Chapter 2

The following Monday Molly called the exchange program office and explained the situation. She was eventually routed to a woman named Amanda.

"We have a problem here," said Amanda.

"I would have thought that was obvious," said Molly.

"No, what I mean is that the Russians are very touchy about this program, and any deviation from what they've agreed to is a really big deal. Two years ago a host family helped a young man get his driver's license and you'd have thought world war three had been started."

"What? Why?"

"Because there's a standard clause in all the Russian exchange student agreements that says the Russian youths will not be allowed to drive a car. Apparently they think we teach them bad habits. The point is that they pitched a hissy and almost called all their students home that year."

"Well what does that mean?"

"What it means is there is no other approved family to send her to. If you don't let her stay with you, as originally agreed, all we can do is send her back home. Do you have a separate room for her?"

"You mean keep her?"

"Well, you wanted an exchange student. Is it so horrible that it's a girl instead of a boy?"

"Of course not," said Molly. "But won't the Russians be upset that she's with the wrong family?"

"She's with the family they approved. How can they be upset?"

Molly thought about what great sex she'd had already, as a result of this luscious girl showing up. That wasn't a good reason to keep her, but it was a consideration. Nadia, herself, had already settled in and seemed completely at ease with her new family. And she really was a delightful girl. Molly had never had a daughter, and suddenly the thought of having one seemed appealing.

"I'll talk to her and see what she wants to do," said Molly.

"If you don't call me back, I'll assume everything is copacetic," said Amanda.

"Please let me stay!" Nadia pleaded. "I promise to be good girl."

"Of course you will," said Molly, hugging Nadia. "But are you sure you don't mind living with a boy instead of a girl?"

"No, I don't mind, really!" said Nadia. "I like Ruth. I like you. Mr. Cummins is very handsome. Please let me stay."

Molly stepped back. "It's fine with me, dear. But I think we should talk to your parents, and make sure all this is okay with them too."

"I have only my mother," said Nadia. "She doesn't speak any English, but I can talk to her for you."

"Well, then, let's give her a call and see how she feels about all this."

Americans have gotten used to a communications system in which you pick up a device, often handheld, press some numbers, and then expect to be talking to someone within a few seconds. There are relatively few Americans alive who remember hand crank telephones, that connected to a central switchboard, where a human operator made connections that allowed people to speak to each other. A few more people remember having a phone number with only four or five digits, which was part of a local network where four or five phones were on one circuit. These party lines, as they were called, required that four families share one line. If you picked up the phone at any given moment, the line might be in use, and you could listen in on the conversation. It wasn't acceptable to do that ... but you could if you wanted to. In those days, use of the line sometimes involved negotiation with others on the party line. If someone was using it and you needed to make a call, for example, you might interrupt their conversation, explaining why you needed the line and, perhaps, promising to only use it for a stated amount of time. If the other party agreed, they would hang up and let you make your call. If not ... well, there wasn't much you could do except make a nuisance out of yourself by either interrupting the conversation repeatedly, or just joining in.

That was the phone system of yesteryear. Unless you live in rural Russia, where things haven't changed much since World War Two. Governments may come and go, but improvements in rural Russia are never much of a priority with any of them.

So it was, to Molly, an incredibly complicated project to call Nadia's mother. It actually took twenty minutes, during which Nadia rattled off words, phrases and sometimes emotional outbursts in Russian, as she talked to a number of people who were required to make the connections necessary for Nadia to reach her mother.

Her mother's reaction, when she finally came on the line was frantic.

"What's wrong?" she wailed.

"Nothing, Mama," said Nadia. "I got here and everything is fine, except that they sent me to the wrong family."

"Have they turned you out?" she asked, tragedy in her voice.

"No, Mama, they are lovely people. They just sent me to partner with a boy instead of a girl."

"A boy?" There was a long silence. "Is he handsome?"

"Mama!" laughed Nadia. "Why would you ask me that?"

"Worse things could happen, my little pumpkin, than that you married a nice American boy."

"You're being silly, Mama," said Nadia. "I like him. I like his mama and papa too, but it is silly to speak of marriage. I came here to go to school so I can get a seat at the university."

"They have universities in America, no?"

"You don't want me to come home?" Nadia's voice had a catch in it.

"Don't be silly, golubushka. You know I love you more than life itself. But if you had a rich American husband, I could come live with you in my old age." She cackled, showing she had no real mercenary intent.

"So it's all right if I stay with them?"

"Do you want to?"

"Yes, very much."

"Then you must do so. And remember to do whatever they say and make me proud."

"I will, mama. Thank you, mama. I love you very much."

"Are you really happy with this thing so far?"

"I am very happy, mama."

"Good then. Stay with this boy and learn many things. And try to get him to ask for marriage before you get with child, rather than after."

Nadia was speechless, until her mother cackled again, signifying she had made a joke.

She heard the clicks of the connection being broken, and hung up the phone in America. She turned to Molly, who was leaning forward, her eyebrows raised. "Well?" she said.

"Mama says I should try to get a rich American man to marry me so she can come live with me in her old age," said Nadia, smiling wanly.

Molly looked at the beautiful young woman, who had already made an impact in America.

"She was just joking," said Nadia. "She approves of me staying here."

"Wonderful," said Molly. "I'm so glad. I just know we're going to have a wonderful time together."

"Me too," said Nadia, and she flowed into Molly's arms for another hug.

Both women noticed the softness of their breasts, pressed together. It was a warm, exciting feeling, and both women's core temperature raised a degree and a half as they reacted to each other's embrace in a firmly positive manner.

Later that night, after an emotional supper at which the rest of the family was brought up to date, Ruth and Nadia sat on opposite ends of the couch in the living room. The TV was on, but muted at the moment. Bob and Molly were again "doing something in the bedroom." They didn't know it, but Molly had shared with Bob that Nadia thought he was handsome, and now she was reaping the benefits of that.

"Are you really glad to be staying?" asked Ruth, who couldn't believe his luck.

"Yes," she said. "I had been looking forward to having a new girlfriend, but I think you will do."

"That's a word we probably need to talk about," said Ruth. "In America 'girlfriend' has several different meanings. Girls who are friends call each other girlfriend. But when a boy and a girl are involved, then 'girlfriend' means there is romance involved. It means they don't have romance with others."

"It's the same in my country," said Nadia. "What is the name of your girlfriend?"

"Oh, I don't have one," said Ruth, blushing.

"Why not?" asked the beautiful blond across the couch from him.

"Girls don't find me interesting, I guess," he said.

"That's silly. I think you're very interesting."

"Well, you just got here. I'm sure you'll see guys in school that you'll find more ... um ... interesting. Most of the girls like jocks and popular guys."

"Jocks?" Nadia tilted her head.

"Athletes," said Ruth. "Football players and such."

"Ahhhh," she said. "Like rugby in Russia, no?"