Thank you for the reviews. In answer to a question, I'm pretty sure Nicky will make an appearance and maybe Gloria, but they won't be a focus in this story. It would be more like Nicky somewhere with a nanny where Red and her boys happen to be. Just little interaction like that.

By the time they reached the park, beads of sweat were glistening on Galina's forehead and she wished she'd had the sense to put a swimsuit on beneath her clothes before coming. She wouldn't have minded cooling off a bit too. When they were away from the traffic, she released her hold on the two boys and allowed them to run ahead of her on the plush grass that led to the splash pad. Their laugher was music to their mother's ears and she smiled as she watched them run side by side, Maxim's chubby little legs working twice as hard to keep up with his brother.

Hand over her belly and towels slung over her arm, Galina continued to replay her mother-in-law's words over in her head try as she might to absolve her anger. They were so irritating-all of them-but if she were to freeze them out the way she was often tempted to, then she wouldn't have anybody left. A mediocre family was better than none at all and Galina wasn't sure she would be able to make it in the world on her own. This worry seemed as absurd as she handled nearly everything for herself and the boys alone, but there was a sense of security that came from being married and a financial cushioning she didn't want to try and do without. It was easier to keep things the same.

Her eyes were trained on her little boys of lighting speed that had already reached the play space far ahead of herself. With their hats still on their head, they ran straight over to a large overhead sprinkler, took a few steps in and then ran back with shrieks of glee as the cold water hit their little bodies. Maxim ran through a puddle on the padded ground and began to jump up and down enthusiastically, landing on both feet with as much impact as he could. He didn't notice his older brother running off. Yuri running over to the jungle gym where a group of kids was congregated. He was always in search of friends.

The playground was busy with families with young children trying to stay cool on a hot day like this one. School was out for the summer so the place was even more hectic than it normally was in the middle of the week. Galina was able to recognize several familiar faces of those that frequented the park as much as she did. She offered up ever so brief "hellos" as she walked up to Maxim who was still splashing with glee. Her eyes were trained on Yuri who appeared to have befriended a pretty little girl who looked a year or two younger than himself. Galina watched as her son confidently ran through the sprays yelling "catch me" as the little girl ran persistently after him in a pink polka-dotted bikini.

Galina giggled as the two kids ran through a wall of water together, appearing completely drenched on the other side in the next instant. "Let's do that again!" the little girl cried, as they both darted back through again. Yuri closed his eyes tightly against the strong jets while holding his hands out in front of himself. Back and forth they went, zig-zagging, jumping, twirling, and having what appeared to be the time of their lives. At her side, Maxim was still splashing in the puddles. Every now and then he would walk towards a fountain with a hand extended and then pull it back as soon as the water hit his fingers.

"Mama, I need my towel!" Yuri announced as he ran breathlessly towards her. Galina unfolded the towel and held it out to him, as the little boy buried his face against the cloth to wipe away the droplets sliding down his cheeks. His little friend had run back with him but passed them to leap into the arms of a man who had been standing a few steps behind Galina.

"Daddy!" the little girl cried happily. "Did you watch me and my friend run through the water? I wasn't afraid!"

"Of course, you weren't, Zoey," her father chuckled. "Because you're my brave little girl, aren't you? I was watching!"

"Was mommy watching?" Zoey asked, craning her neck to apparently look around for her mother.

Galina watched with interest as the young father tightened his grip on the little girl and his eyes scanned every which way looking around at their surroundings. She liked observing other people in their comings and goings, seeing how different or similar they were to herself. Perhaps that made her a little nosy, but it was one of the things Galina found most interesting about living in such a busy place. "She just went to change Florence," Galina heard the man reply.

He set the little girl back down on her feet and then pushed her forward lightly with his hands. "Do you want to go play with your friend some more?" he smiled over at Yuri, who was standing at his mother's feet wrapped tightly in a towel.

"Yeah!" Zoey exclaimed excitedly. "You wanna go?" she asked Yuri, coming closer and beginning to jump on one foot in front of him eagerly.

