«Them too?» Megan asked with slight irritation, and Ruslan, then understood that this call was not the first.
«Is anybody going to come?» Megan gazed at her husband. «When did you give them the invitations?»
«About a month ago.»
«And they told you now?»
David could only shrug his shoulders. Feeling that something was going awry, the Russians exchanged glances.
The upset hosts lost the thread of the conversation and an awkward silence hung in the room. Nina was the first to break it. «How stifling!» She sighed.
«The heat is off,» replied David. «I’d be glad to open the window, but the frame is broken. Monday I’ll call someone to fix it.»
«No need to wait until Monday.» Ruslan had already checked the window. He took a knife, and, using it skillfully, fixed the frame in a few seconds, and uplifted it.
The fresh air burst into the room, and all the people laughed, enjoying it.
«Is it not cold down there?» asked Nina.
«No.» Marina smiled, helping Dylon. «Megan, call him.»
The woman beckoned to her child. «Come to Mommy.»
Suddenly the boy stepped forward. The adults held their breath.
The child stood for a moment, keeping his balance, then quickly minced towards his mother and fell into her arms.
«He walks!» exclaimed Megan. «He took his first steps! Oh, Marina. You’re a fairy.»
«It’s the best present that I’ve got on this birthday.» David smiled at her, and, blushing, Marina sighed, and lowered her eyes.
«You have to work with children,» Megan told her.
«I wish one day to have my very own day care center,» confessed Marina.
«I was working as a night orderly in the children’s summer camp,» cut in Vera Grach. «And I loved it. It was so wonderful to draw the sleeping kids. After every shift I had a whole bunch of pictures and sketches.»
«Larisa took her first steps when we were in a hospital,» said Nina sadly. «She walked from bed to bed.»
Taking snacks and drinks, the people shared their memories, and the party appeared normal, but the VanSteins wondered why and how it happened that only Russians had come.
* * * * *
The next day was Sunday, and the VanSteins went to church.
They had not been there for two weeks, because first Dylon was sick and, then Megan had the flu.
The VanSteins were not the first to arrive, and when they entered many people were already inside. They went to their usual place, and noticed with surprise that the pew was empty. They calmly sat down, but suddenly somebody behind them giggled. Turning to the sound, David stiffened, as it was one of the girls who had seen him when Marina had tossed him out her apartment.