Marriage by Proxy

by Combs, Sasha

  Misha grabbed Carolyn’s hand from his head and gently placed kisses in her palm.

  “Carolyn, how could you ever believe that I regretted marrying you? I told you how I feel and I meant every word. I love you and I plan on spending the rest of my life with you. Since I plan on living for a long time, that means I’ll be with you more than 365 days.” Carolyn laughed as Misha placed her hand back on his head. He was enjoying her gentle touch and he wanted her to continue.

  “Seriously Misha. Whatever is bothering you…don’t you think you can trust me?”

  “I trust you with my life Carolyn.”

  “Are you concerned about immigrations? You know Alexandra used my contracts as a template when she had ours drawn up; we aren’t breaking any immigration laws.”

  “Why do you think I’d be concerned about immigration laws?”

  This was one of the many questions that had puzzled Carolyn. Alexandra dealt with many immigrants requesting her services. Since Misha was from Russia, Carolyn had assumed that he was working in the United States under the auspices of a Green Card or Visa.

  “You’ve only been in this country for 8 months so I imagined that you are concerned about your Green Card and citizenship status.”

  “Carolyn I didn’t come to this country under any Green Card status. I’m an American citizen. My father worked for the United States Government.”

  Carolyn’s movements halted as she sat stunned. Coming to a full sitting position on the couch, she planted her legs beside Misha. His story wasn’t making sense, and even though she’d missed the details from their first and second meeting; she’d made a point of being coherent and attentive and she recalled every conversation from that point on. Misha could see that Carolyn was confused but he also concluded that he’d said enough. If he explained any further he’d be betraying the trust that had surreptitiously been placed in him.

  “Carolyn there is so much I’d like to tell you but I just can’t; at least not right now. I don’t like keeping secret’s but I’ve been asked to hold all revelations for now.”

  “Who told you to hold all revelations?”

  “I can’t tell you that Carolyn, and it breaks my heart that I can’t. I should have never agreed to do this, but when I did, everything had not been revealed to me. So you see, I’m not withholding this information by choice; I was tricked into it.”

  “Misha that doesn’t make sense. We’re married now and if you want to tell your wife something, then the bonds of marriage far outweigh any silly promise you may have made to someone.”

  “Yes Carolyn you are right. But I made this promise before I was married, so I am bound to keep the information to myself until this person is ready for me to share it.”

  “You know Misha; I have a lot of contacts. If I wanted to find out about you I’m sure that with a few phone calls I could tell you more about yourself then you know.”

  “I highly doubt that Carolyn. Besides, I never said that I wouldn’t tell you, and just said I can’t tell you right now. I fully intend on telling you everything about my life; just like I requested of you.”

  “Do I need to be concerned Misha? I have a very successful law practice and I’d hate for something disreputable to destroy what I’ve worked so hard to build.”

  “I promise you Carolyn, you won’t be harmed in anyway when it comes to me and my past.” Joining her on the couch; he neatly wrapped his arms around her shoulder as he pulled her into his chest. Resting his head on the armrest of the couch, she lay nestled in his arms.

  “When we get back home everything will be revealed and I promise you that it will not affect what we so lovingly have built here this weekend. I love you Carolyn and I look forward to building many memories with you and having many children with you.” Carolyn’s body suddenly became tensed when he mentioned the word children. She had bought her low dose Birth Control Pills with her when they left Birmingham, but she’d not taken a pill in over five days. After meeting Alex that Monday and finding out that she was married; Carolyn had neglected to take her pills due to the enormity of her situations. She had thought about the Pills when Misha came to stay at her condo the second day but the fleeting thought melted away just as quickly as it had surfaced. With each successive day presenting new challenges or surprises; her finely tuned regiment now completely atilt; she battled to perform the simplest task. Misha gently rubbed her arm as his thoughts engaged his mind; and Carolyn battled with the possibility of motherhood and all of the responsibilities that accompany that role. She closed her eyes and released a soft sigh as she thought to herself what’s done is done; then she relaxed into the comfort of Misha’s embrace.

