Good Medicine Senior YearChapter 56 Holy Week and Pascha Part I
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July 29, 1984, McKinley, Ohio
“Your mom hasn’t called you yet?” Tasha asked when our small group gathered at her apartment on Sunday afternoon.
“No,” I replied. “But I figured it would take a couple of weeks of not hearing from me or Liz before she decides she needs to talk to me.”
“You’re doing OK?”
“Yes. It’s not all that different from you and Sasha, except that your dad figured it out quickly.”
“If by that you mean you shamed him into behaving as a Christian should, then yes.”
“How is Sasha doing?”
“She wishes they could be in their own place instead of at my parents’ house, but until she graduates, that’s difficult because she needs my mom or grandmother to watch Viktoriya, and it’s much easier to do that at home.”
“So the idea of being able to make love in her own bed isn’t so attractive now?” I chuckled.
“Would you like to live with your parents once you were married?”
“Not particularly,” I replied. “But in her case, finishing High School is important, and she needs the help.”
“That would be true of Elizaveta as well,” Tasha said.
“Yes, and Lara will have two more years of college, so either way, my wife will be in school. The main difference is no babies before they’re out of school!”
“But lots of practice!” Tasha teased.
“And you’ll do the same thing when you and Nikolas marry!”
“When will that be?” Jocelyn asked.
“Probably not until next Summer so that Nikolas has a job. Because he’s at OSU, it’s too difficult to live here in McKinley and drive to Columbus every day, and living there would make it difficult for me to drive to work every day.”
“Bummer for you,” I teased.
“Don’t be «некультурный»!” she squealed.
“If there is one place I can be «некультурный», it’s here!”
“Jocelyn, how are things with Bill?” Tasha asked.
“Progressing; the same as Clarissa and Abby.”
“And you’re taking Dona on those Friday night dates?” Tasha asked.
“Yes. And playing mini golf with her on Saturdays. I like her, and she’s fun to be around, but she’s not Orthodox and has no desire to go to church.”
“Ask him about what he’s doing tomorrow,” Clarissa said.
“I have a golf lesson,” I replied.
Tasha laughed, “Golf?! You?”
“I know. But Mr. Kozlov wants me to learn to play, and it is a pretty common thing for doctors.”
“Are you going to have time for golf, karate, and chess?” she asked.
“Something will have to give,” I replied. “And I think it’ll be karate. Running is good exercise and I can change the times and days I run to accommodate my schedule, and even run on a treadmill if I need to. But we’ll see how things go before I make any permanent decisions.”
“Golf is way more expensive than karate,” Jocelyn observed.
“That is something to consider,” I replied. “It won’t be a big deal ten years from now, but in the interim, it would be.”
“We’ll be gone Friday night and most of Saturday,” Clarissa said. “Mike is taking me home to see my parents.”
“Where’s that?” Jocelyn asked.
“Sylvania. I haven’t seen them since I came out to them a year ago.”
“They’re ready to deal with it?”
“Who knows?”
“All of our parents seem to have issues with our choices,” Jocelyn said.
“They’re not quite ready for us to be adults,” I said. “That was completely clear from my talk with my dad. Liz being eighteen didn’t matter to him any more than it mattered when I turned eighteen.”
“My mom and dad have NO room to talk,” Jocelyn said. “I went to my biological parents’ wedding!”
“As did Viktoriya!” Tasha added mirthfully. “Much to my father’s dismay!”
“He tried his best to prevent that,” I chuckled. “But nature had other ideas. I take it Sasha’s blood pressure has returned to normal?”
“Yes. She’s perfectly healthy and is trying to lose the weight she gained.”
“She’s nursing, right?” Jocelyn asked.
“Yes. Once school starts that will be an issue, but she can express milk for feedings while she’s at school.”
“Do what?” I asked.
All three girls laughed.
“You can be such a boy at times,” Jocelyn laughed. “She’ll use a breast pump to remove milk from her breast and store it in a bottle in the fridge for Viktoriya’s midday feeding.”
“Things I had NO clue about,” I replied. “Hopefully stuff like that will be covered in our Reproductive Physiology class.”
“A man admitting he has no clue!” Jocelyn teased. “Now there’s a first!”
“Oh, please! How many times did I admit that to you over the years? Especially about girls!”
“And sex!”
Tasha and Clarissa laughed.
“You trained him well, Jocelyn!” Clarissa smirked.
“Yes, you did!” Tasha said primly.
I laughed hard for a good minute.
“Tasha Vasilyevna you are «некультурный»!” I declared.
“This is a special situation, and sadly, soon enough, it will change. When you and I both marry, we’ll need to behave differently.”
“Unfortunately,” I sighed.
July 30, 1984, McKinley, Ohio
“Michael, this is our PGA pro, Ron Franks.”
“Hi, Mr. Franks,” I said.
He smiled, “Call me Ron, everyone does. I’ll take it from here, Viktor.”
