The Lives Of The Romanovs

On The Poor Side

Anastasia

Papa and Mama allowed me to spend the night at Dmitri and Tatiana's palace. As usual, we had dinner together around 17:30, and then I pretended to retire around 19:00. That's when Dmitri called his chauffeur to come pick me up and drop me off on a street about 30-minutes away. And when he did, I was a bit frightened getting out and waiting on the street corner for Makari.

The poor side of Petrograd was nothing like the wealthy side. On the poor side, there are poor factories and eeriness. The lampposts were the only things lighting the city. The sun was almost completely set and people were returning to their homes. They all had dirt on their faces and look as if they hadn't eaten anything in a few days. Tatiana's hospital was mostly poor patients, but lied on the border of the wealthy side and the poor side.

"Anastasia!" A voice shouted. I turned to look and I saw Makari walking up to me. He was still in that worn out suit, and even more worn out shoes. But he was still terribly handsome and unlike other poor commoners, Makari did not have dirt on his face.

"Makari, hello." I grinned at him. He grinned back and looked at my hands.

"You have two bags?"

"Yes, one is a gift for your sister, Hana, and the other is for you."

"Me? What did I do?"

"It's just a gift to show my gratification. You have done a lot for the ROOIW."

Makari reached for it. "Can I have it now?" I quickly pushed him away and shook my head at him.

"No, this is for the end of the night. You'll like me better for not allowing you to have it."

"Very well, then. Come on, princess. Let's get you inside before you die of heat stroke." Makari turned and held out his arm. I wasn't sure about linking arms with him. But he seemed insistent on it. I moved both bags to one hand and I used my empty to slide in with his. This was probably the closest Makari and I had ever been. We stayed completely linked until we made it up the street. Eventually, we stopped in front a dirty-wood building with stairs that were made from concrete. Makari led me up them. He opened the door, letting me in first.

It was townhome. Which was usually not very common. Most people lived in apartments in Petrograd, but perhaps they were modernizing a little. However, the house wasn't modern. The floors and walls were made from wood. There was also a lack of furniture in their hallways and living room. Makari and I walked around the corner to the dining room, where the only light were candles and an oil lamp.

"Anastasia, that is my mother, father, grandmother, and grandfather. Then you know Hana." Makari said to me and pointed to each family member. He then pulled out a chair for me and allowed me to sit down. Makari sat next to me.

"She looks expensive." Makari's grandmother said.

His father gasped. "Mother! My goodness, Anastasia. I'm sorry. She did not mean it in a bad way." He looked at me with such an awkward smile, knowing we were already off to a poor start.

"Oh, it's alright. Anyway, Hana! Do you want your gift?" I smiled at her and held up one of the bags. Hana gasped and nodded. I stood up and carried it all the way over to her. She was excited and quickly to grab it out of my hands. Hana pulled out a case and opened it up: revealing Pearl earrings and a Pearl necklace.

"My God." Makari's mom uttered.

Hana looked up at me. "This is a joke, right? This isn't really for me."

I nodded. "It is. I was going through a lot of my old jewelry and I realized I have so many pearls. I thought they would look very beautiful on you."

"Oh, thank you! Thank you!" Hana stood up and threw her arms around me. I laughed and just hugged her back. I turned my head and peeked over at Makari, who just had a small smirk on his face.

Once she let me go, Hana got right to putting her new jewelry on. Makari stood up and went over to me, just taking my hand guiding me somewhere. But before we got to far, I made sure to grab the other bag that was his present. I was nervous once he started to take me upstairs. But then, he opened another door and it lead to a balcony. It was small but overlooked the family's backyard. Him and I both stepped out on it and just looked out into the distance.

"This is cozy." I whispered.

"Thank you for what you did for my sister. She will cherish it with her life. Though, my parents will try to sell them."

"Well, tell them that that is up to Hana. She can sell them if she wishes, they are her's now."

"Very well, then. I will tell her that." Makari softly chucked. I held up the bag with his present. He chuckled again and took the bag from me. Makari opened it slowly, almost as if he wanted to keep guessing. And once he reached his hand all the way in, he pulled out a brand-new pair of black-leather shoes.

"Anastasia-"

"Do you love them? I picked them out myself when I went shopping with Rebecca. Of course, I had to sneak away to do this. But I know yours are very worn and-" I was suddenly caught off by something unexpected. Makari pulled me in and hugged me tightly, even tighter than Hana's hug. I slowly slid my hands up his back, then hugging him back.

"These shoes are the best gift I have ever received. Thank you very much." Makari whispered in my ear. Now this, this was the closest we had ever been. But in this moment, I think he was more sad than anything.

"You're welcome."

"Anastasia...you're not really married, are you?"

My heart started to race. "What?"

"I noticed the other day that you didn't have a ring on your finger. So I'm assuming you've been lying to me."

I was a bit frozen in shock.  I guess it was pretty obvious to tell if someone had been married, considering they wear a ring.

"You are right. I did lie. I'm sorry." I whispered back to him.

"I just wonder what else you've been lying about, that's all. Just tell me, are you still the same Anastasia Yevgenyevna Voronova that I befriended?" Makari asked. The answer was no. That girl was someone completely different than me. And I wished I was able to tell him, but I couldn't.

"Yes, I am. I always have been and I always will be."