18. "I love you, but you need to shut up."
"No, absolutely not," Dmitry said getting up from his place at the table.
"Papa you're being unfair," Maria whined.
"Maria," he said firmly, pointing his finger at her, "My word is final. End of discussion."
He hurried out of the apartment, slamming the door on his way out. Maria grunted in frustration and left the table as well, stomping to her room and slamming the door as well. Anya sighed and rubbed her temples with her fingers. "What am I going to do with them?" Anya asked half to herself, half to the remaining children at the table.
Ivan chimed in, "I think Papa is being unreasonable, but I am definitely not going to tell him that."
Pierre continued eating his food, voicing his opinion with a full mouth, "I don't really care."
Anya rolled her eyes and smiled softly, "Pierre, please finish what is in your mouth first and Ivan, please watch your brother. I have to go have a little talk with your father."
Anya grabbed her coat and walked out of the apartment, ready to deal with her hot-headed, stubborn husband. She found him where she expected him to be, on the roof watching the city below. He had always found the hustle and bustle of the city comforting.
"Dima?" she called out softly to the figured in front of her. He didn't respond so she approached him slowly. Even from a distance, she could see the muscles in the back tense and the hard set of his jaw. She gently reached out and stroked his arm.
"Dima, we need to talk about Maria. I think you're being a little hard," Anya said sternly.
"Am I?" he asked sarcastically.
"Dima, it's just a dance. She's not marrying the boy. Maria is seventeen for god's sake. She's excited that a boy even asked her."
"Yes, but it's the boy that I have a problem with. Léon Elouan, he's not good enough for her."
Anya scoffed, "Dmitry, it's not for us to decide who Maria loves—"
"Woah, no one said anything about love. She's too young for that."
Anya threw her arms up exasperated, "Dima, she's not six anymore!"
He bent his head down and Anya reevaluated her approach.
"Love, she's almost a woman now. I know you may not like it, but she's growing up… She'll always be your little girl inside though."
Dmitry reached up and took Anya's hand, giving it a small squeeze.
"I just want to protect her. I don't like that boy," Dmitry said, still with a protective tone.
Anya just laughed, earning her a glare from Dmitry. "I love you, but you need to shut up. Maria is perfectly capable to taking care of herself. Also, shouldn't we give him a chance?"
"No," Dmitry said seriously.
Anya leaned into Dmitry's side, resting her head on his shoulder. "Nana gave you a chance after seeing what a good person you are."
Dmitry sighed, realizing how irrational he is being. "I know… I suppose I should apologize now."
"Yes, yes you should," Anya agreed, content that he realized how ridiculous he was being.
Dmitry and Anya walked back hand in hand to their apartment. Ivan and Pierre had finished eating and began to clean up. "I'll help the boys with the dishes, you talk to Maria," Anya ordered.
Dmitry gave her a small smile before walking towards Maria's room. He took a deep breath before knocking on the door. "Maria, may I come in?"
With no response, he tried the door and was relieved to find it unlocked. She was sitting on the fire escape looking out. Despite the tension in the air, she looked at peace observing the city below. Maria took after in her mother in many ways, but also had many commonalities with her father. When she was younger, Dmitry would sit with Maria on his lap and watch the bustling vibe of the city.
"Masha…" Dmitry began softly.
"If you're here to tell me I can't go to the dance, I don't want to hear it," Maria said bluntly, taking Dmitry by surprise. He knew she was upset, but he didn't like that she had an attitude with him. Normally, he would have scolded her for taking that tone with him, but instead he just sighed.
"No, I'm actually here to apologize," Dmitry said, sincerely.
"Is it because Mama told you to come?" Maria asked harshly, still refusing to look at Dmitry. He slowly approached her and sat down beside her.
"Partially, I'm not going to lie about that," Dmitry chuckled softly, "But honestly I came to apologize for the way I reacted. I didn't realize how important this dance is to you."
Maria continued to stare out at the city and refused to look at her father. Despite her still guarded stance, Dmitry noticed her expression soften slightly.
"Listen, I'm sorry for the way I reacted. I want to protect you from any guy that even looks at you because you're my little girl. In my eyes, you're still the first baby I held; the little girl that saw me as her knight; the girl who stepped on my shoes when we danced…"
"Papa," Maria said after he drifted off, "I'll always be your little girl."
With that, she scooted closer to Dmitry to give him a hug. He gladly wrapped his arms around her in return. "I'm sorry if I disappointed you Papa," Maria said into his shirt.
"Masha, you could never disappoint me… well unless you get pregnant at your age."
Maria playfully slapped her father's arm and pulled back. "Papa! Gross!"
"It is a legitimate fear of mine. You're old enough to be making your own decisions and I just want you to be happy," Dmitry said honestly.
"Papa, it's just a dance. It doesn't mean I am going to marry Léon."
"I know… your Mama said the same thing to me," Dmitry said, silently cursing that Anya was once again correct.
A comfortable silence fell between father and daughter as they smiled at each other.
"Glad to see you two made up," Anya said from the doorway.
"Yes, I am too," Dmitry smiled and gestured for her to come join them.
Anya walked across the room, grabbed Dmitry's hand and stood behind him, resting on his shoulders.
"Technically, Papa, you never explicitly said I could go to the dance with Léon," Maria pointed out.
Dmitry rolled his eyes and looked up at Anya, "She gets this from you."
"I don't know what you're talking about," Anya said coyly, "I don't act like this at all."
Dmitry cleared his throat, "Maria, you have my permission to go to the dance with this boy."
Maria laughed, "Papa! He's going to come to the apartment to pick me up and you're going to meet him. You better learn his name by then."
"Prefect. I get the opportunity to judge him firsthand."
This time, it was Anya who slapped him lightly on the arm.
"Maria, I'm sure Léon is a lovely boy whose parents taught him proper manners. Your father should know better than to make a judgement before meeting someone or that first impressions are not always what they seem," Anya scolded Dmitry lightly.
"Mama, what did you see in Papa?" Maria asked, partially joking.
"Well, he didn't have money and wasn't very clean and he did have a stubborn, brash personality… but when the moment came, he was willing to sacrifice everything for someone that he loved. His stubbornness became determination, his lack of money became a selflessness to provide for others… his dirty smell still exists though," Anya teased.
"I believe you forgot to mention my good looks," Dmitry added, taking Anya's hand and kissing the back of it.
Maria and Anya simply giggled and the three looked out, watching the bustling city.
Wow. It's been a while since I even looked at the drabbles. If you are still reading from the beginning, thank you for sticking with these drabbles. They have been a lot of fun to write. Also, hopefully you and your families are well! It's a crazy time we are living in right now.
~Jazzy Euphonium
