To Abide with Strays

➥ 06 ⦙ MARINERs' MEMORY

"We are going to announce the team for the un-named project of Batumi at 3:00 PM, I request you all to return to the site. Continue the excavation until lunch break. We must have announced by now but our details got crashed in the fire yesterday".

While concluding it, Dmitriy's eyes hold the resentment against three women in the farthest corner of the hall.

"Why your dad is scanning us, Interrogation ain't enough?" Alyona hung her head for Esfir's question...'I wish I had an answer'

"I think they gonna put us in that team."
'My gut is full of hope' Nadya shocks them more.
"Ey! Enough Suka", Esfir glared.
"You'll see my friend", Nadya politely withdrew from that duo. 'She's not my friend '. She remained herself.

"Leave her, I will meet you at 3." Alyona abid for the break.

'I feel lonely. ' Esfir scans the crowd of three hundred people in the hallway. A pair of hands hugged her from behind and startled her, "Ahh!.. Merida--I was about to hit you."
"I'm not Merida. I was scared about you devushka," Marina brushed the brunette in front of her.

"Esha, We think you didn't lit the fire," Zech gives his affirmative. 'Why would I do? '
" 'Cause you are the one, who took effort for this project," Zech concluded. Esfir felt a tear drop flows down her cheeks, she was never grateful for something before this.

"Don't do that, Esha! let's go back to digging." Zech gently pushed his Esha towards the main door.

"She is innocent, I guess," Andrie answered before Garry ask anything--He saw his brother's questioning face in his peripheral vision. Garry nodded as he adjusts his cap. "Time for action, bro".

"Don't call me bro while we're working," Andrie hissed as Garry patted his back and hops on to join his crew.

Clapping her hands, Alyona literally chirped.."Typical Agapovs."
"What a marine biol. is doing here rather than in that deep ocean."
"That's what I was wondering until the hub burnt." Childhood friends strode the hallway and at last ended at the cafeteria.

"Why did you brunt?" A fiery glare attacked him. 'Oops'

"Cool, Ali. As your father is Dmitriy, the great you can't burn the whole ass hub."
"Who told you?" Alyona hears her voice creaking..cups her mouth, and tears piled up and poured as the dam opened.
'Uhh! Don't cry ' Guilt spreads in his gut Andrei blurted out, "I am sorry, Ali. I knew you for ages...Do you think I gonna believe that clip?"

Alyona accepted his tissue as an apology and exhaled in brief. "Do you think..it's me?" Her voice shutters, Andrei shaking his head. "C'mon, girl told you already...I am..am sorry, Ali."

"I didn't do anything, Zoy" Her whispering his nickname took him to their olden, nah, golden days--' Where they were teens. '
All they did wrong was growing up. "I BELIEVE YOU ALI" His words gave her the urge to cry again. "Oh no! Ali," He pleaded and stood to hug her stopping mid... Dmitriy with his hands at the back monitoring the cafè.

"Your pops is here, stop your whining, Ali."
All tears were gone and Dmitriy too.
"What he's doing here?"
"Who knows? your pops is always ominous  to me."
"Be careful he'll be back."
"Then lemme get out."

"Aren't you heading to site?"
"Zoy, I thought you'll drive me there," A  sheepish toothful smile spread across her pinkish-eyed, puffed face. She cried a lot today.

That smile ensured him that his friend, Ali is back to normal. "Just ask me then, girl."

'This Zoy never changes.' Their school days' memories added fun to her mind as an old photo album. "Ali?"
"Uhh, I wish, we were still playing in our class and coloring the book at this time."

Now it's Andrei's time to trip down their memory lane--his memories with Garry and Ali.

"You are starting the car...right?" Her words lured him into reality. The engine roars to action. 'I WISH THE SAME, ALI ' Andrei smiled at his thoughts.

"Did you meet Garry today?" "He is busy with his crew. There is one girl, I know in his crew." "Who?" "Marina, we studied together at Irkutsk University." "Not so interesting," Andrei as usual hit his player--My old friend remember when-- song from KSHMR continued.

"Black sea; Batumi; Folder lot letter B...All starts with B," Alyona scanned the folders, laughing at her own pun.

"Black eyes too, so deep." Andrei blurted out. "Huh?" Alyona gave him a disbelieving look.

'Tell me about that obsidian orbs'

The <STAY OUT> posters of Batumi glided in the Black Sea's breeze came to his view.