“What is it?” He looked suspicious.
“Don’t you trust me?” I teased. “I promise it will be delicious, and I’ll clean up the kitchen, too. Can I look in your fridge for what I’ll need?”
“Ask me. I’ll tell you if I have it.”
I thought for a moment. “Eggs. Cottage cheese. Lemon. Butter.”
“Yes to all.”
“Flour and sugar?”
“Yes.”
“How about raisins?”
He tilted his head and squinted. “I think so. Maybe in the pantry.”
“Sour cream and honey?”
“Yes.”
“Good! That’s everything.”
He started to get up. “What kind of cookware do you need?”
“Just a frying pan, but you sit down,” I scolded. “Enjoy your morning off. I want to do everything.”
He looked amused but sat down again. “Okay. Have at it.”
I gathered all my ingredients but found that I couldn’t remember exact amounts for things. After searching for a recipe online that was close to my mother’s and coming up empty, I decided to call her. It was ten P.M. there, but she was a bit of a night owl, and I thought she might be up.
Liliya answered the phone and squealed when she heard my voice. “Maxim!”
“Hello, malyshka,” I said warmly. Her voice reminded me of home, and I felt a tug of longing for the people I loved there. I spoke Russian to her. “What are you doing awake?” From his chair at the table, Derek watched me, a curious look on his face. “My sister,” I whispered in English. “I called my mom to ask her something about the recipe.” He nodded in understanding.
“I’m terrible,” Liliya said crossly. “I can’t sleep.”
“Why not?”
“I had the bad dream again.”
“About the monster?”
“Yes.”
“What did he do this time?”
“He said I would never see you again.”
My heart squeezed. “That’s not true. I promise.”
“But why did you go so far away?”
“I wanted an adventure, remember? I wanted to see new things. Speak a different language. Meet movie stars.”
“Did you meet one yet?”
“Not yet. But do you know what I’m looking at right now?” I walked over to the sliding glass door and looked out into the yard.