3. BUSINESS DEAL
A few months went by and Sasha was barely beginning to show. She mostly worked the bar because no one was interested in a pregnant woman. Everyone knew about the pregnancy because Lena was quite the gossip. Sasha had saved some of the money she earned from Aleksey but was now running out. Things were looking more and more bleak for poor Sasha. Until one night, all that changed.
Sasha was mopping up a spill that some drunk had made a mess of when the door opened and the wind blew in a harsh chill. The door closed and the wind ceased. Sasha pushed her red hair out of her face to see who had come. Her heart skipped a beat when she saw that it was Aleksey. He had returned. She started to smile but stopped when her eyes made contact with his, the kindness was still missing. He only looked at her for a second and then looked away.
Instead of going to the bar where he had gone every other night, he sat at a table close to the piano. A clumsy tune was being played and Lena had just come out to dance on the shabby stage. She was pleased to see Aleksey's handsome face in the crowd and focused her eyes on him during her entire dance. When she was through with her number, Aleksey stood and went to talk to her. She giggled and laughed and they both made their way upstairs.
The pain was more than Sasha could bear. She ran out into the back ally way. It was filthy and littered with garbage and the stench was almost unbearable. But anything was better than being in there with them. Her heart broke into a million pieces and she kicked herself for letting those damn walls down.
You are so stupid! She thought to herself. How could you let this happen? How dare you let yourself believe that he actually cared for you! You stupid whore…
Sasha's back slid down a dirty wall and she sobbed uncontrollably. "What am I going to do?" she asked aloud. Just as all hope seemed to flutter away she felt something move inside her. She looked down at her belly and rested her cold hands on the fabric that covered it. There it was again, a little kick. She gasped and let out a little laugh. Strange that in such a dark place, a little spark of light could change the world.
It changed Sasha's world. She stopped feeling sorry for herself and focused on the baby growing inside of her. "You will be who you want to be," she whispered to the child inside. "I will not let anyone stop you from being happy in this life, even if it means my life." She loved the baby. Though she had never met it, she loved it. She didn't know how, but she would make a way for this child to never go hungry and to never be cold and to never have to suffer the way she had.
She picked herself up and brushed off her clothes and went back inside. It was much warmer and it felt good. She picked up the mop that she had dropped and returned to cleaning.
Then the manager called out to her. "Sasha, where have you been? A man at the bar needs a drink."
Sasha leaned the mop against a table and walked around to the other side of the bar. For the first time she looked up at the gentleman's face and was startled by his indescribable beauty. Aleksey had nothing on this man. He was blond and pale and his features were perfect and masculine. He smiled at her and his perfectly white teeth glistened.
"I'll have a pint," the gentleman requested.
Sasha pulled out of her daze. "A pint of what?"
He laughed. "Beer?"
He was not from around here, though his Russian was quite good, he had a slight accent. Also, she had never heard anyone refer to beer as 'a pint' before. She pulled a mug out from under the counter and filled it with the frothy liquid. She passed it to him but he did not drink it. She could not take her eyes away from him but he didn't seem to notice or mind. As she studied his face she noticed that his eyes were black.
"So what brings you here?" she asked him.
He looked up from his mug and smiled "Do I not pass as a local?"
"If you were a local I think everyone would already know who you are," she said the words without really thinking about how they sounded.
He nodded his head as if no further explanation was needed. "I'm originally from England. I've been traveling across Europe and now I'm here. I'm actually a hunter and I've been tracking some game."
"It must be some pretty impressive game to bring you all the way out here," said Sasha.
The gentleman smiled again. "You've got that right." He took a look around the room and focused back on her. "Are you for sale as well?"
His straightforwardness surprised her. She nodded. He waved for the manager to come over.
When he did, the gentleman asked him "How much for the night?"
The manager eyed him and said "150 rubles."
The gentleman reached into his jacket and pulled out some bills. "I don't want to stay here though, I'll take her back to my place."
The manager's greedy eyes stared at the cash. "Well then that will cost you double, 300 rubles."
"Done." The gentleman placed a stack of bills on the counter.
"Did I say double? I meant triple." The manager was pushing his luck but the gentleman just laughed at added another stack of bills to the counter that added up to even more than was asked for. He pushed away from the counter and started to leave.
"Are you coming?" he asked Sasha. She grabbed her coat and followed him out the door.
Once they were outside she asked him "What did you say your name was?"
"I didn't say. But since you're curious, my name is James."