  Chapter Eight

  Settling old debts

  Alexandra looked out of the window as the pilots voice blared through the planes overhead speakers.

  “We’ve just been informed that a snow storm has dropped 8 inches of snow at metro airport; so we’re going to take a holding pattern here folks while the ground crew clears the runways so that we can safely land the plane. Don’t be too concerned if you have a connecting flight because at present nothings going in and nothings going out. So just sit back and relax; and I’ll update everyone on their progress as soon as I receive any information on the runway status.”

  Alexandra placed her eye shields back over her eyes as she reclined in her first class seat. Her flight to Germany had been uneventful but the circumstances that led her there had wreaked havoc on her nerves. As she closed her eyes she began to recount her life and the turn of events that led her to her current situation. How had so many lives been affected by her selfish idealistic views? Her flight over was difficult, but now as she waited to land, the sharp edge that had been there was now removed.

  Alexandra recalled her life as a young girl in Russia. She grew up in Moscow and excelled in her academic studies. She had keen observation skills and she always scored high on exams that dealt with logic, statistics and probability. At a young age, she was introduced to the game of chess and it was determined that she was a prodigy. She was frequently entered in tournaments to represent her school and her country.

  So it was no surprise to her parents when her skills did not go unnoticed. At a young age Alexandra Ivanova was recruited to join the ranks of the KGB. Her parents saw this as an honor and outwardly, Alexandra portrayed the loyalist communist; believing that all western countries were full of crime, poverty, debauchery, and infidels. She, like all Russians, had been spoon fed Russian propaganda since birth and she was bought up to believe that socialism placed every citizen on equal footing. But after serving her country in this role, Alex and her keen instincts, began to see the world around her as it actually was. If people didn’t agree with the communist party, they would disappear in the night. Dissidents and protestors went unceremoniously to the Gulag. Interpretation of the law wasn’t needed because you either did it the Soviet way or you were introduced to the penal system. Alex’s stomach would cringe from the sheer number of broken hands, legs and feet that she’d witnessed. She never administered torture techniques but she’d witnessed her fill. She knew that she was not in a job that she could just walk away from nor could she complain to anyone without becoming a victim herself. She wanted to do something or better yet tell someone what she’d seen. She wanted people outside of Russia to know about the KGB and the nameless faces that would disappear in the middle of the night. So when the opportunity amazingly presented itself, Alex couldn’t resist the urge to help.

  East Germany had been a hot bed for espionage and defections. Alexandra had been assigned to an underground task force whose job was to infiltrate a spy ring and arrest as many of the cells as possible. Alex had been casing a bar for over a month and she began to see suspicious occurrences. Acting on instinct, she befriended one of the patrons by the name of Nicolai. To maintain her cover, Alex allowed herself to become intimately involved with him over the course of a month. Nicolai would take short trips to the country to a house that was s
ituated close to the wall that separated East Berlin from West Berlin. Then he’d visit a house just outside of Berlin every third day for the first two weeks then every fifth day for the second two weeks. This was done to confuse anyone that may be watching. He’d allow Alex to go with him, but he wouldn’t tell her what he did in the houses. Alex had been in Berlin for four months before she got her first big break. While visiting the house outside of Berlin, Alex sat in the front room. She heard a great deal of commotion coming from one of the back bedrooms. Muffled screams and cries emanated down the hall as the pretense was slowly eroding. Alex moved from her seat as she cautiously approached the bedroom door. Alex heard Nicolai’s voice; but he wasn’t speaking in Russian, he was speaking in English. Placing her hand on the door knob, slowly turning it, she opened the door. Two men held down a third man on a blood soaked bed, as Nicolai dug into the man’s skin, obviously searching for a projectile. Stunned by her presence, Nicolai called out to Alex.

  “Go back out to the couch. You shouldn’t be in here.”

  “What’s going on Nicolai? That man has obviously been shot.”

