Chapter 5: The Homefront

With a deep breath, Grigori opened the door, walked in, and closed it behind him. As usual, he stood perfectly still and braced for impact with his eyes closed. He could feel the accumulated sweat on his back from hauling his backpack all day. Gross. The pair of thundering feet heralded their arrival. First the right leg was tackled, and then the left with more force; a smile came across his face.

"Ori, you're back!" a squeaky voice inquired.

"Did you pass the exam?!" a sweet voice asked.

"Yes, I did!" proclaimed the victor of the day.

Both of his legs wobbled as the pint-sized miscreants shook him wildly, shouting their joy as loud as they could. Grigori nudged them off of him before he fell. Nadia put her hands on her hips, and Raisa followed suit, always imitating her siblings.

They asked what the exam was—the one that had driven dread so deep into their beloved brother. He stated that it was a secret. The girls agreed not to tell anyone, sealing it with a pinky promise. Not that anyone would believe them, especially not Raisa. What he could answer was that the card they had written him for good luck, which was still in his pocket, had helped him immeasurably! For a 9- and 4-year-old, their artwork was very good; or at least, it always lifted any recipient's spirits.

"Good, you're finally home. We left your plate in the microwave."

Neha came down the corridor, a Mathematics book in her left hand, using her thumb as a bookmark. The semester had just started, and she was already deep into her studying. Her brother expressed his gratitude; he did not expect to be out so late. As to the reason for it, he once more stated it was classified. She raised a brow. Grigori had always been a bright lad, but she could not picture him as an early recruit of any branch of the Soviet government.

"Were you on a date?" That was much more believable to his elder sister. His earnest nature was a quality she recognized in him.

"No—well, I guess... nope, decided to go for a day out after PASSING the exam!" Grigori crossed his arms, ready for praise.

"Good work, Grigori. See, I told you that you would be able to do it." A firm pat on the shoulder affirmed her pride in him.

That was good enough, he supposed. With that, his sister left to return to her studying. Nadia and Raisa, on the other hand, had a more delightful way to show their sisterly pride. To the kitchen they went, passing by Dad absorbed in his crime drama shows, hunched over the ottoman. Isaac was probably in his room, playing video games; he was loving the new DLC, which had dropped recently. Grigori made a short detour to his room to toss the backpack on his bed before going back to his sisters.

Raisa pulled out his chair, while Nadia retrieved something from the counter. The surprise was a little homemade chocolate cake with far too much vanilla icing on it. On it was sloppily written "Grigori!" in transparent red gel. His heart trembled, pulling both of his sisters into a big hug. He had already had plenty of cake for the day, but would make an exception to make room for a bit more.

"Are you going to have some? We made it ourselves; the directions were super easy. Dad only helped with the heavy parts." Nadia had been practicing hard; even though it was just from a mix package, it was better than the cheap, cardboard-tasting cakes many people bought.

"I cracked the eggs and measured everything!" Raisa's most recent accolade was being able to accurately measure ingredients. Ensuring not a single speck of shell got into the mix was a very serious matter too.

While the cake looked and would be delicious, the main course would be Grigori's first target. Sautéed roast beef with couscous and mixed vegetables. No complaints at all! Dad was always the best cook, even if the food was at best lukewarm.

Ironically, as he ate, the interrogation by his sisters on what had occurred was much more aggressive than the actual one administered by Rybak. Sure, they lacked any way to put pressure on besides begging, but every time he gave one carefully crafted answer, they cross-referenced it and kept up the pressure. Maybe if he gave them a letter of recommendation, the KGB would hire them! The idea of two tiny agents working over a grizzled prisoner caused him to almost choke with laughter, his mouth full.

Clearing the plate, he moved to cutting the cake and putting a modest slice in front of him. It was good, simple and sweet; the mix they bought was pretty good. The bakers stared at him and he gave them a thumbs up as he was still chewing. They were happy, but were still staring. The reason was immediately clear. He beckoned them to take their seats at the table and got up to get two plates from the cabinet as well as forks.

"A slice of cake for each of the little ladies!" – just enough to avoid Neha yelling at him about spoiling them.

They all ate their cake happily, detailing their own exciting day full of preparations for the school year beginning on Monday. Nadia was going into fourth grade and ready to become a better reader. Raisa would be starting her academic voyage with preschool; she had been hard at work practicing her alphabet skills and could write her name! Nadia bragged about being a super great teacher! Her brother suggested maybe she should aim to be one, but she insisted that she wanted to be a journalist more, or a spaceship pilot!

All the day's excitement finally hit him and did so like a cinderblock over the head! A loud yawn escaped him, highly contagious as it spread to his sisters. Looking at the clock, it was almost 9:45, a good time to hit the hay for all of them. Leading from the front, he brushed his teeth with them, gargled and made sure they both went to the bathroom before retiring to their room to change into their pajamas, while he did so in his own room.

A bedtime story was demanded and Dad had snuck off to bed without saying anything; Grigori didn't mind, he hadn't had much time to play with them for the past week. Princess Kaguya was chosen without any complaints; he began to read to them the tale with great gusto. They were still awake by the end, though starting to fade, so he turned off the lights and sat with them in the dark aside from the nightlight.

Plenty more preparations were planned for the coming day. Summer Vacation had been fun, but it was time to be students! Bubbe and Zayde had been helping them study for the last couple of days; their energy seemed to be boundless. Preparations of all sorts for the exam had kept him very busy, but they were surprisingly understanding. Now that he was done and had passed, the obvious question was brought up.

"Sorry, but I can't pl- help you study until the afternoon."

"That's okay, Ori! We'll make sure to impress you when you come! Are you taking your own special study lessons before school starts too?" Grigori nodded in affirmation.

"Important Life Skills"