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Lubov Suka (Chapter 13)



Author: Dvizheniya
Genre: Romantic, Comedy, Drama

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Chapter 13




After the shipment of the invitation Julia received many confirmations. The singer was busy with organizing her birthday party for the rest of the week. Due to the numerous guests she booked the whole restaurant 'Chaika' in Moscow city for this evening and ordered a ornate buffet.
Two days before the ceremony an unexpected guest visited her. Her ex-boyfriend Vladim wanted to pick up the rest of his stuff out of the before common apartment. Julia was surprised that she felt neither tension nor old love feelings toward him. This feeling was clearly based on reciprocity. Vladim embraced her warmly at the door and during a conversation with a cup of tea the conversation relaxed more and more.
After a four-hours visit Julia invited her ex-boyfriend also for her birthday party. Vladim accepted the invitation grateful and even helped her with the last organizations in the Chaika Restaurant.



The birthday party was a big success. The guests celebrated until the early morning. Since the early morning Julia was busy in the Chaika restaurant. She controlled the guest list for the last time and the ordered buffet. After a short rehearsal for her small performance she had to leave in a rebuilt dressing room because in the early afternoon the first guests had already arrived to the ceremony.
Despite the great company and the nice atmosphere at this evening Julia already knew that in the upcoming year she'll celebrate just in a small circle of her family and friends. Next to the lightning storm of the press she had so greet each single guest.

In the early morning Julia came back home. She was very exhausted from her birthdayparty. The singer was about to enter her apartment when she was stumbling over a small brown package. The brunette lifted it from the floor and turned on the light in the corridor. After closing the door she was searching for the shipper adress. With some tired eyes she was checking every corner of the package and frowned as she noticed that the package wasn't labeled. Not even with her own address. Julia went into the living room and sat down on her sofa. She opened curiously the mysterious present and saw a white card. The cover was depicted of countless of small red roses. She opened the greeting card with a following hand-written message:



I'm very sorry that I couldn't come to your birthday party.
 I hope you have spent a nice evening with your family and friends without me anyway. I would like to give you this gift personally. Too bad I can't be with you now! ( Just imagine I'm with you now with a special personally birthday song made by me, of course!)

Jul, ...  Happy Birthday!!! I wish you all the best!

Your Dima

PS: The postman was a friend of mine) No need to be scared))



Julia was touched by this surprise and she was reading the message once again. She put the card aside and took the gift out off the little brown box.
Dima had gift her a bath oil collection with different scents and its effects. From lavender scent for a delicate skin, vanilla for a relaxing bath up to the smell of roses for the relaxation of the muscles. Another time she was pleasantly surprised by it. A few weeks ago she had told him that a long and warm bath can relax her the most. There weren't many people in her life who were able to remind those little things that she once said. With a smile on her lips she went to the bathroom and put the oil collection on a shelf. After this long night she would love to takea bath now and using one of this oils. But she was too tired now and decided to take a quick shower before she went to bed.



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Julia spent the rest of the week with her family and friends. She attended with her mother Larissa to various schools in Moscow because her daughter will start school this year. She also visited cafes, bars and clubs and celebrated extensively with friends late into the night.
The next sunny Monday morning Julia slipped into a white tank top and a bright blue colored pair of jeans. She put her iPhone on the shelf in the bathroom which sounded in full volume the song 'Runaway Baby' by Bruno Mars*  After she had put on some decent make-up and darken her eyes a bit with an eyeliner she looked in the mirror and started to dance rhythmically with her upper body with the chorus of the song.
With her broken pronounced english she was singing some parts of the song and wondering how she could style her hairs today. With both hands she went through her middle long hairs until she had a wild disheveled look. She had to smile about it and decided to let her hairs like this.

"I love you so ..... hey! ..." she whined loudly out one part of the song with her husky voice and gesturing with her index finger at her own mirror image. With the other hand she took the hair spray bottle and sprayed it in her hairs.

