"I thought you girls might like some popcorn to go with your movie," Galina Reznikov said, walking through the archway that separated her small kitchen from the living room of her apartment.

Nicky nodded her head and eagerly held out a hand to accept the large blue bowl. "You know we do, Red" she teased her. "You always make it for us."

"Thank you," Ceci said politely, as her friend settled the bowl between them. Nicky was right that this always happened. Friday nights at the Reznikovs were predictable and relaxing, and the only thing that seemed to ever vary was their choice in movie. Ceci selected a piece of popcorn and tossed it into her mouth. Still hot and with melted butter drizzled on top. She already knew that on Galina's next trip to the kitchen, she was likely to offer them sodas.

"Any for me?" Dmitri Reznikov asked hopefully. He leaned back in his armchair and stretched his arms over his head. It was hit spot and everyone knew it. Ceci rarely saw him move from it and it was an unspoken rule in this home that nobody else sat there.

"Sure," Galina said agreeably. Her eyes were still focused on the girls. "I just got off the phone with your mom, Ceci."

"Yeah…" Ceci mumbled, her mouth full of popcorn and her eyes glued to the screen. "What did she want?"

"You can call her yourself when your movie is over, if you wish," Galina said simply. "She said she'll be up late."

"Okay," Ceci muttered.

"Galina, add some cheddar to the popcorn before you come back," Dmitri interjected. "You know the way that I like it?"

"Anything else?" Galina asked him sarcastically, rolling her eyes up to the ceiling.

"Rye and Coke would be nice," Dmitri said.

"Me too!" Nicky said brightly. "I like mine on the rocks."

"Ha ha," Galina shook her head at Nicky in bemusement. "I don't want to know how you like it. You're sixteen." She smiled at Ceci. "Would you like a coke, honey?"

"Yes, please," Ceci nodded. She shared a smirk with Nicky and helped herself to more popcorn. Nicky had been one of the first people Gloria had introduced her to, and she had to admit that she was grateful to her mom for that. Having a good friend to do things with and a place to escape her problems temporarily, helped make life a little bit more bearable.

As Galina walked back into the kitchen, she worked on unlacing the ties of the red apron she was wearing over her clothes. The leftovers from supper were put away, the dishes were done, and she was busy contemplating whether or not she would rather join the others in the living room or retire to bed to read the book she was currently enjoying.

As she began to prepare another bowl of popcorn and then got the glasses out of the cupboard so she could prepare Dmitri his drink and pour some sodas for the girls, she had to smile at the sound of laughter and chatter echoing through the apartment. It had been such a lonely place, before they had welcomed Nicky into their lives seven months ago.

"I'll see if I can…" Ceci was saying to Nicky, when Galina walked into the room

"If you can what?" Galina interjected loudly, shooting a look of annoyance at her husband who was enamoured in the movie and seemed completely oblivious to the intense conversation the girls appeared to be having right under his nose.

Ceci's head shot up sharply and her cheeks flushed. Galina handed her a can of soda and then turned to Nicky, who met her gaze calmly and unblinkingly. She knew Nicky's troubled history and was cautious about it. Previous foster parents had statements in her file about lying, stealing, and sneaking out of the house-and that was nothing to what the girl's own father had claimed when he surrendered her, after Nicky had experienced a brief stint in Juvie. Yet, Galina had not noticed any of the behavioural issues she had been bracing herself for. She really thought the girl had just never been loved in the right way before and she was so grateful for the special relationship that she and Nicky shared. .

"I was just inviting Ceci to come with me when I go hang out with a friend from my old school," Nicky said brightly, taking the soda that Galina passed her to.

"What friend is this?" Galina asked. As far as she knew, Nicky didn't have any friends from the private school she had been expelled from the previous year for skipping and mouthing off to the teachers. Since entering the system, she had been bounced from home to home and consequently school districts numerous times that Galina didn't see how she had managed to make any lasting friendships.

