Unforgiven - Complete

Chapter Thirty-one

"Oh for goodness sake, Abe, give that to me!" a beet red Janine demanded, snatching the book from his hand before stuffing it under a cushion on the sofa. Abe was too far gone in his fury to appreciate the meaning of Janine claiming the book, but the same couldn't be said for Dimitri! However, the latter managed to cover his surprise; other than a slight widening of his eyes and what was arguably a shudder.

"I want to know are these yours, Rozalia, and if so why are you taking them?" Abe shouted, still brandishing her contraceptive pill pack. "I'm your father, and deserve to know the truth!"

"Yes, they're mine," Rose said turning to face her father. "And I'm taking them to prevent an unplanned pregnancy," she said, her voice quivering slightly. Beside her, she could feel Dimitri tense. This wasn't going to go well, and they both knew it.

"Sex?! Are you having sex?!" Abe yelled loud enough for half the block to hear him. "I knew a boyfriend was not a good idea!" he continued, getting more wound up with every syllable. "You've seduced my daughter," Abe accused Dimitri, moving towards him menacingly. To his credit, Dimitri stood his ground, although he did move Rose behind him, putting his body between her and her father.

"No one has seduced anyone," Rose replied angrily, grasping Dimitri's hand and coming to stand next to him. "Dimitri and I are together, in love and we wanted to be physical in our relationship."

"Physical? Physical?!" Saliva jettisoned from Abe's lips, he was so incensed. "What sort of young woman are you?!" he hissed at Rose. "We brought you up well! To have respect for your family, yourself and your God! And now I find out you're some wanton hussy, no doubt opening your legs for half of St. Vladimir's! I didn't raise you to be a slut!"

"That's enough!" Dimitri said very loudly, in an irate yet oddly controlled voice. "You won't say things like that about Rozalia in front of me. Roza is a beautiful, loving woman in a caring, long-term, and committed relationship."

"How dare you?!" Abe roared, looking up at Dimitri. "How dare you come into my house and tell me what I can and can't say? You are nothing. A good for nothing Russian, from a good for nothing family. You're not worth my time or contemplation. I don't respect you. I don't respect any man who goes around defiling young women and taking away their virtue. As for you, Rozalia? You might think to give away your virginity is nothing, but you have squandered a precious gift. A precious gift that should have been your husband's on your wedding night. No matter what a man says, he is disappointed when his bride is not a virgin!"

It all happened so quickly Rose almost missed it – but next thing she knew her mother was in front of her father, Janine's tiny hand smacking him across the face. The silence was instant. Rose wasn't sure who was the most shocked; Janine, Abe or herself. In her entire life, she'd never seen any sort of physical expression of anger between her parents.

"So you were disappointed on our wedding night, Abe?" Janine growled. "Twenty years of marriage and you've only now thought to mention that?" she asked in a feisty voice.

Abe looked confused before he joined the dots.

"No Jeanie. Of course not. That was different! We were engaged, and it was only a few days before our wedding..."

"That's not what you said, Abe. You said 'a man is disappointed when his bride is not a virgin!'"

Rose was shocked at what her mother was revealing but appreciated she was picking an argument with her father partially to sidetrack him from the main issue. Unfortunately, Abe realized this at the same time.

"This isn't about us, Janine! This is about our daughter being the town bike!"

"I said that's enough!" Dimitri roared. "Roza is not promiscuous! She and I have only ever been physical with one another, and that's the way we intend to keep it! We're in love, committed and have planned a long-term future together. I don't care what you think about me, my family or my country of origin. But I won't stand here and listen to you disrespect and falsely accuse the woman I love! After everything that's happened, is it any wonder she chose to take precautions?!"