“OK. Subdeacon, come find me in the clubhouse when you’re finished.”
“Yes, Sir.”
He walked away and I turned to face Ron.
“OK. We’ll start with a brief overview of the game. Can you tell me the object?”
“Complete the course in the fewest strokes possible. I’ve played mini golf, so THAT much I know.”
“Good. Anything else you know?”
“Besides having seen Caddyshack?” I asked with a grin.
“That might not be the best instructional video!” he said with a wry smile.
“Then, beyond that, not really. Other than meeting Mr. Kozlov for lunch here, this is actually my first time on a golf course.”
“Then let’s take ten minutes and review the basic concepts.”
He described the layout of the course, including tees, fairways, rough, hazards, and greens, as well as the range of clubs which might be used, and the basic rules. We then went to the driving range, and he handed me a club.
“This is a 5-iron,” he said. “It’s a middle-range club, and is generally used from the fairway. It, and the 7-iron, are pretty much your go-to clubs for distances from about 120 yards up to around 200 yards. The most common use is for the second shot on a par 4 or the third shot on a par 5. Let’s work on a basic stance and swing, and we’ll take it from there.”
“How many clubs are usually in a bag?”
“Fourteen, and you can select the clubs which you find most useful. Normally, that’s the odd-numbered irons starting with the 3-iron; a pitching wedge; a sand wedge; a putter; a 1-wood, or driver; a 3-wood, or fairway wood; and then whatever other clubs you find useful, be they even-numbered irons, wedges, or woods. But don’t worry about that at the moment.
“A bag of fourteen clubs is heavy, so for a casual game, you might only carry a driver, 3-wood, 5-7-9 irons, pitching and sand wedges, and a putter. In theory, you could play the entire course with a 5 iron and putter, but the eight-club bag is reasonably lightweight and easy to carry for eighteen holes. We don’t allow golf carts except for senior players. Let me show you the stance.”
He showed me how to ‘address’ the ball, focusing on the position of my feet, and ensuring that my knees, hips, forearms, shoulders, and eyes were all aligned parallel to a line which went through the ball to the point for which I was aiming. He pointed out that the width of my stance would change based on the club I was using, but for the moment, he wanted to just deal with the 5-iron.
Once I had the stance correct, he showed me the proper grip, then how to align the club. He picked up the ball and had me take several practice swings, correcting me each time. He placed the ball back on the spot and asked me to hit it. I did, and it went at about 35° from the straight line.
“That would be a slice,” he said with a gentle smile. “And it’s pretty common for beginners. Your swing was a bit off and you struck the ball with the clubface ‘open’, which results in a slice. Let me see your grip in the proper stance, please?”
I showed him and he nodded.
“OK. First tip, when you grip, check the ‘V’ between your thumb and forefinger of your right hand points to your shoulder. Second, you rotated your hands a bit too much when you made your backswing. I know that might feel right, but it opens the clubface. Let’s try again.”
He put down the ball and had me hit it, and this time it only went about 10° off true.
“Much better. You’re still rotating the club a bit. Let’s hit a dozen or so and try to keep a proper grip, and don’t rotate your hands on the backswing. Try to be smooth as well.”
I hit the twelve balls, most of which went off the center line, and Ron made some adjustments to my stance, then had me hit the rest of the bucket of balls, making minor corrections along the way. By the time I was done, I could hit the ball relatively straight, though the distance was lacking.
“We’ll work on distance next time,” he said. “Your stance and swing are the keys to playing an enjoyable round of golf. If you develop bad habits, you’ll find yourself frustrated, and be one of those people who think ‘golf’ is a ‘four-letter word’ or a way to ruin a nice walk in the countryside. If you develop good habits, you’ll enjoy a round of golf with your doctor and lawyer friends, and it’ll be a wonderful social time. See you next Monday at the same time?”
“Sounds good,” I replied.
We shook hands and I went into the clubhouse, found Mr. Kozlov, and we went to the main dining room to have dinner.
“How did it go?” he asked.
“I haven’t been banned from the course,” I grinned. “So, I suppose I did OK. I’m having trouble with slicing.”
“Normal for a first-timer, and not all that uncommon amongst amateurs. It just takes a lot of practice. After a few more lessons, we’ll play a round. Of course, once the weather turns, golf is out unless we go to Myrtle Beach or someplace warm like that. What did you think?”
“Ask me when we play,” I replied. “It’s kind of like trying to judge what karate would be like from the first lesson.”
“Did Ron tell you to come next Monday?”
“Yes.”
“Good. We’ll have dinner again. I’ll see if some doctor friends of mine might join us.”
“I’d like that,” I replied.
