“Dimitri, I don’t see why you don’t want to go.” Vlad declared sitting in his favorite chair. Their only chair. Dimitri mostly sat in the old, ripped up, crummy window seat. That was Dimitri’s seat. Vlad owned the chair and Dimitri practically owned the window seat.

“It’s not that hard to understand Vlad,” Dimitri huffed trying to concentrate on reading his book which was about how to earn money wisely. “I never got any cheap thrills out of the holiday. So why should I go to that Christmas party?”

“Because it would be fun and you’re going.” Vlad told him “And don’t roll your eyes or pout about it. It won’t change my mind.”

Dimitri frowned. He was 17 years old now! He was not a little boy and he didn’t enjoy being treated like one.

“Listen, I promise you, if you go this time, I won’t ask you to do anything else that you don’t want to do. Because I know you are getting older, but it won’t hurt you to go to this party.” Vlad begged.

Dimitri smirked arrogantly. Why should he go? Vlad probably was totally rebellious when he was young. He just got old and forgot what it was like to be young. Most adults forget what it’s like to be young. It’s like that part of their memory shuts off. They’re not going to tell their kids the stupid things they did when they were young; it would give them too many “ideas”.

Dimitri thought for a moment. Vlad was way too nice to be rebellious when he was young. And Dimitri did owe him this. Vlad was letting him stay with him. Finally Dimitri came up with a decision.

“All right I’ll go,” Dimitri gave in.

“Great!” Vlad clapped his hands together. “Now we better work on some of that Science that you were having problems with.”

“Oh c’mon Vlad,” Dimitri laughed “anything but that. I hate Science.”

“Well, you hate a lot of things, but yet I still make you do them.” Vlad pointed over to the chair. Dimitri put his book down and plopped into the chair that Vlad pointed to.

Normally the stubborn 17-year-old wouldn’t have given in that easily. But just at that moment, for some unknown reason, Dimitri obeyed with out thinking. Even without arguing or pouting. Could it be possible that he was growing up?

Dimitri and Vlad were on a stroll around town together. Dimitri wished he was at home, but Vlad finally got him to go outside. Dimitri didn’t hate the outside. But smelling flowers, listening to the birds sing, and walking did not earn money.

“You know Dimitri, it doesn’t kill you to go outside once in awhile. It does you good.” Vlad said fatherly.

“Oh no, Vlad my heart! I’m having a heart attack! The outside air is killing me.” Dimitri goofed off sarcastically.

Vlad couldn’t help but smiling. Dimitri could be nice and funny when he wanted to. He was fun to be around, until Dimitri thought about money. Then Dimitri’s whole personality would change. He would become arrogant, stubborn, cynical, etc. Just the type of person that you didn’t want to be around.

Vlad sighed and went to buy a newspaper and Dimitri wandered around. It was boring just taking a walk. He could be out making more money, but noooo. He had to go for some silly little walk. There wasn’t anything enjoyable to do outside.

“Hello Dimitri Leongard,” Dimitri turned around to see his archrival Igor. Igor was very mean and cruel. Dimitri wasn’t the kindest person in the world but he knew that he would never want to act like Igor. Igor had a dark evil looking face with big buggy black eyes. Someone you would see in a nightmare. His face was hollow looking and his ugly yellowish teeth were as crooked as a politician.

“What brings you to this part of this city? I bet you are still a con man.” Igor sneered cruelly. Igor’s eyes were narrowed and anger burnt through them.

“That isn’t any of your business.” Dimitri turned his back to him. Dimitri conned Igor once. Dimitri told him that if he gave him so much money that he could send him to England. Igor gave him the money and Igor never saw Dimitri (until this day) again.

“He probably isn’t even your real Uncle.” Igor taunted meanly, “You probably don’t even have a real family and I know you don’t deserve one since you’re a con man.”

Dimitri pretended not to hear his words. He was already very angry. If Igor didn’t stop he didn’t know what he could do. Igor was just as poor.

“No wonder you don’t have a family.” Igor continued “They probably saw how you really were and never wanted to see you again. And your Uncle is too dumb to even notice how you truly are.”

“SHUT UP!” Dimitri yelled. He whirled around and knocked Igor to the ground with one punch.

“Now you listen here,” Dimitri fumed. He knew several pairs of eyes were watching him including Vlad’s “You can make fun a me and say whatever mean things you want to say about me. Most of them are probably true. But NEVER and I mean NEVER say anything bad about my family or my Uncle!

“You have no rights! And if I ever catch you making fun of my family or my Uncle again you’ll wish you never been born! Understand?!” Dimitri yelled at the sniveling little weasel.

Dimitri was so angry his hands were shaking. That never happened to him before. Dimitri took a deep breath to calm himself. He never had a temper and he never really exploded at anyone. Not really.

Igor nodded with his eyes as wide as saucers.

Dimitri turned around and broke through the crowd that was circled around he and Igor. He stomped all the way home not looking at Vlad who was following him. Dimitri didn’t know why he got so angry. Maybe it was because Vlad was the closest person who he thought was like family.

Dimitri opened the door to the apartment and sat down on his window seat and pretended read his book. Vlad passed back and forth in front of him.

“I want to know why you did that!” Those were Vlad’s first words out of his mouth. Dimitri was actually hoping for a little bit of praise. For goodness sakes, he stood up to a guy who was much stronger than he was.

“I don’t know.” Dimitri shrugged pretending not to care but he really did.

Vlad scowled “I think you do. For once in you life I want you to explain yourself with out smarting off to me!”

With out looking up Dimitri said, “He said you were dumb so I popped him one.”

“What do you mean? I don’t understand.”

