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“My speech therapist suggested I not use them. By not using them, it slows down my speech so that I can concentrate on the big words while I say more little words,” she explained, shutting her eyes.
“So, you dream in Russian. What about that little voice in your head?”
“I must translate every word I say so that you know what I am saying.” She admitted her secret. But when he met her family, he would know every little thing about her.
“Mandy was right. You are amazing.”
“Mandy was not supposed to tell you.” She shook her head at her friend. Maybe she wasn’t so different from her loose-lipped cousin as she liked to think.
“She only said that you were amazing—nothing else. You really came to this country at six?” he asked again as if he couldn’t believe it.
“Eight, when I met Tasha. And I met my four brothers who had already been here for years, and some I had never met before. They were mostly already married with kids. Tasha is married to Alex, who is my nephew, but Tasha is my other brother’s stepdaughter, so they are cousins. They have eight children, and Ilya has eighteen with a few stepchildren. You were nervous because you didn’t think I would get along with your children. I have been around children all my life.”
“No wonder the noise and confusion on Easter didn’t faze you.”
“Your family is very small,” she told him. Easter was nothing compared to what he was walking into tonight. He didn’t know what noise and confusion really was. Tomorrow he would. She just hoped he was still around tomorrow.
CHAPTER27
The GPS hadhim turning toward a small hospital. In the parking lot, they found a space and quickly went into the building. At the front desk, Tess was back to all business. “What room is Alex Aleksandrov in?”
The lady behind the desk looked up at her quizzically, reminding Math of people back home who knew a name and had to put that face to a name. “The room is down the hallway to the left. Do you want me to take you?” The woman spoke very slowly and a bit louder than was needed.
“No, we will find it,” Tess said dismissively.
Following her down the hallway, he couldn’t really believe a receptionist had spoken down to her. The woman had her own receptionist! But these people knew her family as an immigrant family, less than a local. Which made him realize why his words that winter about her not being from around here had hurt her. She had heard them all before.
“I will probably speak to everyone in Russian. I cannot guarantee that I will translate things for you. Not today. I want to stop worrying about my father before I can worry about you. If you want to go to a hotel now, that is fine,” she suggested, offering him an out on meeting her family, a way for him to walk away.
Taking her hand, he made her stop and turn to him. “I am here for you. Don’t worry about me, ever.”
She gave him a weak smile. “This might not be easy.”
“Nothing has been with you so far. Why would today be any different?” He pulled her into his arms and kissed her.
As he pulled his lips from hers, he looked into her worried eyes. He wanted to stop that worry. A loud yell from down the hallway made her tense. Then she breathed, “Mikhail.”
Pushing out from his arms, she turned to her brother—the oldest one, he assumed. Math looked at the man standing at the end of the hallway and was taken aback by her brother. He had expected a large man with a large attitude, but the man in front of them was older, skinny, and short. Tess gave him a hug, and Math saw that Tess was taller than her brother by a few inches, and her heels made her even taller.
“Mikhail, this is Mathias Nordskov. Mathias, my brother, Mike.”
Math shook his hand. The man’s grip indicated he was more powerful than he looked. This was a man who had worked hard his entire life. In a heavy accent, the man said, “Go in and see Papa. I will stay out here with your man.”
Without a word, Tess turned and walked into the room behind them. Mike let go of his hand and looked him up and down. His voice was not angry or happy when he asked, “Are you the father then?”
“You were told?” Apparently, word gets out fast in this family.
“No, she has the look. You can’t hide it,” he said with a laugh. “Terezilya has always tried not to be an Aleksandrov, but deep down, she is.”
It took a moment for Math to realize who Terezilya was. Mike was referring to Tess. He wondered why she didn’t use her real name, it was beautiful.
“She goes by Tess.” Mathias felt the need to point out.
“And I go by Mike, but my family still calls me Mikhail. She is Tess Thorn, bank president. She is the only one of us kids who went to high school.” The man didn’t mention her graduating from private school or with a four-year degree from a university.
“She says that your family is not proud of her.” Math crossed his arms.
“She’s different, always was. The first day I saw her, she was eight, I suppose. She was in pants, and none of the other women in our family wore pants then, just dresses and skirts. But she wore pants, so she was different. Now everyone wears pants.” He was smiling at the memory.
