Abby shrugged and continued, "Not a word of that, but they did say you two made quite the couple on the dance floor."

"Yeah," Christina admitted with a sneer, "There might have been some dancing."

"If Richard took you to the Clairmont, then he must have you in his sights."

"Is that his thing?" Christina asked.

Abby leaned in and warned, "That Richard Masters is one smooth talker. I swear he has dated more girls than a crocodile has teeth!"

"You don't say."

"Just watch your back, Sugar. He's not one for settling down."

"Oh I will," Christina assured. "I've seen him in action. I'm sure he has all the girls eating out of his hand. But I'm not all the girls. I'm not... even one girl."

Being Christina Chase
Chapter 27 - The I in Team
by Admiral Krunch
 

        With Nina out with David, and Andrei still visiting with Steph's family, Monday was a very slow day for Christina. Though she did not mention it to her aunt, Christina had already packed all of her things. Her dreams of a perfect Christmas now ruined, she'd decided that there was no point in staying. When Christina had awoken that morning, she'd completely emptied her closet and every drawer, and hid the packed suitcases under her bed.

        When she left the room, she was wearing the sweater she'd received from her uncle in the hope that it would elicit some sort of positive response from him. Though Alek had ceased being openly hostile towards Christina, he'd settled into a sort of awkward tolerance. Not only did Christina wish she'd not interfered in her uncle's affairs, she wished she had never even found out about them.

        Once Christina had finished her daily chores with Misha, she sneaked upstairs and into Nina's bedroom. She could hear the sounds of her aunt and uncle arguing on the first floor. It was much louder and more ferocious than she'd ever heard before. Though she couldn't quite make out what it was they were saying, she was certain it was related to their problems with the I.R.S. Part of her wanted to go downstairs and do something to make it stop, but she was afraid of another confrontation with Alek.

        Sitting in the chair in front of Nina's mirror, Christina remembered the first time she'd showed Nina her necklace. It was just another reminder of what she'd lost. Now she was going to lose her family again. Not that it mattered, she thought. Her uncle despised her now.

        Picking up the phone on Nina's desk, Christina dialed the bus station in Dover and waded through the automated voice menus until she was connected with a real person.

        "Can I help you?" came the voice of the attendant.

        "Yeah, I have a ticket for New Year's Day." She gave the man her name. "Is there any way I can trade it in for something this week?"

        "Certainly," the man said, "Where are you going?"

        "Back to the City."

        "And how soon did you want to leave?"

        "As soon as possible."

        "I have a bus leaving tomorrow at three in the afternoon," the man said. "Does that work for you?"

        "Yeah, that's fine."

        "Okay then, little lady, you just bring in your ticket tomorrow and we can exchange it."

        "Perfect. Three o'clock. I'll be there. Thanks."

        "Thank you. You have a Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year!" he chirped.

        "Yeah ... thanks." Christina said to herself as she hung up the phone and turned to sneak back out of Nina's room. When she faced the door, she saw Nina standing in the doorway. The girl was wearing one of her new pairs of jeans, and she looked absolutely devastated. Tears rolled down Nina's cheeks, and her gaze seemed to pierce through Christina's eyes and clear into the wall behind her.

        "You're leaving?" she moaned. "I thought you were going to come with us to the New Year's dance ..."

        "Nina ... I ..."

        "No!" she said as her body heaved with sobs, "It's just perfect!" She stormed into the room and threw herself onto her bed.

        Christina rushed to her cousin and sat beside her. Putting her hand on Nina's shoulder, she promised, "Nina, it's okay, I'm just leaving a little earlier than I planned ..."

        "No, it's NOT okay!" Nina cried. "You were supposed to stay all week. And I don't even know when you're coming back!"

        "I know Nina, but-"

        "And Mom and Dad are fighting," she wept. "I've never heard them fight like that before."

        "Nina," Christina tried to explain calmly, "That has nothing to do with you." She bit her lower lip and lied, "It's going to be okay."

        Nina sat up on the bed and wiped her tears. "And David's going to dump me," she pouted.

