Crossing the Line Read Free Page A

ignored in the excitement of meeting her aunt. One large room served as living space, dining room and kitchen. Filthy plates and pans were stacked in the sink and on the stove. Flies buzzed and she could smell only stale food. No meal to welcome her.
    Vasily took a can of beer from the fridge. “Want a drink?”
    “Water?”
    “Help yourself.”
    She washed a glass before she filled it.
    “Ready for the tour?” Vasily put his arm over her shoulder and pointed with his can. “Bathroom. Other room is yours. Things are a mess. I’ve been busy looking after Irina.”
    “What’s wrong with her?” She filled her glass again to escape him.
    “Cancer.”
    Her heart sank. “I could have stayed somewhere else.”
    “Mouse wanted to see you before…” He looked away.
    “I’m so sorry, Uncle Vasily. I’ll help you look after her.”
    Tears spilled over her lashes and they weren’t all for her aunt. Duty made her offer while her heart told her to run. As he approached, Katya moved back. “I’m very tired.”
    The bedroom was full of junk; piled up cardboard boxes, bulging plastic bags, stacks of DVDs and— oh God— porn magazines. She looked up at the naked light bulb, wires exposed at the ceiling, then at the stained mattress, gray sheets and thin towel tossed on top. Her aunt’s letters about the booming car business, big house, pool, exotic vacations, parties—lies. Disappointment clawed at her heart.
    She made the bed and drew the drapes across the window. She didn’t unpack, only removed her nightwear and toiletries. Her spirits sank further in the bathroom. Months of grime lined the faucets, mold bloomed on the walls and the tiles were filthy. She washed quickly, scooped water onto her face, cleaned her teeth and shut herself back in the stifling room.
    Even with the window open, the air was still and oppressive. She lay on her back feeling lost, alone and increasingly sad. She’d hoped to feel she’d in some way come home and instead she could have been on another planet. All she’d needed was love and a little sympathy. Her aunt was too sick to give it and her uncle wasn’t the man she wanted him to be.
    She closed her eyes and took herself back to Paris, remembering the way Ethan had held her. Has he reached his home on Sanibel? Is he in his hammock thinking of me?

3

    The moment Katya drew in a conscious breath and inhaled the sour odor, she knew Vasily had been in her room. Her heart thumped. She should have blocked the door. Not another night here. She rolled out of bed and looked through the window. No truck, but the dogs roamed the yard. When she checked on her aunt, she found her still sleeping, a bony shape under the sheet, medicines piled beside her. Dying. Katya bit her lip. All that remains of my family.
    She opened every window and the door, the dogs watching her through the screen. Filled bags with trash and put them just outside, cleaned the fridge, scrubbed the stove, washed the floor, and began to see the home it might have been, though never what Irina described.
    When her aunt woke, Katya brought her a glass of tea and helped her drink.
    “Ah, I haven’t had tea in a glass for a long time,” said her aunt.
    “How do you feel?”
    “Your mother always told me not to smoke. She looked after me.”
    “She said you fought anyone who was mean to her.”
    Irina’s tired face creased in a smile. “She was too easy going, forgave everyone.”
    “Mama said I’m stubborn…like you.”
    “Being stubborn kept me from my family.” Irina sighed. “I know this isn’t what you expected.”
    “It doesn’t matter.” Though it did. She wanted to be lounging by a pool in her new bikini, but felt guilty for thinking it.
    “I needed her to believe I’d done the right thing in coming here.”
    “We loved your letters.”
    “I didn’t want her to think I’d failed.”
    “It’s not important.” No point in upsetting her aunt now. “I’ve cleaned the house. I can clean in here if