This is one of my #FridayFlash fiction stories. Each Friday, members of the #FridayFlash group on Twitter write fictional stories of 1,000 words or less and share them. Join in the fun!
This flash fiction is part of a series called Twisted Family Bonds (follow the link to read from the beginning). It continues where the Frostbite series ends. It is a mixture of light and dark humor written in the soap opera episodic style about the happenings in the Kaszinov family, who live on a family compound in the Hungarian countryside near Budapest. Russian mafia members have family lives, too, they just behave a little differently, or do they?
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Previously, in Twisted Family Bonds – Episode 1, Viktor and his family where exonerated from all charges related to Great Aunt Urola’s demise. They are celebrating in true mafia style when Tasha shows up with a child welfare worker.
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Episode 2 of 6: Inna is in the House
Tasha was laying on the cold concrete landing outside the front door. Her hands clenched as she held her face down on the freezing stoop. Her body was covering Inna, protecting her from the gun fire. The shots sounded close and she wasn’t taking any chances. She was not going to lose the only child welfare worker in Budapest willing to come out here before they even had a chance to enter the house.
“Stop firing, you IDIOTS!” Alena screeched. She left the doors wide open as she turned and stammered back in the house in a drunken fog.
Tasha and Inna crawled through the large double doors as low to the ground as possible. Tasha quickly slammed the door and they both got up to find cookie crumbs all over their coats. “What is this?” Inna brushed the crumbs only to transform them into white streams of mush.
Alena fell into a chair in the foyer and tried to focus her blurry eyes. She watched the two of them take off their crumb covered coats. “Uh…Why are you here?”
“This is my Mama, Alena Kaszinov. Mama, this is Inna, she is from the Hungarian Child Welfare office…”
“What are you talking about? I didn’t even know you were back….Where are the kids?” Alena’s head waved back and forth.
“I didn’t bring the kids with me…”
“Good, I don’t want to bring chaos into this house right now…” Alena slurred and drifted off.
Papa caught a glimpse of the scene and rushed over to see who penetrated his security force.
“Inna is here to evaluate the appropriateness of this household for the children to return home…”
“What? Are you kidding me? Appropriateness for their own family? I’ve never heard such nonsense! You had better leave! NOW! Somebody call security!” Papa was turning red and purple, his fists clenching and legs shaking as he unsuccessfully yelled to the Boys. They were done breaking glasses in the fireplace and were now doing drunken gymnastics on the living room furniture.
However, the screaming brought Aunt Nadya and Aunt Grusha springing from the living room with their champagne glasses. “Tasha, you’re back home! Who is this?”
“I’m trying to tell you, Inna is here to do interviews…”
“Oh, how wonderful, come in to the kitchen and we will show you our Hungarian-Russian fusion cooking in person. Our new cookbook is becoming a best-seller, at least in this country. Did you bring a photographer?” Nadya and Gusha giggled as they pushed Tasha and Inna into the kitchen.
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Tasha’s cousins came running and tripping out of the kitchen to avoid the stranger who had invaded their home. “Why do they keep screaming about the kids? Are they back?”
“No! They say we have to be judged as good enough for our own children and grandchildren! Get outta my way, I’m getting a gun!”
“Viktor! You said our kids would come back home after the trial! You must live up to your promise! We have been running the family businesses for you, and if you don’t, you know what we can do…”
“Why… you ungrateful, #$&%!! #%&$!!!!
As the arguing and threats escalated, Alena hit her head against the wall and covered her ears. “Oh my god! Give them what they want, Viktor, just stop the screaming!!
Flaming eyes were shooting daggers at Viktor. He looked at the lot of them, immovable in their position. The last thing he wanted was more trouble with the law. He knew this was one battle he couldn’t win.
“O.K., but we are gonna play this MY way.” Viktor stomped into the living room, brought back a glass of wine and headed into the kitchen.
“I apologize, I was rude. No hard feelings?” Viktor offered the glass of wine to Inna.
“I know this is hard, it is for everyone.” Relieved to have resolved the conflict and narrowly escaping the gun fire, Inna graciously accepted the glass of wine and guzzled. She slinked down to the floor within a couple minutes.
“How could you do that?” Tasha pounded her foot.
Viktor slyly smiled as he bit his cigar, “Tasha, I learned from the best!”
Tasha knew he was referring to the time she drugged the entire family to escape with the children two years ago, and knew she would have to watch her step.
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Continue reading with, Twisted Family Bonds – Episode 3
Want to find out how the Kaszinov family got themselves into such a mess? Read more here:
Frostbite: A Mafia Family Christmas – Part 1, Part 2, and Part 3
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