Anna, Svetlana, Mikhail, Joe Pt. 03

"Nahhh, my shift is almost over. Drive careful, sir." He waved me on.

I drove down the trail to the highway and turned to Anchorage.

Twenty minutes, I pulled into Walmart's parking lot, grabbed my list (again), and went inside. One hour forty-five minutes later, I walked out, my wallet being significantly lighter (again). I loaded everything up and thought I'd spool past the Leningrad.

There was a large Mercedes-Benz sedan in the lot, in the reserved spot in front. Wonder whose car that is? I snapped a couple of photos and saved them.

That was enough recon with all the cold and frozen stuff I had. So I hightailed it home.

I made it to the turnout and crossed over to the uphill road. At the junction to the Parkway, the Trooper waved me through, and I made the left. I drove up to my driveway, and there was a Ford-550 tilt-bed wrecker. They had the second Tahoe on the hook of the Holmes 700 wrecker and had the wrecked one on the tilt-bed truck. and they were preparing to move out. Sargent Anderson was there and was waving me over.

"Hey, Chuck, out early, huh?"

"Yeah, I had a few chores to do. I wanted to get the shopping out of the way. So, any thing new?

What did you find out with the two guys last night??"

"Well, I can't tell you much, because we don't know much yet, and because you really aren't supposed to know, but I can tell you that it appears they were looking for the two guys who were shot."

"Wow! Should I be concerned??"

"Naw, they are in custody because they were packing two weapons with silencers. They clammed up and wanted a lawyer, so they will spend a couple of nights in the slammer, till we get them representation. I don't think they even know you live here."

"O.K., well, if you don't mind, keep me advised. I don't want to get blindsided. Say hello to Irene and the kids."

"No problem, Sarge. Have a good day."

I drove up to the house and put the truck in the garage. I went into the house and found my 'guests' drinking tea and laughing up a storm. In Russian, of course. I also found that Anna was now wearing one of my dress shirts. Now, she did make it look better than I did, but still, it meant she had been in my bedroom. I was just pissed that I hadn't been there with her. Oh, well.

"Come on, guys, let's get the groceries." They jumped up and flounced past me to the garage. We unloaded the truck, put stuff away, and sent Anna off to her bedroom to try on her new clothes. I'd also gotten new sneakers and snow boots for the girls and snowmobile suits for everyone for the winter. The car seat for Mikhail also was a big hit.

We reconvened in the living room, and I asked what kind of car Dmitri drove.

"A big white German car," said Anna.

I brought up my cell phone and showed them the picture.

"Yes," she said. "That's it."

I told them that I hadn't come up with any way to deal with Dmitri yet that wouldn't put me in jail, but I was working on it. Then I sprang an idea on them that had been perking in my brain for a little bit.

"I know a guy, who knows a guy (I always wanted to say that), and I think I know how to get us down to the lower 48 states. I need to call him and see if he can come and talk to us."

"What are you thinking?" asked Anna.

"I think we need new identities for you three, so we can fly back to the lower 48 states."

"But we would never be able to get on a flight to anywhere, and we don't have the money for any of this," said Svetlana.

"You let me worry about that. This guy is a good friend, and maybe he can help us. I'll fly him up here, and we can talk to him. O.K.? It can't hurt to talk, right?"

Anna looked at me and said, "Where will you get the money? I WANT TO KNOW. You have spent a lot on us and never asked for anything. What do you want??"

I hesitated and thought about what to say and how to say it. I figured the truth was best, and it was time for the whole truth. I sighed.

"You three are the best thing that has happened to me in almost three years. And YOU, " I said, looking square in Anna's eyes, "Are the best of all. I am afraid I've fallen for you." 'YES,' thought Svetlana. 'I knew it! '

" I knew it!!" she crowed out loud. The two of us looked at her like she was crazy.

"I have a little money, and I can afford this with no problem. As far as flying out, we will charter a plane and not have to worry about security or anything."

Anna and Svetlana looked at each other, and Anna asked, "How much money do you have??"

I grinned and said, "I'm comfortable. My grandfather fixed me up quite well after my divorce so that my ex-wife couldn't touch anything. I put some in an investment account, and it has grown nicely. So money is not an issue. But don't you worry about that; I get a good feeling doing the right thing. And you three are definitely the right thing. So what do you say?"

Anna looked at me again with a look that said she was uncertain what was going on.

"O.K., we can talk to your 'friend'. But we have to decide if the idea is good or not." "Fair enough," I said.