"... Baby baby please dont go away ..." roared the singer and sang so loud that she lost her voice briefly in the middle of the sentence. It always happened when she wasn't focused on her vocal cords or when she was talking too hectically. Julia put the hairspray on the shelf and looked in the mirror for the last time and had to smile about the own fail of her voice. After she switched off her iPhone the singer walked into the corridor of the apartment. She took her brown Louis Vuitton handbag from the wood colored sideboard and filled it with all the utensils which was needed for the today's day. With the last look in the big mirror she put on her sunglasses and left the apartment.
When the brunette was about to close the door she saw Marina with Viva coming upstairs. Marina had been the best friend of her mother since high school. Moreover Marina wasn't just the nanny since Viktoria's birth. She was also the godmother of both children and made an excellent job. Her support for the family was highly regarded.

"Marina!!" Julia welcomed the elderly lady and gave her a warmly hug.

"Julitschka ... are you going away already?" snorted Marina who was completely out of breath and dry the damp forehead with a white tissue. The stairs were always a small hurdle for the slightly overweight woman.

Julia knelt down. While she greeted her beloved dog Julia was nodding, looked up at Marina and frowned.

"I didn't know you wanted to come over today. Otherwise I would have offered you some breakfast ..."

But Marina just waved and shook her head.

"It's ok Julitschka.... It wasn't really planned that I'll come over to your place today. Your mother need to drive in the city and therefore she can't pick up the kids from the kindergarten. So, I'll do that today."

Julia stood up with a smile and stroked gently the lady's arm.

"What would I do without you Marinotschka...," Julia said and put her head slightly to the side.

Marina smiled back. At the same time the lady laid her hand softly on Julia's shoulder and pushed her slightly forward.

"Now go my dear. Otherwise you're gonna be late again for your appointment!" Marina said in a slightly worried tone and made her way slowly into the apartment of the single mother.

Julia nodded and gave Marina a brief hug, kissed her on the cheek before the singer walked downstairs with waving hands.

Today the brunette was particularly in a good mood due to the spring-like temperatures and the associated warm sun. It was the first time since the break up with Vladim that she enjoyed the feeling of freedom. Especially since the birthday party she knew that a future friendship with Vladim was possible. He behaved very neutral and caring at the same time. Julia felt well in his presence. The feeling and imagine to have a friendship with a ex boyfriend was still a bit unusual for the single mother. But she didn't rush anything. The break up wasn't long ago. Julia felt free and boundless energy now.
As she arrived in her Porsche the singer drove off in the center of Moscow. Today she'll meet Elena Kiper and Ivan Shapovalov for a brunch at the famous Moscow 'Buffet Cafe'. Julia hadn't seen Ivan for a while and was delighted about the reunion after such a long time.
Last year in December the former lead singer of t.A.T.u. had met Elena Kiper at Sergio Galoyans birthday. Elena had offered to be a songwriter. Julia accepted this offer gratefully and was very enthusiastic about the idea. She already admired Kipers work since the project of t.A.T.u. and was fascinated by the writing style of her emotional and also depressive lyrics. Now the singer was looking forward to the outcome of the lyrics for her solo project.
Like every day the impulsive Russian capital gift some plenty traffic jams. But today the singer was relaxed. Instead of getting mad about the driving behaviour of other motorists she leaned back in her leather seat and turned the music louder.



The floor in the noble Café was covered with a carpet like in many typical restaurants in Moscow. The carpet was in a dark red wine color and the light of the small gold chandeliers on the ceiling, reflected on the polished cream-colored tables and chairs.
Julia entered the tasteful local and discovered her former team and went to the reserved table. Elena stood up to welcome the second half of the former Russian pop duo.

"Julchik!" Kiper squeaked softly through her teeth. She narrowed her eyes and spread out her arms to embrace the young woman.
Julia replied with a soft 'hello' in an almost restrained tone. Before she took Elena lovingly in her arms she gave her a quick kiss on the lips.

"I'm so happy to see you again!" Kiper said.

"I am also happy to see you again!" replied Julia and her eyes wandered to Ivan. But the singer was terrified for a brief second about the way her ex manager looked like. The usually well-built man was now bony and frail. Through his pale face the dark spots under his eyes were clearly visible.

