A Russian Encounter

It was a Thursday, midafternoon. It was raining outside, and business had been slow. Anastasia slipped away from the register to begin the process of cleaning up the kitchen. No sooner had she turned off the oven when she heard a familiar Ding.

“Just a minute!” she called and finished wiping down the oven window. Ding, Ding, Ding

Great, she thought, must be Mr. Taylorson again.

“Can I help you?” she asked, but as she looked up she realized that the person to whom she spoke was not the ever impatient Mr. Taylorson, but a tall man, bald, in a thick wool trench coat and 3 piece suit.

“I am looking for American girl,” the man had a thick Russian accent and spoke in broken English.

“Girl name Anastasia.” Anastasia froze.

“Wh-why do you ask?”

“I am her father.” the man bellowed, clearly annoyed at this point, but Anastasia said nothing. She wasn't sure what to say. She quickly elected to keep her identity a secret for the time being.

“Well, I don’t know of any Anastasia's that live around here” she finally replied, “Are you sure you have the right town?”

“Yes, I sure. Wife tell me to come here, to go to bakery and ask for Anastasia”

“Well… now that you mention it I do remember a girl who comes in every once in a while; her name is Anastasia. If you would be so kind as to give me your name, I can tell her you were looking next time she comes in”

“My name Vladamir. Vladamir Kolnikov” and with that he left the bakery.

The rest of the night was filled with emotion for Anastasia. After cleaning the bakery she had gone upstairs and begun searching the internet for anything on her family that she could find. Yearbook photos, competitions, and all records of her life in America, but everything about her Russian ties seemed to have been erased from history.

Glancing over at the picture of her adopted parents on the nightstand she wished more than ever that they were still alive. It had only been 3 years since the plane crash, but she still felt the sting of losing yet another family. She also felt fear, fear of unanswered questions that she never had the courage to ask. Wiping a tear from her eye she glanced at the clock that hung on the wall. 12:30. I had better get to sleep, she thought to herself. She put away her computer and rolled over in the bed. But what am I supposed to do now?

The next morning went by smoothly. She awoke at 4:30 as she did every morning, she got dressed and headed to the bakery below her apartment to begin today’s batch of breads. The sun had yet to come up and she could smell the freshness of the dew-ridden air and feel the cool morning breeze through the back window that she kept open. That was soon to change, however, and within just a few minutes the cool breeze and refreshing smell was replaced with the warmth of the ovens and scent of homemade sweetbreads and biscuits. Anastasia loved every minute of it. It filled her with a sense of pride as she made her way around the shop, wiping down tables, refilling the specials board, and finally raising the blinds to reveal a warm and inviting sunrise.

At 6:00 am sharp her first customer arrived for the day: the local paper boy who would always save her for his last shop out of fondness for a taste of her artfully crafted sweet rolls.

“Good morning Pedro, how’s the paper business”

“Oh, you know, slow and steady” Pedro replied cheerfully. It was his favorite saying and would announce it about anything on a daily basis. “Any Anastasia specials?” he joked. Anastasia specials were what they had come to call the first loaves of bread that she often overcooked. Anastasia looked at Pedro and smirked, tossing him a loaf of stiff, dark bread.

“There you go you little rascal, now off with you”

“Well, have a great day!” Pedro replied, his mouth filled with the sweetbread.

The rest of the morning went by smoothly, and around lunchtime her boyfriend, Alex, came into the shop.

Alex Qualey was considered by many a local boy, but he originally hailed from Buffalo, New York with his single mother, Malinda. They had moved to the small town of Davidson when he was just 5 years old, and he had become a staple in the town. Working for local families as a general laborer and being friendly to everyone had earned him the title of the local smile. A few years earlier his mother had moved home to Buffalo to take care of Alex’s grandmother, but Alex stayed. He stayed for Anastasia.

In his left hand he held a bottle of sparkling cider, her favorite, and in his right a small bouquet of roses.

“How’s my flour girl today?” he asked, giving her a small kiss on the cheek. Anastasia smiled. It was Alex’s favorite joke but it never failed to make her smile.

“Well, I’m doing much better now” she replied, rolling her eyes, “How is work at the office?”

“Well, well, the water cooler broke this morning and we had to call maintenance down to disassemble it” Alex said with a chuckle, “And I finished my report a day early.”

Alex worked down the street in the local business office. More specifically, he was the director of the local parks and recreation department. It was a slow job, but he enjoyed the simplicity. It payed him a modest wage, enough to be comfortable and not have to worry about money all of the time. It also allowed him to easily be in touch with what was going on in the local government, and Alex liked this. Today, however, he had received a raise which came with a $400 bonus check.