I went out to the garage and called Angelo on my cell.

Four rings and he picked up.

"Hello? Who is this?"

"Angelo, this is Charlie. Charlie Carson. How you doin?''

"Hey, Chuck, how you doin'? I haven't talked to you in several years. What's up?"

"Not much. How's your love life?"

"Love life? What's that? It's a major drought on that front. How's yours?"

"OH, there are some things. That's one of the reasons I called. I need a favor, and I don't feel comfortable talking about it on the phone. How would you like to come up here for a couple of weeks, my treat. I could use the company, and we could have a good time."

"Well, I could use some time off, and I got a shit-pot full of vac time accrued. Let me see what I can do, and I'll get back to you."

"Thanks, buddy. Talk to you soon."

I hung up and went back to visit with my 'roommates'.

The girls were listening to satellite radio and doing what sisters do.

Suddenly, Anna got up and came over to me, and sat down on my lap.

"We need to go see a doctor."

Alarm bells! "What's wrong? Do you feel alright?"

She chuckled. "Yes, we feel fine. But situations change. We need to make sure we are 'healthy.' Mischa has had no shots. He needs to get examined. Do you think we could do that?"

I was a little worried, but I could understand her statement.

About a year ago, I had hurt myself chopping wood. It was a nasty cut on the leg. It was bleeding pretty bad, so I drove to Girdwood and found Doctor Frank Johanson, M.D. He was an older guy, a Viet Nam vet whose wife was his office nurse. They had a young P. A., Charlotte, looking to take over the practice when he retired.

He did a lot of charity work for indigenous peoples and clinic work. I liked the old guy. The wound was more visual than serious, and after he cleaned me up and put in 6 stitches, we sat and swapped war stories for a while. It wasn't very busy at the clinic, and the old guy had time on his hands. I paid his bill and later contacted my account rep in Seattle and had a $10000 donation Fed-Exed to the old guy. The clinic could use the money.

So I had an ace in the hole. I called Dr. Johanson and made an appointment for the morning the next day at 10:00 a.m. The girls were satisfied with this, so we had dinner and retired for the night.

I was unaware that the 'situations' Anna was referring to were her feelings for me. She wanted to act on them, and she wanted to be sure she was 'safe.'

She loved me and wanted more than just a casual hookup.

So the following morning, we drove to Girdwood for our doctor's appointments.

We rolled down to Girdwood to the clinic on Toadstool Dr. Go figure. We checked in, and Marge, his wife, and nurse said that I would have to wait while they examined everyone. Charlotte would do the baby's examination while she and her husband would check out the girls.

I took a seat in the waiting room and started thumbing through the 4-month-old magazines. (Maybe I could get them some new subscriptions.)

Two hours later, everybody trooped out rubbing shoulders and bottoms, with Svetlana letting Mikhail suck on a lollipop.

"O.K., let's go," I said. Then Doc Johanson stuck his head through the doorway and said he needed to see me for a minute. The girls looked at the floor, I looked at them, and then at the doctor. "Won't take long, Chuck."

I told the girls to take a walk, and I would catch up to them, and we would get some lunch. I followed Doc Johanson into his office; he closed the door and told me to have a seat.

"I'll get right to the point, son." UH, OH, Why did I feel like I was sitting in my dad's study about to be read the riot act?

"Charlie, I like you; my wife loves you. None of this really is my business, but I'm making it my business. "

Now I was concerned. "What's wrong? Is every body alright?"

"Everybody is good. The little boy is healthy, and he got his first round of vaccinations. The ladies are in good health but based on what they wanted testing for it will take about a week to get back. Do you know what they did for a living?"

Right to the heart of the question. I looked at the doctor and sighed.

"I know what they DID for a living, Doc. But I managed to get them out of a tight spot. They aren't that way anymore." I stared at the old guy; he stared back. Then he sighed.

"Chuck, the older one is madly in love with you. She said as much. She wants to show you how much, but she wanted to be certain she was clean before she 'thanked' you. How do you feel about her??"

"She's the greatest thing to ever happen to me. My life was shit before the three of them showed up, and I have gone to great lengths and extreme risks to keep them safe. So how do I feel abou her??

"I will go to any lengths to keep them and protect them. And I will sacrifice my life to save hers. Does that answer your question??"

