The Week Of Anna's Eleventh Birthday

The following week the girls were busy at school, not really taking note of the calender, but all around them other work was in progress. Yana and her mum were moving in straight away with Ivan pulling the strings, and the house refurbishment was progressing faster than Igor's best estimates, so he pushed forwards with his hidden agenda.

He had overheard comments the girls made regarding the neighbouring bungalow that appeared to be empty, not correcting their assumption that it belonged to another person, in fact it would belong to them, when the big house was sold to settle up with the bank, but for legal reasons his name would be on the paperwork. He only had men working in there during the week, and had told them it involved a surprise for the girls, therefore he didn't want anyone to talk about it on site.

Igor had spoken to Svetlana, and via her, and the lady that looked after her apartment in their old town, and had arranged for Gramps to be ready for his call on Monday morning.

Ring,... ring. "Hello, Igor is that you? Is everyone well, is there some problem?"

"Gramps you worry too much, we're all fine, better than fine, are you and Olga OK?"

"You don't need to go fretting about us old folk we're fine, that holiday you arranged for us was really wonderful, hardly a day goes past we don't relive our visit with you, and our trip to the coast, something we'll always treasure. The kids haven't forgotten us either, letters and pictures and drawings turning up in the post all the time, telling us about the house thing, and how they enjoy their new lives in the big city."

"So how are you coping? I hear things in the town are not too good."

"We get by, still no luck getting an allotment, though from what I hear, others come in and steal your vegetables before they're half grown anyway."

"So if I could help you out with a small secure vegetable plot, and a little easy part time work you might be interested?"

"Don't play the joker winding up an old man, there's nowhere local to me I could grow the odd cabbage without some blighter nicking it, and jobs of any sort are rarer than hens teeth. Anyway getting back to the real world you've got a whole batch of birthdays coming up soon, that was poor timing on your part, mind you February and March can get a might chilly." he said with a chuckle.

"That's part of the reason I wanted to talk with you, I have a number of irons in the fire, one thing you can help me with will make this the best birthday any of the kids have ever had, we've never been able to truly celebrate their birthdays, or get presents for them like we wanted to, so this year I want to give them what they really want most of all, but I need yours and Olga's help."

"You know we love those kids as if they were our own grandchildren, if it's within our power to help you make their birthdays special you just tell me."

"OK great, but it's not straight forward so bear with me. You've heard about the little investment scheme in letters from Ella and the girls, but they don't have the full story. Getting the right property was key, but when it turned up it came with a little bonus, a nice little bungalow on the same plot, fifteen minuet walk from our house, now I'm thinking when the big house is sold there's an opportunity. The new rich owner just needs to call the local caretaker living in the little house next door about any maintenance problem, then that man contacts the right person from the list I've given him.

It's not a difficult job, or too demanding, but I'd need someone I could rely on, who could take care of that little house maybe grow a few flowers and some cabbages in the small garden, maybe even have some young visitors pop round for a game of chess or the odd tall story. I'm sure Ella and I would love our best friends to live a whole lot closer as well, what do you say Gramps, will you do this for us?"

Igor could hear sniffling sounds at the other end, he was feeling a little choked up himself, this would be the perfect outcome, he said nothing to the family on the off-chance that Gramps and Olga might be too set in their ways to consider moving to the city, but he had to give this his best shot. He waited, not trying to hurry his old friend, not that it sounded like he was ready to speak just yet anyway.

"Em, Igor, (sniff) I'm at a loss what to say,.. You can't imagine how much we would love to be closer to you all, but don't you need to sell the bungalow, I thought this was for the kids future, a nest egg for them."

"Gramps the bungalow was always a spare part, the reason the big house didn't sell, now it is separate, held in trust for the kids, in the current market I couldn't sell it if I tried, I even doubt I could give the place away, the one thing that would make it valuable is to put two old codgers in it and watch my children's faces when they find out. Look I haven't even told Ella because I knew the disappointment would be too much if you were unable to come, but what reasons do you have to stay where you are?"

"I won't take charity."

"I know that, same rent as you pay now, only it would be going towards the kids future."

"When?"

"The place is nearly ready, Olga will love the kitchen, in the garden there's some lovely shady trees to sit under next summer, I know it's real short notice Anna's birthday is too close, but how about moving in on the Sunday before Marta's birthday, and what say we make it a big birthday surprise."