"Let's go in the water!" Yuri cried back. Shrugging the towel off with urgency, he jetted quickly without a glance back at his mother. Galina rolled her eyes as she looked down at the towel thrown down at her feet. Little boys never spared much mind for how difficult it was for pregnant women to bend down and pick things up from the ground. Most grown men didn't stop to consider it either, at least from Galina's experience.

"It always amuses me just how easy it is for kids to make friends," Zoey 's father chuckled, as he bent down with ease to pick up Yuri's discarded towel. He folded it up neatly before he handed it back to Galina.

"Thank you," Galina smiled softly, holding the towel with two hands in front of her bulging middle. She looked down at Maxim who was still amusing himself with splashing in the puddles next to her. Then her eyes scanned the fountains until she spied Yuri laughing with Zoey.

"They're really getting along," Galina commented to the man as they stood side-by-side watching their two children play together. "My son starts kindergarten in September so it's good to know he'll be able to manage on the playground. He used to be a bit too timid for my liking but lately he's really been coming out of his shell."

She spoke candidly to this man, although she didn't know him. Its what parents tended to do with one another at places where they congregated for the sake of their children. While the kids ran off to play, parents stood on the sidelines supervising, comparing, and sharing ideas back and forth. It was typical fare, and one Galina typically enjoyed because parenting predominantly by herself was often lonely. She didn't receive any validation or encouragement from her husband about the sort of mother she was, so she got it from acquaintances and strangers when they commented on how sweet or well behaved her boys were.

"Zoey is never shy," her father shared. "Sometimes I wish she was a little bit because I worry she comes off a little too strong with more timid kids. She has a big personality."

"That's a good thing," Galina replied. "It will carry her far and she won't put up with some man's crap when she grows up."

"I don't want to imagine her growing up," her father laughed, "it's already happening too fast. We've been touring preschools for the fall and it's unbelievable. Zoey's new baby sister is already starting to sleep through the night and I actually miss the three am cuddles."

"You get up with the baby?" Galina blinked, the thought of a man sharing in such parental duties unfathomable to her.

"I'm her father," he replied. "And my wife takes care of her every single day while I go to work. We trade off on the weekends and she lets me sleep in as late as I want."

"You seem like such a nice family," Galina told him sincerely. She bumped the towel against her belly and looked down at it with pursed lips. "That's one thing I'm getting nervous about when number three gets her-the sleep deprivation. I already have two rambunctious boys and a full-time job I do from home with them underfoot. I'm having a hard time figuring out how to fit a baby into all of that. I can't afford to take time off from work."

"That's pretty incredible," the man replied. "To do all of that yourself. You shouldn't have to though-their father should help more."

"He should," Galina agreed dryly, rolling her eyes at the idea of asking Dmitri to stay up all night with a baby and then go to his job the next day. By night two, Galina knew perfectly well that Dmitri would either be calling in or fired for poor work performance, and she'd be worried about keeping a roof over their heads before he found another. It was simpler-and safer-to handle everything herself. In the end, they all depended on her.

"Maxim, do you want to go in the wading pool?" Galina asked her son, reaching down to grasp his hand. He shoved her hand away, asserting his independence to the annoyance of his mother. "Come on, honey," she beckoned, "it's more fun than splashing in puddles. This water will reach your knees!"

She gave Zoey 's father a small smile as she began to walk away with her son. The wading pool was right next to the sprinklers that Yuri was currently running through with Zoey. Galina could supervise them both. As Maxim took a tentative step in, he reached instinctively back for his mother's hand which he now desired. Galina kicked off her shoes and stepped barefoot into the pool with him. Her red polished toenails glistened up through the blue water as the sun shone down.

Keeping an eye on Yuri, she watched as he giggled from the sidelines with his new friend. He was pointing a hand up towards the overflowing flower pot that was about to dump down on any unsuspecting passer-by. Playing along, Zoey 's father pretended not to know what was happening as he walked beneath it just as the pot tipped-dumping a load of water down upon him.

"You guys tricked me!" He cried out in mock-outrage, as Yuri and Zoey jumped up and down and pointed at him, laughing hysterically. Even Galina couldn't help but laugh a little at the sight of a grown man in completely drenched shorts and a t-shirt, blinded by the water sticking to his glasses.

