A good man, anyway." Lips to the neck. "I didn't want to get married again after the first time. But…I'm not frightened of you. I know that you're going to be sweet to me, and we'll support one another. We'll fight sometimes. It can't be perfect. But you aren't going to hurt me." Touch. "You're tough but you're kind."
"Thank you, Ellis."
Silence.
"…Can I ask you something?"
"Well. That depends. What are you going to ask about?" That petit Lorelei allowed her palm to her lover's neck. "Is it something sad?"
"Yes."
"You can…I suppose. Just promise you won't make me cry."
"I'll try not to." A pause. "How can you go on the way you do?"
"You mean letting go of the past?"
"Yes."
"Well, Andrei, how do you let go of the past? You just have to…I think of Hans frequently. And my family. Christmas is especially hard, because they come roaring back. But I have to swallow the fact that it happened and now it's over and this is my life. There are times that I pray to see my son again. Because the past just burns like fire. But then there are times when I'm numb. Almost as though the years that have passed are part of a life that occurred a thousand years ago. There's such a divide between the person I am now and the person I was then. I look back on it like it was something I read in a book, or a story I heard a long, long time ago. Then there's times when I can't believe it's happened to me. Like this whole thing is a dream and I'll wake up tomorrow in Vienna, a girl of seventeen again. Isn't that how you feel sometimes? I know it's only been a few months, but things have changed so drastically from then to now, haven't they?"
"Yes. They have. Sometimes I can't believe that my mother is gone. Neither can Dmitri, apparently. He's forgotten who he is."
"I don't think he's forgotten who he is. He's just become a different person."
"That's not much better."
"No. But maybe that's why he's changed. He wants to forget who he is, but the past is so heavy. I think Dmitri wants to move on."
"It's possible to move on without forgetting."
"Some people want to forget. I sure as hell wish I could."
"Hmm." The bruised man only huddled in nearer. "Maybe I shouldn't be so upset. But he's the one who wanted to rebury her. Now he's left it all to me. What am I supposed to think? It's not alright. And the reason we're in this stupid house is thanks to him."
"It is unfair, Andrei. But you've made your point. Try to make up with him. He's the only brother you've got, and when it really comes down to it, you love one another. Even if you're upset at the moment, you'll always be siblings."
Silence.
"I'm going to sleep, love. I hope your bruises heal up. If not, I know what you need." Arms came around that neck and those plump mounds so composed of sugar drowned Andrei's cheek. "Good night."
"Good, night, Sweetheart. Thank you."
"Не за что."