Chapter Twenty-Four

The flight was difficult. Take-off. Landing. Again, take-off. Again landing, and again and again. Twenty-four hours like that. I couldn’t sleep on the planes. Whether because of the fear or excitement, I didn’t feel tired. Airports in Amsterdam, Seattle, and Chicago impressed me with their size and cleanliness.

For a while I forgot about everything, even about Ukraine, my kitchen, and friends. Life twirled me in a maelstrom of new events and adventures.

The first thing I realized when I landed in the United States was that during all the time I had been learning English, I learnt absolutely nothing. The alive speech of Americans merged into one huge sentence, from which I could not single out any familiar word. The one thing I could understand was “Welcome to the United States!” This phrase was said by everyone we had to face passing through Customs. They said that with sincere and joyful smiles on their faces. And it seemed to me that they were really glad that I came here! And even though we were both tired after such a long journey, my mood was wonderful. In general, America created a very nice impression on me.

It happened that three months prior to my arrival, Mike’s grandfather died. He lived in Michigan and was ninety-four years old when he passed away. In the United States they prefer to cremate their deceased, so the funeral and the subsequent wake, the celebration of life as they call it, can be carried out at any convenient time. Moreover, there are no limits in timing for Americans like nine or forty days, as they are not so superstitious.

Mike’s relatives knew that he was to bring his wife from the former Soviet Union and were eager to look at this miracle. Everyone was waiting for me! They, of course, believed that Mike again had got into just one more tough spot. Every time he tried to throw in his lot with a woman, it brought a lot of problems. The first time he married early, at nineteen, to a woman five years older than himself, who had two children. After divorcing her he was left, as they say, without a penny in his pocket.

His second wife was a friend and a kindred spirit. She was also a truck driver and loved to race on a snowmobile. They spent time together, hanging out in the bars, where she soon started hanging out more and more often. And not only with him. One day, when Mike came home from the night shift, he discovered that both sides of their bed were still warm from the heat of human bodies. Having decided that scandal couldn’t be avoided, the traitoress left for a while. Later, she also tried to sue for some money, but my husband, sadder but wiser, took the necessary measures to prevent this from happening a second time.

So his family had reasonable grounds to believe that Mike again got into a jam.

All the relatives: brothers and their wives, aunts, uncles, cousins, who came to the celebration of life of the deceased grandfather, were smiling and friendly people. They also kept telling me “Welcome to the US,” and “Glad to see you.” And I again had the feeling that all these people would be very unhappy if I weren’t here, so sincere they sounded. They all were so nice, I was happy.

The evening was coming to an end when I got surrounded by his brothers Ken, Don, and Ron. Mike at that time was having a conversation with someone else, and I, tired from the flights and sleepless nights, was sitting alone in the corner. The eldest of the brothers, Ken, said, “Polina! We have to tell you something very important. We have to warn you. We think you’ve made a big mistake by marrying Mike.”

“Me? Why?” All my fears instantly flashed through my mind. Sticky, nasty, chillness crept up my back.

“He probably did not tell you, but he has five children here in the States. And after he went to prison, he even has a kind of a boyfriend.”

“What? Mike in jail? Boyfriend?” I looked at them with my eyes wide. Perhaps there was so much fear in them that Don, the youngest of the brothers, gave me a wink. Ken, knowing his good heart, cut Don’s desire to warn me by stepping hard on his foot. But it was too late. I realized it was a joke. To be honest, the guys disappointed me. Such a dodo of a woman, who came to a foreign country without knowing the language, the people, or traditions. It was too brutal. Three big guys were having fun looking at my scared eyes. It was a shame.

“I cannot answer you the way I would like to because of my poor English. So for now I will say this, as you are his brothers, and therefore mine too, you have to help me. Here I have no one else to ask for help. Can you refuse me?”

I saw sincere amazement on their faces.

“And one more thing. I advise you never to make such jokes anymore. You totally have no idea what a Ukrainian woman is capable of. If you try to offend her, she might strike back.”

My impression of such nice people had been corrupted. Though not for all. Don was still a nice guy for me.

My husband came back happy and smiling. I didn’t want to spoil his mood, so I told him nothing. Moreover I was afraid that he could find this joke hilarious too. I didn’t. I was still scared that all of it, or at least part, was truth.