Crazy Love

Victoria Andreenkova is in love.

What a heady feeling, those first stirrings of emotion. Especially for a former citizen of Russia, where there is precious little reason to fall in love. Everyone's miserable in Russia, with poor job prospects, poverty, lack of resources, and most every man in the nation a raging alcoholic.

Ms. Andreenkova has fallen in love with an Irishman. Her move to Dublin was, in that case, a blessing.

Victoria Andreenkova: From Rusia, For Love

But she is Russian by birth, the tragedy of Russian history ingrained in her psyche. She is in love, but there is an element of drama.

She is in love with Graham Dwyer who is now serving a life sentence for the sado-masochistic killing of child minder Elaine O'Hara. Their love, in this case, can never be. They cannot be together, snuggling on a beach or sharing a quiet dinner in some trendy bistro in Dublin. The best she can hope for is to gaze lovingly into Mr. Dwyer's eyes through the Plexiglas that separates them for thirty minutes, once per week.

The rest of her time is spent in Dublin, pining for her beloved. He is in Midlands Prison in Portlaoise, so far away.

It was during his trial that she fell for the handsome dominant, pushing her way into the courtroom to gain a front-row seat. So smitten was she that she had to contact him, to let him know that she, too, recognized his innocence. She knew he didn't kill Elaine O'Hara because some mysterious garda had done the deed. Not a city-based officer, however, but one of those from the countryside. There's not many people about in the farming communities, you see, and the guard could just slip in and out of Dublin without anyone noticing.

Perhaps she is thinking of the same mysterious garda who she says she was involved with some time ago in Ballymun. The man didn't have the decency to rent a hotel room, either, but used his car, the bastard. Public property and he's not concerned about leaving a stain on the seat. And he's a married man, so. He tried to make her take abortion pills after she fell pregnant, illegally purchased tablets that he bought on the Internet but she was too clever for him. Just put the pills in her mouth and pretended to swallow.

So clearly she has it in for the police service.

Nor is she a great friend of Fine Gael or the Irish government in general. It was Fine Gael that stole her breast pump, you see. And she went right to the top with her complaint. She rang up Enda Kenny himself to let him know how displeased she was that Fine Gael was after stealing her breast pump.

Now the crazy in love young woman has been banned from further visits with her dear Graham because she was not dressing appropriately for a prison visit. She was only wearing what he ordered her to wear, it turns out. Once a dominant, always a dominant, I suppose. But the attire was not deemed suitable and she won't be allowed back in.

Ms. Andreenkova has lost her heart. Seems like she's lost her head as well, but maybe that's been gone for quite some time.