All I see are broken pieces (Gaston)

June 2004

They reached Alyona’s house only about half an hour after they had initially left it. Alyona led the way into the kitchen, lighting an oil lamp, and pouring them both a glass of water before slowly preparing coffee for the two of them. "Take a seat," she muttered. She emptied her glass completely even before the coffee was ready. It felt sobering to drink some water and it immediately helped her to think at least a little more clearly.

Alyona wondered if her friend had seen what (or rather who she had seen) at the nightclub. She wasn’t sure if her mind was playing tricks on her. After all, the woman had drunk quite a bit of vodka earlier and was tired. However, the longer she thought about it, the more convinced she was that her husband had been there, watching the girls at the strip club. Alyona wasn't sure if she wanted to know this for sure or if she should dismiss this thought entirely and try to forget about it altogether. After all, her problems with Anton went deeper than just him possibly visiting a strip club.

She looked at Gaston thoughtfully anyway, unsure what he had seen and whether or not he had noticed the absence of Anton in the house (or thought that he was already asleep) but then remembered that he had read her to do list which also implied Anton's absence. Thinking about it, the healer realised that there were actually a few points on the list that might lead to unpleasant questions.

"I forgot how you like your coffee," she said apologetically as she placed a cup in front of him. Then she refilled her glass with water and sank down on a kitchen chair.

"You made it sound as though you had a lot to tell me," she encouraged Gaston, hoping that he’d tell her about his life and thus distract her from her own problems. Maybe her friend had positive news to share. In Alyona’s life positive news had become a rarity lately anyway.

@Gaston Malinat

What had he been thinking of? Since when did he - did either of them - partake in spontaneous activities, especially when they involved heading out into the city at night without any clear idea of where they were going? Particularly given that Alyona was clearly dealing with something he had no idea about (as evidenced by the note she had accidentally sent) and probably hadn't wanted to even leave the house. He felt ashamed, and not just because their short-lived expedition had been disastrous.

"Thank you" he said quietly, sitting down in the kitchen and accepting the glass of water. He stared down into the clear liquid in silence, aware that Alyona was making coffee but somehow unable to mentally connect to what was going on. Slowly, as if someone else was doing it, he raised the glass to his lips and took a sip. Then another, and a another, and then before he knew it his own glass was empty again. He hadn't drunk that much wine this evening before arriving in Rybinsk, but the cold water entering his system seemed to clear his head.

"At this time of night, with a little cream if you have it" he said with a wan smile. In the mornings he would only ever drink coffee black, but keeping himself awake for the entire night wasn't going to bode well for tomorrow as would happen if he loaded up on black coffee. He noticed Alyona taking a second glass of water and studiously said nothing. It seemed that she was going to say nothing about her own situation as well, and he wasn't sure how to ask. Gaston felt a little like he had been caught reading someone else's diary, though logically he knew he'd done nothing wrong. Indeed, he felt as though turning up here had been somehow timely and was curious to understand more about what Alyona was dealing with.

He would have to wait a little longer though, it seemed. He mentally ran back over their previous brief conversation and discovered nothing that could have suggested that he had news for her, but decided to overlook that for now. He did have news, and it would act as a distraction if nothing else. "I do. A slight change of direction, career-wise" he said, looking suddenly younger and even a little excited "From September I will be teaching about Magical Creatures at Beauxbatons". As he spoke, Gaston realised Alyona was the first person he had told. The thought made him a little sad.

Nodding, Alyona summoned a little can with cream and put it on the kitchen table in front of Gaston. She poured herself a cup of black coffee, thinking that she wouldn’t be able to sleep either way.

Gaston had indeed news to tell her and Alyona offered a tired little smile. “That’s great,” she said, forcing herself to sound enthusiastic. She knew that her friend had always wanted to teach the class on Magical Creatures and he looked quite happy about his career change now, too. “I’m glad you get to teach that class. I’m sure you’ll be great and the students can definitely learn a lot from you.”

She took a sip of the hot coffee. It tasted bitter. She considered adding some cream but the thought of it didn’t seem to make the coffee any tastier. She knew that the only drink she’d enjoy now would be more vodka but she was also aware that it was hardly a good plan to have any more alcohol now. She lifted the cup to her lips again, taking another sip. It didn’t improve.

A sad little laugh escaped Alyona and she shook her head. “Isn’t it ironic that we haven’t seen each other in so long and are now sitting here late at night, having coffee after having visited a strip club?” She sighed. What she had just said was not really the predominant thought on her mind now. Her thoughts were still circling around the worries about her daughter and the state of her marriage. However, while she knew that she could trust her friend, she was not yet feeling ready to share these thoughts with him. She almost hoped that he would ask a question that would force her to be open with him. After all, Alyona was not going to lie to him.