Chapter 30

Mom leaned down to lay Sasha on the right side of my chest, where I covered her with my arm and held her as close to me as I did Mirko. My daughter soon found comfort and rubbed her cheek on my dirty fur; she was delighted to see me. It was huge! Or so it seemed to me. She even laughed out loud when I slowly licked her forehead and hid her face in my chest again. I was so happy to have them with me, so much… they both looked very good, clean, perfumed, well dressed, with color in their cheeks, rosy and happy. I could see it, feel it, smell it on them. My children were fine; they could not have been in better hands than my mother’s, there is no doubt in my mind.

I turned to look at her, on the verge of a silent plea:

“Mom…” I began, knowing that there was a lot I had to tell her.

“Not now, Nikolai,” she replied, calmly. “Not yet. We are here for them.”

Mom tenderly ruffled Mirko’s hair and smiled, slowly. Then she moved the chair a little closer to my bed and