"So I guess you like her," he chuckled. "I just wanted to be sure you had your head on straight. I fixed them up with some, uhh, birth control pills. My wife insisted. Said if you were going to 'play around', you should be careful. Take them home, and relax till I get the tests back."

"Good luck. I think you're going to need it."

I went out and found the girls walking back from the grocery store, eating ice cream cones. We went back to the truck and saddled up, and went home. Ten minutes into the ride and they were all snoring contentedly. I made noises at little Mikey. Hey, if his mother slept, she couldn't holler at me for what I call her son.

We rolled on home (there I go again!) and turned into the driveway. No visitors that I can see. I hit the button, and the door went up.

Inside the garage were my Jeep Wrangler and my snowmobile. I rolled in and shut the door. The ladies woke from their slumber and, yawning and stretching, got out of the truck. We went in, and the girls whined that all they had to eat for lunch was ice cream.

I told them I was sorry, but I had to talk to the doctor.

"How about lasagna for dinner?"

Much pouting amid choruses of 'I'm hungry now.' They also grinned with childlike amusement about their situation.

I told them, "Hey, when I was younger, I would have killed to have ice cream for lunch."

Extended dialogue in Russian. Then lots of giggles and smiles.

"Typical boychic," said Svetlana. More laughter.

We heated the lasagna and sat down to eat. On a whim, I grabbed Anna's right hand with my left and Svetlana's left hand with my right.

"Let's say grace," I said.

The girls were startled; we had eaten together before but never prayed. They looked at each other, then bowed their heads. I started.

"Bless us, Oh Lord, for this food and for these women and the child. Thank you for this gift. In Jesus name we pray. Amen." But Anna would not let go of my hand.

"And thank you, Holy Mother, for sending this man to save us. Keep him safe, and let him be rewarded. Amen."

The girls smiled at me, and I blushed, and we dug into dinner.

After we finished eating, the girls cleared the table and insisted on doing the dishes.

"Go and relax, malyshka. We will take care of this."

So I fed Joe and checked the electric panel. 97%. Good to go. Joe finished eating, and I let him out to heed the call of nature. I got a beer and adjourned to the living room.

They came in with glasses of wine and a hungry baby. While Svetlana fed the little guy, Anna sat down across from me and said, "Do you play chess?"

DO I PLAY CHESS? I just happened to place 2nd in the State High School Championships in my senior year. Do I play chess!!

"Well, it's been a while, but I used to play a little. Do you know how to play?"

She had spied my Staunton chess set over by the front window.

"Oh, I used to play a little, when I was younger. My father taught me." She clouded up a little.

''Would you like to play a game or two?" I asked.

"Da, I would like to. If you don't mind."

I thought, 'I'll be gentle with her and string her along a little.......'

She beat me in 23 moves. And she won the next game. And the next one. The fourth one took almost 2 hours. It ended when, with a rook, and two pawns left, I tipped over my King. Anna was smiling shyly. Svetlana was giggling hysterically.

"Well, missy, next time, I play you," I said, looking at Svetlana.

"Oh, you don't want to do that," said Anna.

"Why not?" I asked.

"She's better than I am," she said.

I need another beer.

At about 9:00 p.m., Angelo called.

"Hey, Chuck. How you doin?," he said in his best Brooklyn accent.

I chuckled and said, "Not bad, Angie, how about you?"

"I'll pass in a crowd with a shove. Is my invite still open?"

"Absolutely. Did you get the time off?"

"Yeah, two weeks, starting Saturday this week. Does that work for you?"

"No problem. I'll have a ticket at the Alaska Airlines counter. I'll text you the time.

"I do appreciate it, Angie."

"Any time. So, what are you doing up there in the great frozen north?"

"Not much. I'm just sitting around with two attractive young women, playing chess and sharing a few drinks." I snickered.

There was a pregnant pause on the other end of the line.

Then, "UHHH, no, really, what are you doing."

"You heard me. When you come up here, you'll get to meet the ladies. That's if you're a good boy."

By now, he was chuckling.

"O.K., if you don't want to tell me, don't. Call me with the flight information." He hung up.

I closed my phone and looked at the ladies. "He doesn't believe that I was having drinks with two beautiful ladies, and playing chess." I smiled and chuckled again. 'OH, I'm gonna have a great time.'

It was Tuesday night, so we chilled and listened to some music while Svetlana fed Mikhail. I checked all the doors and the electric load panel. 96%; we were good to go. I went in to the girls and told them I was turning in. They got up and kissed me goodnight. So I went to bed.

