An Ilya Kind of Day
Summer 2021, Week 2
Monday morning
Ilya's Home, The Grove
Ilya Medvedev
Walking out of the shower, he admires the giant brown bear on his chest. "Hello, beautiful. You give me life." He kisses his fingers and touches them to his chest. Walking out of the bathroom, completely nude, he's humming "I'm too sexy for my shirt" as he waters all of the plants filling his house. "Good morning, hello, grow my sweets, lovely, you inspire me, never stop being perfect..." and all sorts of other encouragements. Plants need confidence, yes? Yes. The water is infused with the essence of vodka and a special plant nutrient, his special formula. No plant has ever succeeded in the way they succeed when he cares for them. Being in his house is like being in a jungle, just inside.William Side Diner, Museum District
Ilya Medvedev
Strolling up to the diner, wearing skintight leather pants and a white button-down shirt hanging loose and mostly unbuttoned, the bear tattoo on display, Ilya trailed his hands along the tops of the shrubbery lining the sidewalk. He pushes open the door and the wind wafts in the scent of nature, announcing his arrival. He takes a seat at one of the stools along the counter and looks for his favorite waitress.Sofia Taylor
His favorite waitress had been serving a breakfast order of two pancakes with syrup on the side, a poached egg, and a cup of black coffee with no sugar or cream to Mrs. Rose. The sweet old lady, who was currently on a diet 'to lose a few pounds and heaven help her if she couldn’t fit into the dress for her great-granddaughter’s wedding that was happening two weeks from now’, murmured her thanks to the young lady. And just as she was asking Sophie what she thought of her newly dyed hair, the bell on the front door gave a soft tinkle and stole the old lady’s attention. Oh thank goodness for small favors. Fire-engine red was a curious, yet bold choice for an 80-year-old and Sofia wasn't sure if she could have kept a straight face if she had to answer. Even with her back to the door, the soft gasps and whispering coming from the Sunday morning crowd gave her all the clues she needed to piece together who had entered. Only one man could cause such a stir among her elderly patrons, or anyone for that matter. Ilya. “Just get my attention if you need anything else, Mrs. Rose. Enjoy your breakfast.” Trying to smother a grin, Sophie turned away from the shocked old lady and ambled to the other side of the counter. Hands smoothed down the front of her workplace attire, a 1950’s retro-styled dress in black and white, until they reached into the pockets of the apron tied at her waist. An order pad was pulled from there and after grabbing the pen that had been tucked behind her ear, Sophie beamed a smile at the man. “Good morning, sunshine. What can I get you this lovely morning?”Ilya Medvedev
He smiled up at her, his mustache twitching its own greeting, as his thick Russian accent graced her ears. "Hello, sweet lady. My usual coffee and a bagel, please. There's much to do and I need some fuel to get me going. Today is big day. Helping pandas at the zoo. They need new baby pandas. So, Ilya is here." He put his hands up and cocked his head to the side as if to say, 'Of course they pick me'. "Is the day treating you well, sweet lady? Are the people behaving? You just tell me if I need to keep anyone in line. Ilya would do that for you."Sofia Taylor
It was difficult to not admire the man before her, even if he were brazen in how he dressed with no qualms with how much skin and tattoos he showed to the world. Out of the corner of her eye, she could tell that Mrs. Rose was appreciating what she saw. The man reeked of confidence and Sofia couldn’t resist his infectious smile and swagger. Oh Lord, that swagger. He was going to be the death of her. “The usual. Got it.” The pen and paper were deposited on the counter, and she began to prepare his order, making certain to pick the best-looking bagel resting in the display. And of course, he had the first cup of the freshly brewed coffee. A dreamy sigh escaped the woman. “That all sounds very exciting, Ilya. I’m a bit envious that you get to spend a lovely day with the pandas, even as a love guru. Maybe one day you can even get them to name a panda after me." The bagel and coffee were promptly placed before him. "Don't worry about me, please. You know how everything works here. Everything and everyone are always fine here, boringly so, but I wouldn't trade it for anything. But if something were to happen, you'd be the first person I'd get a hold of."Ilya Medvedev
Pulling a flask out of thin air (seriously, where the fuck did he stash a flask in that outfit?!) he poured a little splash of liquid into his coffee as he smiled at Mrs. Rose before turning his attention back to Sofia. The flask held his own unique milk concoction. It had a specific flavor, its own flair, and a dash of nutrients Ilya craved. "Good, good. You have Ilya's number, sweet lady. You use it if ever you need to. I do enjoy my work as this 'love guru' as you say. You should come, see panda. I let you hold one. Very cuddly. Make worst of days your best of days. They're very sweet, much like Ilya, no?" He gave a suave wink at the waitress. "By the way, what did owner say about letting Ilya work on landscaping here? It needs... sprucing. I do for you, free of charge. Just for enjoyment of sweet lady so she has nice view every day. Then maybe she think of Ilya when she sees it. Bonus."Sofia Taylor
Oh fucking hell. She didn’t just start blushing like a teenage girl talking to her crush, did she? Did she? Her hands raised quickly to her face as she tried to hide the crimson evidence that was spreading across her lightly freckled face, though she tried to play it off like she was fixing wayward strands of dark auburn hair and tucking them behind her ears. She gave a nervous chuckle, trying to calm herself down a bit. “Oh my goodness, Ilya. If I were to think of you every day, I doubt I’d be able to do my job efficiently and then I’d get fired.” Smooth. And cue the fake pout. “But fortunately for you, my boss doesn’t care if I’m too distracted to tend to our customers and has agreed for you to help pretty things up outside. But he says no more than two bears and nothing that would upset the patrons." Speaking of patrons, Mrs. Rose was busy waving her down from her booth in the corner. It seemed as though she was done with her breakfast and was wanting the bill. Sofia gave a quick smile to the man and excused herself out from behind the counter, making sure to grab her pen and pad on the way. "By the way, it's on the house today, Ilya. Can't have a man of your stature, panda breeder extraordinaire, paying for his breakfast on such an important day." A playful wink and she scurried over to the old lady.Ilya Medvedev