        "What?" Christina asked in shock. "Why would you say that?"

        "Because ... he says everyone else in school has had sex already and I'm just wasting his time."

        "He said that?" Christina shouted. "That little prick!"

        Nina's head cocked back, unaccustomed to hearing her older cousin curse.

        "If he's laid a hand on you," Christina snarled, "I swear to God I will-"

        "We didn't do anything!" Nina interjected. "That's the problem."

        Christina stood up and paced the floor between Nina's bed and the window. "He made you touch his ... his ..." She clenched her fists but she would not allow herself to say the word.

        "Penis," Nina squeaked.

        "Doodle!" Christina begged.

        "Oh yeah, I forgot. Doodle." Nina watched Christina pace angrily and offered, "He didn't make me do that. But I don't think I want to have sex yet."

         Christina ordered, "You're not going to!"

        "I know. But I don't want him to dump me, either. I think maybe I love him."

        Returning to Nina's side, Christina held the girl tightly. "Nina," she explained, "You'll know when you're really in love with someone. You'll feel excited when you're just around them. And when they're not around, you'll wish they were there. It's just something you can feel. If you think that you MAYBE love David, then it probably isn't real love. And most of all, someone who loves you back, for real... they won't pressure you to do anything you don't want to do, or be someone you're not."

        Nina stopped crying, but she still frowned. "It's like everything is falling apart all at once," she whimpered. "I just want to hide in bed and never get back out."

        Christina gave Nina a long squeeze and said, "I know exactly how you feel. But you can't give up just because things don't go the way you want. When things are bad, you have to work at them to make them better."

        "Then why are you leaving?" Nina asked innocently.

        "Uh ..." Christina blushed, "That's different."

        "How is it different?"

        "Yeah? How is what different?" Andrei asked from the hallway. He was still wearing his winter jacket which was coated by a layer of melting powder.

        "Christina's leaving tomorrow," Nina frowned.

        Andrei stepped into his sister's room and draped his enormous coat over his sister's chair. The coat was so large that the bottom of it touched the ground. "Is that true?" he asked Christina.

        "Kinda?" she winced in response.

        "Because of Dad," Andrei concluded. "What is going on with you two?"

        Christina turned her head away, refusing to answer.

        Andrei looked at Nina and asked, "And this is why you're upset?"

        "Yes. And Mom and Dad fighting. And other stuff too."

        "Mom and Dad are a mystery. I haven't seen them fight like this since the time Nastya told them she was going to college. You don't have any idea what it is, do you?"

        Nina gave a defeated shrug.

        Andrei looked at Christina who refused to return his gaze. Andrei's brow wrinkled, and he asked his cousin, "You don't know anything about what's going on?"

        "I really can't say anything," Christina mumbled.

        "So you know a lot more than you're saying," Andrei prodded. "And that wouldn't have anything to do with you leaving early ..."

        Christina did her best to blend into the wallpaper.

        "Or why Dad's been angry at you ..."

        Nina sat up in bed and peered at Christina with the same curious stare that Andrei had.

        Christina whispered, "It's just going to make things worse if I ... I'll get you in trouble too."

        "Hey," Andrei said in attempt to get Christina to look at him. "Hey," he repeated more forcefully.

        Christina looked towards her older cousin, but she could not meet his eyes.

        "Don't you remember staying up the past three nights? You, me, and Nina- we're a team. So out with it."

        "Yeah, what's going on?" Nina echoed.

        Christina looked back and forth between her cousins and decided they had a right to know the truth. "I know why your parents are fighting. When I was home for Thanksgiving I found ..." Christina paused and corrected herself, "I stole a letter out of the trash. Your parents were fighting, and I wanted to know why."

        "What was it?" Nina asked.

        Christina looked up at Nina's open door and motioned with her head for Andrei to close it. He quickly closed the door and returned to his seat. "It was from the I.R.S.," she continued, "I don't exactly understand everything it said, but as near as I can tell they think Uncle Alek owes them a lot of money."

        Andrei pressed, "How much money is 'a lot' of money?"

