“No, that’s fine, why not?” I replied. “If you want to go to a club, go to a club.”
“Are you coming with us?” Marietta asked.
“Yeah, boss!” Yushkov chimed in. “What’s a party without you?”
Vika was clearly less than thrilled, though she smiled and made a face that told me we might as well go.
The club was one I’d been to many a time, especially given my previous job at the paper. Everything was the way I expected it: bartenders flipped bottles, everyone was having fun, the “last chance” women hung around the bar, music, dim lighting…nothing had changed a bit.
Our group found a comfortable spot where the music wasn’t too loud.
“We need drinks,” Yushkov and Shelestova said simultaneously.
“I’m out,” Tasha replied. “Actually, I’m going to head home soon.”
“Have you seen what time it is?” Shelestova snorted. “No couriers are out this late.”
“I postponed the order to tomorrow.” Tasha was as serene as ever. “It’s just that I don’t like it here.”
“Then why did you come with us?” a surprised Samoshnikov asked.
“For the company,” Tasha said laconically. “You all wanted to go, so I came, too.”
“She’s a mystery,” Shelestova said, summing up the conversation. “No understanding her, at least not when you’re sober.”
A variety of drinks soon lined up in front of us. I decided to go for some juice, actually, as I wasn’t up for any more alcohol and my head was starting to hurt. That moonshine had really done me in.
The conversation straggled along, as it felt like everyone was having a hard time loosening up. Finally, Shelestova had an announcement.
“I feel like I’m at a funeral here, so I’m going to go dance.”
Everyone else trailed after her, and I decided to smoke a cigarette out in the fresh air. My temples were starting to really pound.
The fall air hit my ribcage like a glass of water after a hangover. I even felt kind of bad ruining it with some cigarette smoke. Although, I felt better when I remembered that it was already polluted with car exhaust and all the other fumes that come with life in the big city. Fall, just like spring, has a very particular smell in Moscow. It’s the smell of slightly rotten leaves, wet tree trunks, and a sticky fog that mixes with the aroma of damp asphalt, cigarette smoke, and God knows what else. The incomparable, unforgettable smell of fall in the big city.
I’ll have one cigarette and head home, I decided. The party just hadn’t felt right, hadn’t come off the way I’d hoped. It wasn’t how they used to be for me. Could I be getting old? Either that or…
I pulled a cigarette out with my lips and patted my pockets. My lighter wasn’t there…I’d left it in my coat pocket. I looked around to see two bouncers standing by the club, their gray suits making them look like mossy boulders. They definitely don’t smoke. On the other hand, sometimes bouncers carry lighters with them to offer the patrons.
Something clicked, and in front of my face a flame burst out of a lighter that cost a pretty penny—that much was obvious. It was white gold, monogramed with gemstones. Wow.
“Isn’t that how it always is, Harriton? If you don’t forget your lighter, it’s your cigarettes. If it’s not your cigarettes, it’s something else.”
I breathed in and looked over at my unexpected companion. He was the same age as me, and he had a pleasantly frank face, a friendly, white-toothed smile, brown hair combed back, and an athletic figure. Sixty or seventy years before, people like that would have been all over posters standing next to tractors and other machinery. Workers of the world…
“What can you do? It’s an imperfect world we live in,” I agreed. “But there’s always a way. Sometimes you find it yourself, other times people help you.”
“Sure, sometimes they do,” he said with a nod. “But that’s only if you’re worth helping, you keep your nose clean, you listen to people who give you advice, and you’re willing to follow that advice. That’s all really important, since it makes up what society thinks of you.”
Can’t argue with you there. But I couldn’t help noticing that he’d been expecting me. So there’s a rat after all. I put that thought off, however, deciding to concentrate on my lighter-wielding benefactor. If only I’d listened to my very smart girlfriend and gone home.
