He Looked Nothing Like Jesus

Existence is pain,

Existence is absurd,

Existence is pointless…

‘Nadia!’ The familiar shout from her father downstairs drifted up and stopped her pencil mark dead on the paper.

‘Nadia!’ Again, this time much louder, with a thundering bang on the wall for extra effects.

‘Yes, what is it?’ She came back from her dreaded philosophizing and shouted back towards downstairs.

‘Get the door. Somebody is at the door! Are you deaf?’ Her father shouted some more with blurred cursing.

‘Ah, that old drunk! Why can’t he for once do it! He’s much closer to the door than I am. But no, he’s always too drunk to do anything!’ Nadia cursed under her breath and wrapped her dressing gown outside her pyjamas, she tugged the threadbare collar tight around her neck and ran downstairs like a lightning. 

The door kept on banging and she opened it in a hurry. ‘Yes?’

‘Hello, Nadia!’ A handsome young man in his early twenties with lush blond hair smiled at her. Snowflakes were falling on his hair and gave him a god-like glowing aura under the street light.

‘Huh? Who are you?’ Nadia was instantly struck by an indescribable warm feeling in her stomach and she felt a supernatural elation for a brief moment. 

Finally, something exciting is happening to her in the dead of the winter; in the dead of this vast, empty and cursed land; in the dead of these long lost and suffering souls. Something exciting! Is this love at first sight? This must be how it feels. I am sure of it. Who is this mysterious young man? Is he married? Does he have a girlfriend?

‘Are you gonna let him in?’ Igor shuffled to the door slowly in his unsteady steps. His breath stank of alcohol fumes and tobacco.’Sasha! Welcome! It’s so cold! Come in, quick, come in! Nadia, close the freaking door, will you?’ Igor embraced the young man like a huge bear and patted on his back like an old friend. ‘Thank you for coming to visit us as you promised. I wasn’t sure you were even coming. After all, it’s been a while, hasn’t it.’

‘Yes, it certainly has. But I am a man of my words and when did I ever let you down?’ Sasha smiled at Igor and looked at Nadia in a gentle nod of thanks.

Nadia’s face suddenly went several shades redder as she nodded back.

Did he? Did he just smile at me again? In a way that shows romantic interest? Oh my. What should I do? What should I say? Should I have a change of clothes? Or would it be too obvious?

‘Apologies for this stupid girl, always has her head in the clouds, God knows what she’s dreaming of all day. It’s them books she’s been reading. Doing her no good I say. Nadia, don’t you remember Sasha from down the street. You used to go to school together.’

‘Sasha, the one went overseas?’ Nadia replied in sudden recognition.

‘Yes, that Sasha.’ Sasha nodded with another shy glance.

‘He looks a lot different, no? Much more handsome I say. Come, sit, young man. Sit, sit. Vodka?’ Igor grabbed the bottle on the table amidst all the loose sunflower seeds. ‘Red label, always the best!’

‘No, thanks. I really appreciate it but I need to keep my head clear to explain things well to you.’ Sasha waved off the offer.

‘What things?’ Nadia asked.

‘Ah, Nadia. I forgot to tell you. I met Sasha at the bar yesterday, he just came back from the UK. He’s a made man now, made good money. Come and sit down, this involves you.’

‘Me?’ Nadia couldn’t hold back the surprise when she saw the seriousness on her father’s face and sat down on the sofa.

‘Yes, I met your father yesterday and I told him what happened to me. He mentioned you are staying at home and looking for work so I agreed that I would help out.’

‘Nadia, you haven’t seen Sasha’s car, it’s a brand new Benz. But look, here, look at his nice suit gleaming under the light. It’s Arr something.’ Igor grabbed Sasha’s sleeve and rubbed on the fabric with his big fat nicotine tinted fingertips.

‘Armani.’ Sasha smiled.

‘Yes, Armani, like the one in the mall in Moscow. Very expensive, yes?’ Still touching the fabric.

‘Yes. Anyway, back to the business we were talking about.’ Sasha took out a brochure from his leather suitcase.

‘Yes, business, go on, you go on.’ Igor nodded and smiled.

‘Ok, normally I don’t do this because getting work overseas is very difficult but your father insisted and I felt like I should do what I can to help out since we all know each other for a long time.’

‘Yes, that’s my boy Sasha. He’s a man now, a man of his words. Go on.’ Igor gestured, grabbed a glass and poured some more vodka for himself.

‘So, it’s like this. I ran a business providing housekeeping for high-end clients. You will be working in one of those luxury houses, with your own room of course and do some general housekeeping job. It’s pretty simple stuff really. Do you think you can do that Nadia?’ Sasha opened the brochure of his company, the paper felt very expensive, the houses on there looked a million dollars and the housemaids all smiled like angels, inviting Nadia to join them.

‘Yes, I think so.’ Nadia nodded with a gentle smile. ‘It’s just cleaning stuff, right?’

‘Pretty much. They have their own personal chefs so you don’t need to worry about that. Most of the time, they’d be busy travelling and doing business so it’s just house sitting and keeping everything in order.’

‘Sasha, tell her the pay rate.’ Igor ate another sunflower seed and chucked the empty shell in the empty soup can next to him.

‘Oh yes, here comes the good part. You will be paid £25 pounds an hour.’ Sasha smiled. ‘Is that good enough for you?’

‘Enough, enough!’ Igor nodded with a big grin. 

‘No worries, Igor. We are all friends. I will personally bring Nadia to the UK and will make sure everything’s good. I promise you.’ Sasha smiled and reached out his hands.

Igor grabbed him and gave him another embrace. ‘Sasha, my boy, no, my man. I am so proud of you! You made something of yourself. You are truly God sent. I wish I had another daughter to give you.’