I was, very obviously, being drawn into Mr. Kozlov’s orbit, and he was showing me the value of being there, with the obvious goal of me marrying Elizaveta. And if I took it as a sales pitch, I’d have to say he was doing a very good job. And Elizaveta herself was doing a good job as well, showing off her cooking and baking skills. And her teasing about kissing indicated she, like certain other conservative Orthodox girls I knew, had a desire to enjoy what Tasha always called ‘the marriage bed’, though Tasha and I had made extensive use of it without actually being married.
“What courses are you taking this year?”
“Cellular biology, analytical chemistry with a lab, reproductive physiology, and Modern Social Issues during Fall semester. Then in the Spring, physical chemistry with a lab, a biology stats course, Russian Literature, and abnormal psychology. Normally, we’d have a research project, but the one we did last year covers both.”
“Who did you do your research with last year?”
“Clarissa and Sandy. Clarissa is the young woman who has come to church with me fairly regularly. We intend to go to medical school together and do our Residencies together, and ultimately, practice together.”
“She’s just a friend?”
I nodded, “A very close friend. We’ve been studying together since Freshman year. Elizaveta has spoken to her a number of times.”
“And your closest male friend?”
“Is at UW Madison, but I have some good friends at Taft, though none of them are pre-med, which is why they aren’t study partners. We have a fairly close group of about a dozen students who hang out together. Only Sandy and Pete are a serious couple. The rest of us are just close friends, and most of them were at church for Pascha.”
Well, Robby and Lee were a couple, but I wasn’t about to get into that discussion.
“I’ve met your parents, but I don’t know what they do.”
“My dad is a supervisor in the Harding County Property Division and my mom is a legal secretary.”
“You have a sister, right?”
“Liz. She’s living in Rutherford now. She’s working as a hostess and will attend Rutherford Junior College in the Fall. She’s studying accounting.”
“I’d like to invite your family to dinner. Would you ask your parents?”
I’d talked to Lara the previous evening about the likelihood that we wouldn’t be able to visit my parents, and it hadn’t been an issue for her, but this was different. I wasn’t quite sure how to resolve the issue, given I wasn’t really speaking to my parents.
“I expect to talk to them later this week, so I’ll ask them.”
“Good.”
The waiter came and took our order, and once he’d done so, we continued our small talk as we got to know each other. When we finished our meal, I thanked him, said I’d see him at church and on Thursday, then headed back to campus.
August 1, 1984, McKinley, Ohio
“Mike!” Clarissa exclaimed. “Our results are here!”
“I’m about to leave for church,” I replied. “I’ll read them later.”
“What?!” Jocelyn demanded.
I laughed, “Wow, you’re gullible!”
“I’ll show YOU gullible, Mik!” she said menacingly.
Clarissa handed me my envelope which had been sent to Doctor Blahnik’s house as that was my legal residence.
“You first, Lissa,” I said.
She nodded and carefully opened the envelope. Her eyes lit up and a broad smile spread across her face.
“Yes!” she exclaimed. “Biology 13; Chemistry 13; Physics 10; Science 13; Reading 13; Quantitative 12; 74 composite, which is the 97th percentile!”
“Wow!” Jocelyn gushed. “Congrats!”
“Great job, Lissa!” I exclaimed.
“Your turn, Petrovich!” Clarissa declared.
I opened the envelope and extracted the contents. I quickly scanned them and realized I’d beat Clarissa by a single point.
“Biology 14; Chemistry 14; Physics 10; Science 13; Reading 12; Quantitative 12; 75 composite, which is the 98th percentile.”
“Congrats, Petrovich! One point! You beat me in biology and Chemistry, but I beat you in reading.”
“There were no science fiction questions,” I replied.
“Great job, Mik!” Jocelyn said, hopping up to hug and kiss me.
“Those are really good scores, right?” Dona asked.
“97th and 98th percentile means only two or three percent of students who took the test did better,” I replied. “That means we’ll get into basically any medical school we want, but we want McKinley Medical School here.”
“Neither of you did very well in physics,” Jocelyn observed.
“A 10 is basically average,” Clarissa replied. “It’s pretty much what both of us expected. We studied with the intent of being average there, but excelling in chemistry, biology, and general science. It worked.”
“Physics doesn’t seem all that important with regard to being a doctor,” Dona said.
“Part of it is ensuring you have a solid science background,” Clarissa said. “But there are advances in what’s being called ‘nuclear medicine’ for treating cancer and tumors. But neither of us are going to do much in that area.”
“What’s next then?” Dona asked.
“Interviews. We’re both interviewing at McKinley Medical School on September 13th. We’ll hear from the other schools very soon. And I hate to read my results and run, but I need to get to church.”
“Celebrate with Chinese food and wine at Doctor Blahnik’s house?” Clarissa asked.
Everyone agreed and I left for church where I shared my results first with Father Nicholas, then after Vespers, with Tasha and Viktor Kozlov, both of whom congratulated me. I left the church and headed to Doctor Blahnik’s house where the girls were waiting with Chinese food.
“Just a splash of wine,” I said when Jocelyn began pouring.
