The Journal of L.V

January - Tuesday (Letter from Babushka)

18/01/2020

Dear Lizabeta,

It has been so long since I have last seen you. When will you come to visit your poor Babushka here in Russia? 

Your cousins miss you, I miss you, your Dedushka misses you.

You must come soon, Moy Kolibri (my hummingbird).

I am doing well, although with how much cleaning must be done in the house, my back is starting to suffer.

Ah, if only you were here!

You would have done almost all the chores with no problems. You were always so hard-working.

Being hard-working is good, but you should be careful that you don't work yourself into the ground.

You often forget that you are human and need to relax from time to time.

Please, take time to cool down and relax, yes?

Now then, about this David.

 He seems very horrible. I hope to never meet him.

Your Dedushka says that if he ever meets this David, he will probably shoot him or something like that.

Your Cousin Boris said something similar.

I am quite worried about you and your mother.

I know how hard she takes things sometimes and it enrages me that this David would do something to hurt her or treat her so horribly.

I suggest that you make sure you and your mother are not in the house more than necessary.

I wish I could be there to help you, but I am quite tight on money at the moment.

No need to worry.

The children, including my Anatoly, are sending money to help us here.

It also helps that we always have family dinner on Sundays.

It is good that you are helping your mother with the housework, but do not forget that you are a child with too much school work to do.

You also have extra curriculars to do at school.

Your sisters should help!

Now, yes I know you will say that no, they are not your sisters.

Yes, they are your sisters now.

Family is family.

You must learn to love them, you must get to know them.

Do you know about their lives from before David and your mother got married?

Do you know about their own mother?

Perhaps they are still attached to their own mother and it is hard for them to adjust.

As for the things that have been destroyed, I can just send more clothes.

I have wool, I have knitting needles, I can make you anything!

Try to stay calm, Moy Kolibri.

As for whether your mother and father are still in love.

I do not know.

I know that Anatoly still harbors feelings for your mother, that much is obvious, but does your mother still love him?

There is no need to be disappointed if they are not still in love.

It happens.

For instance, your cousin Masha still loves that Polish student she met while in Poland, but he does not feel the same about her.

I worry for Masha.

She goes for men like one might go for potato salad.

I believe that we should let them be.

Who knows what will happen?

Little Peter is like Dedushka?

Oh, now I am both hopeful and fearful for when they have to meet.

There will be a multitude of stories, I am sure.

I cannot wait to meet Little Peter.

I remember when Anatoly sent me a picture of Little Peter back when he first brought him home.

Little Peter has the most beautiful eyes!

Your Cousin Vladmir says that Little Peter's eyes are like the multicolored windows of a church.

An interesting simile.

I am glad that Anatoly is doing well.

He has sent me a lot of letters these last few weeks.

He is such a lovely son.

He always has been.

Regarding your father and your Dedushka, they are just stubborn mules who do not think that the other has feelings.

Your Dedushka started to reduce the amount of letters he would send to your father, and as a result, Anatoly did the same.

You should have seen how grumpy your Dedushka was when Anatoly stopped sending letters!

But do not worry, I know they both still love and think highly of each other.

Your Dedushka is always asking about your father and the same can be said for Anatoly.

They both simply refuse to 'bridge the gap -as you say-' and send letters to one another if the other does not do it first.

There is not a day that I do not try to convince Anatoly to send letters to your father.

Can you please try to convince Anatoly to send letters?

Anatoly, thank goodness, is less stubborn than your Dedushka.

Speaking of your Dedushka, he is doing well.

And because he is doing well, he thinks that he can do the things that he did as a young man.

He keeps going further and further into the forest, so now your Cousin Vladmir has to track him down all the time.

I try to tell him that he does not need to prove anything, but as you know, your Dedushka is very stubborn.

I love him very much for it, unfortunately.

You should tell your friend Jeremiah that he should just send letters to me directly.

He seems like 'a hoot -as you say-'

This pact of yours with Jeremiah, I am not too inclined to it, but if it makes you happy then I am alright with it.

From what you have told me about him, I know he will make you happy.

You deserve so much happiness, my child.

I do not think that there is anything wrong with you or your feelings.

Whether you see Jeremiah as your friend or anything else is up to you.

No one besides you can control that.

Nothing is wrong with you.

Your Cousin Vladmir is joining the army, yes.

I would rather he not, but his father and your Dedushka are adamant about it.

I always thought that your Cousin Boris would join the army while Vladmir went to University, but it seems that it is reversed.

Vladmir is so lazy too, so it does not seem like the best choice.

All your Cousin Vladmir does is eat, play on the computer and sleep.

I have to wack him with my special broom to get him to do anything in the house!

If you were here, I am sure you could get Vladmir to do some work in the house.

Your Cousin Boris is not in Belarus.

If he was, I would have sent Vladmir to go get him so I could put him on knitting duty for months.

Boris has been in Poland for a school event of sorts.

It has to with History, I believe.

School has been very demanding, so you must understand that Boris has been very busy.

I will ask him to send you a letter or souvenir just to placate you.

I just hope that he does not return cheeky since he was away from his family for so long.

I do not like cheek!

Oh, I want to tell you that there is a chance that we could be coming to Quebec to visit you soon.

We, meaning, your Dedushka, Boris, Vladmir, Masha, your aunties and uncles, and I.

I cannot wait.

The date is not too certain yet, but it will be in a month or so.

I had better get to meet this Jeremiah, yes?

I hope you are doing well.

Be happy and don't work too hard, Moy Kolibri,

-Your Babushka.

P.S- In my honest opinion, you are very beautiful. You look like your father and like me, so of course you are.