The two men talked for a while more, it was unspoken that Olga would say yes in a heart-beat, next they agreed times Gramps would be at the phone later in the week to settle the remaining details of the move, Igor stating he would arrange the truck with a crew to shift all their belongings.

Igor had sat in his vehicle to make the call, he looked out at this impossible dream that was taking shape in front of him, rubbing his eyes he got out to go find Melenki, happy he could tell the one person who had been aware of his plans that the old couple were coming. His trusted workmate clasped Igor's shoulders beaming, sharing the moment knowing how much he had longed for this outcome, then they hustled off to check how the work was progressing in the smaller house.

Of course small was relative, this was spacious compared to where Gramps and Olga lived now, they even had a second bedroom, and it was so well built, they would be snug in winter and cool in the summer, plus they would not have two flights of stairs to climb to reach their front door. Now it was confirmed he could go ahead and order all the new appliances, basic but good quality, Olga would not want automatic this or that, just things she could use and understand.

News soon spread round the site how the cottage was for the young girls beloved adopted grandparents, and that it was to be the girls birthday surprise, though several men wished they could do the same for their kin, they were realistic, and glad to be helping a man who had the compassion to aid an elderly couple, he had also been very good to all of them.

Officially it was day eighteen of the build; paid for, and papers signed on a Thursday, work started on Friday the ink hardly dry on the contract, so lunch time would be the third big site meeting. Igor liked it this way, get stuck in first thing Monday, see what issues needed to be sorted out, then discuss them after lunch all together in one place. Several men had given him the thumbs up so he knew the latest news was widespread, he went on to tell them the rest of his idea.

"Listen up, you all seem to have heard by now that Gramps is moving in with his wife Olga, no don't ask, I've never found out what his first name is." This was met with laughter.

"So the deal is some of you guys are earning extra cash while you use up the holiday time from your real jobs, but others of you are not so lucky, finding this your first job in a while.

The plan is I want Gramps to act as a middleman who can contact you if any maintenance jobs need doing here, or if any other work shows up, so list all your names, along with your skills and how he can get in contact with you. For the moment that is as much hope as I can offer, but if we can successfully sell this house within a reasonable time there will be a bonus all round as I promised, then if another project turns up I will call on you again."

Across the city a morose building supervisor watched as that woman who had been sick and her cute pixie of a daughter moved out, he was pissed off, to think he nearly had her, now they were off, his string of bad luck had began with a late night visit a week ago when he got done over, it was made plain he had upset someone important. They had made no bones about it, the pain and his bruised swollen nuts were to reinforce the message, he wasn't to touch any young girls - ever, or any of the vulnerable young mums in the block. He was left in no doubt they had informers who were watching him, and would know if he so much as leered at another girl, saying he wouldn't like it if they had to come back.

He didn't need to be told that, he had worked it out for himself, now he had lost his power, word spread, they knew he was scared shitless to be seen in the same corridor or landing as any of the kids who lived here. As if mocking him young girls would answer the door when he went to collect rent money, knowing he would back off, so now he only knocked when the kids were in school. He was no longer feared, those in arrears just said to come back next week, and he dare not collect payment in kind, for him the endless run of tight young pussy had dried up.

Irisha knew if Marta wasn't a fairy- godmother she was certainly the next best thing, two men from the studio with a van had helped move their scant belongings to their amazing new home, and Tanya had called to speak to her mum. It was crazy that there were phones everywhere even one in the bathroom, but the news was they now had a bank account which both her mum's earnings, and her own modelling fees could be paid into. Her mum didn't have a bank before, what was the point if you had bugger all to put in there, though the initial sign on fee, and the cash Marta had loaned her the night they met was the most cash she had ever seen. She and her mum had been worried in case anyone found out they had that much cash on them, but now living here she felt safe, it was a very smart neighbourhood.

She was looking forwards to shopping for new clothes, and starting at a new school, but for the moment she was content to run what few spare clothes they had through the washing machine. Before they had used the bath to do the laundry or back when they had been flush a trip to the laundromat, now in their posh kitchen it had all shiny new stuff.

