The Memory Keeper of Kyiv (23)

Another activist pushed into the house with a large sack of wheat balanced on his shoulder. “I found this, and another just like it, hidden in the barn loft.”

Katya’s heart sank. She’d worried the wheat in the barn wasn’t hidden well enough, but Tato thought it safe out of sight beneath the hay.

“You can’t take that!” Tato shouted. “It’s my seed for planting this fall!”

“This will pay your quota. For now.” The Russian waved a hand dismissively, as if suddenly bored by them. “Come, we must move to the next house.”

The woman cast an apologetic look toward Mama and hurried behind the men as they left. The door swung wildly in their wake, and none of them moved until Tato strode forward and slammed it shut, though not before Katya saw the activists’ cart stacked high with sacks of grain, just like the ones they’d taken from the barn.





9





CASSIE





Illinois, May 2004





The next afternoon, Anna bustled into the kitchen, arms full of bags. “I’ve brought sustenance!”

Cassie set down the book she’d been reading, stood, and took a bag from her mom. “Thanks. This is a big help.”

“Well, I didn’t want you worrying about leaving Bobby. Where is she?”

“She’s taking a nap. Birdie was about to do the same, weren’t you?” Cassie gave her daughter a weary glance. The little girl looked up from the picture she’d been drawing with the new box of crayons Anna had brought the other day.

“Oh, I was thinking Birdie and I could go for a walk.” Anna looked hopefully at Cassie. “Just around the block. The fresh air will help her go down for a nap, don’t you think?”

Birdie jumped up and down, her hands clasped under her chin.

Cassie threw her arms up in resignation. “It’s worth a try. Nothing else has worked today.”

Birdie clapped, then held up her picture to show them.

“Very pretty,” Anna said. “Those look like sunflowers.”

Birdie nodded vigorously as Cassie peered down at the drawing. “This is really nice, Birdie.” Cassie traced her finger around one of the dozens of sunflowers that filled the page. In the center, two long haired stick figures held hands. Birdie added a few small flowers to their hair, then threw down her crayon and ran to put on her shoes.

“Seems like she’s ready,” Cassie said. “Why don’t you go now, and I’ll put the groceries away?”

“Great!” Anna said. She grabbed Harvey’s leash. “Come on, Birdie.”

Birdie pulled on her shoes as Cassie began unpacking the bags.

“Pretty random assortment, Mom,” Cassie said as she pulled out a second container of baby spinach leaves and a package of beef bones. “I hope you’re coming over to cook all this stuff.”

“It’s what Bobby wanted,” Anna called out before stepping outside.

Cassie stored most of the food in the fridge and dug around the cabinets until she found the best places to put the macaroni and cheese and granola bars. She thought Bobby would at least have had some sardines or instant rice tucked away for a quick meal, but the cabinets were surprisingly bare.

She had everything put away and a kettle of water on for tea when Birdie and Anna returned.

“You’ll never guess who we ran into down the street,” Anna said. “Nick!”

“Who’s Nick?” Cassie kissed Birdie on the cheek. “Go lay in your bed. I’ll come check on you in a little bit, okay?”

“You know, Nick. Mrs. Koval’s grandson. From the hospital?”

Cassie set the box of teabags on the table. “Oh. Him. I’m having tea. Want some?”

“Sure,” Anna said as she sat down. “Well, remember we thought it was a bit weird how eager he was to help with Bobby?”

“Yeah. I haven’t seen him.” Cassie poured hot water into two mugs and set them on the table. “Though the newspaper was on the front porch mat this morning. Perfectly centered.”

“Probably him,” Anna said with a nod as she selected a teabag and dunked it. “Anyway, I really like him.”

“That’s quite a turnaround from, ‘keep an eye on him.’” Cassie made air quotes with her fingers.

“I know,” Anna said. “But Birdie and I saw him working in his front yard at the end of the block, and get this: he was planting hollyhock bulbs.”

“So?” Cassie shrugged as she took a seat.

“For his grandma.” Anna sat back smugly, as if this explained everything.

“His dead grandma?”

Anna nodded, grinning.

“You are inordinately happy about this. What’s the big deal? Are you sure you feel all right?” She rested the back of her hand against her mother’s forehead. “You’re not warm.”

Anna laughed and pushed her away. “I’m fine. My point is, not many men often think about their grandmothers, let alone plant flower bulbs in their yards to commemorate them. He’s a good guy.”

“So, you’re basing your entire assessment on the fact that he’s planting flowers?” Cassie raised an eyebrow at her mother as she dropped a teabag into her mug.