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V Loteryeyu: Part iii
“Manny! Manny!” Lena, in search of her husband, took through the house like a brush fire.
Outside, Manny perfected the door frame on their newly built guesthouse. While he stepped back to gain perspective on its proportions, his name floated above the hills in the background. Denying what he had thought he heard, he continued working. From his tool storage, which sat easily on castors, he pulled out his final nail. The cooling Washington coast breeze tickled his cheeks softly reminding him that he had finished his project just in time for the rains. Proudly, he kissed his last nail and confidently drove it into the sturdy frame. He wiped a tear from his eye and smiled. Lifting his cell phone from his workbench, he looked up over the hill and noticed his wife bounding down it. Placing his phone back to the bench he happily took to the hill to meet her.
“Manny! Manny!” She continued screaming.
“Baby I’m right here.”
Manny climbed the hill ably. Catching her in his thick arms he held her. Her mouth opened but words did not come.
“What’s up baby?”
“Tarantino!” She managed to chirp out then burst into tears.
Confused Manny only held her and assured that it would be ok. Struggling out of his embrace Lena clarified,
“No…I…I got the part!”
Stunned, Manny did only what he could and lifted her high into the air and kissed her.
“Quite a leap from Diane Lane, eh,” Lena spoke proudly.
“Then we gotta celebrate.” He said leading her down the hill to view his finished masterpiece.
Lena nearly forgot herself when taking in the single story home. Its floor to ceiling windows made the home almost invisible in the rain forest surroundings. The pine lay comfortably and tastefully in the small three room home. Looking over the grand view of the Pacific Ocean was a modern sunken-in wrap around concrete porch. Lena found herself walking around the house touching everything like a child. She would look to the home then back to her husband then back to the home.
“Where have I been while you were building this?” She asked respectively.
“Impressing the likes of Tarantino, I suppose.” Manny smiled.
Lena looked to the ground sheepishly then spoke,
“You know all that I do – traveling and working all the time, is for us?”
Smiling down at his girl Manny kissed her mouth.
“I know baby, but we’re goddamn millionaires, there’s no need to work like you do.”
“But acting, it’s all I’ve wanted.” Lena confessed.
Lifting her, Manny carried her into the new home.
“Let’s christen it shall we?”
“Christen the porch?” Lena suggested coyly.
Kissing Lena passionately Manny turned her body to face the wall. Lifting her dress he pressed himself into her and dragged his calloused hands along her breasts and deep inside her. When entering her, Lena breathed in and out and pushed herself into him.
“God you are so wet.” Manny breathed out.
“Hard baby,” Lena demanded.
Nearly lifting Lena off her feet, Manny obliged his wife’s wishes.
“It just keeps getting better,” Lena said cuddling into Manny’s sinewy firm body.
“Reservoir Dogs, is all I can think of.”
Lena quietly nodded and continued to stare at the orange purplish glow of the sunset.
“You think you’re up to the challenge? I mean, the lead in a Tarantino film…I can only imagine the pressure.”
Lena’s almond shaped eyes narrowed at her husband’s question or was it an observation? “I’m not saying you can’t do it, it’s just that…well even you said how green you were at the audition.”
“Just once I’d like for you to believe in me.” Lena hurled at him curtly then tossed the blanket to the ground and started to head up the hill.
The birch trees danced arm and arm with the cold off shore breeze welcoming the graying sky and damp mist. It would be a cold night and the rains would greet the land by nightfall. Realizing this, Manny had to make sure the guesthouse was secure. Allowing Lena to go as she had was damaging his conscience.
With her dark eyes shut tight, Lena’s small fingers grasped onto Manny’s hand while the plane glided along the LAX tarmac. Hearing only Manny’s soothing voice, Lena slowly allowed herself back onto the plane. A couple bickered behind her about who was supposed to arrange their pick-up ride. The plane, beeped and buzzed instructions for everyone to remain in their seats until the plane had taxied to its designated gate. Blinking, Lena noticed that in LA these instructions fell on deaf ears. A large man dressed for an NBA game, stood impatiently and opened the luggage carrier. The male flight attendant, perhaps in hopes of his Steven-Slater-Jet-Blue-moment, sprung into attitude action. The large man apologized immediately and even confided in him his subtle fear of flying. Obviously disappointed, the flight attendant guided the passenger back to his seat warning him never to try such a stunt on his flight.
“We made it baby,” Manny whispered to his sweetheart.
Slowly relinquishing his hand, Lena spoke quickly.
“Just know that whatever happens today, I did it all for us.”
“Beep, beep,” the plane informed the flight that it was safe to unbuckle seatbelts and roam about the cabin.
