Junior Year Box Set

“When I came over to talk, I was introduced to Yuri’s grandma. She insisted that we take her along,” he said and gave me a cryptic look.

“What we found was Jan’s mom treats her more like a roommate than a mother. Not like a welcome roommate, either. Jan is ignored and basically on her own. As long as she stayed out of her mom’s way, there weren’t any issues. If she got her mom’s attention, all the attention she received was negative—basically, verbal abuse.”

“It turns out Jan was a ‘daddy’s girl’ until her father went overseas, and her mom just plain resents the hell out of that, and out of her. It’s pretty clear her mom never wanted the responsibility of raising a child.

“At one point, between Yuri’s grandma and Jan’s mom, I was afraid someone would get hurt, but we finally got everything calmed down. We found out Jan’s dad had taken a high-paying job in the Middle East. Right before he was supposed to come home, he’d called and said his contract had been extended, and he had to stay.

“Both Jan and her mom felt abandoned. From what I could figure out, her dad was the glue that held the family together. He’d been the one to tell Jan ‘no’ and to be the responsible parent. Without him in the household, Jan was left to fend for herself, but she’d never learned how,” Uncle John explained.

“So how did you work it out so Jan would move in with the Antakovs?” I asked.

“Yuri’s grandma wasn’t leaving without her, once she saw what was going on,” Uncle John said.

“Mom can get that way,” Mrs. Antakov said.

“Jan’s mom didn’t really care, but we called her dad to confirm it was okay. He had no idea things had gotten to this state, but he was tied to a long-term contract and couldn’t get home to help. I assured him that I felt the Antakovs would be good for her. Her dad ended up giving us permission to help Jan. He’s setting up financial help for the Antakovs’ time and effort. He’s also going to email us a power of attorney that lets Yuri’s family make parental decisions on Jan’s behalf. Her dad also asked that I make sure Jan is taken care of,” Uncle John said.

“What do you think about all this?” I asked Yuri.

He gave me ‘the look.’ I honestly thought only girls could do that. I might have to smack that out of him if he continued to give it to me. There had to be something in the ‘Bro Code’ about it.

“I’m not sure you realize what you’ve done. Grandma takes this patron stuff seriously; it’s what was around her when she grew up. She always thinks long-term and family first. Grandma told me that I could do worse than have you to help guide me,” he said, and then gave me a hard look. “You do know most marriages in old Russia were arranged marriages, don’t you? Arranged at a young age, too! I may be stuck for good! Good thing you set me up with the hottest girl in school, though!”

He grinned as he mock-punched my arm. I grinned back. The little dumbass didn’t know what he’d gotten himself into.

“I knew Jan way back when, long before her dad left for the Middle East. There’s a lot more to her than you’ve seen so far, and a lot more to her than I suspect even she realizes,” I said. Then I turned back to my uncle. “Thanks for the help. I would’ve had no idea what needed to be done. Is there anything you need from me?”

He just shook his head. I knew my uncle had everything in hand. I felt better knowing that Yuri’s grandma wanted to play an active role in all this. Jan wouldn’t get away with much with my little Russian-mafia wannabe. She would absolutely toe the line if Grandma had anything to say about it. With Uncle John overseeing everything, I was confident Jan would be looked after.

I said my goodbyes and drove home slowly, with the windows down, full of thought. I’d rarely felt anything as powerful as the emotion I’d encountered in Yuri’s home. The source of it all was a seemingly gruff little slip of an old lady who could only speak broken English.

What Yuri had said about an arranged marriage shook me up a bit. I wondered for a moment if I had really helped Jan or not. She had gone from her home, where she pretty much had free rein to do what she wanted, to being under the watchful eye of Yuri and his grandma. I guess my biggest concern wasn’t for Jan, because she did need the tough love and the support Yuri and his family would give her. My biggest worry was Yuri. I was sure he’d be okay with the sex. He was a teenage boy, after all. It was Jan. She was used to getting her way and knew how to manipulate guys with her body and drugs. I just hoped Yuri was sufficiently tough to handle Jan and the temptations. Heaven knows I’d fallen for her, and I hadn’t even gotten laid. I would bet he was just hardheaded enough to get the job done. If not, I could always kick his ass, or better yet, tell on him. I’d done it with Phil. Yuri might give me a better fight when he came for me.

◊◊◊

Chapter 7 – Nobody Taught Us to Quit Wednesday November 11