        "A whole lot." Christina answered. "They're talking about taking away the store." Christina looked at Nina, who looked very frightened. She wasn't sure she should continue, but she was tired of keeping so many secrets. "Maybe the house, too," Christina added as she held Nina's hand.

        Andrei's eyes went wide. Standing up from the chair, he paced angrily. "You knew this," he growled, "Since Thanksgiving?"

        "Yes."

        "And when exactly were you going to share this with us?" Andrei asked, his anger churning in his gut.

        "I didn't want either of you to worry."

        "Well," Andrei shouted, "How is that plan working out?"

        "Not so good." Christina flinched. "I went to your father as soon as I got back home to see if ... I dunno ... to see if I could help somehow."

        Andrei waited for Christina to continue and when he realized she wasn't going to, he demanded, "What did he say?"

        Christina started to cry, both from the recollection of her uncle's harsh words and Andrei's interrogation. "He yelled at me," she sniffled.

        "Stop it, Andrei!" Nina yelled. "Calm down and let her finish."

        Realizing how he was acting, Andrei stopped pacing and said, "I ... didn't mean to yell."

        Trying to compose herself, Christina wiped her face and continued, "He said I wasn't a part of this family. And that it was none of my business. And he said ..." She heaved a deep breath and finished, "He said that I didn't belong here."

        "He couldn't have-"

        "He didn't say those words exactly, but I know that's what he meant," Christina said, cutting Andrei off.

        Andrei waited for her Christina to look at him and said, "You know ... none of that is true."

        Christina shrugged as though it wasn't an important matter.

        Andrei added, "And I'm sorry I yelled at you."

        "So what are we going to do?" Nina asked, breaking the silence.

        "Don't look at me-" Andrei shrugged, "I'm not the idea guy." Both Andrei and Nina looked at their cousin.

        "You said you told Dad you wanted to help," Nina said to Christina. "What were you going to do?"

        "Um ..." Christina stumbled. "I was just going to say we should talk to an accountant or something ... Somebody who'd have some idea what was even going on. Aunt Misha said your father is too proud to ask for any help."

        Andrei pondered aloud, "I'm not sure we even have an accountant in town."

        "We have to know someone!" Nina exclaimed. "If not an accountant ... maybe ..." Nina's face lit up in revelation. She looked at Christina pointedly and said, "Maybe a lawyer."

        Christina scrunched her face and asked, "You mean Richard?" as though the entire concept was as confusing as nuclear engineering.

        Nina rolled her eyes and sarcastically asked, "How many lawyers are you dating?"

        "One," she answered. Christina's entire face twisted in frustration, and she shouted, "I mean none!" She looked at Nina and fumed, "I don't know if he even does tax law!"

        "I'm sure he would at least give us some advice. Especially if you asked him, that is." said Andrei, rejoining the conversation.

        Christina tried to let go of the tension that was building in her chest and conceded, "I'm sure he would look into it, but we don't have anything to show him. I don't even have that letter anymore."

        Nina said, "We could make copies of all of Dad's information."

        "Your mother wouldn't like that I'm sure," Christina objected. "And besides, do we even know where that stuff is?"

        "It's in a lock-box," Andrei answered. "In their closet."

        "Okay, so it's locked up in your parent's bedroom where we can't get it," Christina summarized snidely.

        "No problem." Nina chirped. "Dad works in the store all day, and I can keep Mom busy."

        "Okay," Christina said, "But it's still locked up."

        "I think I can arrange something for that," Andrei said confidently.

        Christina looked back and forth between her cousins and saw the plan crystallizing in their eyes.

        "After Andrei takes Dad to work tomorrow," Nina began, "I'll get Mom to clean the basement with me. And you and Andrei ..."

        "We'll sneak into Mom and Dad's room," Andrei said, picking up the thread, "And we'll get all the papers. I can take Christina to the library, we can make copies, then I'll drop her off at Richard's and then sneak everything back into the closet. It should take what, an hour? An hour and a half at the most."

        Nina looked back at her cousin and asked, "Are you still leaving tomorrow?"

        Christina shrugged and said, "I guess not."