"You have to do it again!" Yuri told him excitedly.

"Again?" Zoey 's father echoed, wringing the water from his shirt. "Are you nuts?" He pulled his glasses off of his face and wiped them off before setting them back on the bridge of his bumpy nose. "I've got an idea! What if all three of us stand under it together?" he suggested with a wink.

"Okay," the kids both agreed, as they sprang forward to take their places. Galina watched on in amusement, as she helped Maxim splash in the pool. Her younger son took to water like a fish. He had lain down on his belly so that he was completely submerged and was trying to blow bubbles with his mouth.

They were both so happy in this moment, but Yuri in particular stood out to her. She knew he needed much more of this-way more than what Dmitri was willing to provide him, and it broke his mother's heart to see how quickly her son could latch onto a complete stranger in a park for fatherly affection. He needed a stronger male presence in his life and that was the one thing that Galina simply could never give him on her own.

The simple truth was that if Dmitri had enough interest in his sons to give them even an hour a day of focused and consistent attention, then Galina knew they would have worshiped him. It would have been so easy for Dmitri to be a hero in the eyes of their boys but he couldn't even put in the bare minimum focus that they needed. Dmitri would probably have preferred to light himself on fire before he joked around with his kids in a splash pad and allowed himself to get wet. Dmitri never would have gotten past the fact that he hated water. He wouldn't play along for the sake of his children and that was where he and his wife differed. Galina always tried to do what was best for the kids.

A few minutes later, Galina tugged a resistant Maxim out of the pool and then went to call after Yuri. She knew her interruption would be met with disappointment but they needed to head home if she were to have time to dry them off and change them before she opened for the afternoon. It was incredible to believe that Galina was only halfway through her day. There was still so much to do but all she really wanted was to curl up and take a much-needed nap. Yuri tried to argue with her when she announced it was time to go but a stern look and the sharp tone she used when she called his name again had him rethinking his decision to challenge her. He said a sad goodbye to his new friend and then walked slowly over to his mother who wrapped him in a towel and kissed the top of his head affectionately.

"I know you were having fun," she sympathized. "I wish we could stay longer too but I need to get back to work." Yuri buried his head against the side of her dress as they began walking back towards home. Maxim had gotten past his irritation at having his playtime cut short and was now literally stopping to smell every flower they passed that Galina had no choice but to scoop him up and carry him on her hip.

"I want walk! I want walk!" Maxim cried out in protest as he flailed himself backwards in his mother's arms as if desiring to be dropped on his head. Galina ignored his shrieking, as she struggled with the toddler and began the short walk home with Yuri's hand held in hers.

"Remind me next time to bring the stroller," she muttered under her breath, as they turned the corner onto their own road. It was one of the busier streets in the neighbourhood with a lot of foot traffic which made it a prime location for a business. The only housing was in the above store apartments which were primarily occupied by the shop owners themselves.

Yuri was slowing down as they moved. More than once he had asked his mother to carry him which of course would be an impossible feat when Galina already had one son in her arms and an aching back which was being aggravated by this pregnancy. They staggered down the block together, nobody saying much until Yuri caught sight of something that made him visibly brighten instantly forget his tired legs.

"Look, Mama! Kittens!" Yuri exclaimed excitedly. He pointed his finger towards a man that was holding a white little fuzzball on his lap while three more kittens poked their heads out of the cardboard box he had set at his feet. Maxim arched his back to see what his brother had noticed.

"Meow! Meow!" He shrieked happily. "Mama, it's Meows!"

"Yes," Galina agreed, smiling in spite of herself. "Do you want to look at them? Just for a minute…" She set Maxim on his feet and then allowed the two boys to walk over to the box of kittens.

"Do you want to hold one?" the man asked kindly. Yuri nodded and in a fraction of an instant a kitten with a patchwork coat was placed in his hands. Maxim reached out to gently stroke the top of the kitten's head and Galina immediately saw what she had just done, or perhaps what she had intended all along. She wasn't sure.

"I'm in trouble now, aren't I?" she said lightly. Rolling her eyes at her own impulsiveness, Galina crouched down to examine the kitten a little closer with her boys.

