Chapter 7: A Mother-Daughter Reunion
The flight itself wasn't as difficult as she thought it would be. This wasn't her first time traveling outside of the states, but this was the first time she's ever traveled to Russia in particular. Anneliese had no idea what to expect upon entering the country. From what she had learned based off of Anastasia's information, vodka was considered the best kind of alcohol, the food was great, and Russia was the best country when it came to hockey.
Anneliese couldn't help but sigh softly as she slouched in her seat in the airplane. Occasionally she would take a glance outside, but it only made her nervous upon realizing that she was really in Russia now, and not in the states anymore like she was all her life. Upon hearing that they were about to descend, she could feel her anxiety hit the peak now.
"Okay… This is it…" She whispered to herself in a low tone while keeping her eyes closed. With taking in a deep breath, she couldn't help but think about her mother. The first time in years, seeing her mother with her very own eyes. It was a dream come true in all reality, but it was one where she didn't know if she was mentally ready for it, "Oh gosh, I hope she likes me… please, please like me, mama…"
Once the plane officially landed began the process of step one of the plan; get off the plane and don't get tackled by the other foreigners that were also trying to get to the gate. Anneliese was calm throughout the entire walk through the gate, and once she had entered the airport officially she couldn't help but to feel her jaw drop.
It was so lively. Not just lively with people, but many, many foreigners. Many foreigners that probably worked in the line of business or even the government, seeing that Russia was a country that indeed had a lot of business.
Anneliese began to look around. As Anastasia had told her, her aunt would be picking her up from the airport. Of course, with there being crowds around, it was difficult for the eleven-year-old to even see if there was a busty-tall-woman around the area. Thus, the searching resorted to her standing in one of the gate chairs and looking around to see for anyone.
"Anastasia!"
The sound came from behind her. It was from there that Anneliese turned around, only to meet the eyes of a very tearful looking tall woman. Well, that was easier than she thought it'd be. But wait, why was she crying? Did she do something wrong to-
Before even having the chance to think, the child was pulled into a tight embrace in the tall woman's arms as kisses were placed against her forehead and cheeks. Anastasia was not joking about their aunt being like this.
"Oh, how much I missed you!" Katyusha began under their native tongue as she wiped her eyes and cupped the child's cheeks once letting her go of the tight embrace. It was there that Anneliese couldn't help but to smile a bit. May as well play along to make her aunt happy, right?
"I missed you too, Tetya Katya." Anneliese spoke as best as she could under the native tongue. As Anastasia said, luckily some English was spoken in the household, so she didn't have to worry about knowing full-blown Russian to understand her family.
It was there that the Ukrainian immediately noticed something different. She picked the child up from the chair now, before gasping, "Anastasia! You cut your hair!" She began, to which she lowered herself down and examined her further, "Your ears are pierced too! Camp truly did change you after eight weeks, didn't it?"
"Mhm!" Anneliese nodded at the statement. Without even having a chance to continue speaking, her aunt had already grasped onto her hand and was already making her way towards the direction of luggage claim, "I had a friend cut it for me. Do you like it?"
Katyusha found herself chuckle softly at the comment as they walked, "I don't like it," This made Anneliese's smile immediately crash into a shocked frown. One thing that Anastasia may or may have forgotten to mention was that the entire family loved sarcasm because her aunt had immediately followed that statement by saying, "I absolutely love it. I know your mother said to bring her back surprises from America and you truly followed up to that expectation."
"Oh…" Anneliese nervously laughed and looked away. With her free hand, she couldn't help but cross her index and middle finger while hiding it behind her back, "You have no idea what surprises I have in store."
The next twenty minutes was focused on exiting the airport. Of course, Anneliese stayed close to her aunt, seeing that she seemed to have better navigation of the place than she did. Eventually, once all of Anneliese's baggage was retrieved, the two carried it out to a taxi that had been waiting outside for them. Anneliese climbed in first followed by Katyusha, to where she buckled her seat and the trip to the Braginsky home began.
The entire car trip, Anneliese was pressed up against her window. She looked around in amazement whenever they passed by beautiful buildings, statues, and even the Moscow Kremlin! She had only seen and heard of it in textbooks from school, yet there she was seeing it for the first time. It was amazing to her that she now knew that she was technically bilingual through her mother and it was something she would proudly show off if someone asked.
In context, Anneliese like any child found it amazing that her mother was from a place where beautiful artifacts and crazy history existed within.
It was about a forty minute drive until they had arrived. When they did, Anneliese could feel her nervousness begin to well up in her stomach once more. The house they had pulled into when they arrived… Was well, large. It was something that she didn't expect her mother to live in, seeing that her family was so small and all. But with remembering how Anastasia explained it was the house their mother and her siblings grew up in, it would make sense that the home be similar to almost a mansion.
They were in a private neighborhood as well. This made sense, seeing that her mother's family seemed like the type of quiet family and didn't want to be involved as much with issues that would take place in lower neighborhoods within the city.
Brick walls were the layout of the home on the exterior, while a staircase led to the entrance of the home. If one were to look closely, vines covered the walls as well and one window of each floor seemed to have a balcony. It must have been wonderful to eat breakfast outside on the balcony on a warm day.