        "Good," Nina concluded, "Then you're still coming to the New Year's dance."

        Christina opened her mouth to refute that statement, but Andrei cut her off, saying, "Of course she is." Going to the door, Andrei said in a comically polite voice, "If you ladies will excuse me, I have to practice my lock picking."

        After Andrei left, Christina turned to Nina and asked, "I know this is all pretty scary. Are you okay?"

        "Yeah, I think so," she answered. "But you have to promise not to keep any more secrets, okay?" Christina inhaled, but before she spoke, Nina continued, "And you can't just leave."

        "I'm not going to leave," Christina said reassuringly. "We're going to work this out somehow, I promise."

 

        The next morning, Christina stood in her bedroom and looked out the window at the driveway below. After what seemed like an eternity, she saw Andrei and Alek walk out the side door towards the truck. The two men apparently had a newfound camaraderie that filled Christina with jealousy. Though she couldn't hear their conversation, she imagined that her uncle was telling Andrei how impressed he was with him for repairing the clock.

        Christina didn't blame Andrei for the situation. If anything, it made her understand how Andrei felt when she was on the receiving end of Alek's praise. As the truck drove away, Christina wished that she was the one driving Alek to work; that she was perhaps, his favorite. Realizing that not only was Alek angry with her, but that soon she would never see him again, Christina raised her hand to her chest to feel her necklace. The emptiness where her necklace had once been made her heart sink.

        Christina couldn't afford to wallow in her depression. Andrei had just left with her uncle, which meant it was time to put their plan into action. Pushing her thoughts aside, Christina went downstairs and into the kitchen.

        "Don't you look nice today," Misha commented brightly to her niece.

        "Thanks," Christina answered absentmindedly.

        Christina, in fact, did look especially attractive this morning. She was wearing a black and white dress with a tall collar and a very revealing neckline. The skirt of the dress was unseasonably short, stopping at just above the knees. Christina's selection was no accident; the point of the dress was to show off her chest and her long legs. From her high heels to her makeup, she'd taken great pains to cultivate an aura of seduction.

        The realization that she was dolling herself up specifically for a meeting with Richard made her feel a little sick inside. She rationalized everything by reminding herself that her appearance was strictly to manipulate Richard into helping her save her family, and for no other reason.

        Putting on an apron, Christina went to work on the dishes piled in the sink and waited for Nina.

        Nina, as per the plan, came into the kitchen shortly after Christina, and joined her older cousin by drying the dishes that Christina was rapidly cleaning.

        After all the breakfast plates were done and Misha had started sweeping the hallway, Christina and Nina sat at the kitchen table. Nina sat facing the entranceway and watched cautiously for her mother. As soon as Misha came into her field of vision Nina said loudly, "But I haven't played since the fifth grade."

        "That's so weird!" Christina feigned, "I used to play the flute, too. You don't still have your flute, do you Nina?"

        "Um, I guess so, but I don't know where it is." Nina answered with a devious grin.

        Misha walked into the kitchen carrying a dustpan worth of dirt and deposited the load into the trash. "Are you looking for your flute Nina?" Misha asked.

        "Yeah, Mom."

        Putting down the dustpan next to the trash, Misha went to her daughter and pinched her on the cheek, said, "You should not have given it up."

        Rubbing her face, Nina asked, "You don't know where it is do you?"

        "It's in the basement," Misha answered as she returned to her cleaning.

        "Oh, okay," Nina answered. Nina knew exactly where her old flute was. What her mother didn't know, was that she and Christina had taken it from the basement and hidden it under Nina's bed the night before. Nina nodded to Christina, and the girls went downstairs into the basement. The plan was in motion.

        The old basement had low stone walls and exposed boards for a ceiling. Christina had spent a lot of time in the far corner where the washing machine and drier were situated, but the rest of the space was a dark and cluttered mystery.

        Nina waited for a few minutes then called out, "Moooom! I can't find it!"