"Mama, I would like to have a kitten," Yuri told her politely. Flashing his mother a toothy smile he held the kitten up to have face. "This kitten," he specified.

"Oh, I'm sure you would," Galina replied, eyeing the adorable fluff ball warily. "But Papa doesn't like cats or want animals in the house." It was a dispute they had had over a year ago when Galina had wanted to get the boys a dog of their very own and Dmitri had concocted a story about some bullshit allergies that had sprung up out of nowhere.

"Mama, Mama, I waaaant Meow!" Maxim pleaded in a sing-song tone he always adopted when wanting to be his most adorable.

"They're free to a good home, Ma'am," the man said enticingly.

"They're free except for the food, and the cat litter, and the veterinarian bills," Galina listed off with a sigh. She glanced at the white kitten in the man's arms and the two tabbies in the box that were batting at one another now with their paws. Of all of them she found the one Yuri was currently holding to be the cutest. She liked cats and she was pretty sick and tired of Dmitri dictating all of the rules in their household and just expecting her to obey them.

"Is this one a boy or a girl?" she asked with a begrudging smile, reaching out to scratch the calico kitten under the chin.

"A girl," the man replied and Galina smiled. She'd always wanted to give her children a pet and even though right now probably wasn't the most ideal time to adopt an animal, a part of her really wanted to. It would be embarrassing to admit to anyone how rebellious the thought of making this decision on her own would seem. She had once been active in resistance, desiring to be a revolutionary that would play a role in changing Russia and changing the world. But when that hadn't worked out she'd gotten married and ever since had settled into being a dutiful wife and a devoted mother, living the traditional existence she had always sworn she never would.

"If I say yes, do you boys promise to help take care of her?" Galina asked them quietly. She watched as both boys' eyes lit up exponentially and twin smiles spread across their faces. Yuri promised and his brother echoed him, not fully understanding anything except that their mother seemed to be on the verge of giving in. She didn't spoil them often and a kitten was probably the most amazing thing that either little boy could fathom at this time.

"I guess we'll take her," Galina said to the man with a smile. She got up from the ground with difficulty and ordered Yuri sternly to hold the kitten tightly as they left. It was time to go home. Galina was going to have to rush to open in time now but it would all be worth it. They'd go out to buy all the kitten supplies after supper and until then, she was sure she could find something to keep their new pet content. Hopefully Dmitri would maintain his custom of not getting home until after dark and wouldn't discover the new addition to their family until she got the children tucked into bed.

XXX

It was nearing eleven o'clock at night when Galina finally heard the sound of the key in the door and then a creek as it opened. Clicking her tongue, she didn't bother to put down her book. She had been reading quietly by herself ever since the boys had fallen asleep. Lying with her feet up on the sofa and the kitten curled up on her lap had been as relaxing an end to the day as she could imagine. Galina listened from the living room as her husband kicked his shoes off, set his lunch box down, and then went into the kitchen to reheat the dinner Galina prepared that evening without bothering to speak to her first. Galina focused her attention back on the book she was reading as the kitten continued its mesmeric purring.

"What the hell is that?" Dmitri demanded, when he finally came into the living room. He was holding the warmed-up plate of food she had set aside for him and carrying a glass of milk in the other hand. Starting down at the kitten with a mixture of disgust and horror on his face, Dmitri sat down in the chair across from her.

"A cat," Galina replied saucily. She marked her page in her book and then stretched her arm out to place it on the coffee table. "A man was giving away kittens on our walk home from the park this afternoon and she caught my eye. We named her Myshka."

Dmitri shook his head quickly with a cold stone expression on his face. "I don't want a cat in the house," he told her tightly. "Do you know how much they stink?"

"She doesn't smell," Galina replied calmly. "And I'll keep all her stuff clean so it won't smell either. Do you really think I'd let things get out of hand like that?"

"You realize you're not supposed to be touching cat litter when you're pregnant?" Dmitri demanded. "Something about birth defects or whatever and I sure as hell am not going to be caring for that thing for you."

"I never expected you to," Galina sighed, watching as Dmitri put a large fork full of food in his mouth. "I'll wear gloves or Yuri will handle it. This will be a good lesson in responsibility for them. They deserve to have a pet-you and I both had animals when we were children."