“I have an offer for you, Harriton,” the brown-haired man said with a smile. “Shall we head back into the club for a chat? You’ve already realized that this isn’t a chance meeting—I’m sure you have. And we have to talk sooner or later, right? It’s cold out here, and you could catch a cold. It’s already fall.”
“I appreciate your concern, but it’s awfully loud in there. We won’t be able to hear each other,” I replied doubtfully.
“In the chill-out areas? They’re great for talking, and we can have some nice tea with lemon. Your head hurts, no?”
How thoughtful?
“Okay then, let’s go, though I’ll need to tell my group about the wonderful new person I found to talk to. I wouldn’t want them to get worried and start looking for me.”
“Of course, definitely let them know! You absolutely should. We’ll walk right past them, so you can just give them a wave,” he said with a smile.
“And also, what’s your name?” I did need to have some idea of who I was talking to.
“I have a bit of an old-fashioned name,” he said, a little embarrassed. “Jeremiah.”
“Really? Aren’t your parents the clever ones.”
“You have no idea,” Jeremiah replied with a sigh. “Though it was just my father—he raised me by himself.”
Another gentleman in a grayish-blue suit joined us at the entrance to the club, following silently a few steps behind us.
“Don’t worry,” Jeremiah said. “That’s my bodyguard—you know how things are these days. Where’s the world coming to?”
“It’s not coming anywhere,” I responded. “It’s still just orbiting the sun like it always has.”
“You think so?” Jeremiah looked at me slyly.
“I know so,” I said, staying clear of his joke. “That’s what they told us at school.”
We walked into the main room, where I caught Vika’s eye, smiled reassuringly at her, and pointed at my companion as he walked grandly past the tables. She had no idea what was going on, though she nodded.
“Boss, is everything okay?”
I suddenly found Zhilin next to me, as he’d apparently been dancing and saw me from the dance floor. He looked suspiciously at Jeremiah, then sized up his bodyguard. The latter tensed. Sergey gave him a childish smile, slipped one hand into his jacket, and stepped back slightly with his left foot.
“Yep, Sergey, we’re fine. Go have fun,” I said.
“If you need anything, I’m not going anywhere,” he assured me without changing his pose.
“As well you shouldn’t. At your age, you should be out dancing.” I patted him on the shoulder and kept walking.
“You have good friends,” Jeremiah noted. “Reliable.”
“Reliability isn’t what’s most important about people,” I replied philosophically.
“Why do you say that?” Jeremiah led the way into a cozy room with two low couches on either side of a table. “Reliability is definitely one of the most important things about people. It’s the ability to lean on them, take them at their word. No?”
He sat down on one couch and gestured me toward the other. Between us was a table loaded with eastern sweets that seemed entirely out of place. A hookah would have been one thing—it wasn’t a sweet, though it was normal for a club. But Turkish delight, hamimi, cezerye, sherbet? There was one more thing I didn’t recognize, too.
“I spent a lot of time in the east, so this is what I’m used to. My sweet tooth is my weakness,” Jeremiah said, sort of apologetically. “They’ll bring some tea in a minute. Or would you prefer wine?”
“No, tea sounds great,” I
said, not up for wine at all. “What is that?”
I pointed at the circular thing covered in coconut shavings in front of me.
“Ah, that,” Jeremiah said with a glance at me. “Shredded dates, nuts, and sugar rolled into a ball the way they do in the east. Try one, they’re amazing.”
I picked it up and took a bit. He was right—it was really good. Very sweet, but excellent. If I had some tea…
Just then a plain-looking girl in uniform carried in a tray with two teapots and everything else we needed: cups, sugar, and lemon slices. Huh, I don’t remember the girls here wearing a uniform. And I certainly didn’t remember them being that homely—the girls who worked there usually had legs up to their necks and an outfit that only served to show them off. But that girl…she was just kind of colorless.
“Tea is one of mankind’s greatest innovations,” Jeremiah mentioned as he took a sip of the hot, aromatic liquid. “It clears away the darkness in your head, cheers up your stomach, and makes for a great conversation. Wouldn’t you agree, Harriton?”