        Moments later, Misha stepped carefully down the stairs and said, "It's right over here, on the second shelf." Going over to a densely packed rack of Nina's old possessions, Misha grunted testily at the empty space where the flute should have been. Misha had an uncanny ability to remember where most every item was in her house; the missing flute was an affront to her sense of order. "It was right here ..." Misha said as she mentally cataloged all the possible locations for Nina's flute.

        Christina and Nina split up and scoured the crowded basement looking for any hint of the instrument.

        "It's not over here," Christina called from the opposite end of the room.

        Nina threw her hands up in mock frustration and exclaimed. "Forget it! We'd have to clean the whole basement. There's no way we'll ever find it."

        Nina and Christina walked slowly back to the stairs but Misha stopped them. "You know, Nina," Misha said as she stared at the cluttered shelves, "Cleaning the basement is not a bad suggestion."

        Shooting Christina a quick wink, Nina whined, "Oh come on, Mom!"

        "Not another word," Misha admonished. "If you took better care of your things, we would not have to search for them."

        "Oh alright!" Nina moaned.

        Step one had gone off without a hitch. The three of them quickly became entrenched in the massive chore of cleaning the basement. Misha's cleaning obsession was in full swing, and she was soon directing the girls to remove items from the walls a section at a time.

        This went on for about fifteen minutes before Andrei stomped down the stairs in his heavy winter boots. Misha looked disapprovingly at the tiny puddles her son left behind him.

        "Why is everyone down here?" he mumbled.

        "We are cleaning the basement," Misha explained, without taking her mind off the work in front of her. "You can help by moving these boxes," she said, pointing to a stack of heavy crates.

        "Oh good!" Andrei said happily. He rushed into the space under the stairs and started lifting the massive boxes as though the were made of balsa wood.

        "Andrei," Misha asked suspiciously, "Since when have you been excited about cleaning?"

        Andrei shrugged. "I just like cleaning, I guess."

        Misha tilted her head as her right eyebrow crept up her forehead.

        Christina pulled out her best annoyed pout and complained, "I told him we had to go to Abby's after breakfast to go shopping."

        "What for, Tina?"

        "He only has that one suit. He needs something new to wear to the New Year's dance."

        Andrei called back, "No I don't."

        "Andrei," Misha said, "What ARE you going to wear?"

        Andrei put down the massive wooden box in his hands and faced his mother. He looked down at his dirty flannel shirt and tattered jeans and said, "I don't know. What I always wear."

        "Andrei Levchenko!" Misha scolded, "You will not take Stephanie anywhere looking like that! Especially not where the entire town will see!"

        Christina folded her arms and testily muttered, "See? I told you." It was an Oscar-worthy performance.

        "You go with your cousin right now," she commanded.

        "But Mom," he fought.

        "Right now!" she repeated sternly.

        "Okay!" Andrei said defensively, as he dragged himself up the stairs. His acting was not in the same league as his sister's, but it was convincing enough to fool his mother. He stomped into the kitchen with Christina lightly stepping up the stairs in his wake.

        When they reached the kitchen, they nodded to each other and slinked with the seriousness of bank robbers through the house and into the master bedroom. Andrei wasted no time rummaging through the top shelf of the closet. When he exhausted that option, he searched along the closet floor and pulled out a heavy metal box. The old ammunition box was painted green with black letters stenciled on the side. Christina was unable to read the Cyrillic characters though she wondered what they said. Andrei reached into his pocket and pulled out a white trash bag and spread it out on the floor. Placing the box on top of the bag, he examined the heavy padlock.

        "What's the bag for?" Christina whispered.

        "Lock picking," Andrei replied. He reached under his coat and produced a hand-sized hacksaw and started cutting into the lock.

        "This is what you call lock picking?" Christina whispered in shock.

        "Yeah. What did you think I meant?"

        "I dunno ... I thought PICKING THE LOCK maybe! Uncle Alek is going to notice this, don't you think?"

        "It's okay. I have another lock."

        "Yeah," Christina said sarcastically, "But isn't he going to figure things out when his key doesn't work?"

        Andrei stopped sawing and gave his cousin a stern look. "Christina, Dad is going to find out no matter what. What ever we come up with, it'd better be good."

