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Fiction

This story contains themes or mentions of sexual violence.

Katrina was a prostitute, not a whore, and that’s a difference.

When she was 5 years old, her mother put her in a musical school back in Moscow, in the violin class. She was a genius. She has picked her long ago relate grandfather’s violin when she long before she could walk or talk, as if she knew. At first she played with it as normal kids do with normal toys, meaning, she would examine it with her mouth leaving glittering saliva on if lucky, worse, she would bang it against the floor. Her parents dread this sight…and sound, so they took Grandpa’s violin away from her. But she would not stop crying. She would cry for long minutes and quarters of hours hurting the whole musical family tourturing their ears. She’d only stop if she was give n the violin. At first the family would always  monitor her “use” of the instrument and take it away agin any time they thought this family relict was about to be destroyed. But then the crying would start again. She would cry for hours, without giving up! As if she could read the quote “Никогда не сдавайся” (Nikogda ne sdavaysya - never give up) hanged above the piano in the living room where she used to spent her days supervised grandma. She would not stop crying, driving her mother, her father and grandma insane. Soon, they gave in. They let her play with the most precious family heirloom just to get a brake from her and get a moment of silence. And that silence was broken too. The old Moscow living room filled with antiques got filled by the most precious tune. It was Katrina playing the violin.

A year after she started the music school her parents died in a car crash. Her 80 year old grandma took loving care of her. And she got a new care taker - Borys Kurilow - the apprentice of her grandfather and a head of the violin section at her school. A brilliant musician and a handsome man. He often performed at private elite gatherings and was friends with top politicians. 

Katrina became the apple of his eye, his gem, his obsession. He trained her everyday. Adored her talent and made her better! By the age of 14 she was the best female violinist in Russia and by the age of 16 she has won all major violin contests around the world! And by the age of 18 she was the most beautiful bachelorette in Russia. There was no red carpet event in Moscow where she wasn’t invited. But she didn’t want to go. She preferred the company of her grandpa’s violin and her grandma, who was getting sick and had few more months to live. 

Borys did not like that! He wanted her for himself. He wanted every minute of her time. He wanted every inch of her body! And he was full of rage. He devoted years to her talent. He put her on the biggest stages of the world. His wife divorced him because of his obsession but he loved Katrina and the only thing he was asking in return was that she loved him back!

His advances became less and less elegant and subtle. She did not want to offend him or hurt him. He was her great master and she owned him her career, her entire life. 

Month by month Katrina was getting more beautiful and more devoted to her intimate practice at home and to taking care of her grandma. 

Day by day Borys was losing his mind and his temper. He started blackmail Katrina and convince her to be with him. He threatened to ruin her career and make it impossible for her the play on any stage. She honestly feared him. But the biggest fear she had was not to be able to perform. You could as well cut her veins open - that what a life without music would mean to her. 

She felt trapped. Borys used all his connections against her now. Her phone rang with concert cancellations only. Borys would not stop sending flowers and convincing her to be with her. Her money was running out, just like life was leaving the body of her grandma. They needed money for her medicine. All could be fixed with just one phone call to Borys. With surrendering her body to the unwanted arms. But that would make her a whore.

Her grandma knew the dilemma her beloved granddaughter was in. She did not want to break that pure innocent life. So very soon she broke her own. She died peacefully in her sleep. 

Katrina turned her grief and loneliness into composing. The divine notes pouring from her soul were going to start a new era in the modern classical music. She was becoming more confident that she could make it on her own and live her musician dream. 

And she was so wrong…

After selling her family estate in Moscow she moved to Berlin to start a new. The word got around in the city that she was available for concerts but no one wanted to hire her. She even applied for a part in the symphony, but that too did not happen. She travelled to Paris, then Munich, Vienna and New York. No one wanted to hire her as a musician. Borys’ broken and revengeful heart followed her around the globe to hurt her! 

She was running out of patience and of money.  Was there anybody who would not fear Borys and would actually hire her? What was that she could offer and not risk Borys find out about it? 

There was this one thing that she could do to make a living and revenge. 

She was going to offer her body.

But not to anyone.

She found the most elegant and wealthy clients in New York. Her first client was a young and gentle Chinese businessman. Then there was an American senator. And next an ex female swimming champion. 

Katrina got back to living. By day she would compose and by night she would indulge in sweet love making with people who adored her  but did not want to posses her. She loved a comfortable life in New York and made great secret friends. 

She even accepted a few young female violin students at her apartment. And she was composing. 

On her 40th birthday she got a message that Borys died. He was found poisoned by alcohol overdose in the Moscow suburbs. 

That day her phone started to call with concert invitations from all over the world. She accepted them all. 

The end.

January 21, 2023 04:58

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2 comments

Wendy Kaminski
02:54 Jan 27, 2023

Great story about triumphing against terrible odds, and waiting for the wheel of time to turn back your way again. Thank you for this story - I see it is your first submission here! Good luck this week, and welcome to Reedsy!

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Justina Joshi
08:16 May 01, 2023

Thanks, Wendy! It's so lovely to receive a reply on the first story. Happy writing to you too! I apologize for the misspelling. I wrote the story in just 48 minutes before the submission. And I wanted to submit it so badly. Oh, well, it's not perfect... but it lives! And from here on, it can only get better 🫶

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