Vasily Reznikov was too angry to pay much attention to when the letters stopped coming. When weeks went by without a phone call, he assumed she was just sulking. When those weeks turned into months, he began to wonder if she just didn't care anymore. Or maybe she was too embarassed to reach out to him first, as she should be.

He shared his concerns with his brothers, the only two people in the world who could really understand. Even though they didn't talk about her much anymore. Anytime they tried it just made all three of them tense and hostile to one another. They disagreed on how to approach things. Vasily was always resented for being the one to cave first. He could never say no to her, wheras Yuri seemed to get a thrill from it. Maxsim just wanted it all to go away, even if that meant forgetting about her.

"You want me to do what?"

It was difficult to hear the woman on the phone over the usual morning chaos in his house. Vera had just knocked the syrup off the table when she attempted to pour it over her pancakes herself. Koyla was sitting in front of the television in his underwear with the volume up way too loud. He had ignored his mother's instructions to go get dressed, as she ran into the bathroom to throw up. Vasily could still hear Lida vomiting in the background as he retreated into his bedroom and closed the door behind him. She was into her third month of pregnancy and feeling absolutely miserable.

"Sorry, I'm confused," Vasily said into the phone. "Is this about covid?"

There was a pause. "Sort of," the woman said. "We call it compassionate release. We need you to come pick her up as soon as possible."

"Why didn't she tell me that herself?" Vasily asked.

A prickle of anger rose up inside him. How like his mother to just expect him to drop absolutely everything and run to her side like some devoted little puppy who came when you called, no matter how many times it had been kicked. Where was her prison family now? She hadn't spoken to him in over two years. Not even to apologize for blowing him off after begging him to bring her grandchildren for a visit.

"Mr. Reznikov, that isn't for me to say. It wasn't the bureau of prison's place to contact you before, but I am calling you now because your mother is too incapicated to do so herself. I'm afraid her special needs and medical condition have increased to such that Poly-Con is not able to accomodate her anymore. As such, we will be releasing her today."

"I don't understand…"

He flinched as he heard a thud on the other side of the door and seconds later his daughter was screaming.

"Vasily? VASILY?" now Lida was yelling. She opened the bedroom door and glared at him. Vera was balanced on her hip, wiping her eyes. Lida's face was white as a ghost. She looked like she shouldn't be standing.

"You can't just leave your kids alone!" she criticized. "Who are you talking to?"

"Look, will you just get the fuck out?" Vasily snapped, his temper rising. "Clearly I'm in the middle of something!"

Lida was about to say something else. Her mouth was open in aghast, but then she pressed her lips together and turned on her heel. The door slammed shut once again.

"Sorry," Vasily said curtly into the phone. He sank down onto the mattress and brushed his hand up over his face and into his thick black hair.

"That's alright," the woman on the phone said brightly. "I know this is difficult to hear. That's why as the Vice-President of Poly-Con, I wanted to call and speak to you personally."

"What did you say your name was again?"

"Linda. Ms. Linda Ferguson."

"And what's wrong with her?"

"I've requested my secretary to make you a copy full of the medical evaluations and doctors recommendations that we have compiled," Linda said with a smug air of self-importance. "She's been given the highest level of medical care from any prison corporation, but, like i said, we can't meet her needs anymore."

"Just tell me what's wrong with her!" Vasily almost yelled. He wanted to throw the phone across the room, so sick he was of the run around he was being given.

"I don't even know this woman anymore," Vasily snapped. "You're calling me to pick her up because you can't handle her anymore. Aren't you supposed to be able to handle rapists and murderers? You can't handle giving a woman some pills and a drive to the doctor once in awhile?"

"We're a prison. We're not a hospital," Linda told him. "I will provide you with the doctor's contact information if you would like to speak to him first, but I must warn you that we have protocal in place for compassionate release persons who are not picked up in adequate time."

"Let me talk to her," Vasily said quietly.

"You can't...just…" Linda exhaled loudly. "Hang on for a few minutes."

Vasily's head was spinning and he leaned forward, putting his head between his legs to try and calm himself. The phone was still pressed to his ear. He was on hold now. Irritating music was playing and even over that he felt like he could hear the rapid beating of his heart. Worst case scenarios were flashing through his head. Guilt and shame were crawling up his spine.

Mama

He had to remind himself that that was who they were talking about. The completely fucked up rollercoaster ride his family had been riding on was because of the mother he had completely adored. He had never been able to make the distinction between who she'd become and who she once had been. They used to be so close. He used to feel so loved and wanted. How had it all come to this?

It wasn't his fault. He'd done his part. He'd listened to her when she explained why she was going to have to go away. He'd forgiven her for being imperfect and had compassion for what he didn't think she deserved. He'd answered every phone call. Visited every Saturday. He'd loved her so much. Yet, what he had just said to Linda Ferguson was now correct. He no longer knew that woman.

"Vasily?"

Vasily straightened up as an unfamiliar voice came on the line. Raspy and female.

"Yes, who is this?"

"My name is Nicky. I'm an inmate."

"Okay."

"Listen, man, I would have called you a long time ago but that's easier said than done around this place," Nicky apologized. "I didn't have your address."

"Why didn't you get in from my mother?" Vasily asked.

"She doesn't know it either anymore," Nicky said. She paused, bracing herself. "She has dementia."

Vasily froze. He stood back up. He walked over to the bedroom door and locked it. The last thing he wanted was for his wife or children to interrupt him now. He made his way over to the window and slowly pulled back the grey curtains that were still closed from the night. He let go of the breath he had been holding when the sunlight hit his face.

"Are you there?" Nicky asked after a minute.

"That's why she never called me," he whispered, and tears rolled down both of his cheeks simultaneously. "All this time…"

"She didn't know," Nicky said quietly.

"I was just tired of giving in all the time to her," Vasily confessed. "I wanted her to know how it felt for a change."

"Yeah," Nicky sympathized.

"How bad is it?" Vasily asked seriously. "They won't even let her talk on the phone?"

"They have her in medical right now," Nicky explained. "She had a bad night and I couldn't calm her down. I think that's when they decided enough was enough. They were letting me handle it for the most part until then."

"You take care of her?" Vasily asked.

"I try," Nicky replied simply.

"What's she like?" Vasily asked. He shook his head. "I can't believe I have to ask someone that."

"It kind of depends on the hour," Nicky said. "Or the minute. She has mood swings. She gets upset, and then you blink and she loves you so much."

"Sounds like not much has changed," Vasily chuckled and sobbed at the same time, choking on the lump forming in his throat. He coughed.

"She needs help with everything," Nicky continued. "I mean everything. You can't leave her alone."

"I can't do that," Vasily said anxiously. He still felt like he was in a daze. He hadn't spoken to his mama in so long it was easy to forget he even had a mother. It was enough to begin to process what had happened to her. He hadn't been able to spare a thought to what that meant for himself yet.

"You have to," Nicky told him bluntly.

"I work all the time, and my wife is having a baby, and we have two other kids in a tiny house we can barely move around in. My Pop's no help and my brothers are always on the road."

"Listen...you have to figure it out," Nicky told him, and she was crying now too. "For her, you have to."

Vasily barely heard her though. He was concentrating on the sounds of his family in the other room. His heart was hammering so hard now in his chest he felt like he was going to have a heart attack. Yet, his legs were in motion now. He was at his dresser, pulling out a pair of jeans and socks. Making a plan to call into work. To tell Lida where he was going. To turn his whole life upside down, because that was what he did. He was the one who always gave in, and he couldn't imagine leaving his mother in that awful place for a second more if he didn't have to. He'd wanted her home and with him for so long. Just not like this.

"I'm coming."