"Don't worry, Ilya won't let sweet lady get fired. I will get started on topiaries on weekend. Ilya will make beautiful scene for beautiful lady restaurant." Having let his coffee cool down enough, he took a sip. "Mmmm, yes. Yes, this good. Such a slight aftertaste of my milks. You must try my special concoction one day. You will love. And if you do not let Ilya pay, then Ilya will make sure sweet lady is taken care of." He finished off the coffee in one gulp and slid a $50 bill under the cup. Raising the bagel, he stood and smiled. "I take for the road. You will see Ilya soon, sweet lady. Enjoy your day, diner people!" And with that, he left just as quickly as he came, with a smile and a wink for Sofia and a wave to all of the restaurant’s patrons. As the doors closed behind him, he could be seen making gestures and talking to the plants outside as he planned the scene he would soon design for her.Sofia Taylor
Even though he said a lot of questionable things right before he departed, there was one thing that stood out to her. ’Such a slight aftertaste of my milks.’ What the heck did he mean by that? It had her disgusted, shocked, and much to her horror, terribly intrigued by what he meant. Shaking off the myriad of feelings, the conflicted girl tried to then focus on her aging customer with a bright smile. “And how was your meal, Mrs. Rose?” She looked at the woman’s clean plate and empty coffee cup. “Would you like anything else?” Though she already knew the answer to the question before she asked it and was already gathering the dishes; the perks of working in a place for nearly five years and having regulars. “No, dearie. I couldn’t have another bite.” The old lady’s blue eyes twinkled, and she leaned closer to Sofia, dropping her voice to a conspiratorial whisper. “At least not until after the wedding, you see. And I meant to ask you before that rapscallion of a man walked in, what do you think of my hair?” Ah, fuck. Here we go. “Betty at the salon did it for me yesterday and wouldn’t you know, it took three hours. Three hours? I haven’t had to sit still like that ever since I was a small thing at school and back in my day, they didn’t let the children run wild back then with their cellular phones and their flabby bird games. They would take a ruler to your knuckles, if you were lucky that is. In my case, they used a switch and...” The sweet old woman droned on and on.The Zoo, Museum District
Ilya Medvedev
Stepping off the subway, Ilya took a deep breath of fresh air. Yes, yes. Very nice. He strolled along at a leisurely pace as he made his way towards the zoo entrance. He stopped occasionally to check on one of his creations. Whispering sweet nothings to them, making sure the staff was still properly maintaining them, which of course they were because no one wanted to upset him. He was too beloved. He turned on a dime at the sound of a child crying. He quickly searched the crowd until he spotted her. It was a girl, no more than 5, covered in snot and tears as she cried out for her mommy. No, this will not do! He grabbed a balloon from one of the vendors nearby and walked over to the girl. He crouched down to her level. "Hi there, small one. You seem very sad. Like this." He points to the angry bear tattoo on his knee. "This makes Ilya sad too. That's me, Ilya. Are you looking for your Mama?" The girl nodded but didn't stop her crying. "Would you like it if Ilya helped you?" She nodded again. "Would you like to hold balloon while we do? Balloons make me happy. Like this." He points to the happy bear tattoo on his other knee. "I can share my happy with you." She smiled and reached a hand out tentatively to the man. He passed the balloon with a smile. "Good. There we go. Now, what is Mama's name? Do you know?" "Daddy calls her Sarah." "Sarah. Good. What was Mama wearing today, eh?" "Ummmm, I don't remember." She looked like she might cry again. "Is okay, little one. We find her. Do not you be worrying. How about your name, eh? What should Ilya call you?" She sniffed and wiped some of the snot off her face and onto her dress. "Jenny." "Hello, Jenny. Is nice to meet you. Come with Ilya. I work here. I know all the peoples. They help." He stood and walked to the side with her free hand and offered his to her. She clasped it fiercely with the balloon still bobbing in the other. Together they searched the crowd as they made their way over to the entrance. When they got there, he took her over to the information booth. "Gene! Good, glad it's you. This is my new friend, Jenny. She is lost. Can you make announcement for us? Call for her Mama, Sarah." Turning back to the girl. "Jenny, what is your last name?" "Jenny Travis. Mommy taught me my address and her phone number too." "Ahh, you are smart girl. While Gene makes announcement, we call your Mama?" Jenny nodded. Gene started making an announcement for Sarah Travis to please come to the Information booth to pick up her daughter Jenny. Ilya pulled out his phone. "Okay, Jenny, what is number?" He typed it in as she repeated it just like she'd been taught. A frantic woman picked up the phone. "Jenny??" "No ma'am, is not Jenny, but Jenny is with me. Come to front of zoo. You will see us. We have blue balloon with zoo logo." "Who is this??? Please don't hurt her!!" "No, no, ma'am. You misunderstand. This Ilya Medvedev. I work for zoo with the animals. I saw your daughter crying. I help her to find you." "Oh my god, thank you so much! I'm on my way." The woman couldn't stop thanking him profusely as she hugged onto Jenny tightly. Ilya offered them a private showing of the pandas later that day, they just had to stop by and ask for him from one of the educational staff that would be in front of the exhibit. He gave Jenny a hug and a high five with a promise to see them soon. 'Good start to day. Yes, very very good.'
Type
Record, Historical
Medium
Digital Recording, Text
Authoring Date
June 28, 2021
Authors
Comments