Lena sprung to her feet and in no time was with carry-on in hand and queued with the other exiting passengers. Manny kept his concerns to himself and followed. The premature air conditioning formed tiny bumps along Lena’s tiny arms. Shivering she remained eerily silent and rushed through the terminal. Manny only made a few futile demands then realized this was not his battle. Upon reaching the pick-up area of the airport, Lena, while looking both ways down the one-way access road, finally spoke,
“There should be a car waiting for us.”
“Any idea what it looks like?” Manny asked cautiously.
“Probably a damn Caddy,” She noted matter-of-factly.
As Lena spoke a black Cadillac limousine glided slowly alongside the couple. Witnessing the car, Lena laughed out loud then spoke,
“Typical.”
Manny stopping Lena from opening up the car door, chose his battle.
“Lena what the fuck is going on? Am I about to get into a limo with Quentin Tarantino?”
Smiling, she kissed his cheek and resumed opening the door and gracefully slid in. Manny alone on the sidewalk, again swallowed his concern and followed his bride. Sliding in next to Lena, Manny was startled to see 3 men – 2 very large, one-armed and the small one looking very serious, seated across from them.
“It’s ok love, they’re not going to hurt us.” Lena reassured him placing her hand on his thigh. She continued,
“I wasn’t really sure how else to do this so I thought it best just to cut to the chase.”
Manny quite confused and extremely annoyed tried to speak but Lena interrupted.
“Manny this is my father, Oleg Ivanov Parfentiev, Papa, this is my husband, Manuel Ortega-Vasquez or just Manny.”
Extending his small hand, Oleg Ivanov extended a friendly greeting.
“It is with pleasure that I meet the man that keeps my daughter happy.”
Manny quickly looked to Lena and accepted Oleg Ivanov’s hand. The limo pulled away from the airport and moved along the freeway. Oleg Ivanov apologized to Manny for meeting under such unsuitable circumstance and insisted that his time was valuable. Manny, explained that although his presence was of no inconvenience he was quite surprised with the revelation.
“Manny you remember me, no, from video?” Boris, the larger of the two large men, now re-enacted his gestures and same dramatic voice he used to deliver Manny’s lottery winning questions.
Confused, yet remembering that Boris had quizzed him two years ago, Manny accepted Boris’ hand. Oleg Ivanov, seemingly agitated and impatient began to fidget in his seat. Noticing her father’s impatience Lena encouraged the conversation.
“My father’s time is quite valuable so we must be quick about this.” Lena stated pleasing her father.
Manny, rubbed his head then tried to speak only to be interrupted again by his father-in-law.
“I have come to States for three reasons, one, to make sure my daughter is in movie; two, to meet you Manuel, and three, to invite you both to come to Russia.”
“Hold up, hold up…I hate to be the wet blanket but Lena when did you meet your father? And, with all due respect sir, he’s Russian?” Manny demanded finally.
Lena looked to her father then back to Manny then stared straight out the window. Continuing to stare at her Manny pleaded,
“Lena? Lena?”
“When I speak to you of this understand that this is for family only. And since you are married to my only living relative, you are now family. I reveal myself to Yelena…” Oleg Ivanov began.
Manny interrupted, “I’m sorry sir, Yelena?”
“She is Lena; her birth name is Yelena Ivanova Parfentiev. She is my only child now that my son has been killed. You see Manny, in my business, family die for many reason – to protect name, to preserve honor, to keep secret; do you understand?” Oleg Ivanov questioned Manny.
Manny, fully understanding continued to stare at his wife.
“Your wife is daughter of the most dangerous and wanted man alive. He invent v loteryeyu to ensure daughter’s future. Oleg Ivanov is very sick man, may have 2 or 3 years to live. His only wish is that he know Yelena, that she be near him when he pass.” Boris added offering Manny a shot of vodka.
Manny refused and waited for his wife to speak. She said nothing. Putting the pieces together Manny revealed,
“That was over two years ago. Tell me you didn’t know this then.”
Lena nodded, continuing to watch the scenery. Manny, now taking Boris up on the shot punched the door panel. Finishing his shot he moved closer to his wife and spoke softly as if to keep a secret,
“Lena talk to me. Why did you lie to me?”
Oleg Ivanov checked his Rolex several times in the long seconds passing between the passengers. The silent gunman checked his phone then revealed something quietly to Oleg Ivanov. The news slightly added to Oleg Ivanov’s irritation. Disrupting the silence, Lena suddenly spoke rather curtly,
“Have you not been taken care of my sweet? Are the millions not enough?”
“Baby, all I want is you and from you the truth,” Manny pleaded.
“And with this news, you would have been fine? Accepting? My father is not some bricklayer as your father was, you need to understand the need for our covert plan.”
