Holding little Noah had made me feel something like nostalgia, or maybe a yearning to go back to when life was easier. Sitting at home, with Lucy on my lap, I realized that I felt homesick for the first time in many years. I missed my mother and sister. My family. Yes, the Railers were like my brothers in a way—some days fun and some days annoying—but they were not family. They didn’t cook for me or smile when I walked in the door after a bad game.
I wanted that here in America. I wanted my mother here, far away from the decaying old town she clung to. Maybe when Galina arrived we could talk and plan. Come up with a way to lure my mother off the farm and into a 747. I wanted Galina nearby. I wanted a husband and children. Maybe a dog. I would have to discuss the dog idea with my cat first, though.
Lucy purred steadily, kneading the denim covering my thighs. My in-home music system was playing Russian folk music, not Elvis, for today I needed to feel connected to something, and that was my homeland, and the people dear to me that it held. The music was deeply rooted in the Orthodox Church, which I had been raised in. I’d not attended services for many years even though there was a Russian Orthodox church here in the city.
My church did not accept men such as me. I missed the services greatly, but would have felt out of place knowing the priests in their flowing black robes thought I was a perverse distortion and that I should never marry or raise children.
Pah. I felt miserable. So I dug my phone out of my back pocket and called my mother.
She greeted me with tears of joy, so happy to hear my voice. Truly it hadn’t been that long since we had spoken, maybe a week, but mothers cry easily.
We talked about my sister and her arrival here in several hours. Then I begged her to come over yet again. Said I would buy the tickets and meet her at the airport, just as I’d done for my sister.
“But Stanislav, I do not like planes. If God had meant for us to fly…”
“He would have given us wings,” I finished for her, both of us speaking in rapid Russian.
“Yes, see, you know that to be the truth.”
“Mama, America is amazing! I have a big house. You could have your own room with air conditioning, a big TV with a thousand channels, and a Jacuzzi bath just for you. You’d not have to cook or clean, just sit back and be a queen!”
“I’ll not be a bother.”
“You’re not a bother. Galina and I worrying about you all alone in Leskovo is a bother.”
“I’m sorry for making life more difficult for you.”
And now I felt guilty. “Mama, you’re not. I just… I want you here. I miss my family. If you don’t want to live with me, I’ll get you an apartment. Harrisburg is a wonderful city! You could live by yourself. I would pay your bills and rent. Please, Mama, think about it, for me.”
“I will think on it.”
I knew she wouldn’t. I wasn’t sure what it would take to tempt her from the homeland, but it would be more than her son pleading and begging. We talked for a long time, touching on the few old friends who, like my mother, refused to leave Leskovo and live somewhere else. Then we talked about the pain in her hip. I told her that was probably because she had arthritis starting and that the old house was not warm enough for her joints.
“You should go now. Get ready for your hockey game,” Mama replied.
I sighed theatrically. “And you should pack your bags and come to America so I can take care of you. You worked so hard all those years for me to play hockey. Let me repay you.”
“Parents suffer; that is our lot. Now go and play good hockey for me. When you call next, I want to talk to you and Galina at the same time.”
“Yes, Mama, we can do that.”
“Goodbye, my sweet boy.”
“Goodbye, Mama.”
I tossed my phone aside and listened to Russian music until it was time to return to the arena for another game. I rode the bus in and was fine. Why my friends thought riding the bus was so bad, I didn’t understand. People were nice to me. They asked me for my autograph and we talked hockey during the ride. I liked moving among the fans and people of this good city. They’d accepted me openly even when I still spoke chopped-up English.
The dressing room was loud when I entered after our win against Tampa Bay. Life was good. We had played well, and I had blocked forty-two out of forty-two shots. I was number one star of the game. Also, I was an hour away from seeing my baby sister. My fellow Russian strode up to me as I removed my sweaty jersey.
“Stanislav, we are thinking you should invite Erik to your party,” Anatoly declared so loudly that Erik had to hear. The people in the parking lot probably heard. “To show world there is no hard feelings and team is happy good like brothers.”
I threw a look at Erik. He had his back to us. His white dress shirt clung to his damp back. Those curls were just beginning to dry. In a few moments, they would bounce up into golden rings of soft satin that I could—
“Nyet.”
“Stan, come on, dude. Don’t be mad at him. Flukes happen, right?” Tennant said while pulling on a dark brown jacket. “Could have been me or Arvy or Adzee. Just a wrong-place-wrong-time situation.”
“Ten’s right, Stan.” I ignored Adler the best I could. “He’s already feeling left out. Just invite him.”
“I have numbers of foods catering counted.” That was a lie and it tasted bad.
Anatoly gave me a look. A dark one. “Stanislav, New Year’s is most important. Forgive bad mistake goal from Gunner. Be big man. Captain says team is family. You leave brother out of party plans?”
“I am big man. Go make poops in other pond.”
They all stared at me. “Dude, that’s a total butchery of something that was maybe English,” Tennant finally said.
“If you wish him, fine, go tell him he has good wills. But only because it is New Year’s and he has baby Noah.”
I spun from them, ripped my Under Armour off, and flung it into my stall. One of the equipment managers picked up after us, so he’d find it and wash it for me so it would be there clean and dry for the next game. I usually liked to place everything in order but today that wasn’t happening.
“You be big man,” Anatoly said as Tennant jogged over to pass along my invitation. Erik listened, nodded, then gave me a quick look. I returned to dressing.
