Day 28: Goodbye G3 and Amanda

Dearest Alex,

You have just cemented your place in my heart of you hadn’t already. I slept like the dead. Even though there is no AC in this apartment in Kiev, we discovered a ceiling fan (it has always been there - I guess we hadn’t noticed it before) and that allowed a more comfortable sleep. So when I finally awoke I was so crumpled and rested, it wasn’t funny. And anyone who knows me knows that I am not a morning person. And I had gone to bed with wet hair the night before - everyone starting to get a mental picture here?

So I stumbled out of the bedroom and found you in the kitchen, cooking breakfast. My heart stopped! I was able to crawl into the banquette and just sit while you served me a lovely frittata and toast with even a garnish of lettuce and tomato on the side. Then you cleaned up the dishes! If it wasn’t true love before (and you know it was) it definitely is now. I was able to slowly become functional through breakfast and discovered that you had gone out for a run in the morning and then come back, showered, and then made breakfast. You had asked me about a run the night before and I had A1 translate that you could as long as you took money and a cell phone. Everyone questioned my conditions but as I pointed out what would happen if you broke your leg and had to get a taxi or needed help? Of course at that everyone had to point at my knee!

I am so impressed with you. You are like a little adult in the body of a teen. I hope that I can give you back some of your childhood. I also want you to know that you do not have to do anything back for us - there is nothing that you have to be grateful for or thank us for - YOU complete US. If you want to do these things, fine, but they won’t make me love you more - I already love you bunches already just for the person you are.

So, sadly this is G3 and Amanda’s last day here. They are flying back to the states today. They have a layover in Detroit overnight so they will not be home until Sunday. A1 came over and accompanied us to the airport. 

It was hard to say goodbye to them, especially G3. He has been my protector and partner in this venture and I feel so lost without him. I know that it is just a few days until I will get home, but then he will be gone on a business trip to Chicago for a board meeting. We will be back to the two ships that pass in the night thing, but this time here has been such a gift. It really has with Amanda too, the lazy days as I call them when we could just visit you for a few hours were wonderful. Ok, I take that back - they weren’t wonderful because we wanted you and were reduced to a few hours a day, but they were wonderful in that the three of us got a chance to bond and spend time together that our normally busy lives do not let us do.

Anyway, after the soppy goodbye, I think you were worried about me because as we got back in the van to leave, you hugged me and asked, “Is ok, Mom?” You are so thoughtful and sweet! We went to an electronics store to buy A1 a gift - we have missed a lot of birthdays and Christmases so we bought him a tablet computer that he had wanted. Then Sergei dropped us off at a mall where we started to shop for some more clothes for you. Boy, that was hard. What is it with teenage boys? Picky, picky, picky. These jeans were too formal, these jeans were too dark, those were too light. Even A1 was getting frustrated - he asked if he was this bad when we took him shopping when he lived with us - and I happily assured him that he was. And of course I have more recently been through it with G4. Yikes! Girls are easier - they can communicate what is wrong with the clothes - boys just mutter no and shake their heads. This wasn’t language issues, this was teenage testosterone speaking. But we did manage to come up with 1 pair of shoes, 1 track suit, 1 t-shirt, and 1 pair of jeans. And boy were you beaming from ear to ear. It was worth the hard work to see that smile!

Then we went to see a movie, The Avengers. It was really good. And for me, very little dialogue so it was easy to follow! I was so proud of myself, I even was able to understand a few sentences here and there and caught many words here and there.

Afterwards, we rushed in the rain to the subway station and took it back to the apartment. It had stopped raining pretty much when we got off the subway. I guess the rain cloud is just following me everywhere on this trip no matter what country I am in.

Once we got back to the apartment, you wanted to go to the market to get food to make dinner for me. You are definitely a keeper! But I wouldn’t let you go alone - I am so hyper aware that someone might take you - I know you are 14, but you will have to cut me some slack. I think it will take a few weeks for this overprotectiveness and momma bear outlook to burn out.

We shopped and then came back to the apartment. I had great notions of getting work done on my next book, but then decided to skype and got sidetracked. G4 and Grandma were able to say hello and G4 was able to carry the computer into your new room to give you a look at it. Once we were off the computer, you told me a story about your dad. You told me that your dad baked bread (I am thinking in a bakery) as a job. When you were 6, you got to go into work with him and he showed you how to make bread. Then you told me that he also showed you how to cook the meal that you were cooking for me now. I was so surprised and honored that you shared the memory with me. Thank goodness you served the food and asked to go skype your friends and ran off with the computer and your plate of food so that you missed me blubbering into my food feeling humbled all over again. The meal by the way was delicious!

I felt so bad that you cooked, so I roused myself out of my pool of tears and washed all the dishes. It was the least I could do. I then wrestled your dirty laundry away from you so that I could wash it and then hopped in the shower. I have figured the way to get a good nights sleep without air conditioning is to take a cold shower before bed - it drops the body temperature enough to let you get to sleep.

I have also discovered that you have a girlfriend who is 17 and the older sister of  a set of boys who came to Utah last summer with you and are somewhere in the process of being adopted. So Miller family, hurry up, I have an anxious suitor on my hands!

Anyway, time to turn in. It has been a great day and a fun one. A1 will come back tomorrow and visit before he leaves for Poltava to see his girlfriend and parents and we have things to do on Monday. There is the possibility that we can change our tickets to Tuesday if we got everything Monday, so let’s hope!

Bye for now (seems silly when you are right here - but that is good problem to have)!

Bethany, G3, G4, & Amanda