        Christina nodded in resignation as Andrei went back to cutting the lock. Knowing that she was disobeying her uncle, Christina felt a knot bend in her stomach. She knew that stealing his records was a far greater offense than reading some discarded letter. Stealing a letter had resulted in a brutal condemnation; Christina imagined that when Alek found out what she was up to, he'd throw her out of the house for good. With every cut Andrei made into the lock, Christina felt her gut churn. None of it mattered, she told herself. Alek would certainly disown her, but if there were a chance she could save his home, she had to take it. In the end, she could never return anyway. If that was the case, she wondered, why did she feel as though she would throw up at any moment?

        Through the brute force of Andrei's muscles, the lock quickly fell off the box and into the pile of metal shavings that had collected on the trash bag.

        Christina dove into the old ammunition box and scooped every paper that contained a dollar amount or a signature. "Okay," she finally announced, "I think this is everything."

        After putting a new lock on the box, Andre hid it in the back of the closet. He then scooped up the bag of metal shavings, and without a word, he and Christina sneaked back through the house and into the kitchen.

        Christina slipped her long, fur-lined coat over her revealing dress while Andrei deposited the metal shavings into the trash. The evidence disposed of, Andrei and Christina went quietly out the side door and took the truck to the library.

 

        After making copies of each and every single form, letter, and receipt at the library, Andrei and Christina drove into the center of town. There wasn't a single cloud in the sky, but the wind was blowing so much snow that it appeared as though it was snowing from the ground upward. Andrei drove the old truck through the middle of town and parked in front of Abby's clothing store, Ariel Rose.

        As he held open Christina's door, Andrei said, "Tell me again why I actually have to buy new clothes?"

        Christina looked at him sternly and answered, "Number one, you really do need a new suit. And number two, now your mother will expect to see it."

        Andrei sighed and followed his cousin into the clothing store.

        As Christina and Andrei walked in the door, the bell attached to the wall jingled.

        Abby, who was folding shirts in a pile in the men's area, stopped what she was doing and went to greet her customers.

        "Well if it isn't Christina Chase!" she remarked. "And Andrei too!" Putting her hand to the side of her mouth, she leaned into Christina and whispered, "I haven't seen Andrei in my store since he was a little boy shopping for a suit for his first communion. Ever since then, his mother had to come without him." Abby threw in one of her half-laugh, half-snorts for good measure.

        Christina smirked back at Andrei, whose cheeks were now aflame, then asked, "Did lil' Andrei make a scene?"

        "Sugar, it was like he was a vampire and that little blue suit was made of garlic!"

        "Oh, really?" Christina laughed.

        Gritting his teeth, Andrei said, "Can't we just get this over with?"

        "It's funny you mention suits," Christina gushed to Abby, "It just so happens that lil' Andrei needs a new suit for the big dance."

        Taking Andrei by the hand, Christina led him to the men's section of the store and started leafing through a rack of formal wear.

        "The dance," Abby asked shrewdly, "Who's Andrei taking?"

        "We don't have to talk about this ..." Andrei muttered.

        "Abby, Abby, Abby!" Christina said with new found glee, "Why Steph, of course!"

        "Stephanie Bonacelli?"

        "Is there any other?" Christina found that being the source of the gossip was infinitely more fun than being the subject. As she held up a suit jacket in front of her cousin, she continued, "Certainly you must have heard! It's quite the passionate affair."

        Andrei did not say a word as Christina held one jacket after another up to his chest.

        Deciding on a jacket she liked, Christina handed the garment and a pair of pants to her cousin and said, "Try these on."

        "You realize, I hate you right now." Andrei grumbled.

        Christina placed her two forefingers on Andrei's cheeks and forced his mouth into a fake smile. "This is the bestest game ever," Christina purred. "I love dressing you up."

        Andrei again went crimson as he took the jacket and pants and retreated to a changing room.

        After Andrei closed the changing room door, Abby asked, "And who's taking you to the dance, Sugar?"

        "Me?" Christina dismissed. "I think I might be leaving town before the dance."