“Hey, how would you like to go to dinner tonight? Someplace nice, like the Lakehouse?”

Anastasia thought for a moment. The lake house was a small restaurant downtown, oddly enough there were no nearby lakes to be found. Still, it was a nice place, fairly pricey though.

“Are you sure? That can cost an awful lot.”

“Absolutely, don’t worry about it.” Alex smiled. “Well, I better be off to work again. I’ll see you at 8?”

“It’s a date!” she replied and gave a small kiss, right on the lips. Alex turned and walked out with a slight bounce in his step. He felt the small, felt box in his left jacket pocket. Tonight, would be a good night.

For the rest of the day, Anastasia had a certain energy about her. She danced around the shop humming and singing and smiling all day long. That is, until he returned. It was about 5:30 when Vladamir once again entered the shop. Still in a suit and wool trench coat he approached the counter.

“I’m sorry sir, but she hasn’t been in. I will gladly tell her that…”

“Anastasia” the man said, suddenly losing his stoic and commanding tone. “It’s you. I can see now” And with that he pulled a small picture out of is wallet and turned it towards her.

“You look just like mother” he said, now seemingly on the verge of tears. Anastasia did not hear this, however. She was focused on the image in front of her. She slowly took it from his hand and sat down on the stool behind the counter. Tears began to fill her eyes for there, in the photo was a couple and a woman. On the left, her parents, cheerful and smiling, and on the right a woman, dressed in simple white dress and crying. Between them was a crib with a little girl no older than 3, with the name Anastasia written on the front of the crib. Immediately her mind was flooded with questions for this man, who stood here with a picture of her late parents and a woman who she could only assume was her mother and claimed that he was in fact her real father. Her first inclination was to go to anger, but soon that melted away into forgiveness and curiosity. She started to speak but Vladamir cut her off.

“You have lot question. Come to home with me and I tell whole story”

She began to breath harder. Here, in front of her was a man claiming to be her father, offering her the answers to the questions she’d asked since girlhood. Yet, there was part of her that didn’t want to know; that enjoyed her life now, with Alex and her bakery.

“Well, want to come?”

“Y-yes” she managed to stammer out. After work, at 8.

“I will be outside.” And with that the man left the bakery.

She immediately called Alex, and with tears in her eyes she called off the date.

“I’m sorry, I can’t go out with you right now, something's come up”

“What’s wrong babe?” he replied tentatively, “Is it your ex again?”

“No, it’s...“ she didn’t know what to tell him. “I have to go, I’m sorry” And with that she hung up the phone.

Alex was anxious. It wasn’t that he didn’t trust his girlfriend, she always told him everything. But if she was hiding something, he knew it would be really bad. He decided that he would pay her a visit tonight. He knew that she got done in the shop around 8:00 pm, so that is when he would arrive.

It was now the end of the day and Anastasia had finished tidying up the kitchen. It had not taken her nearly as long as usual for it had been a slow day. Picking up her purse from her kitchen and petting her dog George goodbye she headed for the front door. There, in the arc of the streetlight she could see the shadow of a figure waiting.

“Vladamir, is that you?”

“Privat, my child..”

“Ms. Martin, please.” she said, secretly grasping the pepper spray that she had in her jacket pocket. As they got into the black luxury sedan that awaited them, she didn’t notice the figure across the street watching them. She didn’t notice him bow his head, or see the tears in his eye as he turned away and made his way back into the darkness.

The pair arrived at a local hotel. Not a budget place, but a small, 4 star bed and breakfast overlooking the river. Vladamir led Anastasia upstairs, pausing briefly to unlock room 204C.

“Sit”, he commanded, gesturing to the single twin bed in the middle of the room. He peered into the bathroom, as if looking for something, before seating himself in a chair opposite Anastasia.

“I was almost 40. Your mother and I were married 20 years and she got mad and left me. One night there, the next gone. I thought she was mad at my work, and I love my work so I not go after her. Recently, I get letter from her. She is dying. The letter said I have daughter. That is why she left. She said I would have been bad father.” Anastasia notices tears forming in his eyes, as his voice wavers.

“She tell me, you are all grown up now. Come to US, find her. She gave me your bakery address, said this is where you would be. So here I came.”

Anastasia was shook. She didn’t know what to believe. Could this man really be her father? She considered making an excuse, getting out while she could, but something kept her there. She had to know.

“I still don’t know anything about you. I barely even know your name. What do you expect me to do?”

“I live in Moscow, in big house with private garden. I work in Kremlin, top secret. Come home with me, I show you everything.”

