The way that it should have been

Chapter 27

Karo took a deep breath and began explaining for me.

"Paul, come over here and sit down with me for a minute."

"But mama, I want to know what is wrong with Auntie Roza's hands they look like they hurt her." He complained quietly. No fits, no tantrum, no yelling just explaining what he wanted to know along with his concern for my wellbeing.

"I know syn, and that is what I am about to explain to you." (son)

He nodded and then went and sat down on the sofa next to Karo.

"A few days ago, Auntie Roza and Uncle Dimka found out that someone had hurt both your Auntie Sonja and your Auntie Vika very badly. So, Auntie Roza and Uncle Dimka went and had a little TALK with him about it and told him not to do it EVER again."

"Talking made her hands bruised and bloody?"

Karo sighed again. "This PARTICULAR talk did, yes."

"Why? How could talking to someone make your hands bleed?"

"Because she spoke to him USING her hands."

"How did she do that?"

"Because I punched him in the face, several times as a matter of a fact, Pasha." I gently explained that time myself.

"Ahhh, yeah, ok I guess that would do it. But why Auntie Roza?"

"Because your Auntie Roza is so much like me Paul. When the people that she loves and cares about are hurt she tends to hurt the people who hurt them back." Dimitri explained.

Apparently, this had become a family wide discussion.

"Talking with your hands, the way that I did, is NOT usually the first way that you try to talk to someone though Pasha. But there are some people in the world, ESPECIALLY in the moroi world, who just don't and won't understand you any other way. People who hurt other people for the fun of it. They don't care that they hurt people they don't care about anything and anyone but themselves and about what they need or want. Nothing and no one else matters to them. So sometimes talking to them with my hands is the only way to get them to listen to what I am trying to tell them. Unless you have no other choice, talking to someone with your hands the way that I did is not the first step that you take to get people to listen, as I said. Never let that be your first reaction unless you have NO other choice Pasha, please."

He sat there quietly for a few moments, thinking about everything that we had all said to him, and then he nodded. "Ok Auntie Roza, only hit someone if there is really no other way to get through to them or to protect someone else."

I was so very proud of him. "That's right. Hitting someone, other than a strigoi, should always remain your last resort. You use it only if you have no other choice in the matter, or to protect yourself or someone else. As I said, violence should always be your very last resort Pasha."

"Ok, I understand Auntie Roza."

"Thank you, my little man."

He got up off of the sofa, ran into my arms and hugged me tightly.

"Thank you for protecting and taking up for my Auntie Sonja and Auntie Vika, Auntie Roza." He lifted both of my hands to his mouth and lay gentle kisses all over them.

My throat was sore and tight with sudden emotions just as my eyes burned with unshed tears.

"You are VERY welcome, Pasha. Please just know, that if you ever need me, I will ALWAYS be there for you Pasha, ALWAYS. I will ALWAYS come if you need me to, always Pasha, I promise. You just call me or get someone else to call me and I will be there just as soon as I can possibly get to you my little man. Always. I will write my cell phone number down for you and you can keep it with you always. Ok?"