𝗕𝗟𝗢𝗢𝗗 𝗔𝗦 𝗧𝗛𝗜𝗖𝗞 𝗔𝗦 𝗪𝗔𝗧𝗘𝗥 ⚔︎

7

practically knee-deep in snow, giovanni waited out front of vnukovo airport with purple lips and rosy cheeks — all wrapped up in a big, dark grey wool overcoat with a black suede collar, a burgundy scarf, and a fluffy ushanka hat to keep his head and his ears warm. his teeth chattered from the cold. snowflakes settled gracefully upon his broad shoulders.

he pulled back the leather glove on his right hand and checked his watch: half past ten. his father was thirty minutes late.

he tucked his hands under his armpits and inhaled deeply. his hot breath swirled out of his mouth in fine, silvery wisps, invisible against a landscape of white that stretched ahead of him. on the outskirts of moscow, every inch of ground was hidden by a thick blanket of snow. overhead, the sky was bright and dull. he waited alone, his two rucksacks the only things accompanying him; one for his own belongings and one for the christmas presents he had been given and those which he was going to give to his family. they lay tucked between his legs as he kept an eye out for his father's familiar white truck.

after five more minutes spent shivering and nervously jittering his leg, giovanni's luck soon turned as ivan pulled onto the curb, the truck's wheels and doors were spattered with a mixture of churned up mud and snow. he immediately jumped into the passenger seat and threw his bags in the back.

"good morning to you, too," ivan muttered sarcastically. the sound of the crooked windshield wipers going back and forth echoed around the car.

"you should have told me you were going to be late," giovanni said, staring out of the window ahead.

ivan sucked his teeth. "look around, giovanni. this is an old truck. i can't be speeding around in weather like this. you should be grateful that i even picked you up in the first place!"

giovanni simply nodded his head. "well. thank you."

ivan pulled away from the airport and drove back toward the main road. "you're welcome."

on the highway, ivan stepped on the gas, the wheels swerving ever so slightly on the ice. giovanni gritted his teeth, but decided to keep his mouth shut. his father had never listened whenever he told him to slow down. it was pointless to start now.

by giovanni's silence, ivan realised the tension he had caused. he cleared his throat and looked to his son. "so, how are things? how is life treating you in the west?"

giovanni shrugged and shifted in his seat. "well, mr lavigne gave me a promotion."

ivan raised a surprised brow. "that's very good. well done, my boy."

"m-hm."

"what about this mystery woman you won't tell me about?" ivan asked, both hands planted on the steering wheel. "what's her name? do you have a photo of her?"

giovanni let out a soft and defeated groan. "papa... please—"

"what? am i not obligated to ask these things about my son, to take an interest in his life?" ivan said, a frown painted on his face. it knitted his thick brows together, making it seem like a caterpillar was on his face.

"there is no mystery woman, papa."

"oh. well— what happened?"

giovanni stressfully rubbed the bridge of his crooked nose, his eyes closed as he spoke. "we broke up."

"why?"

giovanni didn't even know the answer to that question himself. he shrugged again and gazed out of the window at the snowy landscape beside them, resting his chin on his seatbelt.

"i don't really know," he murmured vaguely. "it's... it's not important."

"well, if it upsets you, i have just the thing to take your mind off it," ivan said. he inclined his head to the glovebox. "pass me a cigarette."