"At AppleHurst," Nicky replied promptly. "It was the last school I went to before I came here. They're having a skate-a-thon tomorrow night and I think it looks fun. I can go, can't I?"

"I don't see why not," Galina replied, as she moved to sit down on the ottoman at Dmitri's feet. She handed him his drink and popcorn and then turned back to the girls. She decided to be safe. "I'll take you there and pick you up though," she said, watching their faces carefully for a reaction, but Nicky only smiled and nodded complacently.

"I've never ice skated before," Ceci said hesitantly, sharing a look with Nicky.

"I can teach you," Nicky assured her.

"Okay," Ceci agreed.

"I think I have skates that will fit you both," Galina said, reaching back for a handful of popcorn from Dmitri's bowl. "I'll dig them out in the morning."

"While you're at it, you should tell the boys to come by and pick theirs up," Dmitri advised her. "We don't have enough room to be storing all their things."

"Do you even know where the skates are?" Galina reproached him. "They're tucked out of the way not bothering anyone, and you wouldn't be able to find them if you tried."

"Well, I'm just saying," Dmitri shrugged. "You get on me about my stuff and I actually live here. The boys aren't moving back."

"No," Galina agreed, but it didn't make her sad like it once would have. Her youngest son had flown the nest nearly two years ago to start a life with his girlfriend, and all three sons were busy with their adult lives. Though they stayed in touch and still saw her often, it wasn't the same as having a child in the home who truly needed her. She hadn't been ready to give that up, which was when she had decided to try fostering. Nicky was her first, and Galina was already having feelings about wanting to formally adopt her. She told Nicky every single day what a gift she was.

"Do you want a backrub?" Dmitri offered, once he had drained the last sips from his glass. Her popped some ice chips into his mouth and chewed them.

"Your fingers are too greasy," Galina replied.

"What about my feet?" Dmitri offered, pressing the ball of his foot into a tender spot on her lower back. "Isn't that the spot that usually gives you trouble?"

"Yes, but that just feels like you're kicking me," Galina answered.

"I tried," Dmitri said, throwing his hands up in mock exasperation. He turned to the girls and shared a wink with Nicky. "Galya doesn't like me trying to be nice to her."

"Poking her in the back with your foot? Is that the best you can do?" Nicky taunted with a snicker.

Galina laughed good-naturedly and even Dmitri joined in. Ceci smiled and fed herself one piece of popcorn from her hand at a time, while Nicky leaned over to turn off the lamp and envelop the living room into darkness. Galina helped herself to some more popcorn and then leaned back into Dmitri's legs despite herself, trying to find a comfortable spot.

For awhile, everything was quiet aside from the movie they were watching and the sound of everyone eating. Then the telephone began to ring. "I'll take it," Galina said automatically, as Dmitri passed her the phone that was on the table beside him. "Probably Vasily."

She stood up to walk into her bedroom so that she wouldn't disturb them. Answering the call, she could recognize the voice on the other end immediately as Gloria's.

"I know we just spoke," Gloria sounded apologetic, and Galina bit down on her lower lip. She could sense Gloria's defeat in her tone and it just made her so sad. The two women had been friends for a few years now, meeting shortly after Gloria arrived in New York. They'd ridden the same bus together.

Building a better life for her girls and getting everything ready for them was something Gloria had constantly talked about. She had missed them fiercely and Galina had always sympathized with her pain, because it wasn't something she ever thought she could have endured. She had been there when Gloria had unexpectedly discovered she was pregnant, first with Julio and then with Benny. She had cried for her when the men she had thought were in it for the long haul, ran off before she even gave birth.

Although, she had always admired the way Gloria never had wasted time feeling sorry for herself, Galina did feel a pang of sadness for the girls who had been without her for so long. She didn't blame them for resisting their mother now, but it frustrated her that they were so unwilling to bed when Gloria was doing all the right things now. The past couldn't be changed.

