The Prelude (A Musical Interlude Novel) - By Kasonndra Leigh Page 0,13
absolutely reeking of real estate. They own properties all over the world,” she informs me for the hundredth time.
“I could care less about Nadya’s parents and especially their money,” I say, cowering under Mother’s hard look. She still knows how to make me feel like hiding under a table when she glares at me that way.
“I know what we all need,” Nikolai interrupts, “a fat glass of wine to celebrate Alek’s success. Congratulations, comrade. You’re the first male in your family to get a tenure inside of a prominent university. One of the youngest to accomplish such a thing, I hear.”
“I haven’t gotten it yet, Nikolai. There’s this matter of a production coming up in six weeks. I need to have a clear head so I can pull it off.” I emphasize my last sentence for Mother’s sake. She purses her lips, picks up a glass of peach schnapps the waiter has just set beside her plate, and chugs it. “Mother.”
“If my son can be reckless and careless then so can I.” She motions for the waiter to return almost as soon as he walks off. “Another please.”
We’re staring at each other when a female’s voice jerks me out of our invisible showdown. “Guys, I’m so late. I know. But the teacher worked our derrieres off this evening,” my younger sister, Adriana, says as she bends over to kiss Mother’s cheek and then mine. Nikolai stands up right away and pulls a chair over for her to sit in. She’s completely wired and hasn’t noticed the tension swirling around the table or that Mother has now downed two shots of pure alcohol.
“Guess what? I got the lead ballerina role in Seraphine. I’m going to be a dancing mermaid,” Adriana says in an excited voice. Both my sister and I live for the arts. No, things weren’t always this way for us, but since Mother took over as the agent for Nikolai, Adriana, and me, gigs have been coming in easier than ever before.
“Can I be your merman?” Nikolai asks, his bright face beaming with mischief.
“Hey, remember who you’re talking to,” I warn.
“I’m only joking. She’s like my baby sister too,” he assures me. “Relax, Comrade.”
“That’s wonderful, darling. At least one of my children is living up to my expectations,” Mother says as she gives me a relaxed, but sarcastic look.
Adriana glances back and forth between Mother and me. “Can somebody fill me in on what’s going on, please?”
“Alek broke up with yet another good woman,” Mothers answers, her American drawl starting to come through as the alcohol changes her mood from enthusiastic to bitter.
“Mother, please. She was nothing more than a fucking buddy, and you know that,” I remind her.
“As if that were ever a problem for you in the past. It certainly wasn’t for your father,” she says as she stabs at the salmon on her plate. There’s so much pesto piled on top, I can smell the herbs inside it from where I’m sitting.
“You should be so lucky to have such support from a parent. How many mothers do you know who set their sons up with quality ass? I could very well have chosen one of those horrid escorts, but no. I made sure my son had a good woman.”
Here we go. It’s humiliate the hell out of Alek by comparing him to his father time. Adriana and I exchange glances. We’ve been living in Italy for the past four years, ever since my parents split up. I consciously try not to remember the screwed up parts of the life we left behind in Mother Russia. And I sure as hell don’t want to be compared to the man who’s most responsible for our sudden departure.
“Speaking of your dead beat father, I hear he’s on yet another one of his secret missions. This one happens to be in China,” Mother says. “Something about acquiring business partners in the eastern countries. Sergey may be many unmentionable things, but even he knows where the future of this world lies. Unlike his son.”
“Nadya and I are over, Mother. I don’t want to spend the rest of my life with someone who wants to be a professional shopper for the rest of her life.”
“I don’t approve,” she says.
“You never do,” I say.
“Hey! Doesn’t anyone want to hear about my new role?” Adriana interrupts. The arguments between Mother and me always put her on edge. For her sake, I back down.
“I will listen to you, Adriana,” Nikolai begins. “You’ll never have an