I had some homework and reading to get done. In a way, I was glad Pam wasn’t here to distract me. Of course, that wasn’t really true. She did distract me in the best way.
◊◊◊
My cell phone buzzed. The caller ID said it was Yuri.
I didn’t want to answer it, because I needed to finish my reading. I also knew I’d better.
“What’s up, Yuri?”
“David, can you come over? Jan and your uncle came by. We were having a good talk, but my grandma insisted on being there, and then she insisted we all go over and meet Jan’s mom. It was educational,” he said.
Oh, brother, I thought. Yuri’s grandma scared me. She was like a force of nature, unstoppable once she got going.
“And everyone’s still alive and has all their body parts functioning?” I asked.
Yuri chuckled a bit, but it seemed like a relieved one.
“Yes. It was tense at first, but everything calmed down after a while. We even managed to get Jan’s dad on the phone. It looks like it all might work out okay, but now my grandma wants to talk with you personally.”
I shuddered. It was now a no-brainer that this was more of a mess than I wanted to be part of. It would’ve been worth it if I could bow out before getting in too deep, but with my Uncle John involved, it probably was too late for that. Frankly, with Yuri’s grandma involved, I was sure she’d track me down if I didn’t show.
“Any way I can get out of this?” I asked with a plaintive whine.
Yuri chuckled, but it sounded like a nervous one.
“Nope.”
I sighed in resignation. My hope had been this wouldn’t be necessary, but apparently, it was.
“I’ll be right over.”
I grabbed my keys and phone, jumped in the Charger, and drove over to Yuri’s place. They lived in an older Victorian house on the edge of town that his mom had bought when his grandma moved in with them. When I knocked on the door, Yuri answered. He looked a bit sheepish.
“Sorry, David, but my grandma insisted on talking with you if Jan and I are to happen.”
I just nodded.
“It’s okay, bro,” I said.
He led me inside to the living room, where his mom and grandma sat in deep, comfortable armchairs. Uncle John was seated on a window seat.
I glanced around. It was a cozy, comfortable room. Jan was perched on the arm of Grandma’s chair, and the two of them held hands. Or rather, Grandma seemed to have a hold on Jan’s. Jan looked like she was absolutely ready to bolt. I recognized Jan’s cheerleader travel bag at her feet. I looked at my uncle, but before I could ask him anything, Yuri got my attention.
“David, my grandma wants to …” Yuri began.
“Yuri, I talk David, you no need,” his grandma said, to interrupt him.
Then she turned towards me and looked at me intently. I tried not to blanch and met her gaze directly.
“David, Yuri bring this girl home, next day her, your uncle come, they talk. I stick nose in. They tell me you say she should be Yuri’s girl, she need order around, punish if needed.”
She looked at Jan, then back at me.
“We go with Yuri and your uncle, visit her home, talk to her mama. Talk to her papa on phone. Her mama, ah, I learn new word today. Resentful. Her mama resentful cow.”
Jan bit her lip and looked down. Her body trembled, and she looked like she was going to cry. Grandma looked up at her, then reached up with her free hand and patted Jan’s.
“Is okay,” she said gently to Jan. “Life not always what we want. Life always what it is.”
I looked at my uncle, and he wore the classic Dawson blank face. He seemed content to let Grandma run the show.
She turned back to me.
“Her house grand, her family rich, but her mama not act like mama at all. Act like roommate who hate her. Always watch TV or on computer. Her dad long way away, long time. Can’t come home. Can’t be papa.
“Yuri tell me you say Jan need ordered around, need boss, need punish if good for her. Need no drugs, no booze. Need be useful. She pretty girl, good for Yuri that way, need learn other ways be useful. Is work for her, work for us. Maybe good things come later, maybe not,” she said.
She looked at Yuri, then back at me.
“Yuri talk about you much. First mad, then …” she said as she looked perplexed for a moment, and then said something in Russian to Yuri’s mom. She replied in Russian, after which Grandma turned back to me.
“Then confuse-ed, now proud be your friend. You good to him, good for him. I watch you at games, booster tent, other place. You patron, boss, general; not only with friends—with school, with town,” she said. “Not from new papers, not from …” There was another brief exchange in Russian. “Not from in-her-i-tanz. Not from age. From here.”
She patted her heart.
“Here.”
She pointed her finger to her head.
“Here.”
She pointed to her groin and said something to Yuri in Russian. He smiled and turned to me.
“Balls,” he translated.
My face got warm, but I held her stare. She looked at me as if seeking confirmation of something.
“Question is, why? Why you do this for her? Why Yuri?”
I looked her squarely in the eyes.
“Because Jan is one of us. And because Yuri is also one of us.”
There was an almost imperceptible change in her face. It was almost like a recognition or affirmation, so I continued.
“I’ve watched you, too. You are strong; fierce, even—but you care. Your family is strong. Yuri gets much of what he is from you. If you agree, you’ll help both Yuri and Jan. Your family and Yuri will be very good for Jan. If you can do this for her, I think she will be very good for Yuri,” I said.
“How?” she asked.
“Yuri’s learning how to treat women but needs someone to help him more than I can. Jan will help him understand what he can and can’t do. She’ll help him fit in better with the fairer sex. For Jan, she needs someone to show her that there are other ways to get someone to like her … other ways than with sex or drugs. I believe she can help Yuri in other ways. Jan can gain a purpose and help him reach his goals. I think the two of them will make a great team if they learn to trust and work with each other. One thing that comes to mind is that Yuri’s going to start getting recruited for college football soon. He needs to put a program together for his own development. Jan’s pretty organized when she wants to be. She can work with the people who help me and learn to help Yuri with recruiters, and with the recruiting and skill-development programs that he’ll need. Who knows, perhaps Jan can learn Russian from you while you learn English from her. That way it wouldn’t be just her and Yuri. I think she has a lot to offer the family as a whole,” I suggested.
Jan looked up at this, with an intense, interested expression on her face. Grandma continued to gaze at me and seemed to come to a decision. She nodded her head.
The corner of Uncle John’s mouth twitched as if he wanted to smile, but he was soon giving me a blank look again. It really was unnerving when a Dawson did that. I didn’t like being on the receiving end of that look.
“Okay,” she said, and then turned to Jan. “You live here now! We your family!”
When Yuri’s mom started to protest, Grandma turned to her and said, patiently.
“You know how I grew up. You not know all I see as girl, as young woman. This okay,” she said, and then turned to Jan. “You in our family now. You do what Yuri say, you do what I say. Study. Help Yuri with, ah, what David say, program. Help me with English, you learn Russian. No booze, no drugs. You bad girl, we punish.”
Then she smiled gently. I was confused as to why Jan seemed now to be part of the family. I would have to talk to my uncle and uncover what had happened at Jan’s house. But I kept my mouth shut because my uncle and everyone else seemed to be okay with it.