“Certainly,” I replied. “And if we’re going to have such a great conversation, there’s no point beating around the bush. I mean, if you want, we can spend a couple hours hinting away, but I’m worried my girlfriend is out there sitting by herself. She’s going to want to go to bed soon, too, and we’re a ways away from home.”
“Well, then.” Jeremiah took another sip. “If you want to be direct, let’s do it. As you’re aware, this meeting was not unplanned.”
“Of course, I’m aware. You knew my name and where I’d be, so that much was obvious.”
“That’s not exactly a given, but I see what you’re saying. Anyway, I’ll be frank with you: our meeting was, in fact, planned, and I’m very happy to see that you’re as fine and comfortable with that as you are.”
“What, am I supposed to be whining and complaining?” I asked, taken aback. “The work I do means that I don’t turn down conversations with normal, intelligent people, and you strike me as one of them.”
“Excellent.” Jeremiah placed his cup back on the table. “I don’t think what we’re about to talk about will be too much of a surprise for you.”
“I have two ideas,” I admitted. “And they’re pretty similar.”
“My dear Harriton,” Jeremiah started off with an incredibly charming smile. “Be honest with me: has it occurred to you at all lately that you might not have picked the right employers?”
“No, not really,” I said, almost telling the truth. “They’re fine, more than fine, really. Much better than my last employer, if only judging by my paycheck.”
Jeremiah laughed.
“No, I’m not talking about the material side of things. Believe me, I’m very well aware of what our competitors are capable of. You already own factories, papers, everything you could possibly want, no? They’re great at handing things out—they don’t hold back in the least.”
“Nope,” I said, still keeping to the truth. “I haven’t gotten a single factory or paper. There’s a steamboat, but it’s digital. And it isn’t even mine—it belongs to a dwarf city.”
“That just means you have more to look forward to,” Jeremiah assured me. “They’ll give you whatever you could possibly want, including a steamboat. All you have to do is ask—that’s what they’re waiting for.”
“I hadn’t really thought about asking for anything in particular. They usually just suggest things and give them to me on their own. I wouldn’t turn down a steamboat, though. I’d name it the Swallow, stick a few gypsies on there, and make it the best steamboat on the Volga.”
“There’s a lot to respect about that position,” Jeremiah said, bowing his head in my direction. “Though that attitude may just mean that you have overly low self-esteem.”
“Not at all.” I found his comment a tad offensive. “I’m just very in tune with what I need. I believe in being unpretentious and appreciating what you have.”
“Frugality is an excellent character trait. But what’s to keep you from getting the very same things from other hands, only hands that aren’t as dirty as your current employer’s?”
“Oh, I don’t know,” I said with a smile that wasn’t quite as charming as his, if as charming as I could make it. “Maybe the fact that I have no way of knowing that those other hands are any cleaner? Or it could be that I’m not sure why I should trade one owner for another.”
“Agreed.” Jeremiah’s smile left his face. “But if I were to give you proof that your bosses couldn’t care less about keeping things clean, what would you say?”
“I might agree to look over your proof, though only look over it.” The hints were over; the duel had begun. “After that, I might agree to continue our conversation.”
“Not many people get the chance to pick the right side,” Jeremiah said, his gaze more an optical scope. “Even fewer have the chance to switch sides without any consequence whatsoever after they realize that they picked the wrong one. You have that chance, so make a decision quickly. It’s just as easily taken away as it is given.”
“In that case, I’ll take the consequences,” I replied placidly.
“I’ll remember that,” Jeremiah said. He clearly wasn’t threatening me; just stating a fact.
“So we’re done here?” I stood up.
“For now, yes. You and I both have enough information to chew over. Oh, and let your bosses know that I said hello when you tell them about our conversation—I’d like that.”
“And you’re sure I’m going to report it to them?” I was very interested to hear what he’d say.
“Of course,” he said with a nod. “It would be strange if you didn’t. See you soon.”