“I- I can’t. I have a life here. A boyfriend, a business. I can’t leave all of that behind, even if you are my father. Where would I even find the money?”

“I will find money. You not worry about money. Let me handle it.”

“When would we leave?”

“Tomorrow, 9:00am we go airport. I pick you up at bakery.”

“Ok.” Anastasia said before she realized what she was saying, and with that, Anastasia began to weep. She was saddened to leave, and terrified of what might happen, but this man, this mysterious man had answers. Answers to questions she had been asking since she was a girl. She had to try.

“I want to go home, now.” She told Vladamir firmly.

“My driver. His name Mike. He will take you home.”

“Thank you.”

The next day Anastasia woke up late. She did not go down to the kitchen to start the days bread. Instead, she put up a sign. Closed until further notice. Sorry :( She then went upstairs to begin packing her bags. She had nearly finished when she heard a knock.

“Who is it?”

“It’s Alex. We need to talk.”

“Can you come back later, I’m busy right now.”

“I’m sorry, babe, this can’t wait.”

Anastasia opened the door and Alex made his way inside. He immediately noticed the packed suitcases.

“Babe, what’s going on here?” he said, Anastasia could sense his anger building.

“I’m going to see an old friend in Buffalo.”

“I bet that’s the same friend that you saw at the hotel last night, isn’t it? Is it your ex again? Is Mark back? I thought you were done with that dirtbag. Someone new? After all I’ve done for you!? After all the late nights helping at the bakery, all the late bills, legal battles, after your breakdown when your parents died!?!?” It seemed like Alex was getting angrier and angrier, but to him he felt betrayed. He had given his heart to this girl, and now he felt as though it was being thrown in his face. “You know what? Don’t tell me his name, I don’t wanna know. Just, if you’ve made up your mind then just go.”

“Alex, wait, I can expl-”

“Don’t, I get it. You used me. You’re not the first, and probably won’t be the last, but I still love you goddammit, so just-- Look, I’m going to my mothers to try and figure this out. You know where to find me, but if this is how you’re going to treat me, don’t even bother ever talking to me again.” And with that, Alex left.

Anastasia didn’t know what to do. She was already so overwhelmed with emotion that she didn’t even cry, she just stood, staring at the door for what seemed like forever. She wanted Alex back. She wanted to hug him tight and never let go. To tell him all about Vladamir and her family. She needed him now, more than ever, but all she could do was whisper.

“Why…” she whimpered under her breath, on the verge of tears. Minutes later, there was another knock.

“Who is it?”

“It’s Mike, Vladamir is outside waiting when you’re ready. Want me to take your bags?”

“No thank you, I’ve got them.”

Anastasia made her way to the car. She put her bags into the trunk and got into the back.

“Are you ready?” Vladamir asked with a smile.

“I don’t know.”

The ride to the airport was a couple of hours, and during that time nothing was said. Vladamir sat, asked a couple of questions, but from Anastasia’s answers he determined that she just wanted a quiet ride. In reality, on this ride away from her home and her man Anastasia was a having second thoughts. She realized that she had just broken up with her boyfriend, a man that she loved and had secretly hoped would propose. She had given up her bakery, a business that her parents had sacrificed so much for and that she had worked many sleepless nights to keep afloat. And for what? A life in a country that she had never seen, with a man she didn’t know, in a house that wasn’t hers. A tear formed in her eye, but still she said nothing. She just sat, staring into the rolling fields passing her by.

At the airport, the trio got out of the car, and Vladamir led Anastasia towards the terminal. Approaching the revolving doors, Anastasia stopped.

“What is matter?” Vladamir said.

“I can’t.”

“What do you mean, you can’t?”

“I can’t come with you. I am willing to believe you’re my father and that you want me in your life, but I have a life already. I thought I could give that up, I thought that this is what I really wanted, but I can’t. I’m sorry.”

Vladamir began to argue, but with a tear in his eye, he understood.

“Go. I wish you would stay but I understand. Go home. Bake your bread and cakes and take care of yourself. I love you.”

“Goodbye, father.” She said while choking back tears. She then turned and hailed a taxi. “Buffalo, NY please.”

“You know that’s an awful long drive, you sure you can handle the fare?”

“I’m sure, just drive.”

“You got it lady.” The driver replied with a chuckle and he pulled away. On the way out Vladamir waved, but Anastasia didn’t see him. She had already pulled out her phone and called Alex. He didn’t answer. All she heard

“I’m coming home, babe. We need to talk.” She said, leaving a message on his machine, “I’m coming home.”