Family Business

The moment I was free of my past and living a somewhat simpler life, I somehow ended up back in his arms and back in a world that I detest, complicating everything again. My childhood was never something for me to be proud of but it didn’t help that I was the daughter and the sole heir to my father’s position as head of the Russian Mafia but it was how it was and I honestly thought that I could never get out of it.

My father brought the “Family Business” over to America shortly after he met my mother, a nineteen-year-old backpacking American traveling around Europe. He saw her being assaulted on the street in a rough neighborhood and came to her rescue, after beating up her attackers he escorted her to a nearby bar to calm down. They had a few drinks, spoke and laughed for hours with no realization of the sun coming up, as the strong beams shone through the color stained glass of the bar window my father’s heart danced within his chest as the light illuminated the pure beauty that sat before him with the light glistening off her strawberry blond hair as her silver eyes shimmered looking back at him. They felt a strong connection with each other and after taking his father’s place as the Head of the Family Business he followed her to America and married her off the seashores on a beautiful yacht with friends and family on the week of her twenty-first birthday.

My parents built up their lives with so much heart and compassion, even with my father’s underworld life and the people around them respected, cared and worshiped them. Even though they moved here for love, starting up the businesses and finding the right connections around the country were not the easiest but they still managed, and they grew together. My Father became friends and work associates with the American Mafia to enable the growth of his own, he even opened a few mainstream businesses like clubs and bars for my mother to own and control and some were to be used as covers for his dirty deeds. Her favorite company was ‘Menz Magazine’, an up to date men's fashion magazine that had no connections to the family business in any way an was also only under my mothers name, father wasn’t too happy with the idea of half-naked men posing for my mother but that was overcome with pride very quickly when the magazine and company started off and was bringing in almost as much as the underground dealings that my father was operating.

With so much going on my mother almost didn’t realize that she was pregnant, her first child was going to be my older brother Damion, but he turned out to be a still birth. My parent spiraled into depression and for a few years couldn’t conceive even with my mother trying to stay positive and if they succeeded, it would be a miscarriage. For the first two years of trying with no success and five misarranges they decided to seek help but after about five years of all the doctors, the witch doctors, the specialists, the medication, the countless IVF, the special diets, it was all too much for her. She was losing all hope for a child and this broke my father heart, he would listen to her cry herself to sleep for many nights. One day he decided to surprised her with a Europe trip for the two of them as a ten year anniversary gift, he needed to go visit his family after almost ten years as well, she was overjoyed to be going on a vacation and was glad to clear her mind for a little while after everything that had happened.

As they moved from the south Eastern corner of Europe, traveling up through Spain, Greece, France, Italy, Germany and making many, many detours on their way to his family the two of them re-kindled a flame that for the last five years had been dwindling as the hopes of a child was slowly becoming a distant dream. Not asking for it but as my father was very rich and his family name ‘Ivanov’ was known throughout Europe they got special treatment, she was able to see Europe from a whole new light with the man she loved and not with the sickening feeling if she would make it to her next destination now that money was not an issue, to her this eight month vacation was like a dream, unlike her experiences as a backpacker.

After seeing his family and spending a few nights with them the constant questioning by her mother-in-law for a grandchild was getting to my mother and my father noticed this, the constant pestering was beginning to infuriate him. He decided to take her for a long, relaxing walk in the moon light, as they neared their destination my mother noticed something, they once again stood in front of the bar where they first fell in love with each other. My mother was so happy she flung herself onto my father with so much happiness they almost toppled over, trying to straighten up through the laughing they again walked inside and were welcomed back like family with a large dinner and lots of Vodka.

The night was almost over, and the sun was once again beaming through the windows of the bar, their love was felt throughout the place and they decided it was time to head back to his family home. That morning the sun tried to sneak its way through the curtains of their bedroom that was concealing their loving embrace and wild endeavors of the night before that they enjoyed and so long deserved, the love making was taken in to the fullest of its abilities and they resided in the bedroom for the rest of the day and following night.

A few weeks after their magical evening and memorable day together, about four weeks before they were going to fly home my mother started feeling nauseous and ill, when she told my father he was cautious as this was not the first time they experienced the same situation that seemed to always end in heart ache but seeing how exited and happy my mother was his emotions soon turned to joy and he wrapped his arms around her waist, spinning her into a lift but soon bringing her back down as he came back to reality and fear that he might harm their new child.

When they went to the doctor and found out that they were actually pregnant and the doctor went on that given their history there is a high chance this one will not survive either stress hit them like a ton of bricks, my mother froze as tears ran down her cheeks, she wasn’t ready for another failure, my fathers grip on her tightened in a protective manner as well as to comfort her, the doctor suggested they stay in Russia so that he could keep an eye on mum and the baby, too much stress from work and expectations could have been the issue also some fresh air and some new scenery might help.

This worked out for mum but not for dad, he had to return to America for a while to catch up on all that was ongoing with work, they came to an agreement to give it a try as this could be their last chance, so my father packed his bags and my mother made herself at home with her in-laws. Eight and a half months later with many, many video and voice calls between them, my father came back to see his glowing wife with big belly carrying his child, his heir, he spent the next few weeks serving her like a queen, cooking, cleaning, shopping, even though they had people for that he wanted to be there for her the best he could he did it all so that this time there was a chance even though his mother and father told him to relax.

On a cold winter’s night, it started, my mother woke up with moister between her legs, realizing what was happening, she shook my dad awake and they started rushing to the hospital with my grandparents close behind them, with every scream and every contraction their fears grew but with the doctors reassuring them hopes began to appear. After almost twenty-four hours of labor, I was born, a beautiful, healthy baby girl, they named me Devon Misha Ivanov and made the decision to only address me as Misha or Princess until the time came for me to take over dads Family Business so that no one would be able to take advantage of a future Female Boss because apparently I would be the first.

We stayed in Russia until I was eight, learning more than a handful of languages which included Russian, German, Chinese, Japanese, English and many more, I was taught all the different ways to act and behave appropriately in all of society’s situations also learning the basics on how to defend myself. In Russia I was treated like a Princess because I was an ‘Ivanov’ and I was told to go by my middle name Misha for my own safety.

When I was six, I made a friend who was always there for me, we were inseparable. When we were seven and a half my dad told me that a man had to come and killed my friend and her family, I hated him for telling me this and I didn’t talk to my dad until his next visit, it turned out she was meant to get close to me and stay by my side so that her parents could find out information about my family, they did and it was my fault so they had to go. I stopped getting close to people and treated everyone as leaves blown in the wind, I didn’t like it and it felt like I was closing myself off to any true friendships or relationships. I even started liking a boy, from a distance, but every time I tried to talk to him he would shy way and coward at the sight of me, there were rumors' that I’ve killed someone before, it didn’t help that I was the reason for some ones death only months prior and the older I got the more things came up and the more I began to hate my life.

On my eighth birthday with no one but my parents and grandparents as I had no friends, I asked to go with my father to America, he always came and went every few months and I wanted to get away from this hell hole where I was either worshiped or feared. After I went to bed my mother and father discussed this request in depth and my mother explained that I had been feeling distant to her and not really leaving my room, she said I needed a change so the next morning I awoke to breakfast in bed with three plane tickets on the tray. It took a few weeks until we were going to America but I was finally leaving the world I knew and was going to be normal, well, as normal as I could be considering.

We got first class tickets for the plane and I was nervous to be flying for the first time, but my mother reassured me it was just like a big bus with the bonuses of TV and meals, as usual, she was right. It was a breeze and before I knew it, I was stepping foot into my new world.