Yuri Sits Alone

A single cigarette burns slowly as it sits in a single gold and black ash tray in the middle of an otherwise empty table in the quiet part of club. Yuri designed it that way, one table, just for him at the back of the club that watched, everything happening, and everyone at once. Everyone that saw him there came up with their own theory's as to why Yuri’s table was there. The main current one that emanated originally from one of the oldest cooks was that he could watch all the high rollers come and spend and plot their set ups and eventual demise. The bartenders would tell new busboys that from that table, Yuri could aim his hidden Tokarev at potential hits from under the table. They would whisper that he still had enemies that followed him here from “back home”. Even though no one really knew what “back home” was for Yuri, with a club named the “Kaza’s Bear”, they assumed it was somewhere East far away from the sun and the shores here of Miami Beach. No matter how far everyone assumed Yuri was from home, in his thoughts and eyes, he was even further away.  

The smoke from Yuri’s Black Cat cigarette that was now slowly dwindling as it was nestled between his two fingers, seemed to cloud all the views of him from his small table in the corner of Kaza’s Bear. It stood as an appropriate façade between him, the club and the past that he was drifting off to. His past drifted in as the same smoke seemed to fill his lungs from a distance. The poster covered low lite walls, started to drift away along with the rest of table and the slow movers in the club at this late time behind the smoke still drifting around. The band in their late night rehearsal, drifted down to one lone trumpet playing slower and slower notes. Yuri blinked slower and slower, but when he opened his eyes again and deeply inhaled, he was sitting alone, no table, no club staff, no wall, just him alone again, in his past waiting on the cold old bench.  

There were many old cigarette buds cold and burnt out there on the ground in between the weeds from the uneven concrete tiles. Most were old Black Cats left there from Yuri during his many stops there, which was becoming his favorite place to go. This old cracked wooden and steal bench, that sat at the end of a park that seemed to be visited less and less as the weather got cold like it currently was. Yuri this time lit another new cigarette that was fresh from his Black Cat box, and held it away from him as he kept looking straight ahead to overgrown park. “Salam”, was quickly spoken as the cigarette from Yuri was now in between the finger tips of another. Yuri’s gaze didn’t break from the park ahead, but a smile crept out from his cold lips as he reached down to hold the bare hand that was resting on his thigh. Yuri heard a voice say closely to him, “I’m glad you came, I didn’t think you would”. Yuri replied, “I didn’t want to, but you know I had to, I just couldn’t...without being able to see you again”. Yuri’s head turned to his visitor on that cold bench, finally as their cold lips pursed and pushed into each other. The steam and condensation rose like smoke in the cold air as their lips and faces pushed against each other in lust and passion of lover’s embrace. Yuri dropped another cigarette to the ground carelessly as his hand now felt the cheek and skin of his lover. He slowly guided his head feeling the exposed neck and pulled him back slowly from the kiss, opened his eyes to finally lock on the watery ones of his love, Kaza. “Salam Ayy” (Hello Bear), Kaza said slowly to Yuri as they pulled away from their warm Salam kiss.  

Of all the meetings between Yuri and Kaza, that started on this cold wooden bench, that would lead to rendezvous in other quiet places where they could share each other’s bodies together in warm embraces against the outside cold, they both new this one meeting would be their last. Yuri’s head couldn’t keep Kaza’s glare as he stared at the lower section of his lover that sat next to him. Kaza’s hand slowly moved to the chin of Yuri, but was met with cold tears as he lifted his head to meet his gaze again. Yuri’s lips trembled as he as tears ran past the corners of his mouth, and he slowly tried to get out the words, “I can’t...”, but was stopped by the single finger of Kaza holding the words in. Kaza, wiped a single tear from his lover’s chin and said, “you’re supposed to be the strong one, my bear”. Yuri’s large body frame and imposing size didn’t matter anymore, he felt as small as a mouse as he crouched over still holding on to Kaza’s hand, as they both squeezed each other for the last time. “How do I look?”, cheerfully exclaimed Kaza, as he lifted his head and smiled to Yuri. “More beautiful than I’ve ever seen you before and as beautiful as I’ll remember you again”, slowly replied Yuri as more tears ran from his face. “Good, then I’m ready my love”, were the last words Yuri ever heard Kaza say to him...or anyone else. Those words replayed over as Yuri sat alone on the floor in the corner of his cold cell, with tears running down his face as his love Kaza wore a blindfold with his back against the cold wall, facing his end, hands gripped in a fist holding on to the last memory, of the last cigarette, the last kiss and the last time with Yuri, his Bear.