Unfortunately for it being Russia, there was a bit of snow on the ground. Not too much, but it was enough for Anneliese to be wearing a pink winter coat, some gloves and a hat to keep her warm just in case. She stepped out of the vehicle upon arriving and thanked the driver as she stood there in front of the staircase. Now her nerves were beginning to hit.
"Go on ahead, dear," Katyusha called out to her as she was fiddling for her wallet to pay the driver, "I'll meet you inside."
Inside… Where her mother was. There was no going back now after all she had done for the last couple of weeks. With a small nod to her aunt, Anneliese made the first couple of steps to the entrance. She pushed open the door to the home and wandered in, only to meet the face of….
...Nothing. What her eyes did meet though was the sight of a grand entryway. In front of her was another staircase to which she presumed led to the bedrooms. On the right was a hallway that led to another area of the house, while the left led to what she presumed was the living room.
"Privet?" Anneliese called out in a lowered tone while examining the area. She didn't know if she should go upstairs or stay down there. Regardless, she needed to remember that she couldn't act like a stranger. If she was going to play the role of Anastasia successfully, then she knew that Anastasia would go exploring in the house until she could locate another member of the family.
Thus, that's what she did. Anneliese placed her bag beside the entrance of the home and went in the direction of the right hallway. It was there she was exposed to more doors, along with making contact with the dining room. She peeked her head inside the dining room now, hoping that someone would be inside… But, not at all.
However, her eyes did meet a sign that was hung up on the wall along with a couple of balloons and a cake on the middle of the table with an unopened bottle of vodka. Anastasia wasn't joking about the alcohol thing; vodka was really a specialty in the country.
Anneliese couldn't read Russian well, but from just learning it orally what she presumed the sign said was: 'Welcome Home Anastasia'. It was cute, but truthfully on the inside, she wished it said welcome home for her. After all, she was home after eleven years of not seeing her mother.
Her thoughts were interrupted though by the sound of someone coughing in one of the rooms that was cracked open. She turned in the direction of the coughs, and before she even knew it she was standing outside what she presumed to be someone's study. Was this her mother's study?... No, that couldn't be. A woman's cough wouldn't sound as deep as the one she heard, right?
Ever so quietly, Anneliese peeked her head through the opening of the door where she indeed did find one person. This one person in particular had been a man looking at some documents and occasionally pushing up a pair of reading glasses to get a closer look at it. This had to be Ivan. He seemed busy, so she had decided to slowly step away from the entrance so she wouldn't interrupt-
"Is that little Anastasia trying to sneak away from me?"
The girl froze at the heavy Russian language that came from behind the door. Holy - Her uncle really did know how to pick up things fast. It was as if he had eyeballs on the top of his head since she didn't even see him look up to acknowledge her presence!
Anneliese peaked her head in once again and found herself giggling slightly in nervousness. It was then that the Russian man who sat at the desk looked up at the child now; lowering his glasses and adjusting the posture in his seat, "I'm sure that by now little Anya knows that I can sense anyone from behind that door, hm?"
"I'm sorry." Anneliese was giggling to herself now. By the tone of voice that the other gave, it was just too funny. She didn't expect the sarcasm from her aunt before, but from her uncle now? That was enough to confirm her suspicions that Russians really did like saying the most harmless things… Even if it made someone feel uncomfortable, "You seemed busy, Dyadya (uncle). I didn't want to interrupt."
"Nonsense!" The man stood up now and placed the glasses he wore down on top of his desk. He moved from his seat and made his way over to the girl. By just seeing how tall he was… Anneliese was astonished. He had to be at least over six feet tall! Maybe she was comparing it too much, seeing that she stood at a whooping four-foot-eleven in height. But the difference was insane, "Seeing my little Anya again after a long time is much more important than any work this country throws at me." A large smile formed along his lips as he knelt down so they were at a more leveled height before holding out his arms, "Welcome home, Anastasia."
Anneliese let out a small sigh of relief on the inside and hid this by smiling even more and allowing her uncle to embrace her in a tight hug. She could tell that her aunt and uncle truly loved Anastasia lot, but goodness they sure both are intimidating. All she hoped was that her mother wasn't the same.
"Did you have a good time, dear?" Ivan had asked her after placing a kiss upon her forehead. It was there that he indeed noticed the changes she made officially to herself and before allowing the child to even answer, he couldn't help but to comment, "You cut your hair too? And pierced ears?... Has your mother seen you yet?"
"Nyet." More laughter came from the child and the Russian couldn't help but to feel a grin form along his lips. A sneaky child indeed is something that came from her mother, he couldn't help but to think, "And I had such a wonderful time that I can't wait for the next year."
This caught Ivan off guard upon hearing that she couldn't wait until the following year. So soon, already? But if she said she had a good time, then he wasn't opposed to letting his niece go again and have fun. It was much better than spending it in the large home where work was occurring all the time amongst the three siblings.
One thing he couldn't help but to notice though was how much 'Anastasia' embrace him at that very moment. He could understand that she missed him a lot, but what brought his attention to fruition was when she began sniffing him, "Hmmm? What are you doing?"
