Read Online Moonlight in Odessa by Janet Skeslien Charles - Free Book Online
Authors: Janet Skeslien Charles
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took the bouquet and box of figs that Playtech sent me. The day before that, my favorite CD.’
Harmon used to take me seriously, but now he just smiled.
Olga’s brow wrinkled when she didn’t understand, which he seemed to think was adorable. She’d been trying to learn English so that they could communicate. But so far her vocabulary was limited. When I’d asked him about it, Harmon said he didn’t mind, sighing, ‘It’s like she graduated summa cum laude in massage.’
‘Please tell her to return my belongings,’ I said stiffly. ‘Don’t you think you should send her home so that we can go over the logistics report? The deadline is tomorrow. I need you . . . your help.’
Olga shot me a dirty look and moved to Harmon. ‘Hhhhello.’ Like a cat in heat, she rubbed her body against his. ‘Daria, be a dear and make us a coffee,’ Olga said condescendingly in Russian. ‘And go get me a pack of cigarettes.’ She reached into Harmon’s pocket and stroked his thigh before pulling out a money clip and throwing three one-dollar bills in my direction. I let them fall to the floor at my feet. I looked to Harmon, but he didn’t say anything. Perhaps he wasn’t used to women fighting over him. Not that we were fighting over him, exactly.
He was the most security she’d ever had.
He was the most security I’d ever had.
Neither of us would give it up without a fight.
‘What about the report?’ I asked. ‘We need to do it together.’
He looked at the stack of invoices on my desk. ‘You’re right. It has to go out tonight.’
Good. He’d sided with me. He turned to tell her, ‘I work. Bye, bye,’ but just as he opened his mouth, she kissed him and plastered herself to his body.
If English was my weapon, sex was hers. He went cross-eyed with lust and she pulled him into his office. Olga gave me a pointed look and laughed. Clearly, she’d won that battle. She continued to cackle and I left, taking my clock with me. Thankfully, the kitchen was empty and I could sit and let my temper cool. If only I could understand what exactly I was angry about. Was it just the office supplies? Or the loss of control? I watched the minutes pass. When I returned to my desk, I could still hear Olga, even though the door was closed. She was saying in her pathetic English, ‘She no work. Daria lazy. She go. I work.’
What was Olga up to? Could she be attempting a takeover?
I looked past my palm tree, past the bars on the windows and waited for five o’clock. I had to face the truth: I’d lost my friend, I’d wasted months applying for jobs I’d never get, I’d never find love in Odessa or anywhere else, and I’d probably lost the most security Boba and I had ever had.
Chapter 4
Moonlight. I love this word. So romantic. There is a hint of secrecy, of deeds done at night when no one can see. I love its transformation from noun to verb. To moonlight: to work a second job on the sly.
When I told Boba I needed a second job, she said, ‘But I barely see you now. You don’t eat enough – look at you! Skin and bones and not much else. And you certainly don’t get enough rest!’ But Harmon was a man and if history had taught us anything, it’s that you can’t depend on a man. I needed to feel secure. At the shipping company, the waters were choppy and a storm could come in at any time.
I also like the phrase ‘to put out feelers.’ I imagined that Boba and I were caterpillars, putting out our feelers to find me another job. Our neighbor’s cousin needed a waitress. One of Boba’s former colleagues told us that his son-in-law in faraway Kiev was looking for an engineer. My friend Florina’s aunt was looking for someone to translate letters from American men to our women at her matchmaking agency. This job would be an opportunity for me to practice my English and maybe even meet someone. The office was located on a quiet street five blocks from the shipping company. Three times I passed the ground-floor
Harmon used to take me seriously, but now he just smiled.
Olga’s brow wrinkled when she didn’t understand, which he seemed to think was adorable. She’d been trying to learn English so that they could communicate. But so far her vocabulary was limited. When I’d asked him about it, Harmon said he didn’t mind, sighing, ‘It’s like she graduated summa cum laude in massage.’
‘Please tell her to return my belongings,’ I said stiffly. ‘Don’t you think you should send her home so that we can go over the logistics report? The deadline is tomorrow. I need you . . . your help.’
Olga shot me a dirty look and moved to Harmon. ‘Hhhhello.’ Like a cat in heat, she rubbed her body against his. ‘Daria, be a dear and make us a coffee,’ Olga said condescendingly in Russian. ‘And go get me a pack of cigarettes.’ She reached into Harmon’s pocket and stroked his thigh before pulling out a money clip and throwing three one-dollar bills in my direction. I let them fall to the floor at my feet. I looked to Harmon, but he didn’t say anything. Perhaps he wasn’t used to women fighting over him. Not that we were fighting over him, exactly.
He was the most security she’d ever had.
He was the most security I’d ever had.
Neither of us would give it up without a fight.
‘What about the report?’ I asked. ‘We need to do it together.’
He looked at the stack of invoices on my desk. ‘You’re right. It has to go out tonight.’
Good. He’d sided with me. He turned to tell her, ‘I work. Bye, bye,’ but just as he opened his mouth, she kissed him and plastered herself to his body.
If English was my weapon, sex was hers. He went cross-eyed with lust and she pulled him into his office. Olga gave me a pointed look and laughed. Clearly, she’d won that battle. She continued to cackle and I left, taking my clock with me. Thankfully, the kitchen was empty and I could sit and let my temper cool. If only I could understand what exactly I was angry about. Was it just the office supplies? Or the loss of control? I watched the minutes pass. When I returned to my desk, I could still hear Olga, even though the door was closed. She was saying in her pathetic English, ‘She no work. Daria lazy. She go. I work.’
What was Olga up to? Could she be attempting a takeover?
I looked past my palm tree, past the bars on the windows and waited for five o’clock. I had to face the truth: I’d lost my friend, I’d wasted months applying for jobs I’d never get, I’d never find love in Odessa or anywhere else, and I’d probably lost the most security Boba and I had ever had.
Chapter 4
Moonlight. I love this word. So romantic. There is a hint of secrecy, of deeds done at night when no one can see. I love its transformation from noun to verb. To moonlight: to work a second job on the sly.
When I told Boba I needed a second job, she said, ‘But I barely see you now. You don’t eat enough – look at you! Skin and bones and not much else. And you certainly don’t get enough rest!’ But Harmon was a man and if history had taught us anything, it’s that you can’t depend on a man. I needed to feel secure. At the shipping company, the waters were choppy and a storm could come in at any time.
I also like the phrase ‘to put out feelers.’ I imagined that Boba and I were caterpillars, putting out our feelers to find me another job. Our neighbor’s cousin needed a waitress. One of Boba’s former colleagues told us that his son-in-law in faraway Kiev was looking for an engineer. My friend Florina’s aunt was looking for someone to translate letters from American men to our women at her matchmaking agency. This job would be an opportunity for me to practice my English and maybe even meet someone. The office was located on a quiet street five blocks from the shipping company. Three times I passed the ground-floor
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