“Why are you talking like this? You sound like one of them.”
“I am you fool. And you need to decide.”
“So then none of this life is ours?” He asked defeated.
Lena’s eyes just followed the swift passing cars and trees blurring past the tinted windows. Taking his wife’s small hands he noticed how they resembled her father’s. He confessed,
“I can’t Lena. I won’t live at the mercy of others.”
Oleg Ivanov angrily interrupted,
“Then you will receive no mercy.”
Oleg Ivanov nodded to the gunman. The gunman lifted his gun and pointed at Manny. Lena threw herself onto Manny to protect him. Oleg Ivanov tried to stop the shot. A bullet shattered the back window. Manny threw Lena off of him and pushed his weight out of the limo. From the shattered hole, Lena watched her husband’s body bounce like a tiny rubber ball into the shoulder.
“Manny!” Hysterical, Lena screamed for her husband’s life.
Joining her in her seat, her father tried to console his daughter.
“You must be strong Yelena, like Oleg Ivanov my father, your dedushka. You must be what you are called to be.”
Drowning in tears, Oleg Ivanov was inaudible, undistinguishable; it was as if he did not exist. Lena closed her eyes and dreamed when she was Manny’s pet; she was much happier then with no mind-set.
V Loteryeyu: Part ii
She had driven 3 hours to stand in front of a woman resembling a marshmallow that played guessing games with what race Lena actually could be when only to discover that she was still not “urban looking” enough for what the role called for. After all, the puffed woman had pointed out, how many good -looking mulatto single mothers are living in the ghetto. She had “allowed” Lena to read for the part on Lena’s insistence and even supplied, to a near-perfect performance, a brilliant soundtrack of her flipping through the newspaper.
The yellow sheets absorbed the moisture becoming stained with mascara. At Lena’s bare feet, the fat fluffy tabby sun bathed in the afternoon sun. His tail flipped and flopped, tickling her. She reached down to the end of the bed and drew him into her chest. Smelling his fur calmed her. Holding the round kitten she leaned back into her bed pillows and allowed more tears to come. Squirming, the kitten insisted freedom. Sad to let him go, she granted his emancipation. Lying down into the mixed-matched pillows Lena napped. An hour passed and she awoke groggy and cranky. She blindly rubbed her eyes attempting to remove the black streaks.
Lena stood to change her clothing. She remained still in the outfit she had picked out the night before for her film audition. She had spent all week preparing for it; memorizing, backwards and forwards, her 3-lined monologue – the only lines, if chosen, that she would speak in the 90- minute feature film, starring Diane Lane. As an actor however she was trained to accept any and all roles as the rule held there was no such thing as too small of a role. After all Nicholas Cage had began his career as an extra. If she played her cards right, who knows, she too could evade taxes and own ridiculous animals. In hindsight, her trip to Portland seemed a waste of a time, a pipe dream or more suitable, an adolescent fantasy.
Feeling sorry for herself she reached for the kitten’s new black “pillow” or as she had always known it, her laptop. Her mother was notorious for firing off random chain emails about who knows what – religion, politics or random corny send-this-to-all-the-beautiful women-you-know-emails. Aware that her agent would be ringing soon with news of the outcome of her audition, she tried to set her mind at ease by reading one of these illustrious emails. The subject line simply read “Father” curious Lena opened it. The clever creation of Thomas Dolby burst through her cell phone filling the quiet sunny afternoon with a thin trebly dance mix. It was her agent.
His snappy clean voice informed Lena of what she already knew. The part for the feature film, starring Diane Lane was going to an actress in LA but they had done everything they could to take care of their own but alas Hollywood could be very stubborn. She was however not to take it personally and that there would be many more opportunities for the big time.
“Ah!” Lena screamed causing her kitty to race out of the room ala Scooby Doo style.
Lena cursed the bare windows and her and Manny’s inability to afford to cover them as the sun poured onto the poorly maintained hardwood floors. She punched the air imagining her stagnant reception job at the local non-profit arts organization whose Marxist belief held that paying peanuts to its employees was suitable so long as they all believed in its cause. She roared loudly,
“And everyday Manny goes off to that shit for brains job! Seamus O’Flaherty God if I could kill anyone in this world it would be that cheap bastard!”
Exhausted she flopped backwards onto her bed. Manny had left Lena for work hours earlier. He had kissed her cheeks as he always did and told her of his love for her. To keep her going, she often recollected this sweet affection. She lie quietly and let the sun warm her. Opening her legs slightly she gingerly touched herself. Her mind quickly dashed off to the first time she and Manny had met. When remembering this time in their lives she often sang the lyrics of the Shin’s song “New Slang”,
“Turn me back into the pet I was then we met/I was happier then with no mind set.”