“Sticking to your self-imposed limits?”
“I’m going to abstain almost completely once I finish my second year of medical school,” I said.
“What about you, Clarissa?” Jocelyn asked.
“I’m not sure, but I certainly have to be careful. I’m just not sure complete abstention is necessary.”
“I’ll probably allow myself things like champagne on New Year’s, or some drinks when I’m on vacation,” I said. “But if there’s a chance I’ll be called in, then I have to have 0.0.”
“That makes sense,” Jocelyn said. “Are you going to call your parents with your test scores?”
“I hadn’t decided. I’ll call Liz after we eat. I’ll tell Lara when she arrives tomorrow. I talked to her last night to confirm our plans.”
“But not seeing your parents?”
“I expected my mom to call, but she hasn’t. I suppose I’ll call to tell her my MCAT results and see what she says. Lara and I will go see Liz on Saturday no matter what.”
“It would be the right gesture to call your mom,” Jocelyn said.
We toasted our success, ate our dinner, and I went to use the phone in Milena’s room to make my calls. I called Liz first, and she shrieked so loudly I had to move the handset from my ear.
“Mikey! You did great!”
“And I’m now permanently deaf in one ear,” I teased.
“Sorry! How did Clarissa do?”
“What?” I teased, pretending I couldn’t hear her.
“Oh, stop!” Liz laughed. “I know you heard me!”
“I did,” I chuckled. “Clarissa scored only one point lower. Basically equally well.”
“Cool! Are you still planning on breakfast on Saturday?”
“Yes. We’ll meet you at the restaurant at 7:00am. Did you hear from Hannah or Violet?”
“They told me what happened. I can’t believe Maggie reacted the way she did. I’m sorry.”
“There’s nothing to apologize for. Just so you know, I’m going to call Mom to tell her about my test scores.”
“I figured you would. She tried to talk to Emmy but Emmy told her she wasn’t going to get involved.”
“Good. That should be everyone’s response. See you Saturday morning!”
We said ‘goodbye’ and I pressed the switchhook then dialed my parents’ house.
“Loucks residence,” Mom said when she answered.
“It’s Mike,” I said. “I called to tell you I scored a 75 on the MCAT, which is the 98th percentile.”
“That’s very good,” she replied. “Congratulations.”
“Lara’s going to be visiting this weekend and I had planned to bring her to meet you, possibly for lunch on Saturday, but I’m not sure I’m welcome.”
December 30, 1984, McKinley, Ohio On Sunday, after church, Clarissa, Elizaveta and I went to Tasha’s apartment to spend the afternoon with her and Nik. Tasha and Elizaveta prepared dinner together, and had a quiet conversation in Russian, while Nik, Clarissa, and I talked. From their body language, I got the impression that «бабушка» Natalya was giving Matushka Elizaveta advice. My first thought was that I should be very afraid, but that thought was fleeting, and I realized that if there was...
March 28, 1985, McKinley, Ohio On Thursday, after my lesson with Doctor Blahnik, I met with Mark and Alyssa for our final catechism class. We finished reviewing the Nicene Creed, and then went over the baptismal rite to ensure they knew exactly what would happen on Holy Saturday morning. “Seriously?” Mark asked. “A horse trough?” “It’s painted gold with three-bar crosses on each side,” I offered. “The only other options are a river or a lake. We could probably arrange that, if you felt it...
August 21, 1984, McKinley, Ohio “When’s your last day?” Grace asked on Tuesday morning. “Tomorrow. I need to participate in checking in Freshmen starting Thursday. Are you working Thursday and Friday?” “Thursday, because it’s check-in. Friday I’ll be at orientation. Do you think we could keep our chess dates?” “Evenings are out because of studying, but Tuesday and Thursday afternoons are completely free, except for my guitar lesson on Thursday right after lunch.” “What about Tuesday...
June 5, 1984, McKinley, Ohio “Do you want me to sleep at Doctor Blahnik’s house tonight?” Clarissa asked when she arrived at the dorm early on Tuesday evening so we could go to dinner. “No,” I replied. “Ice cream with Grace isn’t a date. And besides, you know the score.” “So this doesn’t end with her licking your cone?” she teased. I laughed, “No. I won’t be more than an hour or so.” “I’ll hang out with Jocelyn and Dona. I don’t want Kelly to complain I was in your room without you...
June 9, 1984, McKinley, Ohio “I’ve figured out what’s wrong with this game,” Dona said after we’d played the first nine holes. “What’s that?” “Using as few strokes as possible to get it in the hole!” I guffawed. “I mean, seriously, who wants FEWER strokes than average?” she continued. I laughed harder. “And who thinks that the best possible way to score is one stroke, then you take it out and move on to the next hole, never to put it in the first one again? GUYS! That’s who!” I...