"Honey, do you want me to bring her home once they finish watching their movie?" Galina asked gently into the phone. She never knew exactly what the right thing was for her to do. While she felt guilty for giving Ceci the option to avoid her mom like she did, she also thought the girl having a place to cool down and escape to was important. Mostly, Galina just tried to honour Gloria's wishes though.

"No, I don't want to make her mad," Gloria sighed. "I just miss her."

"Do you want me to tell her that?" Galina offered, perching herself on the foot of her bed. She smoothed down a crease in her comforter and felt a pang of guilt for feeling so content during a night in with her friend's daughter, when Gloria was not included.

"I don't know," Gloria sighed.

"We have such a thankless job," Galina sympathized, crawling up the bed and resting her head against her pillow. "No matter what a mother does, she is going to be wrong."

"You seem to be doing alright," Gloria remarked dully.

"You just have to be patient with her. I remember what it was like for my boys to blame me for everything going wrong in their lives." Galina sighed and shook her head, almost as if to dispel those thoughts. "She'll come around."

"It's just...so hard," Gloria admitted.

"I know," Galina smiled. "If being a mother was easy, fathers would do it." She was glad when that coaxed a laugh out of her friend.

"Dmitri spent over twenty years sitting in a chair, yet his sons praise him like he's god for never having wandered," she shared. "Ceci just needs time. I know that she loves you."

"I hope so," Gloria said skeptically. There was the sound of a faucet being turned on, and Galina guessed correctly that Gloria was settling into a bubble bath. It was her favourite was to de-stress once the kids were in bed and she was alone for the night.

"Don't forget to add the oils I got you for your birthday," Galina reminded her playfully.

"Of course, I wouldn't," Gloria replied. "My bubbles are lavender scented too."

"Sounds heavenly," Galina sighed. "I hope you can relax; you need it."

"Yeah," Gloria agreed. "Lourdes really got to me today."

"How so?" Galina frowned.

"She didn't say anything that I haven't been saying to myself," Gloria admitted. "But it was the last thing I needed to hear. She basically told me that it is doing more damage to my relationship with Ceci by making her stay here. She thinks I should send the girls back to my mother."

"You're their mother. They belong with you," Galina said automatically. "If they want to move back to Puerto Rico when they turn eighteen, then fine, you can't stop them. But until then, make it clear to all of them, Lourdes included, that that possibility is off the table."

"Do you want to tell her that?" Gloria smirked.

"No!" Galina exclaimed. "But if she doesn't agree with what you're doing then I think she just needs to stay quiet about it. If the girls still think there's a remote possibility that you will change your mind and let them go back, then they aren't going to give up trying to making you miserable. They'll just know that their bad attitudes are working."

"You're right," Gloria exhaled loudly, her breath echoing into the phone. "Doesn't make it any easier."

"You're doing the right thing," Galina tried to sound reassuring. "Hopefully someday the girls will realize that and thank you."

"I'd settle for civil conversation," Gloria replied. "To walk into my own home and not feel like I suddenly got the plague."

"It will happen," Galina soothed.

"I was thinking I'd ask Lourdes to watch the boys tomorrow so I could have time alone with them," Gloria said. "But she already had them all day today."

"If Lourdes can't, then I could watch them for a few hours," Galina offered. "Although, I should warn you that Ceci already sort of made plans to go skating with Nicky tomorrow."

"Oh," Gloria said flatly. Then she scoffed. "Well, I guess a teenager with even a normal relationship with her mom usually doesn't want to hang out with her on a Saturday night."

"Maybe you could do something with just Elena?" Galina suggested.

"She never wants to do anything without her sister," Gloria said. "Just hides in her bedroom when Ceci isn't home, but I'll try." The sound of the running water in the background was silenced. Galina could hear the water swishing as Gloria stepped into the bath and sat down.

"I'll call Ceci in the morning," Gloria said, leaning back against the back of her tub. "But you can go ahead and tell her that I miss her."

Thank you so much for the reviews Boris Yeltsin, galinareznikovlove, Johanna-002, Guest, whenaspritemeetsaunicorn, and wallscollide.