She turned over and resumed checking the cryptic email titled “Father.” Her eyes raced across the page. She suddenly shut the top and sat as if in a trance. Dialing Manny’s cell, she reached his voicemail.
Groping the floor she grabbed for her jeans and pink sweater and blew out the front door.
“Lena?” Surprised to see her at the construction site, Manny nearly dropped the pile of wood he carried over his shoulder. Back when she was a pet with less of a mind set, seeing Manny in his element had turned her on, now it only frustrated her.
“What are you doing here?” He asked putting down the wood on the soggy ground.
Lena’s eyes filled up with water. Manny pulled her into his chest and assured whatever it was it would be ok. As they spoke, Seamus O’Flaherty, Manny’s boss demanded that Manny get back to work.
“Has he given you that raise yet?” Lena demanded.
Manny shook his head then squatted down to load his arms with the wood.
“Fuck this.” Lena sneered then darted straight for Seamus.
“Lena don’t!” Manny cried after her but it was too late. She stood face to face with the stout sandy brown-haired Irish-American.
“You piece of shit cheap bastard, you better give Manny that raise or I will beat your balls where they hang.”
Lena sat on the couch anxiously while Manny nearly wore out the carpet pacing. He would occasionally stop to attempt to put his cell phone back together that he had smashed into one million pieces against the wall.
“This is your fault!” He said pointedly at Lena referring to his broken phone.
“To answer your question, yes, I had to…” Lena began then stopped herself.
“I turned off your phone so that you would be late for work.” Lena confessed.
Manny sat now at the kitchen table defeated. He said nothing. In the silence Lena reached to drag her laptop out from under her tabby. She opened it up and quickly signed into her email.
“Are you fucking kidding me? You’re checking your email right now?” Manny screamed not moving from his chair.
Lena ignored him and checking the time, quickly accessed the link. She looked into the raging eyes of Manny then back to her computer. Turning up the volume she hoped he would listen.
The dreary rolling Russian accent seemed trapped in the shitty computer speakers. Boris, with a watermelon-sized head that rested directly on his shoulders, winking, reminded her that Manny needed to be engaged with him in 1 minute’s time. Lena nodded in agreement and glanced back at Manny who now was standing looking in their direction.
“Who the hell are you talking to?” Manny demanded.
Unable to explain or give any indication of what was actually happening Lena simply ignored him. Now irate, Manny stormed across the floor and grabbed Lena by her shoulders.
“You cost me my job and now you just sit there saying nothing. And why didn’t you go to work? Jesus Christ!”
Throwing her back into the couch she looked to the computer knowing Boris was unable to help her.
“Your time runs out Lena.”
Manny, now seeing that there was actually someone on Skype watching and listening to them, stopped.
“Who are you?”
Boris congratulated him,
“You make it with 23 only seconds to spare, Manny.”
Manny looked at Lena, who was simply grinning ear to ear then to Boris.
“Who are you?”
“My name is Boris and I your link to millions.”
“What?” Manny was dumbfounded and annoyed.
Boris explained,
“Lena has been playing the lottery or as we know it here in Russia, V Loteryeyu. And once you answer final 3 questions you will be millionaire!”
“What?” Manny looked to Lena.
“Baby, I won the lottery. The Russians have opened up their lottery to America in hopes that it will help to stimulate their economy. So about 3 months ago I played along with thousands of others and I…we won!”
Manny unable to believe her sat on the couch and only barely audibly asked again,
“What?”
Lena sat next to him and reassured that by answering these final 3 questions he would ensure their winning. Breathing deeply he turned back to Boris.
Boris began “Now that you have gathered self, listen. You have won 25 million already. If you answer 3 questions right then you double money. Would you like to double money?”
Manny looked to Lena who was nodding her head yes. Manny mimicked her back to Boris.
“Good, man. You must answer questions that Lena already answer. They must match exactly as she says them, right?”
Manny nodded in agreement. Boris continued,
“If you don’t answer as she says you lose all, right?”
Hesitating, Manny again looked to Lena who was nodding emphatically. Manny agreed.
“Good man. Ok here is question. When you win millions, what will be first three things you spend money on?”
Manny breathed deeply then using his fingers to count, rattled off in seconds,
“1) An engagement ring for my Lena; 2) a trip to Hawaii 3) the materials to build the house of our dreams.”
Lena screamed in joy.
“Congratulations! You the winner of $50 million dollars!” Boris said almost in shock.
Lena and Manny hugged and kissed one another deeply.
“Our lives will never be the same love,” Lena almost warned.
“Let’s hope not!” Manny said confidently then kissed Lena.