June 2, 1984, McKinley, Ohio On Saturday morning, Clarissa left for her volunteer job at the local free clinic and I headed to the dorm to move my things from eight to two. It took about an hour to move everything and get it set up again. I’d just finished when I heard a very familiar voice call my name. “Hi, Jos!” I replied happily, holding out my arms. We hugged and exchanged a gentle kiss and then I pushed her cart down the hallway to her room. “You could have come up to get me to help...
April 28, 1985, McKinley, Ohio On Sunday, after the Divine Liturgy, Father Nicholas asked me to come to his office. “I spoke with Vladyka last evening. He gave his blessing for you to play in your band with a couple of conditions, which I don’t think will be a problem. The venues are important - no bars or clubs. He’d prefer you play things like High School dances, or venues where no alcohol is served. The key is decorum.” “Thank you. I’ll make sure I discuss any concerts with you in...
June 17, 1984, McKinley, Ohio “I’m going to break things off with Maggie tomorrow,” I said after Clarissa, Jocelyn, and I arrived at Tasha’s apartment for our usual Sunday dinner. “What?!” Jocelyn exclaimed. “I thought you were going to take the Summer.” “I’ve thought a lot about it, talked with Tasha, talked with Clarissa, and had a short talk with Doctor Blahnik. Basically, I let my promise to Maggie cause me to ignore the reality of the situation.” “Lara?” Jocelyn asked. “It’s...
January 2, 1985, McKinley, Ohio “Well?” Clarissa asked after I returned to the great room. “Wait and see. Angie’s next appointment is a week from tomorrow. I’m hoping Doctor Mercer waits until then to talk to Angie, but I’m afraid she’ll call Angie’s mom and THAT will cause Angie all sorts of heartache and might even set off her condition.” “Wouldn’t Doctor Mercer know that?” “Yes, but the problem is that Angie did something Doctor Mercer thinks is inherently dangerous. She’s almost...
October 20, 1984, McKinley, Ohio After Vespers on Saturday night, I headed back to campus and found a note saying the gang had gone to see Thief of Hearts and would be back around 10:00pm. I was dying to know if Clarissa and Sandy had received their letters from McKinley, but it looked as if I’d have to wait a few hours to find out. Given that my close friends were out, I really didn’t have much to do, so I picked up my guitar and played, though I didn’t sing. I started messing around with...
May 13, 1985, McKinley, Ohio The phone rang very early on Monday morning, startling me awake. A quick glance at the clock told me that it had to be Angie calling, and I dreaded answering the phone. Reluctantly, I got out of bed and moved across the room to answer it. “Mike,” I said after I picked up the handset. “Mike? It’s Mom.” “Mom?” I gasped in surprise. “What’s wrong?” “Grandpa Loucks had a heart attack,” she said. “Dad is on his way to Chicago.” “How bad?” I asked. “His prognosis...
June 16, 1984, McKinley, Ohio “So that’s it?” Clarissa asked when I hung up the phone on Saturday morning. “Yes. After I talked to the investigators on Thursday morning, they closed the investigation and late yesterday the base commander told Maggie’s dad he wasn’t going to take any action. According to what Karl said, the base commander gave Maggie’s dad an unofficial reprimand about what he said to me, but that won’t have any negative effect on his career.” “And Maggie is going to see...
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October 17, 1981, McKinley, Ohio There was a knock at the door just before 6:00pm and I was sure it was the girls so I called out for them to come in. As expected, it was Jeannette and Marie. “Ready for hot meat between buns and slurping creamy white liquid?” Jeannette teased. “My bedroom is right there!” I grinned. “Should we leave you two the room?” Marie smirked. “Dinner first, then dessert!” Jeannette laughed. I took Angie’s hand and the four of us left the dorm and headed for the...
December 16, 1984, McKinley, Ohio “That was an interesting speech by your bishop,” Clarissa said as we relaxed in my room after studying for Monday’s Analytical Chemistry exam. “You mean because it sounded like he was speaking directly to me? Or to you?” “It almost seemed as if he were excusing sin.” “I understand how you could hear it that way, but what he was doing was acknowledging the power it has over us. Paul wrote about it in Romans 7. Believe it or not, I don’t have that entire...
February 9, 1985, Milford, Ohio “Do you mind sitting in the waiting room for five minutes while I talk to Doctor Mercer about Angie?” “That’s fine,” Elizaveta replied as we walked through the door of the building where Doctor Mercer had her office. We went upstairs and into the waiting room and Doctor Mercer greeted us. Elizaveta sat on the couch and Doctor Mercer and I went into her office. “Elizaveta will join us after we talk about Angie,” I said. “You don’t need any private...
August 31, 1984, Duquesne, Pennsylvania “Anything I need to know?” I said as we neared Lara’s house. “Not really. I told you about both sets of parents.” “Names? I mean other than I know your biological dad is Sergei Viktorovich Federov.” “My step-mom is Alisa, my step-dad is Albert, and my biological mom is Elena. My step-siblings are Karolina and Pavel. Oh, and my cat is named Lilia Felicksovna Koshkaa,” she added with a laugh. “Cute! I take it that your step-dad’s house is typically...