"Vanya ...?" whispered Julia and let slowly off from Kiper. Fright was written in her eyes and she was looking once again at Ivan, inspected him from the head to the toes. Ivan smiled with his tired eyes. The actual mysterious spark in his brown eyes was completely extinguished.

"Julka ..." welcomed the former manager of t.A.T.u. the young woman with a slightly weakened voice. Ivan got up and pushed back the chair a bit with his trembling hand. He came closer and took the petite brunette in his arms. When Julia gently stroked his back she was asking in a quiet voice for the reason for his significant weight loss. She took his hands and looked into the murky brown eyes. Ivan shrugged lightly and understate the unpleasent truth while Julia stroked gently with her thumb over his palm.
But he swallowed as he was looking at her worried gaze and tried to calm the young woman. Vanja was smiling encouragingly and was hoping secretly that the stubborn brunette will be reassured by this statement.

"Yes it's true. I don't feel so good. But I take some herbal medication. Then I'm feeling a bit better."

Julia gave him a slightly skeptical look. She looked at Kiper who sat back on her chair. The Songwriter cleared the throat and was more silently focused on the burning candle which stood in the middle of the table.
Ivan and Julia also sat on their chairs as the waitress handed them the menu cards. Each of them was deepened in reading the endless offer of food and drinks. But Julia couldn't believe that Ivan was in such a bad health condition. Again and again she was looking over the edge of the menu card and observed how Vanja tried to hold his card with the trembling hands. His eyes wandered absently over the selection of the menus as he wouldn't read it at all.
Julia finally broke the silence. She put her menu card on the table and folded the arms.

"I would like to know what is going on now," she said in a serious tone. Her eyes were still fixed on Ivan.

But she won just a cursory glance from Ivan before he devoted to the selection of the menu card again. With a inquisitive glance she stared steadily at Kiper. She also put the card back on the table and took a deep breath.

"Ivan has some headache for several months. However he refuses to go to the doctor. He recently spent some weeks in China. He felt a bit better there. Yet since he came back home there's no way to move or fascinate him. He's kinda lost."

Julia frowned and was surprised by this statement and she started to ask countless of questions.

"Headache? China? Why China? What did you do there? Is this the reason why you didn't come to my birthday party? For how long do you have the pains??"

Kiper nodded and her eyes wandered to Ivan who added that he felt a little ball on his forehead for some months. He explained that he flew to China to begin a therapy. Now he will continue the therapy at home with the prescribed herbal remedies from China. But Julia just shook her head incredulous.

"Herbal remedies...You hope for a miracle, Vanya! Your medications obviously won't help you. You have to go to a doctor." she said in a worried tone.

But Ivan just shrugged "Don't worry about me. I..."

However Ivan couldn't finish his sentence because Julia interrupted him with her noisy opinion.

"But I am worried! You can't give yourself up. There are so many people who love you. Support you! We all want to help you! Take this damn help! It's a gift! You can't always run away from the truth! Of course... this is a convenient way. But this way won't help you. You have to go in a hospital!!! "

By virtue of the whole emotions the singer spoke quickly and uncontrollably again that she lost her voice in the half of the sentence again. Ivan looked silently down at the table while he was playing nervously with a white serviette.

"...remember Vanja... years ago people told you to send Lena and me to a proffesional vocal teacher. But no. You remained being stubborn. The result of it? Today I sound like I had a chronic cold. If you had listen to other people who permanently have persuaded you, I'd feel better today," Julia hissed in a defiant tone.

"Julitschka ..." Kiper said indignantly.

"These are facts, Elena! And it's just a good example that his illusions are sometimes wrong in life."

"But it won't help him now when you'll roll up some old stories and mistakes."

"Of course it will help him. He should think about it! His eternal stubbornness will bring in his own grave one day. Not everything in your life turns out like you imagine and like you wish for. Sooner or later everyone has to take another way.  Though these paths can be stony. And it happens so often that you need to do something which you wouldn't like to do. And this way he will have to go. He needs a hospital!"

