It was the day after the midterm elections. The results were what they were, for better or worse. No doubt, several individuals had been beyond apprehensive regarding the outcomes. Vlad Masters, for one, usual nerves of steel were severely shaken. He needed to take his mind off the developments. So he was driving his family's motor vehicle when they didn't want to appear affluent.
After all, who expect a billionaire to drive a muddy beat-up reddish Dodge Caravan? Vlad had forgone his typical snazzy suit. Instead, he wore a faded Packers hoodie, old jeans, and sneakers. His family castle-like mansion was roughly fifty miles outside of Madison, Wisconsin.
Midway to Madison was a coffee shop his family frequented, a locally owned establishment called "Brooke's Brew." It wasn't part of a franchise chain. The proprietor was a young woman named Brooke Brewster. Her family had moved from British Columbia roughly six years ago.
Vlad understood that Mrs. Brewster's husband had relocated their small family due to a job change. So his wife, for extra money, opened the coffeehouse. He also suspected she'd opened it to have something to do. He felt the wife didn't want to be a full-time stay-at-home mom. Another reason she opened the coffeehouse.
The coffeehouse had an exceptionally cozy atmosphere, outstanding services, and exceptional food and drinks. Overall, a rather enjoyable location to chitchat over coffee. Plus, everyone appreciated the proprietor, Brook's gorgeous pet cat Luna, who showered all the patrons affectionately. Luna's photograph happened to be on all the inventory within the coffeehouse.
Roughly around 8:30 on November 9th, Vlad Masters parked his minivan outside the coffee shop. Then he calmly strolled inside before going to his favorite booth near the front. He informed the young, slender server he was waiting for someone.
So they'd ordered together what they wanted. Her thick curly caramel locks bounced as she promised to return to get their joint order in twenty minutes. Ten minutes later, Vlad's brother-in-law Ivan Ivanova arrived. Ivan was a tall, burly curly-haired man. He also decided to dress causally.
While his BIL wasn't nearly as prosperous as himself, he remained a successful businessman. Ivan owned and operated a ceramics enterprise partnered with several home furnishings stores. Vlad's wife, Mag, and his older sister Nayda counted their blessing that Ivan got help for his gambling addiction. Otherwise, his corporation would've gone belly up!
"Hello, Vlad. How are you doing today?" Ivan questioned as he sat. Before Vlad could respond, the server returned to take their orders. They both order large mugs of their favorite coffee and a plate of doughnuts to snack on.
The woman nodded, promising to be back in ten minutes with their order. While she was gone, Vlad answered his BIL. "I'm not completely satisfied with the outcomes of the midterms. However, at least the anxiety it brought has gone down significantly. However, it'd be best if we didn't dive too deep into that."
"Yep, politics are far too messy. Furthermore, right now an incredibly touchy subject. Part of me was glad none of our children are old enough to vote yet."
"True enough. Still, let's converse about something else," as their order arrived. They smiled at the young woman. She said she would check back if they needed anything else later. Finally, the two men drank coffee and helped themselves to a glazed doughnut.
"Right now, I'd like to know how your and my sister's relationship is going. Mag mentioned that Nayda was going to recommend more couples counseling sessions?"
Ivan let a heavy sigh, "Yes, we've increased our couples therapy to twice a week. Tuesday and Thursday from 9: 30 am to 10:30 am. It's a good thing we both own our own businesses. So we can be a bit more flexible with our scheduling."
"So, anything good coming out of it?" Vlad was curious to know. Ivan dunked his doughnut into his coffee before answering.
"I've learned a great deal about myself. For example, what events in my childhood played a part in some of my behavioral issues. Likewise, the source of my gambling addiction. Once again, I'm grateful for your and my wife's assistance in getting me the help I needed for my addiction."
"Well, I wasn't going to let my sister or niece and nephew become homeless. More people should seek therapy. It genuinely can work miracles. So what have you identified as the motivation behind your former gambling situation?"
"The gambling crisis originates due to my own father being a gambler. Not to mention no good at managing finances. Therefore, I learned from example."
"Hmm, well, glad you've identified the origin of your difficulty. I only wish my deadbeat father had been able to get help for his heroin addiction. But, unfortunately, not everyone is willing to seek help regarding addictions."
"Plus, the first step is acknowledging you've got a problem. You cannot get help unless you're willing to admit you've got a problem in the first place."