“He pretty much said since I am con artist and my Uncle was letting me live with him because he wanted me to, that he was dumb. I got mad and hit him.” Dimitri said staring at his opened book. Dimitri was afraid that if he looked away from his book, Vlad would see the unhappiness in his eyes.

“Dimitri, why did you do that? I don’t care about what people think of me. It doesn’t hurt my feelings and it shouldn’t hurt yours. It never did before.” Vlad shook his head still not understanding.

“But it does hurt.” Dimitri’s eyes were still staring at his book. “Even before I was a con man it was like this and I hated it. And maybe this was the first time I actually expressed it.” Dimitri went on “I know you aren’t my real Uncle, but I like to tell people you are. It makes me feel better some how. I like to pretend that my family actually did love me.”

Vlad felt as if he wanted to cry himself. It had been such a long time to hear what Dimitri felt. Dimitri always acted as if he had no feelings whatsoever and now that he knew how he felt, Vlad could help more.

But then again, he never had to go through what Dimitri went through. How could he help him? Dimitri could be so stubborn, but then again so could Vlad.

“Dimitri I am really sorry. I had no idea that was how you felt.” Vlad apologized shaking his head.

“It’s alright. But I don’t want to talk about it anymore.” Dimitri said again. Vlad wished that he would want to talk about. It would be so much easier of Dimitri did want to talk about it.

Vlad sighed “We better bet ready for the Christmas party.” He got up and got ready.

Dimtiri wished he didn’t give in about going to the Christmas party. These were people Vlad knew. He didn’t know any of them. So why should he be there? Everyone was in there 40s or older. Dimitri didn’t relate to them in any way. And he didn’t really want to. All these old people knew about were the olden days. What it was like back when they were kids and when they lived in their Home Counties.

Dimitri could basically care less. He wasn’t interested in the Victorian era; that was the time period Vlad was born in, wasn’t it? Times were so different then. Things just changed in a matter of a few years. It would be weird living in that era.

But none of that interested poor, young, bored out of his mind Dimitri.

“Isn’t this fun?” Vlad smiled sitting down by Dimitri. “It isn’t so bad. It’s more fun than you would have imagined, right?”

“I’m not having any fun.” Dimitri pouted childishly. Vlad might feel sorry for him and say that they could go home.

“You know what is the matter with you,” Vlad said abruptly “you are so self centered! Would it hurt you to spend one night doing something that I liked instead of sitting at home working on a budget or talking about you ‘big’ plans with money? No I don’t think it would.

“For the past few years I have said absolutely nothing about how I felt! You act like your life is so dramatic. Well, I have news for you Dimitri, you either grow up or you won’t get anywhere in this world. You are very spoiled and I doubt anyone here in this country cares about how spoiled people feel.

“My life may not have been as hard as yours when I was young. But I am having it hard now and I am dealing with it nicely. So I’d wish you would too. Now I am sorry if I have hurt your feelings, but that is the little pain I felt these last years. If you want to leave I understand.”

Vlad went and got his coat on.

That was not the reply Dimitri was hoping for. But the more Dimitri thought about it, the more he knew Vlad was right. Dimitri did have a hard life and so did many others and they weren’t always so cynical about it.

“Wait,” Dimitri ran up behind him “we don’t have to go. It’s not so bad. And you’re right, I should think more about others than myself.”

“But you hate these type of things.” Vlad looked at him. He was surprised that Dimitri said something. “You don’t like being here.”

“I know, but that’s what Christmas is about. Giving up things for other people.” Dimitri admitted knowingly.

“If it’s all right with you.” Vlad waited for his answer. Dimitri nodded and Vlad walked off to talk with on of his friends.

Dimitri didn’t reply. Dimitri knew he was sometimes selfish, but he liked receiving more so than giving. He actually got something out of the whole thing. He could be having fun, if he tried.

Dimitri looked around the room. These people were Vlad’s friends, not his, but they could have been his. Only if he was friendlier and actually did things –other than earning money. This whole night he was feeling sorry for himself, was it possible that there are people less fortunate than he is?

The next day, Dimitri took all his money that he earned and walked down to the Orphanage that was out in the country. It was an old place with kids staring out the windows. Dimitri knew that the woman who ran this place wasn’t nice and she didn’t care about the children there.

That was one thing that Dimitri liked. Children. That was his one weakness. He told no one, but he wanted to have children someday.

Dimitri knocked on the door and a young girl answered. He hair was fiery red and he eyes were big and blue. She was very thin looking and pale; all the orphans who stood behind her were.

Dimitri wasn’t sure what to say and finally the girl blurted out “Can I help you?” Dimitri gulped, giving up his only true love (money that is) was hard for him. “Ummm yes I want to donate this.” He handed the girl the money.

He watched her gasp when she saw all the money he had. “You are going to give up all this!”

Dimitri gritted his teeth “Yes, I am.” Why was giving up something that he loved so hard?

The girl shrugged and held out her hand, “Well then thank you Mr. …”

“Leongard. And you’re welcome.” Dimitri shook her hand. He began to leave when he heard that girl’s annoying voice again.

“I am Anya. Why don’t you stay and meet all the orphans?” Anya suggested. “The other orphans would be very happy to meet you since you’re practically giving us a Christmas. Without the money that you donated we wouldn’t have a Christmas at all.” She smiled nicely. No one had ever donated money before.

“No I can’t. Have a nice Christmas, Enya.” Dimitri said absently and walked off.

“It’s Anya! My name is Anya!” Anya called out to him “And you have a Merry Christmas too.”

Dimitri vowed that day that he would never give up his money again. He worked so hard for it. And to give it to some redheaded girl so that she could have a better life didn’t give him any joy at all.

 

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