September 29, 1984, McKinley, Ohio “Yes!” Elizaveta squealed. Everyone clapped and the grandmothers put the choker and bracelet on Elizaveta, who was impatiently waiting to come to me. Just before she did, Gennady hurried over, winked, and we exchanged a Russian greeting, causing everyone but Elizaveta, who simply rolled her eyes, to laugh. Once Gennady moved away, Elizaveta quickly came to me and we hugged tightly, then Elizaveta turned to her maternal grandmother. “Grandmother, may I...
October 13, 1984, McKinley, Ohio “I’d like you each to fill out this worksheet,” Father Nicholas said. “Please do not collaborate on the answers. It’s important for me to understand our starting point. Please don’t overthink this, or write down what you think I want to hear or what you think the other person wants to hear.” I scanned the worksheet before I began, something I did for every exam, quiz, or worksheet, then began with the first questions which mostly had to do with how well I...
November 17, 1984, West Monroe, Ohio “What did you say to get your dad to come upstairs?” Elizaveta asked as we climbed into my Mustang for the drive back to McKinley. “I just insisted he keep his word to you.” “To me? I’ve never spoken to him until today!” “The promise he made, three years ago, to love any girl I married and treat her like a daughter, was made to you. Well, assuming I’m not in enough trouble with you that you’re going to call off the wedding.” “You said you wanted to be...
January 17, 1985, McKinley, Ohio “My parents were kicked out of the church because they wouldn’t make me stop coming to Saint Michael the Archangel,” Mark said when I greeted him and Alyssa on Thursday afternoon. “Are they going to the Lutheran Church?” “Starting on Sunday, yes.” “What about yours, Alyssa?” “They’re supposed to have a meeting with the elders on Saturday morning. I invited them to Saint Michael, and Mark’s parents suggested they go to the Lutheran church.” “But it’s not...
February 16, 1985, Greater Cincinnati, Ohio “Good morning, Subdeacon,” Father Stephen said when Elizaveta and I walked into the main lobby of The Christ Hospital in Cincinnati. The hospital was on Mt. Auburn, one of the highest points in the city, and offered a nice view of the city below. Father Stephen was clad in his ryasa. “Father, bless!” I said, holding my cupped hands for his blessing. “Bless you, Subdeacon,” he said, making the sign of the cross over my upturned palms. I kissed...
May 26, 1985, McKinley, Ohio On Sunday morning, I decided to walk my usual route through Doctor Blahnik’s neighborhood, rather than run. I had nervous energy I needed to burn off, but I didn’t want to burn off ALL my energy. I put on my shorts, t-shirt, and running shoes, and went out the front door. I was surprised to find Clarissa sitting on the steps waiting for me. She hopped up and we exchanged a hug. “What are you doing here?” I asked. “Waiting for you! Ready?” “For?” She laughed,...
September 20, 1984, Milford, Ohio “Thanks for coming here, Mike,” Doctor Mercer said when I walked into her office. “I felt I had to. Clarissa and Sandy are at Frisch’s, and I’ll join them when we’re done. They know it could be a while.” “Have a seat,” she invited. Instead of sitting down, I went to the couch, took off my shoes, lay down, and stretched out. Doctor Mercer got up and moved to the chair which was positioned just behind my head. “This is different,” she said. “I know,” I...
December 24, 1984, McKinley, Ohio On Monday, which was Christmas Eve, I slept in, ate a light breakfast, then made some tea and went to sit in the music room to start reading Foundation. I read for about fifteen minutes before Doctor Blahnik came into the room. “What time are you leaving?” she asked “About 11:00am.” “And you’ll be back tonight?” “Around 9:30pm, most likely. We’ll go to Vespers, then have a light meal.” “Will you join Milena, Joel, Derek, and me to decorate the tree? I...
Theophany, January 6, 1985, McKinley, Ohio After I dropped Elizaveta at home, I took a chance and drove to Father Nicholas’ house. Matushka Natalya greeted me at the door and let me in. Father Nicholas invited me to his study. “Sorry to bother you at home, but the bishop suggested I speak to you.” “Am I going to be happy at the end of this conversation?” “Angie drove from Cincinnati on New Year’s Day to talk to me.” “I thought she wasn’t supposed to drive!” “She’s not. She did it...
March 15, 1985, McKinley, Ohio “What did I hear you playing?” Clarissa asked when I came downstairs on Friday afternoon. “Just practicing,” I replied. “Yes, but that was no guitar!” she protested. I frowned, “I really should have skipped practicing this week. It’s a surprise for my wedding.” “Wait! That’s one of those Russian guitars like the girl had in Doctor Zhivago!” “A balalaika,” I confirmed. “It was Doctor Blahnik’s suggestion.” “What songs can you play?” “The only one I play...