“Okay, so why is New Year’s such a big deal to Russians?” Adler asked, because Adler asks whatever is on his mind. I waved at Anatoly to explain before I butchered something else that might have been good English. Also, I had to catch a taxi and get to the airport to pick up my sister.
“Back when Bolsheviks come to power, religious holidays are outlawed. Christmas was banned, so people simply shift from Christmas to New Year’s. Was not easy transition. Fir trees and Father Frost now could have no religious meaning. But our people are strong and smart. We make New Year’s Day a day of presents and celebrations.”
“What kind of jerkwad outlaws Christmas? Ouch! Shit, Ten.” Adler yelped. I chuckled at the swat to the head my friend gave my other friend. “What was that for?”
“Go find Layton and have him explain. By the way, Erik said he’s not sure he can make it because of needing a babysitter but he’ll try.”
“Whatever good,” I said as I stepped into my dress slacks.
“Tennant, are you ready?” We all looked at the door at the sound of Coach Madsen’s voice. My friend Tennant smiled at us, then left with his boyfriend.
Erik left then as well, and I continued dressing as Anatoly and I chatted about the party. He would oversee the bar and I was the food man. Much vodka had been purchased, he informed me.
“Oh, I see Dieter in showers. He says he brings pretty figure skating boyfriend up from Philadelphia for party tomorrow night.”
“Trent is nice man.” I tugged my jacket on, grabbed my bag, said goodbye to my countryman, and ran to the doors. Peter said hello, and I replied this time, stopping just for a minute to make chitter-chat before jogging out into the cold for my waiting cab. The ride to the airport seemed to take an eternity.
My sister stood just inside the doors of the Harrisburg International Airport. I ran from the parked taxi, and she met me outside. I swept her up off the ground, hugging her tightly. She was crying and gasping, her long dark hair blowing around in a bitter-cold wind.
“Sladkaya detskaya sestra.” “My sweet baby sister” I whispered, kissing her damp cheeks. Galina finally broke free from my embrace, laughing and crying. She grabbed my hand as the taxi driver put her bags into the trunk of the cab.
We climbed into the back of the car, glad for the warmth, and simply stared at each other for several moments. She was so beautiful, with smoky gray eyes like mine and dark brown hair. Her smile was brilliant and white, her skin soft and smooth like rich cream, and her lips as pink as the marble floors in the Kremlin throne room. She was tall, but not as tall as me, and filled out nicely now. For many years, she was thin. Too thin. Her purging disorder had made her sick, but I had paid for her recovery from my KHL monies. Now she was healthy again.
Galina was funny and loud on occasion, drank almost as well as I could, loved rock music and dancing. She was my darling baby sister, and I adored her.
It had been some time years since we had seen each other. When I had been signed by the Railers from the KHL, I’d had to leave her behind. There was no way then for her to come because she was entering her first year as a student at Novosibirsk Medical University, studying psychology to become an eating disorder counselor. That had been her dream after recovering from her dark times. Mine was hockey in America. Hockey paid for her dream to come true. Now she was in her third year of study and always at the top of her class. My gift to her this year was plane tickets to America for a long visit.
“Tell me how you are doing.”
I began to tell her.
“Tell me in English,” she said, her English so much better than mine. She had taken classes in college.
“I am doing groovy good.”
She laughed warmly. “Who is teaching you English? Is it an old coach?”
“No, it is Elvis movies, TV Land, and team.”
“Elvis movies?” She laughed hard then. I didn’t mind her joking with me. Hearing her laughter and seeing her lovely face made me feel as light as a cloud. We talked all the way back to Hershey. She filled me in on her life. School was hard, but she was doing well. She had no boyfriend, because every man her age that she met was a bolvan, or a jackass. Mama was well too, although she didn’t see her as much as she would like. We both worried over our mother out there in that old, dead village.
“Someday I wish to bring her to America,” I told her as we pulled into my driveway.
Galina gaped at my house through the steamy windows. “Stanislav, your house is huge!”
“But empty until you come to visit.”
We ran inside, me pulling her along, anxious to show her my new American house. Then I ran back out to pay the cab driver and gather her many bags. I gave her a tour and got her settled into a guest room. We changed into pajamas and then watched Elvis movies while we sipped icy-cold vodka and ate pickles. Lucy took turns sleeping on me and my sister. All night we spoke in English mixed with Russian, and it was joyous to let my native tongue flow freely on occasion.
“What time is it?” Galina asked after yawning widely. My head was peaceful on a pillow on the floor and I hated to lift it up, but for her, I would. “Tell me in English. You won’t get better in the language if you do not use it.”
“Ten after two,” I replied, then rolled to my side to look up at her. She was on her belly on the big, fat sofa. Her hair was flipped up over her head and hung over her face.
“We have much work tomorrow for your party.” That wasn’t a question but a fact. I nodded and giggled at the silly feeling in my toes. “I am going to bed now.” She began snoring.
“Dobroy nochi,” I said, and closed my eyes. Galina never said goodnight in return before I fell asleep on the floor. I had to get up the next morning. The skate was optional, but I was hoping Galina would take over talking to caterers and decorators and who knows what.
When I woke up, I walked into the chaos of getting ready for the party.
I scooped up Lucy, who was cowering behind the sofa, and put her in a cat box ready to take her to the vets for her overnight stay. I needed to get out of here and together we would find peace, and hope that when we came back all would be well.