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12. Family Flat
12. Family Flat
As she walks with Boris on pavement and strip of grass, Olga sees the building is divided along length into sections of 6 flats, 2 for each of its 3 floors.
They turn right, from off the street and enter the G section, walk up 5 steps to stand before the closed door to lobby and Boris presses its bell.
Someone from inside is sounding a chime which Olga recognizes from the Richard Wagner opera, Lohengrin. Boris swings the door inward and they enter a 5-meter square white-tile lobby with 3-meter-high ceiling whose walls are papered blue. The green-painted steel door to flat G-11 is on their left and G-12 on right, and to go upstairs one uses a forward-backward stairway on left.
Someone from inside is sounding a chime which Olga recognizes from the Richard Wagner opera, Lohengrin. Boris swings the door inward and they enter a 5-meter square white-tile lobby with 3-meter-high ceiling whose walls are papered blue. The green-painted steel door to flat G-11 is on their left and G-12 on right, and to go upstairs one uses a forward-backward stairway on left.
Even before Boris can press doorbell, the G-12 door opens and Olga sees a boy dressed in white shirt with red tie, brown corduroy knickers and polished black oxford shoes with laces neatly tied short.
Vera is behind the boy and puts right hand on his left shoulder, directing him out of the guest's way.
“Olga dear, please enter and relax; we do not stand on ceremony here. Meet my Eduard. May he call you Olenka?”
Olga gives a Yes with smiling nod of head and Vera firmly embraces her with kiss on left cheek and leads her into an entrance foyer with a door, on left, of 15 book size glass rectangles 3 horizontal by 5 vertical with blue painted wood piece separations. In the entrance foyer, beside the living-room door is an upper-body-length mirror with gold sash oval borders over a small brown mahogany stand table that now supports 3 freshly cut, long-stem white roses in a tall vase. Vera directs Olga's attention to the mirror. “You are a beautiful young woman, my soon-to-be daughter and this mirror was made for your pretty image. My mama, may she be remembered, would be happy for you to use it.” Boris goes left through the glass-frame door into the living room and Olga follows with Eduard trailing her fragrant wake. Already the boy seems much taken by big brother's exotic woman. No one addresses Eduard by the diminutive because his mama does not approve of her boy being called by his baby name: she wants him to have the self-respect of a full fledged adult name from earliest age. Alexei sits in the diagonal corner of the room in the Papa’s chair reading a newspaper but glances up and greets them.
Vera seats Olga on a brown sofa to Alexei’s left, Eduard sits on Olga's left and Boris takes the chair on his dad's right while Vera goes to kitchen.
“Olga dear, please enter and relax; we do not stand on ceremony here. Meet my Eduard. May he call you Olenka?”
Olga gives a Yes with smiling nod of head and Vera firmly embraces her with kiss on left cheek and leads her into an entrance foyer with a door, on left, of 15 book size glass rectangles 3 horizontal by 5 vertical with blue painted wood piece separations. In the entrance foyer, beside the living-room door is an upper-body-length mirror with gold sash oval borders over a small brown mahogany stand table that now supports 3 freshly cut, long-stem white roses in a tall vase. Vera directs Olga's attention to the mirror. “You are a beautiful young woman, my soon-to-be daughter and this mirror was made for your pretty image. My mama, may she be remembered, would be happy for you to use it.” Boris goes left through the glass-frame door into the living room and Olga follows with Eduard trailing her fragrant wake. Already the boy seems much taken by big brother's exotic woman. No one addresses Eduard by the diminutive because his mama does not approve of her boy being called by his baby name: she wants him to have the self-respect of a full fledged adult name from earliest age. Alexei sits in the diagonal corner of the room in the Papa’s chair reading a newspaper but glances up and greets them.
Vera seats Olga on a brown sofa to Alexei’s left, Eduard sits on Olga's left and Boris takes the chair on his dad's right while Vera goes to kitchen.
Olga turns to Eduard: “How old are you?”
“Ten.”
“Do call me ‘Olenka?”
"Yeah, uh yes.” His face reddens and he says “Olenka.”
"Yeah, uh yes.” His face reddens and he says “Olenka.”
“Don’t be shy, Eduard. What are your hobbies?”
“Stamp collecting. Uh, also astronomy.”
“Astronomy?” Olga never heard of anyone with that hobby.