"True. I'll be forever haunted by the abuse my father inflicted on my mother, sister, and me. Unfortunately, we cannot change the past. Yet talking to my own therapist and my relationship with God has greatly helped in the long run."
"Magdalene is an extraordinary woman whenever it comes to the Lord. I suppose I shouldn't be surprised, given she's named after Mary Magdalene."
Vlad nodded, "No, you shouldn't. After all, religion has always been circuital to her family. After all, Mag's habit of quoting bible verses on the spot comes from studying it so much."
"I've constantly been quite impressed by that habit of hers. I'm also pleased we've located a multi-religion church to suit everyone's needs. I apologize we've not joined you the last few Sundays."
"It's not a problem, Ivan. We missed all of October, regardless. Primarily due to work-related stress. Still, my wife wants to ensure our three children all have a relationship with God."
"Nayda may not be as intense as Mag. However, she also desires Peter and Catherine to have a good relationship with the Lord."
"So, how are my niece and nephew doing? It's been a while since we've seen them. My children have been anxious to know how their cousins are doing."
"Peter's creativity has developed tremendously. His English teacher's most impressed with the short stories he's written since school started. Peter typically writes fanfics. However, he's come up with quite outstanding original short stories.
Which isn't easy given originality is hard to come by. But, Nayda and I believe he'll grow up writing young adult novels. If his short stories are anything to go by," Ivan reported proudly.
"Well, I'm incredibly delighted to hear that. Perhaps you would permit my family to read some of his short stories?" Vlad requested to which his BIL nodded.
"We'd be significantly honored. He's been desiring his cousin Jazz's opinion on his writing for some time. We both know Jazz is proficient with words as well."
Vlad smiled proudly this time, "Yes, Jasmine is quite gifted in words. However, I'm interested regarding how my incredible niece Catherine is doing?" Vlad inquired about his niece.
"She's getting closer every day to becoming a genuine environmentalist. She's quite proficient when it comes to animals. Plus, she excelled in biology. Consequently, I'm sure she'll also do extraordinary things in the future."
"Well, I'm sure she's done her most useful right now to help fight climate change. Since I know, that's a big deal to her."
"Yes, she's done her best to help us and the rest of the neighborhood fight climate change. She even got her class to agree to plant trees to help fight it," Ivan stated proudly.
Vlad nodded in agreement. "Well, I'm quite proud of her then. Getting the younger generation to take a proactive part in ensuring the future is challenging. So that's quite impressive."
"Speaking of the future. First, I should inform you I'm forever in debt for your financial assistance with my family," Ivan replied in a grateful tone.
Vlad raised a single eyebrow before saying, "Well, please don't take advantage of my generosity, Ivan. I may be incredibly wealthy, but don't think I'm your personal ATM. I brought you a house so you wouldn't be homeless.
The rest of my family had to agree with the rest of my financial support. Nayda and I determined a 25k trust fund was generous enough. Furthermore, paying for your children's college education. I'm more then delighted to assist with that. However, to reiterate, I will not be your personal ATM."
"I thoroughly understand, Vlad. Nayda made that point quite clear when you offered financial assistance. However, I know we're expected to pay our own bills and manage our other affairs."
"I'm satisfied we've reached an understanding. Unfortunately, given everyone's crazy schedules, we cannot have a dinner party this month. However, we will have Thanksgiving together. Please remember to provide some food for the meal. We may have our own chef. However, we desire it to be a truly family meal."
"Understood perfectly, Vlad. So what would you like to do? Have you taken the day off work?"
"Magdalene is covering the corporation today. I told her I was taking the day off. What about you?"
"Same. It's my day off today. I don't have to be home until the kids get home from school. So is there anything you'd like to do?"
"What I'd like to do is go get my wife a small gift. Simply to show I appreciate her. What about you?"
"I think that's a splendid idea. So are you thinking like jewelry or flowers?"
"Neither. I thought of going to an antique shop and bringing home an unexpected treasure."
"Sounds good to me. Let's go!" The two men paid their bill and left for an antique store.
Ivan "Vanya" Zahar Ivanova: Kelsey Grammer
Without effort, you won't even pull a fish out of a pond
A spoken word is not a sparrow. Once it flies out, you can't catch it
Live for a century, learn for a century
Work is not a wolf. It won't run away to the forest.