Lenin's Harem by William Burton McCormick

Author:William Burton McCormick [McCormick, William Burton]
Language: eng
Format: epub
Publisher: Knox Robinson Publishing
Published: 2012-12-13T17:17:00+00:00

*****

August, 1920 Moscow

‘To Licis!’

Everybody raised their glasses for my toast. ‘May he and Karina never part!’

Licis laughed his hearty laugh. He, Juskevics and I each downed our full glasses of champagne in one swallow. Was that the sixth or the seventh tonight?

The three of us sat at a lonely table underneath the sole undimmed lamp. If there was anyone else in the restaurant we had not seen them for hours.

Licis bobbled his head. ‘Oh, how the room spins, so early. That is not a good sign.’ But he laughed like it was. ‘A fine toast, Wiktor. A fine toast. I would like to return the gesture to you and Alisa.’

I only shook my head. ‘Don’t bother. She’s not speaking to me once again. These Russian women, they are very headstrong. You’ll find out soon enough.’

‘No, not my Karina. She is sweet, only a little kitten.’

Juskevics muttered, ‘You think so, but she’ll be the tiger after your wedding day. This one will watch you like a hawk, I can tell.’

Licis shrugged. ‘Tiger, hawk, kitten, am I marrying a woman or the zoo-keeper?’

I laughed. ‘You are inebriated.’

He poured more Champagne into my glass. ‘And you should be too. This may be our last night together since Juskevics is leaving us.’

‘Yes, off to fight General Wrangel. I can’t say I envy you.’ Two whole regiments had just been eaten up in that Crimean meat-grinder. The nastiest of the White Armies, the Volunteer Army of Southern Russia had been a constant threat for years. Countless Latvians had lost their lives fighting down there, Gaters not least among them. And now our friend might join them, it made me want to make amends.

‘Soon, you’ll be saying you can’t envy them, Wiktor. Just watch what we can do.’ Juskevics pointed to his head. ‘I have some ideas.’

Licis laughed over-hysterically. ‘Heinrichs with his more ideas…To Heinrich’s ideas.’

We all toasted again, each downing another glass. The room was indeed spinning.

I snapped my fingers in remembrance. ‘I have news. I received a letter from my mother today. Came through the Latvian Consulate. After five years, finally in touch.’

‘That’s fantastic.’ Licis quickly threw an arm around me, Juskevics only nodded approvingly. Some scars still hadn’t quite healed.

‘It seems they have stayed in Courland all this time.’

‘We must all visit them.’ cheered Licis.

‘That’s not so easy my friend.’ I started filling their glasses for the next toast. ‘But listen to this: My brother was a translator for the English and the Americans in Archangel.’ I pounded lightly on the table, spilling a little Champagne on the cloth. ‘Can you believe it? We were fighting on the opposite sides.’

Juskevics propped his fist beneath his chin. ‘Why didn’t he join Bermont-Avalov? From what I know of your family that army seems the sort of thing he’d support.’ There was a chilling seriousness in Juskevics tone that reminded me of that horrible night in the tavern. It might be better to distance myself from any more disloyalties.

‘We’re talking about my brother, not me, Heinrichs.’ I shook my head, hoping it was enough of an explanation.

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