Chapter 21

At this point, Natasha came up to Zack and said, “If she doesn’t want you, don’t you worry. Yuri will want her and I will most certainly take you.”

Yuri roared and said, “”Now that my wife wants you, you are even more desirable and my babushka will want you even more.”

Zack laughed and said, “The only woman that I want seems to be unobtainable.”

Natasha sighed and said, “That I can’t help you with.”

Zack smiled and said, “I’m not worried. I’m sure that things will work out.”

Natasha looked at me and then at Zack and smiled and said, “Yes, I am sure that you have nothing to worry about.”

Zack laughed and said, “I wish that I was as sure as you are.”

She laughed at him and said, “Don’t worry my love, she is only for you and no one else, not even Yuri. Only you.”

I was shocked, was it that obvious? Or was it that she knew me that well.

Zack smiled and laughed, “I hope that you are right.’

Natasha laughed and said, “Don’t worry my love…I’m sure.”

Zack smiled and said, “That is all I wanted to hear.”

Natasha smiled and giggled, “Believe me you will have no problem making her love you. For she loves you more than you know.’

I couldn’t believe that my wonderful friends could say anything like this. Then I laughed, of course they could. I always felt that Yuri and Natasha knew me better than I new myself. And they obviously did.

Natasha then grabbed Zach’s arm and as she whisked him off said, “Come and wine me and dine me. The Bear will only have eyes and words for his little babushka. So rather than having to listen that, I want to have a handsome young man on my arm and I will whisper sweet nothings in his ear.”

Zack and Natasha went off toward the hors d’oeuvres table and in a few moments they returned with four plates filled with delectable finger foods. Both were laughing and joking, with Natasha saying that we have to eat quickly because if we don’t Yuri would take everything on all of the plates.

We sat at a small table and talked while we ate. Yuri and Natasha told Zack about our time together in UCLA and how they loved having this sweet loveable Babushka living with them. Of course they joked and teased. There were a few fabrications and a lot of exaggerations in the story, and there were times that I am sure that I turned a little red.

Zack loved listening to them and I think that he came to love them. I know that Yuri and Natasha loved Zack. At first because I loved him but soon because of who he was. Good looking, funny, sweet and also in love with me.

Later that night, when Zack and I were alone…in bed, he told me that when I had gone to the ladies room, both Yuri and Natasha grilled him about his intentions. They said that although they were not religious at all, I was. They wanted his assurance that this was not just a fling and that he was serious.

Zack went through the whole story about us and ended by telling them that he asked me to marry him and that he was still waiting for an answer. They both laughed when he pointed out that I hadn’t said no.

The four of us left the receptions a little while later and walked for a while, talking and teasing. We had a wonderful dinner at a small intimate restaurant. As they were catching a plane at 6:00 a.m. we said good-bye to Yuri and Natasha in the lobby and then up to our rooms and to bed.

As we got undressed, Zack set the alarm for 3:30 a.m. I looked at him and smiled. I was just about to ask him if he would do that as I wanted to see them off. We got into bed and I immediately fell asleep in my loves arms.

It’s amazing just how quickly that alarm went off. Not really wanting to get out of bed, we dragged ourselves out, quickly dressed and went down to the lobby. We arrived before Yuri and Natasha did and were waiting for them as they got off the elevator.

When he saw us, Yuri roared and said, “See, I told you, I told you they would be here. I knew that my Little Babushka would be here to see us off.”

I was talking to Natasha when I heard Yuri say to Zack, “I know that you love her…but if she is hurt, you will be too.”

Zack laughed and said, “Yuri nothing that you could do to me would hurt me more that the hurt I would have from her.”

Yuri roared and said, “I have nothing to worry about.”

There were hugs, kisses and promises of calls, letters and e-mails. Finally with a loud flourish and more hugs and kisses Yuri and Natasha got into a cab that would take them to the airport and back to LA.

As we went back up to our room, Zack asked, “Why does Yuri call you an old woman? That’s what babushka means, isn’t it?”

I laughed and said, “It also means a head scarf, usually worn by old women in Russia. Nuns wear head scarfs, sort of, so as a nun I’m a babushka. That’s what Natasha told me, but if you want to really know why Yuri does what he does, you have to ask him. And who knows you may get the same answer the second time you ask.”