April 19, 1985, McKinley, Ohio Elizaveta drove my car to Pizza Inn, where her friends had reserved the small banquet room for the party. She’d be taking her driving test Thursday, and wanted a bit more practice. I was sure she’d pass, but with BMV employees, one never knew what might happen. When we arrived, Elizaveta backed into the parking spot just as I’d taught her, and after locking up the car, we went inside to where ten of her friends and their boyfriends or girlfriends were waiting,...
September 29, 1984, McKinley, Ohio At the close of Vespers, Father Nicholas, I, and two acolytes left the altar. He completed the prayers which served as the Dismissal, then turned to the congregation. “One announcement,” he said. “Tomorrow, immediately following the Divine Liturgy, we’ll have a betrothal ceremony for Subdeacon Michael and Elizaveta Kozlova.” There were a few gasps, but otherwise, no real reaction because we were in the nave, where applause or chatter was completely...
December 31, 1984, McKinley, Ohio Elizaveta greeted me at the door with a soft kiss, then took me to her father’s study. She left me with him and Gennady, then went to the kitchen to put the finishing touches on the meal. I accepted a splash of brandy from Viktor and we toasted. “When do you head back to Harvard?” I asked Gennady. “Wednesday afternoon,” he replied. “You know, I never asked if you had a girlfriend.” “I do. A girl who lives in Boston, but who’ll move here if I ask her to...
Sunday Of The Prodigal Son - February 10, 1985, McKinley, Ohio On Sunday morning, when I left the altar during the canon of Matins to retrieve Father Nicholas’ homily which he’d left in his office, I was pleased to see Mr. and Mrs. Greenwald standing near Mark and Alyssa. When I returned to the altar with Father Nicholas’ notecards, I quietly let him know that they were in attendance. As the Matins moved to the Divine Liturgy, the hymns foretold the destination of our Lenten journey, which...
May 25, 1985, McKinley, Ohio “In Psalm 8, we read - When I consider Your heavens, the work of Your fingers; The moon and the stars, which You have ordained; What is man that You are mindful of him; And the son of man that You visit him? For You have made him a little lower than the angels; And You have crowned him with glory and honor; You have made him to have dominion over the works of Your hands; You have put all things under his feet. “‘Crowned him with glory and honor’ - that is us,...
December 27, 1984, Rutherford and McKinley, Ohio “Marie, this is my friend Dale Melrose. Dale, this is my friend Marie De Santis.” I could tell by the look on Dale’s face he was VERY attracted to Marie, and knowing Marie, she’d be more than happy to entertain him, if that’s what he wanted. “Dale,” Jocelyn said, “this is my boyfriend, Bill Ebersole. Bill, Dale.” They shook hands and I suppressed a chuckle at the thought that Dale didn’t look at Bill the same way he had at Marie. We walked...
December 28, 1984, McKinley, Ohio “That’s how you left it?” Clarissa asked, later that evening, as we sat by the fireplace. “Given I didn’t have an answer to her question, there wasn’t really anything more I could say. She didn’t make me leave or anything, and we had a nice dinner with her parents and maternal grandparents. And she kissed me properly when I left.” “That’s good, I think.” “I think it’s neutral, which is, I suppose, ‘good’ from one perspective.” “I think you were right...
March 9, 1985, McKinley, Ohio On Saturday morning, Clarissa and I had breakfast together at Doctor Blahnik’s house where we were both staying during break. I’d slept at the dorm the previous night because it didn’t officially close until Saturday at noon. I had walked over from the dorm, made my toast with jam and sliced a grapefruit, then poured a glass of grapefruit juice and joined Clarissa at the kitchen table where she was eating bacon and pancakes with maple syrup. “How are things at...
April 15, 1985, McKinley, Ohio “How are you feeling, Petrovich?” Clarissa asked when she came to my door on Monday morning after I’d run and prayed. “Fine. I slept like a log last night! What did Abby think?” “She was pretty awestruck by the service and had a good time at the party. Everyone else seemed to have a great time, too.” “I think Clark made some new friends,” I chuckled. “He spent like three hours with the old men smoking and drinking!” “So did Gene. Did Jocelyn have to pour...
May 25, 1984, West Monroe, Ohio After our second round, Violet and I went to her bathroom to shower. We needed to get back to the party, so we didn’t take too long, and once we were clean and dry, we dressed and I helped her change the sheets on her bed. She put them in the washing machine, and checked the time so she could return to put them in the dryer. Once she was satisfied there was no remaining evidence, we left the house to walk back to the party. “Thank you for fucking my brains...
Chapter 10: Love And Other Things June 23, 1984, West Monroe, Ohio I’d had to skip my Saturday morning mini-golfing with Dona because Clarissa and I needed to be in McKinley for Sasha’s 11:00am wedding. Saturday weddings were not the norm, but Vladyka ARKADY had granted «ekonomia» because of the circumstances. While we were in the Apostle’s Fast, there were no strict canons against marriage during the Apostles Fast like there were for the Dormition Fast which would begin in a week. Given...