Boris, listening says “He is taking a leaf from Papa's book.”
Alexei laughs and says, “Literally and figuratively. I wrote book of astronomy for children.”
Eduard jumps up. “Olenka! Will you like to see Papa's book?” Before she can nod Yes he dashes out of the room. Minute later he is handing Olga a glossy bright yellow soft-cover oversize book. Looking in it, she sees it is 72 colorfully illustrated pages with big text and lots of blank white space between paragraphs. On the bright yellow background of the cover is a window-view of a starry night sky bordered by an up-curving ledge. The title, centered on cover is Find the Constellations. Eduard excitedly says “And I have a telescope my Papa bought me. Will you like to watch the stars with me tonight from my room, Olenka?”
“Well, Eduard, I must ask my lord and master Boris. Also it will have to be approved by your Papa and Mama.”
Boris perks up from across the room. “But will you not be modern wife, Olenka? We Soviet people have outlawed lords and masters. Anyway, I will like you to watch stars with Eduard.”
“And I give parental permission” says Alexei from his corner, adding “Anything short of bribery that gets Eduard to study astronomy sounds good to me.”
Vera enters with samovar of tea on tray with cups and cakes. The cakes, Olga discovers close up, are chocolate covered halvah.
After tea, Boris gets to his point: “My esteemed Mama and Papa and my beloved Olenka. I am man who wastes little time and few words. I have asked my dearest woman to marry and she has consented. You my dear parents have said choroshaw” (OK in Russian). “One thing remains.” Boris looks at Alexei in corner chair and Vera sitting on its left hand rest, her arm lovingly draped about her old husband's shoulders.
“And what is that my son?”
“My little brother. I cannot marry unless he permits. So what do you say Eduard. Is my Olenka OK?”
Eduard sits up straight. He is surprised that his opinion counts. He looks up at Olga and she smiles down on him with uncharacteristic softness. Then he looks to parents and Boris and vigorously nods Yes.
“Settled,” says Boris. “Olenka, I marry you, today. Here in newRussia
Olga looks at him across the room. “My darling, as you desire me, so shall I be.”
“Stamp collecting. Uh, also astronomy.”
“Astronomy?” Olga never heard of anyone with that hobby.
Boris, listening says “He is taking a leaf from Papa's book.”
Alexei laughs and says, “Literally and figuratively. I wrote book of astronomy for children.”
Eduard jumps up. “Olenka! Will you like to see Papa's book?” Before she can nod Yes he dashes out of the room. Minute later he is handing Olga a glossy bright yellow soft-cover oversize book. Looking in it, she sees it is 72 colorfully illustrated pages with big text and lots of blank white space between paragraphs. On the bright yellow background of the cover is a window-view of a starry night sky bordered by an up-curving ledge. The title, centered on cover is Find the Constellations. Eduard excitedly says “And I have a telescope my Papa bought me. Will you like to watch the stars with me tonight from my room, Olenka?”
“Well, Eduard, I must ask my lord and master Boris. Also it will have to be approved by your Papa and Mama.”
Boris perks up from across the room. “But will you not be modern wife, Olenka? We Soviet people have outlawed lords and masters. Anyway, I will like you to watch stars with Eduard.”
“And I give parental permission” says Alexei from his corner, adding “Anything short of bribery that gets Eduard to study astronomy sounds good to me.”
Vera enters with samovar of tea on tray with cups and cakes. The cakes, Olga discovers close up, are chocolate covered halvah.
After tea, Boris gets to his point: “My esteemed Mama and Papa and my beloved Olenka. I am man who wastes little time and few words. I have asked my dearest woman to marry and she has consented. You my dear parents have said choroshaw” (OK in Russian). “One thing remains.” Boris looks at Alexei in corner chair and Vera sitting on its left hand rest, her arm lovingly draped about her old husband's shoulders.
“And what is that my son?”
“My little brother. I cannot marry unless he permits. So what do you say Eduard. Is my Olenka OK?”
Eduard sits up straight. He is surprised that his opinion counts. He looks up at Olga and she smiles down on him with uncharacteristic softness. Then he looks to parents and Boris and vigorously nods Yes.
“Settled,” says Boris. “Olenka, I marry you, today. Here in new
Olga looks at him across the room. “My darling, as you desire me, so shall I be.”
To read on now, click 4.(13-15) Marriage a la Mode Soviet and Some Sex
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