Christina took the load of clothes from Nina's hands and piled them into her suitcase. Realizing that she would be coming back for Christmas, and that she wouldn't dress as a girl while she was in the city, there was no need to take everything home. Nina, though always eager to help out her older cousin, was more interested in what had happened last night more than packing.

        "Tell me again," Nina said, "What was the food like?"

        "It was fantastic," Christina repeated for what felt like the tenth time.

        "It sounds so romantic."

        "It's really is very nice, Nina, and I'm sure you'll go there some day soon." Christina closed the top of her last suitcase and added, "You should have seen Andrei with the menu. He didn't have a clue."

        "Yeah, well it's not really Andrei's kind of place. You're serious that he and Steph really liked each other?"

        "Yes," Christina said, somewhat angrily.

        Nina said, "I guess I know Steph's always been interested in Andrei, but I guess I thought that was a from-a-distance thing. I wonder what she sees in him."

        "Who cares!" Christina said as she heaved the suitcase off the bed and onto the floor. "What do I know what she sees in that stupid-" She stopped herself and said, "Your brother is a good guy."

        "Are you okay?" Nina asked.

        "Yeah, I'm fine," Christina apologized. "It's just sometimes things don't work out the way you want them to. And sometimes people let you down."

        "What's that supposed to mean?"

        "Nothing," Christina lied. "Could you go downstairs and tell your Mom that I'm leaving soon? I don't think Andrei's going to wake up in time to drive me to the bus station."

        Nina nodded and left the bedroom.

        Nothing had gone the way she wanted last night. Steph finally gotten Andrei. Steph was happy. Andrei was happy. She was the only one who didn't get what they wanted.

        And then there was that incident with Richard. Christina couldn't believe she chickened out. That's what it was, she thought, just nerves. She should have just kissed Richard and been done with it. Better yet, she should have just called her uncle. She'd just have to deal with Richard once and for all next time she was in town.

        Christina dragged her suitcases into the hallway. It seemed she was traveling more heavily with each successive visit. The bags felt full even with the large considerable of clothes she was leaving behind. As Christina made her way down the hall, she saw Andrei emerge from his room. He was still in his pajamas, and he had dark circles under his eyes. It was the first time she'd even known her cousin to sleep late.

        Andrei rushed over to his cousin and effortlessly lifted her bags off the ground. Avoiding eye contact, he said, "Let me take those down for you."

        Christina didn't say anything to him.

        Andrei looked down into Christina's face and was struck by the hurt expression on it. He turned away in shame and mumbled, "I guess Dad can take you to the station."

        "No," Christina responded sharply, "You're taking me. You promised. Hurry up and get dressed- I don't want to miss my bus."

        Not saying another word, Andrei rushed downstairs with Christina's suitcases.

        Christina wandered into the bathroom and shut the door behind her. Pulling down her jeans, she sat on the toilet to relieve herself. She was too lost in thought to recognize just how many feminine behaviors had become habits. She finished and wiped between her legs, still wondering how to dispose of Richard. After checking her hair and makeup in the mirror, she went downstairs to the kitchen.

        Christina laughed when she saw the tower of Tupperware containers Misha had constructed on the kitchen table. Her aunt was disassembling it in segments, placing the pieces in shopping bags.

        "Aunt Misha," Christina complained, "You're gonna make me fat!"

        Misha rushed over and pinched Christina's cheek. "Nonsense child. When you returned, you were nothing but skin and bones! You are wasting away in that awful city."

        She did have a point, Christina thought. When Christina arrived, she felt tired and strung out. Life moved so quickly, and she felt as though she was always running to keep up. Though she hadn't even been in her Aunt's house for a week, she felt as though she'd been there forever. Even with the stress of her date still weighing on her mind, Christina felt more rested and whole than she had in months. Christina hugged her aunt and said, "Thanks for all the food."

        "When will you be back, Tina?" Misha asked.

        "As soon as I can. I promise."

        "Your visits are so short dear, you should stay longer for Christmas."

        "I will if I can," Christina said sincerely. "I don't know what things are going to be like at work when I get back. I think they'll be less crazy."

        Andrei rushed into the kitchen, still buttoning his shirt.

        "Andrei," Misha commanded, "Take your cousin's things for her."

        Christina put on her jacket as she watched Andrei lift all the bags of food Misha had packed. After kissing her aunt on the cheek, she followed Andrei out to the truck. Christina got in and waited for Andrei to finish packing.

        Andrei eventually joined her, and the two of them started the long trip to Dover.

        Christina spent the entire drive staring at her cousin. She waited for over twenty minutes for Andrei to say something, but he was doing his best to keep quiet.

        "You really let me down last night." Christina finally said.

        "I know."

        "I asked you not to leave me alone with Richard. You promised me."

        "I know."

        "That was the only thing I needed from you, and you so let me down."

        Andrei seared with guilt. He could feel Christina's eyes burning into him, but he kept his focus on the road. "He didn't ... do anything ... did he?"

        "No," Christina said in a reassuring voice. "He was a perfect gentleman. Well, more or less. Let's just say that my life just got a lot more complicated. I don't know exactly what happened, but I've never felt so confused before in my entire life. And I really don't like it. But that's not the point. The point is, I thought I could always count on you. I never thought you would ever let me down."

        That hurt Andrei worst of all. "I'm really sorry," he said sincerely. "If I could do it over again I wouldn't have-"

        "No," Christina interrupted. "When someone like Steph comes along, you shouldn't let her go."

        Andrei turned to his cousin with an astonished look on his face.