  “I said leave now Alexandra…now!” Alex did not move. In fact she came closer to the bed as she peered down on the injured man. A part of Alex’s KGB training included combat first aid. As she watched Nicolai attempting to dig out the bullet; she noted his modus operandi. Nicolai lacked the required dexterity to reach the object and if he continued his probing, the man would be dead due to his ineffective skill and his butcher technique. Summoning up her courage she spoke.

  “Nicolai move over…if you keep digging in him like that you’re going to kill him.” Nicolai’s clothes were soaked in blood; as well as the bed and part of the floor. As he surveyed the mess he knew that she was right. He thought to himself a man only has so much blood and over half of his is either on the floor or on me.

  Without another word said, Nicolai pulled his hand out of the gaping hole in Kemps abdomen. Stepping into the position where Nicolai had sat, Alex took her long slider fingers and slowly inserted them into Kemps wound. As she closed her eyes she tried to ascertain through her tactile sense, the organs and blood vessels and their condition. She gently moved her finger around as she felt for the blood vessel that was pumping his life blood out onto the floor. Finding it she asked for a needle and thread. Once she got the bleeding to subside, she washed the area and entered again to feel for the bullet. Still unable to find it she suggested they pack the wound and get him to a hospital as soon as possible. With the bleeding subsided, his chances for survival had been greatly increased. Nicolai looked at Kemp and spoke to him in English. “We’re going to get you out of here tonight. So just hang on a little longer. Do you hear me?” Kemp was exhausted and physically drained from the ordeal but he managed to nod his head; a gesture which greatly pleased Nicolai. Alex had seen a great deal over the years as a KGB agent, but she’d never seen any man capable of taking as much as Kemp had dealt with that night.

  Leaving the two men behind with Kemp, Nicolai grabbed Alex by her arm and took her back into the front room. Both of them completely covered in blood. He stared at her for what seemed like minutes before he finally spoke.

  “Alexandra, I’m so happy that you saved my friend, but you’ve just put me in a very precarious situation. You’ve seen things tonight … people … that you should not have seen.” Running his blood stained hand through his curly black hair he sat on the couch and placed his face into his hands.

  “I won’t tell anyone Nicolai, you can trust me.”

  Looking up at her he spoke. “You don’t understand Alexandra.” Tears forming in his eyes “I can’t let you leave here tonight.”

  Now understanding the full gravity of her situation, Alex began to realize who the man was that had lain bleeding in the bed. He was an American spy. When Nicolai spoke to him in English, she could not detect an accent. She was very good at noticing these things; so she surmised that Nicolai more than likely was an American spy as well. She knew that she’d seen too much and they more than likely would have to kill her to ensure that their identities remain covert. Not to mention the fact that they needed to get Kemp over the boarder and out of East Germany before he died. Alex had seen scenarios like this many times as a KGB agent and she was also trained at how to get out of them but she saw this as an opportunity. She wanted to say alive; hence she could lie her way out and continue gathering more intelligence information or trust Nicolai and tell him who she really was. Over the past months she’d actually grown to have true feelings for him and her mission was becoming less important to her. She knew that she’d have to formulate a plan before the other two men joined them because she was certain that she’d be able to win over Nicolai, but if she had to convince three men, her fate would be sealed.

  Remaining calm Alexandra began to speak.

  “Nicolai, I’ve known for some weeks now that you are an American.” Stunned by this revelation, Nicolai removed himself from the couch and stood merely inches from her.

  “Explain yourself Alexandra.” Clearly concerned he glanced back at the hallway were the two agents remained, then turned his attention back to Alex.

  “When you would go into the bar, you’d order the beer that most American’s drank before the wall went up. And the way you’d hold your cigarette, then flick it away…” She demonstrated his actions.

  “I remember my grandfather talking about the American’s and he’d demonstrate how funny they looked smoking their American cigarettes. You also have an aversion for vodka. What Russian doesn’t like vodka?”

  “I like vodka. I drink it all of the time.”

  “But you turn up your nose each time you take a gulp. And Nicolai…the way you pronounce some of your words.”

  “I’m not from this part of the country Alexandra. You’re just hearing a provincial accent.”

