A work of Fiction
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As in all stories everywhere, all participants in sexual activity, and in particular the fictional characters in this work of fiction are eighteen years of age or older. Residing in both the fiction and non-fiction stacks of your local public library.
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My paternal grandfather Nikolas was born in Saint Petersburg, Russia. As part of a senior English composition class I was assigned to write a story about my family. One of the suggested topics was to interview an elderly family member. So, I had a chat with grandpa Nick, about how he came here to Texas from his native Russia so very many years ago. This is his story.
Nikolas grew up in a well to do family, his father was a lawyer. They lived in Admerelte Plaza, a nice modern block of yellow brick apartments with big windows facing Admerelte Square a red brick square with Linden trees protected by wrought iron railings. It had four arcade entrances on the corners, and much smaller windows, almost balistariums, on the exterior giving it the appearance of a medieval fortress.
Admerelte Plaza was a part of the 'new' Saint Petersburg. A city trying to be western. A part of Europe and not Asia. The Russia of Alexandr, not of Ivan. A capital city like London, Paris or Berlin. The capital of a Russia trying to remake itself as a European, a world, power.
Of course, all of this was before the First World War and the U-boat peril Nikolas faced crossing the Atlantic on merchant ships bringing American grain to the hungry people of Russia. Before the Revolutions, there were two of them, in February and October of 1917.
Luckily for me grandpa Nick was on freighter in Galveston when the Tsar fell. The ships officers decided not to return. So, Grandpa Nick was stuck in Texas. God must have been looking out for him. Protecting him from the German submarines and the Bolsheviks who killed his parents, my great grandparents.
But the interesting part of this tale is how grandpa Nick came to be a deck hand on a tramp freighter, a Merchant Seaman. As the educated son of well to do family it would have been normal for him to study at the University and take a junior position in the family firm upon graduation.
But it seems that another tradition got in his way. Among his socio-economic group it was a common practice, a tradition, to celebrate a young man's eighteenth birthday in a particular way. At a brothel, losing his virginity to a carefully selected and experienced professional teacher.
So, on the morning of his eighteenth birthday, My great grandfather with pride in his heart gave his son, my grandfather, a sum of money grandpa Nick recalls as being twenty Ruples, but that was sixty-four ago. Memories are imprecise. That is not important. It was not inexpensive, you could have a few nights on the town for the sum of money given.
After taking the money grandpa Nick shook his father's hand, and gained newfound respect.
"You leave this house a boy, my son. You will return a man. Ready for the University and a clerk's position in your grandfather's firm when you graduate."
On top of the world, he walked out through the kitchen, there he kissed his mother on her cheek.
"Won't you please take this to your grandmother on Novorossiysk Place. I promised it to her yesterday", handing him a package wrapped in tissue and tied in colored twine.
"Certainly, mother"
So, diverting from Alexandr Plaza to drop his mother's parcel at his grandmother's apartment, he gave her the package.