"Just smelling," Anneliese answered as she had her face pressed into her uncle's chest. It was probably weird, yes, but to her, she was taking in the smells of something Anastasia had been able to experience for years.
"Smelling?"
"I'm making a memory." Anneliese looked up at her uncle now with a large smile on her face. It was an odd way to make a memory, but in her eyes it made sense, "Years from now when I'm all grown up, I'll always remember my uncle and how he smelled of..." She pressed her face into his chest again, making the Russian laugh when she pulled back, "A freshly bloomed sunflower and vodka."
This was enough to get the man laughing. If there was one thing that he knew his niece was good at, it was amusing him every chance they spent together. Since she was born, he was always amazed at anything new she brought to the table, especially with knowing that this was his baby sister's child in the first place. "Oh," Ivan smiled and patted his niece's head again, "It's very good to have you back, Anastasia-"
A sound from outside the door soon rung in Anneliese's ears, "Anya?" This time it wasn't a sweet, gentle voice like her aunt, nor was it a heavy deep one like her uncle… Could it possibly be? By the look on her uncle's face when he motioned for her to go, she knew it had to be her.
Without a second thought, Anneliese had sprinted from her uncle's arms to the area where the source of sound was coming from.
"Anastasia?" The woman's voice became louder as Anneliese ran down the hallway and went to the entrance of the house again. It was there that she stood at the end of the staircase and almost at an instant, she swore she was about to faint.
There stood on the top of the stairs a petite woman, unlike her uncle and aunt. A woman at the height of probably five-foot-four with long blonde locks of hair draped behind her back. Her hair had been halfway pulled back with a white ribbon, while her hips had been clothed in a black skirt, a white sweater along her body and a necklace with a similar shape to the locket Anneliese and Anastasia wore. Dark-violet eyes met her already teary-eyed blue ones as Anneliese stood there, absolutely speechless to know that the woman up those stairs was her mother.
"M-Mama?"
A gentle smile formed on Natalya's lips as she stood there at the top of the stairs and already she was making her way down them, "Look at you, Anya. You're back so soon," Once she was halfway down the stairs, she held out her arms to the child, "Come give me a hug because I sure damn as hell deserve it after having to wait weeks to see you again."
Anneliese didn't even catch the sarcasm in her tone. It was practically less than a couple of seconds before she had leaped into the woman's arms. It was there at the very moment where Natalya brought her daughter into an embrace; holding her close as she soothingly ran her fingers through her hair.
In Natalya's eyes, all she could see was her Anastasia return after eight long weeks of being abroad at summer camp. But to Anneliese, this was a big moment that she would never forget. The first time she had seen her mother in years. It was the woman she would dream about, admire in that photograph of her father after their wedding day… There she was, right in front of her.
The woman sat down on the staircase as she placed a kiss against Anneliese's cheeks and head. By just a mother's instinct, she could tell that her child missed her, but she had no idea how badly the term miss didn't even describe how Anneliese was feeling.
"I can't believe it's you…!" Anneliese began as she wiped away the tears that had formed in her eyes. To Natalya, this was surprising, since she never imagined 'Anastasia' to want to cry after being away from home for so long.
"And I can't believe it's you," Natalya cupped her daughter's cheeks as she noticed the change in physical appearance to her daughter. First, she had ran her fingers again through her now shoulder-lengthed hair, followed by seeing her pierced ears, "And with short hair… Who cut it for you?"
Anneliese took in a deep breath; trying her best to calm down after the emotional roller coaster she had just experienced, "A friend… I-I met at camp, do you hate it?"
"Nyet, nyet - I adore it." Natalya smiled gently at the other to reassure her of her worries, "It's the new Anya. And pierced ears too, hm?" The child in front of her nodded as her cheeks reddened in embarrassment. This made the woman laugh as she rested her forehead against her daughter's, "Are there any other surprises you want to tell me? Belly button rings, tattoos?" She was only joking when saying this and by her laughing tone, it was enough of an indicator to show that she was truly happy for her daughter and glad to see that she had a splendid time at camp. But, the amount of crying the child was giving her…
"Oh, my Anastasia... What's wrong?" It was almost as if Natalya had shifted from a very happy mother to a very concerned one. After all, she knew Anastasia more than even she herself did. So to see 'Anastasia' in such a crying state, she didn't understand why she was so upset, and rightfully so.
Anneliese took in a deep breath now to calm herself. That's right, she couldn't cry. Anastasia wouldn't cry after seeing her mother in so long - but to her, it amount of emotion that hit her at that very moment made her cry. She had every right to expose her tears to her mother, "I'm sorry, mama…" She sniffled as she watched her mother reach into the pocket of her skirt to retrieve a handkerchief and wipe her face. She could tell that her mother was genuinely worried, which was something she didn't intentionally want to cause, "It's just… I've missed you so much."
That was enough to pull a string at Natalya's heart. Her daughter expressing that she missed her dearly was enough for her to pull her child into another close hug while gently rubbing her back to encourage her to calm down, "I know, I know…" She whispered into the child's ear gently, "I missed you very much too. It seems like it's been forever, hm?"
"You have no idea…"