  “I’m hearing an accent alright. Perhaps your grandmother or grandfather is Russian and they taught you as a young child. You don’t even sound like German children that have learned to speak Russian as their primary language.”

  “If you’ve noticed all of this why didn’t you say something? Why didn’t you contact the authorities?”

  “When a woman is in love, why would she turn in her lover?” Reaching her hand out she enveloped his into hers; allowing her eyes to search his for some glimmer of hope.

  “So you see…your secret is safe with me. I could never turn in the man that I love.”

  Later that night, Nicolai and Alexandra washed the blood from their bodies and burned their blood drenched clothes in the fireplace. Nicolai had convinced the other agents that Alexandra would conceal their true identities. He was warned that she had placed herself in a dangerous predicament because she could be jailed as a traitor to her country or worst killed. Nicolai had grown fond of Alexandra so after securing Kemp passage out of the country, he took Alexandra back to Berlin and instructed her never to return to the bar unless she urgently needed him.

  Alexandra returned to Moscow later that week, never revealing what she had learned nor did she betray Nicolai or any of his spy entourage.

  After being home for nearly two months, Alexandra realized that she was pregnant with Nicolai’s baby. She desperately wanted to keep the child but she also knew that her undercover activities in Berlin could be called into question if her unwed pregnancy was discovered. She knew that she had to get married quickly so as to divert all attention from her Berlin assignment.

  As a young woman, Alexandra had gone to St. Petersburg to compete in a chest tournament. While there she met Yuri Petrov, a young engineer. Yuri had taken an immediate liking towards Alexandra and wanted to marry her. But her future had been planned and marriage was not a part of that. She knew that he still had fond memories of her and would more than likely accept her proposal of marriage. She convinced her immediate supervisor to grant her permission to go to St. Petersburg to marry a long time friend. Her request was granted but due to her valuable obse
rvation talents she was instructed to report to a KGB office in St Petersburg for assignment. After arriving, Alexandra and Yuri were married within two weeks. His feelings were genuine and he did everything possible to please and provide for his new wife and child.

  After delivering Misha, Alexandra’s covert missions were ceased. This pleased Yuri and Alexandra because she didn’t want to be separated from her newborn child. This was the very thing that confused Yuri; when Alexandra came home, just after returning to work six months post partum, telling Yuri that she’d be leaving for Berlin the following day.

  When Alexandra returned to work, she had been assigned to a new task force team. Due to her assignment in Berlin, it was decided that she’d brief the new team that was leaving the following day to breakup a known American Spy ring. When Alexandra flipped through the black and white photos and recognized the two men that held down Kemp on the blood soaked bed and Nicolai, her heart nearly stopped. She had to warn them. As she briefed the new team; her mind peddled forward, trying to scheme her way onto the roaster. She had made many contacts that were not directly connected to Nicolai and his team, and if she’d have to expose them just to save the father of her son, she saw it as a reasonable concession and they’d be deemed collateral damage. After talking to the director of her branch for over an hour, Alexandra convinced him to concede his apprehensions and reinstate her status as a field operative. She had proven herself valuable; and this mission had become a high priority. Operatives from St. Petersburg’s, Moscow and Germany were all involved.

  Securing a wet nurse for Misha, Alexandra left the following day. Each operative was given false documents and work assignment to maintain their covert status. Alexandra reported to her job, so as not to tip off any other KGB operative because it was not uncommon for the spy to be spied on themselves. The following day Alexandra went to the bar to wait for Nicolai. Even though he believed his pattern was not predictable, she had figured it out. So when he walked in she was not surprised. However, it was not the same for Nicolai. He’d regretted having to send Alexandra away, and his body ached for her each night as he laid awake alone in his bed. With a self assured wide gait he cut a path directly towards her; as if he’d forgotten his entire spy training. Grabbing her up into his arms he hugged her and whispered into her ear “I missed you Alexandra.” Suddenly realizing what he’d done, he released her from his arms and they unceremoniously sat down to the table. “Why have you come back to Berlin Alexandra?”