June 30, 1984, McKinley, Ohio “I was right!” I said when I arrived at Doctor Blahnik’s house after lunch with Mr. Kozlov. “No way!” “He asked me to take responsibility for the distribution of charity to individuals and families in need. He’s been doing it, temporarily, because of Deacon Grigory’s heart attack. As he said, it does belong with clergy, and typically falls to the deacon.” “Good call, Petrovich.” “He did have a second matter to discuss,” I grinned. “So, actually, we were both...
August 4, 1984, Rutherford, Ohio “Hi!” Liz exclaimed when Lara and I walked into the restaurant in Rutherford on Saturday morning. “Hi!” I replied, hugging her. Paul and I shook hands with a nod, I hugged Emmy, and then the five of us sat in a round corner booth. “Liz said you did really well on your test,” Paul said. I nodded, “I’ll get into the school I want, which is all that really mattered to me. Well, I have to have an interview, but I don’t foresee any problems there. Clarissa did...
October 1, 1984, McKinley, Ohio “Hi, Ang,” I said when she came to the phone. “Hi, Mike!” she answered. “How are you?” “Fine. How are you?” “OK. Have you thought about what I asked?” “Yes. Has Doctor Mercer talked to you about it?” “Yes,” Angie sighed. “And you agree with her?” “It’s more complicated than that,” I replied gently. “At this point, with my upcoming ordination, that kind of sin would be a serious problem. Father Nicholas warned me, without us talking about you, that he’d...
October 18, 1984, McKinley, Ohio On Thursday Clarissa, Sandy, and I had our fifth and final interviews in Pittsburgh. It followed the same basic pattern as the other four. Each of the schools - McKinley, OSU, UC, Indiana, and Pittsburgh had something to recommend itself. The girls and I discussed the strengths and weaknesses of each of the four schools besides McKinley, and decided, if we all didn’t get into McKinley, our order of choices would be UC, Indiana, Pittsburgh, and then OSU. Any...
October 20, 1984, West Monroe, Ohio “Please do not let my parents bait you into an emotional response,” I said to Elizaveta as I turned off Route 50 in West Monroe. “You think they will?” “I have no idea; I just wanted to warn you.” “Paul seems really nice,” Elizaveta said. “And yes, it was bad that he broke the law, but he and Liz are getting married. So in the end, they’re doing the right thing. You’re five years older than I am, and right now, I’m only about a year older than Liz...
November 3, 1984, McKinley, Ohio “That was fantastic, Mike!” Melody gushed when the debate ended about two hours after it had begun. “He served me up a series of fastballs right over the plate,” I replied. “His mistake was attacking externals at first, because that put him on the wrong foot from the get-go. If he had focused purely on theology, I wouldn’t have been able to score so many points with what amounted to ‘zingers’.” “You had him too tied up in knots trying to explain how he knew...
December 11, 1984, Rutherford, Ohio “What do you want us to do?” Clarissa asked. “If you and Jocelyn will just wait here, Elizaveta and I will go get my dad.” “You’re that confident?” “No, but I have to seem confident to successfully make the case to my dad. And I have less than ten minutes in which to do that.” Jocelyn and I got out of the car, then Clarissa and Elizaveta got out of the back seats. I took Elizaveta’s hand and led her into the County Administration Building. We took the...
January 12, 1985, Greater Cincinnati, Ohio “You came alone?” Doctor Mercer asked when I walked into her office in Milford. “I did. I’m going to see Angie’s pastor after you and I finish our session.” “Did you tell Elizaveta you were going to be here?” “Yes.” “Did you tell her WHY you were going to be here?” “No. That seemed to me to introduce unnecessary turmoil. I did tell my bishop and priest about the situation.” “That’s unexpected. Why tell them and not her?” “I saw my bishop on...
January 12, 1985, McKinley, Ohio “How are you, Mik?” Jocelyn asked when I arrived back at the dorm. “I feel like I’ve gone fifteen rounds with Ali.” “Would you even last one round?” “No, of course not, but I STILL feel like I was in the ring for the full fifteen.” “I know you usually talk to Clarissa, but she’s with Abby. I have an ear if you want.” “I love you, Jos; that’s never changed. And I can use an ear.” “Then come on,” she said. “Your room?” “We’ll leave the door open if you...
Great and Holy Thursday, April 11, 1985, McKinley, Ohio I slept in Thursday morning, then ran, showered, dressed, and then, because Elizaveta was in school, drove directly to the church. Elizaveta would be there, but her mom would pick her up just in time to get to the service, then take her back to school immediately afterwards. Attendance at the service, which commemorated the Last Supper, was usually sparse as people had to work or be in school. The same would be true for the Friday...