        "That's a shame. I was sure it would be Richard Masters."

        "Richard, huh?" Christina huffed. "So that's the word on the street?"

        "You could say that. A friend of a friend said that you and him were at the Clairmont Inn together."

        "And this friend of a friend didn't see Steph and Andrei?"

        Abby shrugged and continued, "Not a word of that, but they did say you two made quite the couple on the dance floor."

        "Yeah," Christina admitted with a sneer, "There might have been some dancing."

        "If Richard took you to the Clairmont, then he must have you in his sights."

        "Is that his thing?" Christina asked.

        Abby leaned in and warned, "That Richard Masters is one smooth talker. I swear he has dated more girls than a crocodile has teeth!"

        "You don't say."

        "Just watch your back, Sugar. He's not one for settling down."

        "Oh I will," Christina assured. "I've seen him in action. I'm sure he has all the girls eating out of his hand. But I'm not all the girls. I'm not even one girl."

        Just then, Andrei came out of the dressing room in the pants and jacket. His flannel shirt hung out of the top of his pants, and the jacket was bunched slightly in the back, showing the haste with which he'd put it on.

        Christina went to her cousin and straightened out his jacket. She picked up his shirt and examined how the waist of the pants looked on him. Andrei reached out his hand to stop the inspection, but Christina slapped it away. "Behave yourself," she said, as though she was talking to a four-year old. "That looks pretty good," she said as she adjusted the sleeves of the jacket and straightened out Andrei's shoulders. "Okay, change out of this, and I'll give you the next one."

        "That next one?" Andrei balked.

        "Yeah, the next one," Christina insisted as though it was painfully obvious.

        Andrei asked, "This fits, right?"

        "Well, yeah, but-"

        "Perfect. Let's get it." Before Christina could say another word, Andrei stiffly walked back to the changing room and closed the door.

        As Andrei was changing back into his normal clothes, Christina rummaged through a case of packaged button-down dress shirts and took one out.

        Andrei came back out of the dressing room and handed the jacket and pants to Christina.

        Christina took the items and placed them on the front counter by the register along with the shirt.

        Motioning to the shirt, Andrei asked, "Are you sure that's the right size?"

        "Andrei, my dear," Christina said with a wicked smirk, "I wash your underwear. I know your exact sizes for everything."

        "You're enjoying this a little too much," he complained.

        "Oh, this is the best," Christina said, again taking him by the hand, "I think I'm gonna start dressing you every morning."

        "Okay," Andrei insisted, "We're done now."

        Christina led him to a rack of ties and said, "Fine. I'm through getting my jollies, I promise. But, you do need a tie." One after another, Christina draped ties around Andrei's neck and mentally composited them with the suit. Settling on a green tie, Christina said, "Seriously. Andrei, you're going to look great. Steph is gonna love it."

        "Really?"

        Christina smiled at her older cousin and said, "What girl wouldn't love you?"

        Taking the tie back to the counter, Andrei added it to the pile of clothes. He avoided Abby's eyes as he paid for his new suit.

        Christina waved to Abby with her fingers as she and Andrei left the store. Shopping for her older cousin actually had taken her mind off her troubles for a short while, but now it was back to business.

        Andrei tossed the bag containing his new suit into the truck then handed the stack of photocopied paperwork to Christina. "Are you sure you don't want a ride?" Andrei offered.

        "Yes," Christina said. "We're already behind schedule. You need to get everything back into Uncle Alex's box."

        Nodding, Andrei got back into the truck.

        Christina's thin body shivered as she watched Andrei drive out of town. Pulling the wide hood of her coat over her head, she made her way through the shifting snowflakes. She turned down a side street and walked up a slight hill until the center of town was several blocks away. A small, though impressive, house sat among older brick buildings and a few residences. The sign blowing in the wind creaked on old, rusted hinges. It read: Richard Masters, Attorney at Law.

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Edited into coherence by Holly H. Hart.
Thanks to Sephrena Miller for taking an early read.
Hope you enjoyed it. If you liked it or hated it, please leave a tasty comment.
Krunch Away!