The little irritated conversation was interrupted by the waitress when she asked for the order. Then it was quiet again for few minutes. Julia didn't want to deepen the topic and asked about Kiper's career as a songwriter. The conversation relaxed very quickly though Ivan was unusually restrained. He was watching the women during their conversation and continued to play kinda oblivious with the corner of a serviette. He just shown a bit more interest as Julia started to tell about the beginning of her career as a solo singer and about her children. Since they hadn't seen each other for a long time the brunch extended to a extensive lunch.

Julia did assume the payment and put her purse and iPhone back into the purse. She stood up and was watching Ivan a brief moment. Then she offered him an arm so he could hook on with her. But the former manager of t.A.T.u. felt a bit uncomfortable at first by this gesture.

"Julitschka, I feel ... "

But the singer shook her head and didn't let Ivan finish his sentence.

"Come on! No backtalk!" she said in a slightly stern tone.

In the end he hooked up around her arm and whispered a quiet 'thank you'  while his eyes were fixed on the floor. With small steps they walked out of the Buffet Café. When they arrived at a taxi which parked at the entrance of the restaurant Elena opened the passenger door. Ivan was about to get into the taxi but Julia took his hand and pulled him gently back. One last time she was asking him if he wants to start a treatment in a hospital.
Ivan looked into the deep blue worried eyes. Even if Julia had a different look now but those eyes with this unique glance were still the same as she was thirteen years old. It was a undisputed feature of the petite woman. A feature which Julia also can use as a personal weapon. Whether she was sad or happy. She was able to control everyone with it. Intentionally or unintentionally .
Ivan had to remember the lively twelve years old girl. A teenager with endless energy, power, creativity and humor. All of that absolutely didn't change. He smiled and whispered her name. The man stroked gently with his slightly trembling hand over the soft cheek of the singer and put with two fingers a strand of hairs from the face.

"You've always been so special. Not only for me. For everyone. Nobody can withdraw your charisma. You always see the positive aspect in negative situations. Without you I hadn't achieve a lot of things in my life. Thank you ... for everything!"

Julia frowned and every single outspoken word was like an echo in her ears. His words sounded almost like a farewell. Just as she was about to answer Ivan went into the Taxi and closed the door. Ivan looked one last time in Julia's face and gave her a smile. Then he gave a hand signal to the taxi driver and the white colored taxi drove off.

"Vanya ..." Julia whispered with a slightly trembling voice. When the taxi was no longer visible the first tears ran down her cheek.

Elena took the petite woman in her arms and held her tight.

"Well. you know Vanya... He's stubborn. Nobody can change his mind," Kiper said in a calm voice and stroked gently the back of the sobbing woman. Julia pushed her face against Elena's shoulder and tried to relieve pain in her heart.

"You knew that Ivan doesn't feel well, right?" Julia wanted to know.

Elena looked down on the floor and nodded slightly. Julia took her head from Kiper's shoulder and looked into the blue sky. She closed her eyes briefly.

"Ok ... now I know why Ivan hasn't appeared on my birthday. But I'm very sad about the fact that no one told me what's going on. Do I have no right to know about it?"

"Julia, please .." Kiper tried to calm the singer.

"Of course you have a right to. But there was no good opportunity to tell you all this. I don't wanna tell you this just on the phone or at Sergio's birthday party."

Julia shook her head and smiled sarcastically. "And when did you think about to tell me? When it's too late because he's dead?"

Kiper took a deep breath and didn't answer. Julia had a talent to express things in a very direct way and thus made ​​many people speechless.

"Ivan needs more support. Will you help me?" asked the brunette and once again she was using the glance of her begging blue eyes.

"Of course. You can count on me. What will you do?" Elena wanted to know.

But Julia just shrugged with her shoulders.

"I don't know yet. I'll think about something and I'm gonna inform you. I won't give Ivan up..." 


*Song available in the playlist of this website


2 comments:

  1. The postman was a friend of me x (MINE)

    Very good, just the one typo

    ReplyDelete
  2. fran!! Ohh! Are you reading the fanfiction??
    I didn't know that! What a surprise!

    Good to know my grammar teacher is in here :D Thanks babe :*

    ReplyDelete