The rest of the week went quickly. I called and made a reservation for Angelo, arranging for him to pick up the tickets at 11:00 a.m. Saturday morning in Seattle.

We went for a walk, and Joe was beside himself with the exercise. The girls liked being outside even though the temperature was in the low 40's.

We cooked out a couple of times, and they used the Jacuzzi a couple of times, dressed in cutoff jeans and t-shirts. It was a pleasant sight.

We took the Excursion to Girdwood to get the oil changed and do a little sightseeing. That took about 1 hour (not a lot to see), and while the local garage serviced my truck, we had some bar-b-que for lunch.

That way, I didn't have to listen to the 'whining' about having only ice cream to eat. We walked around for a bit, promising the girls we would go to Anchorage soon. We went home, and I found out that Svetlana is a better chess player than Anna.

Saturday, we had a late breakfast, and I left for Anchorage Airport at about 2:00 p.m. Flight time from Seatac was a little more than 3 hours, so I wouldn't have long to wait when I got there.

I pulled into the long-term parking and carefully looked around. You have to be careful with those sneaky Tahoe s. They sneak up on you.

I didn't see anything suspicious-looking and figured I was good.

At about 3:00 p.m., the flight from Seattle landed and taxied to the gate. Passengers started to emerge from the gangway, and I looked for Angelo. I saw him and waved. He saw me and grinned. He came up, and we exchanged 'bro-hugs.' (I hate that term.)

"I was looking forward to one of those cardboard signs with my name on it that the chauffeur holds" he chuckled.

"Oh, I didn't realize Army guys could read!" I shot back. He started to laugh.

"Right away, huh? Just like old times." He chuckled, and we left for baggage claim. After we picked up his luggage, we adjourned to the truck.

As we came up to the Excursion, Angie said, "Whoa, we compensating for something?"

I grinned.

"You get stuck in the snow up here, and you appreciate something this big. At least, that's what the ladies say," I deadpanned.

Angelo laughed and asked, "So do your two chess partners go home before the snow hits?"

"As a matter of fact, that's the prime reason I asked you to come to visit."

So I told him the whole story as we drove home. I asked if he could come up with what we needed.

"I think I could get what you need, but it could get expensive. Are these chicks worth it??"

"Absolutely." About that time, we arrived at the Pathway. He hadn't said anything for quite a while, and I could tell he was deep in thought. I got out and unhooked the chain, moving the spike strip. I got back in.

"Whoa, you really are concerned about safety up here." We turned into the driveway, and I got out and hooked everything back up. We started up the driveway, and the road got a little rougher.

"And you didn't tell me we would be camping in the wilderness, either."

I laughed a little and told him, "Yeah, but the roommates will make up for it." The look he gave me was priceless.

We got to the cabin, and I hit the garage door switch. The door went up, and we pulled in.

"I take it back," Angie said as the door closed. "This place is off the chain."

I grinned and said, "Let's go meet your prospective clients."

He got serious as we got out, and he grabbed his bags. "Look, Chuck, I don't know if I can pull this off or not." We went into the house, and Anna and Joe stood up and greeted us. Well, Anna stood up; Joe bounded up and jumped on me.

"Hey, buddy, what's going on? Where's mommy?"

I turned and introduced Anna to Angelo.

He shook her hand and turned to me. "Nice," he said.

He squatted down and petted Joe. A slight nod of the head gave his approval. With that, the toilet in their bathroom flushed. A vision of loveliness opened the door and strode into the living room with the crown prince on her hip.

Angelo's mouth hit the floor, accompanied by a slight stutter. My friend became transfixed by Svetlana's appearance. She appeared to be caught off guard by him, too.

'Well,' I thought. 'This is unexpected.' The two of them stood there staring at each other.

Mikhail finally got his mother's attention by clawing at her t-shirt. She shook herself and said, "Ohh, excuse me. He is hungry." AND she was blushing. UNBELIEVABLE!!!

"And this is Svetlana," I said to Angelo.

"Uhh, Hi!" said Angelo, finally finding his voice.

Joe walked over to Angelo and sniffed his hand. He woofed and drooled on the floor and dropped to his haunches.

Svetlana sat on the couch AND PULLED A BLANKET UP TO COVER NURSING MIKHAIL!!! All the days of nude boobies, and she suddenly gets shy??

Angelo walked over to the couch and sat, gesturing to the infant. "And what's the little guys name?"

"Mikhail," said Svetlana, blushing again.