“So what are you going to do about Sunday?” Erin asked. “Dad’s going to flip out if you don’t bring this guy over.”
“But if you do bring him over,” Maureen said, “all hell’s gonna break loose.”
My nephews started arguing in the living room then. The entire argument consisted of Brennan yelling, “Nuh uh!” and Brody screaming, “Yuh huh!” over and over and over again. The dog apparently had an opinion on this matter, and began barking incessantly as the boys kept yelling.
“Your dog’s gonna get me evicted from my apartment, Mo,” I told my sister.
“He is not,” she said defensively.
“Aren’t you going to go in there and break that up?” I asked Erin.
She took a long drink of coffee and reached for another donut. “Nope. They need to learn conflict resolution.”
I bonked my forehead against the kitchen counter and considered fleeing my apartment by way of the fire escape. Another minute of this noise and my head was going to explode.
Someone knocked on the door then, and Maureen leapt off the barstool and announced, “I’ll get it. That’s probably Robbie. He was going to come over when class let out.” She and her fiancé were both students at S.F. State. They were also joined at the hip.
Erin said calmly, as if her sons weren’t completely screaming in the other room, “So, when are you seeing the gangster again?”
“Can you please stop calling him that?” I shouted over the noise. “He has a name.”
All of a sudden, quiet descended on my apartment, and I sighed with relief. My sister said, “Sorry. What was his name again?”
“Dmitri,” I said softly as he appeared in the doorway to the kitchen.
He held an absolutely delighted Brody on one hip and had Tippy the dog tucked under his other arm. He smiled at me and set the toddler down, and Brody immediately attached himself to Dmitri’s leg like a little blonde leech. There were tiny powdered sugar hand prints all over Dmitri’s black dress shirt, but if Dmitri noticed he didn’t seem to care.
“Hi,” he said shyly, absently scratching Tippy’s ears.
“Hi yourself,” I answered with a grin. Dmitri seemed relieved at my reaction.
Maureen had trailed into the kitchen behind Dmitri, and she was staring at him in awe. I glanced at Erin and saw she was doing the same thing. Brennan raced into the room then and started climbing Dmitri like a tree.
Dmitri sat down cross-legged on my kitchen floor and let go of the dog, then said to the boys, “Hey, want to see something?” He pulled his cell phone from his pocket and tapped the screen a couple times. Bright colors lit up the screen.
My nephews piled into his lap as Dmitri said quietly, “See? This is how you control it.” He tapped the screen and ran his finger across it, and both boys gasped and let out delighted giggles. He handed over the cell phone and my nephews concentrated on it with rapt attention, imitating the tap and sweep motions, then oohing and ahhing at whatever was happening on the screen.
“Holy shit,” Erin muttered in amazement, forgetting her own swearing rule. “He’s the Toddler Whisperer.” To Dmitri she said, “What is that?”
“It’s an app I made that I call the Kid Calmer. My sister Lena has two toddlers as well, and this is the only way we can make it through a meal in a restaurant without one or both of the boys totally melting down. It’s basically just a simple chain reaction game, but for some reason, children love it.”
“Could I get a copy of that app?” Erin asked eagerly.
“Of course. I’ll send it to Jamie and he can forward it to you. Which sister are you, by the way?” he asked with a bright smile that showcased those adorable dimples.
“Oh God, I’m sorry,” I said. “Erin Nolan-Jacobs, Maureen Nolan, this is Dmitri Teplov.”
“It’s a pleasure to meet both of you,” he said, laying on the charm. My sisters didn’t stand a chance. Even the dog was sitting there staring at Dmitri adoringly, wagging his tail.
“Likewise,” said Erin.
And Maureen said cheerfully, “Well damn, I see why my brother is so smitten with you.”
I blushed at that, and then said, “Oh crap, your phone’s getting ruined, Dmitri,” as I noticed the coating of grease, sugar and jelly that the boys were liberally applying to the screen.
He shrugged, totally unconcerned, and said, “It’ll be fine. And if not it doesn’t matter, it can easily be replaced.”
Then he glanced at me and said, “I’m sorry to drop by unannounced and interrupt your visit with your sisters. I should probably go.”
Both sisters exclaimed in unison, “No!” And then Erin added, “We’re glad you’re here. We’ve been wanting to meet you.”
Dmitri looked at me hesitantly, and I told him, “I’m really glad you’re here, too.”
He visibly relaxed at that, smiling at me as he leaned back, propping himself up with his hands behind him. He looked perfectly content there on my kitchen floor, covered in kids and sugar and dog hair. Brody started to tip over then, and in a lightning-fast reaction Dmitri’s hand shot out, steadying the toddler with a palm on his back.