"I moved away from my parents so that I wouldn't have to live with animals anymore," Dmitri replied, once he had swallowed. "How dare you do this without even asking me?"

"Because I knew you'd say no," Galina replied silkily.

"Then the answer is no," Dmitri said, glaring at her over the rim of his glass as he took a sip of milk. "That doesn't mean go around behind my back doing whatever the hell you want. That's not how it's going to work in this house."

"You don't get to make all the decisions, Dmitri," Galina replied. She gently scooped the kitten up into her hands and then struggled to get herself back up into a sitting position.

"You're barely home anyway," she reminded him, as she set her feet on the ground. "What difference does it make to you? You already said it yourself that you're not going to help take care of it. If it's something that makes me and the boys a little happy, don't you think you could give in a little bit?"

"You think I'm not home enough now?" Dmitri scoffed. "Just you f*cking wait, woman. This isn't my home. Everything in it is your decision and done your way."

"Because I'm the one who runs this place," Galina retorted. "If you want to have more input maybe you should contribute more."

"I don't need to be spoken to this way by my wife," Dmitri said shortly. "My mother is right about you. You don't have any respect for me as the head of this family. That's why everything between us is going to hell and why the kids act the way they do."

"There is nothing wrong with the kids!" Galina said angrily. "They're normal boys and everyone who sees them comments on how sweet they are."

"Well, maybe with you," Dmitri said shortly. "But they don't even listen to me because you have them convinced that they don't have to. You know why? Because they are picking up on your attitude towards me."

"Well, what?" Galina rolled her eyes. "Do you expect me to pretend to be madly in love with you when I'm not? I never speak badly of you to them. I don't know what more you want from me."

"How about more sex?" Dmitri replied instantly. He took another bite of food while staring across the room at her with a look of deep displeasure. It was hard to believe that someone could have such hatred for you in their eyes while wondering why you didn't want to sleep with them more.

"I don't want to have sex," Galina said truthfully. "I'm enormous, I don't feel well, I'm tired all the time-" she began to list off excuses that weren't exactly the main reason. The real cause of her disinterest was a complete lack of desire to be intimate with him. She only ever did it to shut him up when it had been awhile and he was beginning to complain a little too loudly, or when she wanted to get pregnant.

"I'm getting pretty sick of the excuses, Galina!" Dmitri interrupted her. "I wouldn't have agreed to have another baby with you if I'd known this was how you were going to behave. Although, I suppose I shouldn't be surprised anymore."

"We had sex last night at your insistence," Galina reminded him. "So, what exactly are you complaining about for?"

"Because of how long you're going to try to have me wait until the next time," Dmitri replied shortly. "I shouldn't have to beg you."

"And I shouldn't have to let you f*ck me when I'm not in the mood," Galina said back sharply and her husband actually seemed to recoil from her in revulsion.

"Don't use language like that in front of me," Dmitri scolded her coldly. "I am not f*cking you. You are my wife and that is what you are expected to do. Do you want me to cheat on you like my father did to my mother? Because that's what's going to happen if you don't start shaping up."

"If you want to cheat on me then that's on your own conscience," Galina told him with complete indifference in her tone. If her husband thought he could make her feel jealous then he was sadly mistaken. "But do you know how often I fantasize about leaving you and then don't act on it?"

"Do it!" Dmitri roared. "Please! Just get out of this house and stay away from me!"

"Believe me, I've considered it," Galina snapped. "But that's a little hard to do when my income depends on this place and I'm sitting here pregnant with our third child, while our two sons are asleep in the next room."

"Take them with you," Dmitri shrugged. "I don't care. At least I'd never have to see you again." He finished eating his dinner in cold silence while Galina sat quietly with a pounding heart. She knew leaving was probably the right thing to do, she didn't see how this marriage could ever become better, but she also wasn't willing to give up. It was hard enough trying to juggle everything with two incomes, she didn't know if she could do it all on her own and was nervous to try.