“Very soon?” I clarified.
“Soon enough.” Jeremiah squinted ironically.
“Do you mind if I take one of these for my girlfriend?” I asked him, pointing at the coconut balls and, I thought, surprising him for the first time during out conversation. “She probably hasn’t tried them, and I doubt I could buy them in Moscow.”
“By all means.” He clapped, and the same plain girl immediately stepped into the room. “Harriton, you head over to your friends, and in five minutes I’ll have someone bring you what I promised. It was nice meeting you—you’re exactly who I imagined you to be.”
“Oh yes?” I grinned.
“Certainly,” Jeremiah laughed. “You have been studied from your head to your toes, with all your qualities and shortcomings, achievements and sins. But that’s a topic for a different conversation. Have a good evening.”
His bodyguard took me over to our group’s table, where a bored and lonely Vika was sitting all by herself.
“Hey, what’s going on with you?” I asked as I sat down next to her.
“Oh, nothing. Tasha ended up going home, Marietta got sick and went to the bathroom, and Shelestova’s over there dancing and getting our guys into trouble.”
Our prima donna was smack dab in the center of the dance floor looking unusually good in the flashing lights. Around her were a few dark-skinned and hook-nosed young men in short leather jackets she must have given a taste to, though my idiots were keeping them away from her body.
“Oh, come on. Damn it!” I slammed my palm down on the table.
Vika jumped. “What’s that for?”
“I wanted to go home, and now…”
“And now what?” Vika asked a bit coldly. “You’re who? Their dad? Older brother? Wise old grandfather? They’re adults who know exactly what’s going on, and Shelestova’s no fool off the street either—she knows very well where dancing with Dagestanis gets you. What do you have to do with it?”
“They’re going to jump the guys,” I replied dully, realizing that she was right.
“And that will be their choice and their problem,” Vika answered sharply. “They could have dragged that whore back to the table long before those hoodlums sank their teeth into her. But they didn’t, and that was their choice, too. Nobody’s ki
lling anyone—the worst they’ll get is a shot from an air pistol. Zhilin’s with them, too, and he has a good head on his shoulders. And if something happens, it’ll be a good lesson they’ll remember for the rest of their lives: where to go, who with, and precisely when it’s worth sticking your neck out for someone.”
“Impressive,” I said, looking at Vika and again finding myself surprised by how cold her eyes were. “You impress me sometimes.”
“Harriton,” the homely girl from the other room said as she walked over, “this is for you.”
She handed me a beautifully wrapped box that I guessed held about two kilograms of the sweets I’d asked about.
“Thank you,” I said to her, then turning and showing the box to Vika. “Eastern sweets—you’ve never tried anything like them. They’re from my friend.”
“Mm!” Vika went from the strange woman with the tough look in her eye she’d become for a couple minutes to the girl I was used to. “I love them! Okay, let’s go home.”
“Sounds good.” The music died down for a second, letting me yell across the crowd. “Sergey! Sergey!”
Zhilin came over and looked at me questioningly.
“We’re leaving, Tasha’s already gone, and Marietta’s around here somewhere, probably throwing up in the women’s bathroom.”
“Got it,” he replied with a nod. “I’ll find her and call her a taxi.”
“Get her out of here, too,” I said with a nod at our star performer. “Those animals are already circling, and that’s not a game we want to play.”
Zhilin nodded again.
“Yep, I saw them. It’ll be fine, boss, don’t worry. You head home, and if anything happens, I’ll take care of it.”
And I could tell that he really would. I wasn’t sure why I was that confident in him, but I felt almost completely better. Vika was right about everything, but still—they were our people. Well, all but one of them.
Vika cuddled up to me in the taxi.
“So nothing happened the way you wanted or expected it to, right?”
“What are you talking about?”
“The party. It wasn’t the way it usually is, right?”
“Yeah, exactly,” I sighed. “Maybe it’s because we don’t really know each other yet?”
Sicilian Defense Page 19
