General Fiction posted August 12, 2025

Chapters:

...17 18 -19- 20 ...

tfawcus

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Caught in the headlights

A chapter in the book Dmitri's Extraordinary Fate

Dmitri's Extraordinary Fate: 19

by tfawcus

Background
Dmitri has been recovering from catatonia in Elena's care. He is in love with Leila, who works for her, but her aunt has summoned Leila to Turkiye because her mother is dying.

End of Chapter Eighteen

Dmitri sprang to his feet. 'How dare you, sir! You'll pay for that. You see if you don't.' He tore off his dinner jacket, rolled up his sleeves and bore down on the major with his fists raised.

The major grasped the half-empty decanter and lurched to his feet. 'All right, lad. Let's see what you're made of.'

Chapter Nineteen

The two men confronted each other, afire with drunken rage. Dmitri advanced on the major with his knees bent and his right forearm extended in what he imagined to be an alert fighting posture, but it only made him look like a giant land crab lumbering forward. The major adopted an easy stance, legs slightly apart, swinging the decanter like a truncheon, waiting for his opponent to close in.

They were barely two yards apart when Elena pushed her chair back so hard it toppled to the floor. She swung to face Dmitri, shielding the major with her body and raised her hand.

'Don't be such a fool! Have you forgotten you are a guest in this man's house? What are you thinking of?'

Dmitri lurched one further step forward, slurring, 'Outta my way, woman!' only to receive a sharp slap across the cheek. He staggered to one side, off-balance.

'Don't you dare speak to me like that, young man. Now you owe us both an apology.' She picked up a tumbler full of water from the table and flung its contents in his face.

He staggered back in shock, shaking his head from side to side in disbelief.

'Go and put your jacket back on. We're leaving.'

Andriy's mocking laughter curdled the air. 'Well, my little milksop, are you going to do what your mama tells you, or will you stand up like a man?'

Dmitri's muscles tensed, but Elena's eyes bored into him. She gave an almost imperceptible shake of the head.

Another voice joined in; a firm, authoritative voice that cut through the atmosphere like a laser. 'That's enough, Andriy. You've had one too many, and you're making a fool of yourself. Remember who you are: Major Andriy Kolt, Hero of Ukraine. Put that decanter down. Better still, pour me a drink. I could do with it.'

The major drew himself up to his full height. His urbanity returned, and he said, 'Of course, my dear. How rude of me.'

He skirted around the other side of the table with the decanter, poured some plum brandy into a liqueur glass, and presented it to Pavla with a click of the heels and a slight bow from the waist.

Meanwhile, Elena herded Dmitri towards his chair. He picked up his dinner jacket and struggled back into it. Having squared it onto his shoulders, he adjusted his bow tie and ran his fingers through his hair.

Approaching the major, he said, 'Forgive me, sir. I spoke out of turn.'

The major extended his hand. 'It is I who owe you an apology, young man.' He reached for the decanter. 'Let us drink to a fresh start.'

Pavla intercepted his outstretched arm. 'Come now, Andriy. It's time to see your guests to their car. A little fresh air will do us all good.' She escorted him to the front hall, where Fedir, once again clad in his tailcoat and black waistcoat, stood with Elena's coat over his arm. He handed it to her deferentially.

As he straightened up, Elena winked mischievously and said, 'Thank you, my good man,' and as she put the coat on, she added in a whisper, 'You'll take good care of your master, won't you?'

He shuffled back towards the door, with an exaggerated touch of his forelock and a vacuous grin, and said, 'Thank you, your ladyship. Don't you worry. I will.'

While this charade was being played out, Pavla steered the major towards the door. Dmitri rushed forward and opened it, and the three of them made their way out onto the porch. Frost lay on the front lawn, and in the moonlit shadows, the rhododendron leaves were edged with silver.

Major Kolt turned to Dmitri and said, 'Give my kind regards to the lovely Leila, won't you? Such a pity she couldn't have been here to enjoy this romantic moon.'

He held out his hand again, but Dmitri looked into his steel-grey eyes, took in his mocking smile, and kept his arms firmly by his side.

Elena appeared in the doorway. 'Brrr!' she said. 'It's cold out here.'

Pavla took her by the arm. 'Careful, my dear, there's ice on the steps. The roads will be treacherous, too, so take it slowly.' She kissed her friend on both cheeks and whispered, 'I'll see you tomorrow. We have much to talk about.'

***

As they drove off, Dmitri looked over his shoulder. Pavla and Major Kolt were standing arm-in-arm on the porch, looking every bit like a married couple farewelling their guests.

'How will Pavla get home? Shouldn't we have offered her a lift?'

'She won't be going home this evening. She'll want to make sure Andriy is all right. She's had plenty of experience in handling him when he gets like that. She won't leave him alone.'

'What got into him? He was so charming at the beginning of the evening, and then all those horrible things he was saying. I don't understand.'

Elena didn't reply at first. She was too busy peering through the semicircle of clear windscreen at the tunnels of yellow light ahead. The only sound was the clockwork monotony of the wipers thrusting frost crystals aside. Dmitri realised what a fool he had made of himself. He should never have risen to the bait. He should never have drunk so much. It wasn't as if Elena hadn't warned him. He sat waiting for her to say, 'I told you so,' but she never did.

After what seemed an age, she said, 'War does strange things to people. He never used to be like that. The poor man has suffered in ways you can't possibly imagine. Allowances must be made.' She leant forward with her gloved hand and cleared a circle in the misted glass. 'Be a dear and adjust the heater fan. I can hardly see where I'm going.'

As if to prove the point, she suddenly slammed the brakes on, throwing them both forward, and the car slewed to a halt. Only metres ahead, a hare was caught in the headlights, its eyes protruding like amber marbles. It paused for an instant with ears erect and nose twitching, then it loped off into the night.

Elena sat rigidly gripping the steering wheel. As her tension eased, she turned to him and said, 'What a fragile thing life is.' Her words froze in the air, falling like shattered glass to the ground.

Dmitri stared straight ahead. He was back in Kalynorad. A wall crumbled in slow motion. Mira lay on the pavement, her arm stretched out towards him, her eyes wide with fear.

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Characters

Dmitri Zahir, a teenage boy recovering from catatonia after the death of his twin sister in a bombing.
Mira Zahir, his twin sister, who was killed in a bomb attack.
Elena Prishtina, a volunteer carer looking after Dmitri and aiding his recovery.
Leila, a Syrian girl employed by Elena whom Dmitri has fallen in love with.
Pavla Miret, an art teacher who has been giving Dmitri lessons.
Andriy Kolt, an army major who Dmitri and Leila rescued when he fell fom his horse
Fedir, his faithful retainer
Ruslan Borodin, the Mayor of Velinkra
Olena, his wife
Dr and Mrs Savchenko (Viktor and Nadia), recent arrivals in Velinkra

Setting: On the outskirts of Velinkra, a town in the Carpathian Mountains, in Western Ukraine

Image by ChatGPT

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