        "Steph is great. I mean, there really aren't a lot of people who are so ... perfect. What you did, I mean, it wasn't right, but if I was in your place I might have done the same thing."

        "Does that mean you forgive me?"

        "I dunno. Maybe. Either way, it still hurts."

        "I'm really sorry."

        "I know you are," Christina admitted, "But last night could have been really bad for me. I mean REALLY bad. I guess I'm not the best judge of character. I'm not even sure who I am right this moment."

        "I don't understand," Andrei said as he looked over at his cousin.

        "I'd explain it to you, but I don't understand it either." Christina paused for a while then asked, "You do realize just how great Steph is, right?"

        "Yeah," Andrei said.

        Christina tried to be happy for her cousin, but she couldn't force herself to feel something she didn't. She was mad that Andrei got Steph. She was jealous that they looked so happy together. On top of that, Christina wasn't sure that she wanted to come back over Christmas and deal with Richard. She wasn't sure she wanted to come back ever again. She pondered all these feelings as the truck sped closer to the bus station. Before long, they were pulling into the bus station parking lot.

        Andrei was the first one out of the truck. Eager to be useful to his cousin, he scooped up all of Christina's bags from the back. He protested furiously when Christina insisted on at least carrying Misha's bag of leftovers.

        "Did you have a good time last night?" Christina asked as they walked to the terminal.

        "Yes!" Andrei said enthusiastically. "Steph and I talked about her parents' old store while you were dancing. And after I took her home, we stayed up talking all night until two in the morning about nothing. Well, everything I guess." Andrei trailed on and on. He wanted so much to tell someone about his date, and he had no one to share it with except Christina. "We didn't just talk either ... I guess-"

        "Okay," Christina interrupted. She had a miserable look on her face. "I think that's more detail than I can handle right now."

        Andrei realized he was pushing too far. He put down Christina's bags then held her hand. "Listen," he said, "I know how hard last night was for you. And I'm sorry that I let you down. It won't ever happen again. I'll always love you, and I will always be there for you. I promise."

        Christina felt the rumbling of the ground beneath her and the sound of the bus screeching to a halt behind her.

        "I have to go now," she mumbled.

        Andrei pleaded, "I really mean it."

        Christina squeezed his large hand and said, "I know you do, Andrei." Christina turned away from her cousin and boarded the bus. Taking her seat, she watched Andrei load her belongings into the bottom of the bus. She waved goodbye to him, but she couldn't manage a smile. The two of them looked at each other until the angle of the bus broke their gaze. Things weren't quite right between them, but some time away might remedy that.

        Christina opened one of the Tupperware containers and pulled out a piece of Thanksgiving turkey. She nibbled on it and savored the taste. Her aunt had some magical secret that actually put love into everything she cooked. Whenever Christina ate anything her aunt had made, she could envision Misha working in the kitchen, a smile covering her face. It was the next best thing as actually being with her, and it made almost anything feel not so bad. Finishing the small piece of turkey, Christina put the plastic container back into the bag. There was a time when she could have easily devoured half the bag in one sitting. She wasn't sure if her new appetite was due to the wearing the waist cincher, or a year of long hours at work. Whatever the reason, she wanted to make Misha's food last.

        As the bus sped out of town, Christina pondered just how complicated her life in Oak Grove had become. She used to think of it as her special place where life was easy and everything worked out. In retrospect, it was just as complicated as everywhere else. Still, she preferred it to what was waiting for her in the city. She wasn't sure how she was going to survive another month of late nights and working on weekends.

        Being trapped in the bus seat with just her thoughts was torturous. It was one of those moments where she felt she would just jump out of her skin, but all she could do was sit still. She felt pulled in a dozen different directions all at once.

        Fiddling with her bus ticket, Christina realized that nothing was more mind numbing than the long ride back to the city. There was no way she was going to sleep, and she cast around for something to keep herself occupied. She crumpled the ticket in her hand and shoved it into the pocket of her jacket. Feeling another paper in her pocket, she took it out. It was the envelope that her uncle had thrown away. Whatever was in there was the cause of the fight she'd heard between her aunt and uncle. All the drama surrounding her double date had made her forget she had it.

        Christina opened the envelope and pulled out several pages of forms and tiny print. She found the cover letter and immediately recognized the Internal Revenue Service letterhead. Scanning the text and mountains of forms, Christina struggled to make sense of the formal document. It cited a number of arcane tax form numbers, specific taxation rules, and many other points she didn't understand. She had never even filed her own taxes; she'd always gone to a specialist. She gasped when she found the terms "back taxes," "lien," and "seizure." She wasn't sure, but it looked as though they were accusing her uncle of not paying his taxes for over six years, perhaps even longer. Reading on, her heart skipped a beat when she saw the IRS was threatening to take the family grocery. Christina flipped though the forms, desperately looking for a dollar amount; something to make sense of it. She found another document that mentioned the house. She felt close to tears with frustration. Why would her uncle throw this letter out? Is this what Misha meant when she said Alek was too proud? Did he need money? She would gladly give her uncle everything she had in the world, but by the looks of things, it would not have been enough.

        Christina searched frantically through her purse for her cell phone. She pulled it out and started to dial her uncle's number. Stopping halfway, she put the phone down. What would she say? How could she explain how she found out? What could she possibly to help? Christina realized that calling her uncle would only embarrass him. Feeling completely useless, she went through her address book, looking for someone to call. There was no one. There was nothing she could do, at least not at the moment. She promised herself that she would work out some kind of plan when she got back to the city.

---

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!