Reminder:
"This is spoken English."
"This is spoken Czech."
This is a thought.
Chapter 5. Anna.
Her cousin was a small devil.
Not that the last four months had been hell.
No. They had. The only thing Anna could hope for now was that things wouldn't get worse. Since an incredible tail-wind had put the plane in Denver twenty minutes early, she had plenty of time to imagine how badly it could go now that she was here.
Anna put her violin case at her feet and glanced around. Her blazer was too thin for the snow outside, though the air was surprisingly not-cold. That was the best she could do to avoid thinking of this situation? The weather? She must have been desperate. The image of Radek from the video he'd sent her was still fresh in her mind.
She called him Radek, like her mother did. She hoped that would be okay...
He looked just like she remembered. A little older. But he'd written letters and sent gifts over the years. Always three paragraphs. The first one, without fail, was about the weather.
This letter was different.
It was a video recording, but he never mentioned the weather. He talked about his job and how exciting it was. He wished he could visit more, wanted to see her and where she went to school. He wanted to see her play in the youth orchestra. He missed her. He loved her. "Take care, darling."
At the time, it seemed her worst fears confirmed. Only a dying man said things like that.
But, no. Less than a month after his video recording, another message came through. He was fine. He was living in the US. Since he'd finally received word about her mother, he wanted her to come live with him. He would pick her up at Denver International Airport, giving her all of a week to pack.
She barely remembered him in person. Her mother didn't want him around, but still complimented him when Anna was in earshot. She had his eyes.
She absently kicked the violin case, started when it knocked over. She gathered it into her arms and hugged it close. Her heart pounded. She tried to ignore it, running her fingers over the edge of the case.
She'd wanted to get rid of the violin before leaving home. Her aunt made her keep it. She didn't hate music, of course. Not by a long-shot. She loved listening more than playing, picking out small patterns in the bigger picture. Her mother said she was like Radek like that. She called it a beautiful sort of intelligence.
She took after them both in interests and abilities, though probably not to either extent. But her mother encouraged her toward the orchestra in an effort to get her some friends.
She tried not to think of it. Not of her. Life could change so much in so short a time. The only thing she had anymore was her violin.
Her aunt was right. She was glad she kept it.
Wait. Was that him? She slid to the edge of her seat, finding her suitcase handle with one hand. Khaki jacket. Scruffy hair. Small round glasses. He glanced around, hands in pockets.
Anna slowly stood. He hadn't seen her. Or he didn't recognize her. She didn't send many pictures... didn't write many letters...
He spun slowly, looking at every face. He paused on hers. She must have looked very different. "Malá?" * Perhaps not so different.
She smiled slightly. He was exactly like she remembered. Nice to know some things never changed.
He looked embarrassed to have called her by the name he'd used so long ago, a name that clearly no longer quite fit. She picked up her violin and her suitcase and carefully crossed the floor, meeting him halfway.
"I suppose you aren't so little anymore," he said when they stood only a few feet apart.
It was the most awkward moment of her life to date. Neither of them knew what to do. They were closely related—father and daughter even. She adored him once, worshiped him. Should she hug him? Did she want to give the impression that she was just fine with this arrangement? Just fine with the fact that he hadn't been there for years, for the most important time in her life?
She didn't, even though she ached to. She couldn't ignore his absence.
"Are you—how was your flight?" he asked.
She shrugged in answer. Then again, she'd promised herself on the way here that she'd give him a chance before passing judgement for eight years of missed birthdays. "Not bad," she said finally. "A little turbulence landing in Washington D.C."
"I was working," he answered. "I'm sorry—I would have brought you here sooner if I'd known."
They were interrupted from any further conversation that might have happened when a man standing nearby cleared his throat.
Radek looked at him. "Oh, Rodney," he said, like he'd just remembered. He looked back at her. "He only speaks English. This is Doctor Rodney McKay, a colleague. You go by Anna these days?"
He paused for her answer and she just nodded. Anna. Sometimes her mother called her Aneta, but no one else did. And then, there was Radek. He called her Little or darling when he called her anything… but that was years ago.
"Rodney," he said, "my daughter, Anna Zelenková." **
"Anna," he said, and glared at him. "Lovely name." Doctor McKay looked back at her and offered his hand for a handshake. "Nice to meet you."
She smiled. "Nice to meet you, too, Doctor McKay."
He looked back at Radek. "She speaks better English than you do."
She smiled a little. She'd practiced with tapes on the plane ride, trying to get her greetings just right. Beyond that, her words were heavily accented and she knew it. They didn't sound anything like the babbling of a native speaker. She understood a great deal of English, but only if it was spoken slowly. It seemed like Doctor McKay was the kind to speak very fast.
"Is this everything?" Radek looked to the single suitcase and violin case.
Anna nodded. "We got rid of almost everything after…" Her breath caught in her throat. She shook her head. "I didn't want to keep much."
"Here." Before she could object, Radek snatched the violin case from her and handed it to Doctor McKay. Then he took her suitcase. "We'll get you more things once you're settled at… at home."
She didn't miss the jump in his voice. Like he didn't know what to call it for a split second. She nodded and put her hands in her blazer pockets all the same. Maybe it was hesitation on her behalf. She wasn't sure it was going to be home, either.
"Shall we?" Doctor McKay stood to one side and gesturing grandly toward the doors out. She found herself sandwiched between the two, Radek leading the way to the car and Doctor McKay bringing up the rear.
It was warmer outside than it looked. Certainly warmer than the temperature reading negative two degrees Celcius. It felt like the snow should be melting, but the air was deceptively cold. Without a breeze, it felt like her blazer was plenty warm enough.
A vast parking lot sat lower than the airport's buildings, and beyond that mountains were just barely visible with snow on their caps. They looked camouflaged among the puffy white clouds. Except for the crisp cool air and the warm sun on her skin, she might have thought it was a dream.
"It's a long drive," Doctor McKay said as he slid into the front seat. He slammed the door.
Radek leaned on the roof of the car, looking at her with concern. "Are you alright?"
She nodded. She would be.
He looked at the mountains behind him, then back at her. "It's an hour and a half back," he said. "Should get going."
Czech Things
* malá = little or small. (My thanks to zcvoknout for the gender correction!) I guess the reason I picked this over another cute nickname is because my own dad called me Little.
** From what I understand, there is a distinction between male and female surnames in Czech. I believe I have used the correct one for Anna, but, as per usual, any corrections are highly desired.
A/N: The moment we've been waiting for? I hope she meets approval. I've developed her a bit as time goes on, but I hope you'll be understanding of her sort of standoffish ways for the time being. I'd like to hear what you think of her anyway. :)