The bigger factor was also that while Dmitri might say he didn't want anything to do with the kids and that she could take them, Galina was terrified that if she actually ever had the nerve to file for divorce that he would do a 180 and start challenging her for custody. As the primary caregiver she probably would still win but Dmitri had family members and more stability that way which might overrule her all by herself. It wasn't a risk she was prepared to take, even though she wasn't happy and knew if she only had herself to think about that she would have been gone a long time ago. She didn't have that luxury though. She had three babies depending on her.

"I'm going to take a shower," Dmitri told her flatly. He left his cleared plate and empty glass on the coffee table and then went into the bathroom without another word. Galina sat very still for a few minutes on the edge of her seat as her heart continued to race and she began to feel the cramping in her stomach muscles that always seemed to be triggered by stress. Smoothing her hand over her belly in circular fashion, Galina set Myshka down on the cushion beside her and then got to her feet. She silently picked up her husband's discarded dishes and carried them into the kitchen to be deposited in the sink. She would wash them tomorrow morning with the breakfast plates.

Galina didn't want to do what she was going to do next but didn't feel as though there was much choice. No matter how she felt, Galina knew that nothing good would come from expressing herself as candidly as she just had and it would need to be remedied before she could go to bed. She was doing it for Yuri and for Maxim, and for the little baby carried beneath her heart.

"Dmitri," she called quietly. Her tone was flat and emotionless as she walked into the bathroom and then pulled back the shower curtains just enough to see him.

"What?" he asked, as he worked the shampoo into a lather on top of his balding head.

"I didn't mean what I said," she lied quietly. "I'm just feeling kind of out of my mind with everything these days. I guess it's the hormones."

"Oh?" Dmitri murmured, as he tilted his head back to rinse the shampoo from his hair. Galina hated herself right now. For grovelling, for telling her husband what he wanted to hear at the expense of her own self-respect. But she was doing it for the sake of her family, because she believed her kids were better off with them together, rather than if they separated and she only got to spend half the time with them. Dmitri wasn't capable of taking care of them but that wouldn't mean he wouldn't fight for joint custody and then hoist them off on his mother out of spite. Still, Galina felt like punching herself in the face as she listened to herself speak. She couldn't believe such pitiful words had just come out of her own mouth.

"I don't want us to divorce," she told him softly. "I want us to be a family and get past this. It wasn't always this bad. Maybe we can make things better again."

"If you promise to be good," Dmitri told her smoothly, knowing at once that he now had the upper hand. She was too afraid of him leaving her which was ironic because she had been most hesitant to marry him in the first place. Becoming a mother had changed her though, in most ways for the worse in his opinion. However, the birth of their first child had exposed a vulnerable side of his wife that made her softer and needier than she had probably ever imagined herself becoming.

"You can keep the cat," he told her, looking into her clear blue eyes and deciding to be generous. He knew she wouldn't get rid of it anyway, no matter what he said, but at least by permitting it he was able to reclaim a sense of control over the situation.

"Okay," she replied stiffly.

"Do you want to come in the shower with me?" he offered, testing to see how far she would take this. He knew she didn't really want to but she nodded her head anyway and then slipped her nightgown off over her head. Accepting the hand he extended to her, Galina stepped into the shower taking care not to slip.

"I do love you," Dmitri told her, leaning over to kiss her forehead. "You just need to remember that you're not only a mother, you are also a wife and that role is just as important."

His wife didn't answer him but she didn't start to argue either. Stepping a bit closer to him, Galina watched as Dmitri lathered up her sponge with soap and then began to gently wash her body in what was apparently supposed to be a loving gesture. He grasped one of her hands in his and brought the sponge down the length of her arm. Then he alternated to the other hand. Gripping her chin, he tilted her head back and washed her neck, dragging the sponge lower, slowly washing her everywhere. He even kneeled on the floor of the tub, to wash her lower half. Galina gazed down at him, as he continued caressing her. She watched as he kissed his way from her ankle, all the way up her leg, to her hip. Was she supposed to feel something? Galina felt nothing.

"I love you," she told him softly, wondering to herself if she would ever find the fierce woman she had once thought herself to be. She felt like she had lost herself and the strength she had always believed herself capable of. The woman who had fought for change and sought the adventure of a lifetime by coming to America. Maybe someday she would find her again. But right now, it seemed unlikely.