The Bag

    "Gather around children," said the old Russian woman whose hair was short and gray, her face laced with the pain from the old country, and her pale blue with a light gray film over them. "It's time for an old story from old country".  

    "What story is it, this time, Nana?" asked Jill. Jill was only 7 years old and she had her long, silky, blond hair tied up into two pigtails with a shiny red ribbon which was tied up into a bow. She was wearing a white dress that ended just above her knees and it had a big, red, bow in the back. Jill had white tights under her dress which were followed by a pair of black, glossy Mary Janes.

    "It's probably another one of her gross love stories. About how she and grandad meet" said Jim. Jim was Jills' younger twin brother, by only four minutes, he was wearing khaki colored khakis with a white button down shirt and light brown dress shoes. 

    "You know what Jim? Why don't you shut your pie hole?! The only reason that you don't like them is because you know no girl will EVER like YOU.", she said as she looked at him.

    "Well, at least I have a life unlike you. You spend all your free time reading. Who in the world does that for fun?"

    "Why you little ..." 

    "That's enough children!", Nana used a tone that she has never used on the kids.

    "Yes, Nana", Jill and Jim replied respectfully and both sat down criss-cross applesauce on the dark hardwood floor.

    "Ok, good. Well where was I?", Nana asked.

    "You were going to tell us a story, Nana!" Jill exclaimed happily.

    "Yeah another lovey dovey story," Jim said underneath his breath.

    "What was that, Jim?", Nana asked.

    "Uhh, nothing Nana. Just that you were going to tell us a story", he replied.

    "Hmm, ok. Well let's start, shall we? It takes place in Moscow. The year was 1928..."

Moscow 1928

    " Hey, stop it! Come back that's mine!", The woman yelled at the man running away with her bag. "Damn it! My dad is going to kill me", the woman said starting to sob. "What are you looking at!", she yelled at everyone and they all looked at the ground and started to move again. 

    "Excuse me, ma'am, is this your bag?", as she turned around she saw it was one of her father's men. He was covered in blood and had a huge, gashing, cut across his eye. 

"Oh my gosh! Ivan, are you ok?" 

"Yes of course, Ma'am. Here is your bag." 

"Come on let's get you to a nurse."

"Ma'am i'm ok"

"Ivan, i've already told you call me Alisa."

"Ok, Miss Alisa"

Time skip

"Father you'll never guess what happened today!" I exclaimed as I put my glass of wine down.

"What happened my darling?", he questioned as he put a piece of steak into his mouth.

"This man took my bag away from me! Can you believe it? But thankfully Ivan was there, and he got my bag back", I responded looking at Ivan.

"Well, Ivan thank you for getting her bag back. I am very thankful" my father told him.

"It was no problem, Sir", Ivan responded to my father. 

"Really? because there is a cut on your left eye that wasn't there yesterday", my father told him as he cut another piece of steak and put it in his mouth and chewed it slowly while looking at Ivan; staring at his left eye. 

Ivan and I just sat there staring at each other.

  "You are our best man. If you can't defend my daughter what can you do?"