If it hadn't been for Tanya they would have been well happy to take the first place they had been shown, but she said they had to see at least four or five, as Ivan wanted them to be sure to get the move right. Of course that had wise advise, the first two apartments they had seen were unfurnished, and they didn't own a stick of furniture that would have stood the move without falling apart. They saw this place and one other that the man had called fully loaded, as they were totally furnished even down to bed linens and place settings in the kitchen, like he said, just add food.

Their old old place was one room and a bathroom, sharing a broken down sofa bed with her mum, now they each had a whole bedroom to themselves, how luxurious was that? Irisha wasn't going to miss her old school either, Anna had told her about the school she would be attending from next week, but even without the heads up, she knew it would be hard to find one that was worse than the one she had left behind. She liked learning new stuff, and she really had an ear for languages, but her old school was filled with people who had lost all hope and didn't care, that covered pupils and the staff.

Hope now seemed like a blinding light in their lives, a new experience for both of them, she wondered if her mum would find a boyfriend now her health was improving by the day, maybe she would find a boyfriend herself, where did that thought come from, she wasn't sure if she could ever be comfortable with a guy, but no that was the past, she had to move on.

That evening it was all he could do to stop himself telling Ella the news, he had to hold back at least till he spoke again to Gramps tomorrow, what they did need to discuss was the rash of upcoming birthdays. This Friday it would be Anna's eleventh, then a week and a half later on the Monday it was Marta's fourteenth, then his two sons before November was out, and this year was the first time they would be able to push the boat out, blow the expense it didn't matter, whatever they wanted, they could have. The thing was he knew they wouldn't ask, always before they had such little expectation of any shop brought gifts, but from now on things were going to change, he'd get Ella to look for clues as to what the kids might like.

Ella knew exactly what to get both girls, having heard from Anna how excited she had been about Marta's account of her trip to the stables with Karl, it was their main topic of conversation Sunday afternoon, and Anna said she was dying to have a go herself when Marta went again, then laughing, said that Karl was not so keen for a return visit. Popping downstairs she returned with a brochure from the riding stables with a list of prices for the various packages on offer.

Unlike some of their rivals, they had an indoor arena so people could ride or take lessons throughout the year regardless of the weather. They opted to get both girls a six month membership with full tuition, after that they could decide for themselves if they had the bug and wished to continue. They shared a joke at the irony of it, that 'Natasha's' bio stated how much she loved horse riding, and now reality had a chance to match the fiction. They held fire on any gift ideas just yet for the boys, for they still had a few more weeks to resolve that issue.

Collecting the boys from school the next day they detoured via the local shop that sold newspapers, magazines and sweets, where she treated them to a chocolate bar each, then said they should choose a card each for Anna's birthday on Friday. They would probably do hand made cards as well from tradition, but it was fun to get real cards as well because now they could. As they left the store Greg asked a question.

"Mummy now we're not poor any more can we get Anna a nice present too?"

"Mummmm! Your squashing us."

Ella released the boys from her tight hug, wiping her eyes she said that would be a lovely idea, asking what they thought she might like. They talked about it all the way home coming up with some funny things, it wasn't until they were sitting in the kitchen for their after school milk and snack that Peter plucked Anna's sheet music off the sideboard and suggested they get her a guitar. Yes that would be perfect, the school were reluctant to allow pupils to take instruments home, and to have her own to practice on as and when she wanted would be wonderful, tomorrow they would visit the music store.

Through Valya, Igor spoke to one of the costume department ladies at the studio who had helped make up the curtains in their house, he recognised the woman when she turned up on site. He showed her around, telling her of the old couple who would soon be moving in, and the joy it would bring his family when the surprise was revealed, naturally she wanted to help, swiftly measuring all the windows and showing Igor some samples she had brought along with her. Igor held his hands up in surrender, saying how he would defer to her judgement on the subject, he would just pay all the bills, and see she and her helpers were well paid for their time.

He oversaw the progress wanting to ensure the heating system was up to date, and they would have a plentiful supply of hot water, he had also arranged for two bunk-beds to go in the spare bedroom so that his kids could sleep over in pairs on en mass which he knew Olga would love. This would be easy with them living so close, a simple pleasure the boys had sorely missed and something the girls enjoyed too although they would less readily admit how they had fun on the few times they had stayed over.

With another box ticked, he left to visit one of the sites belonging to his 'day job' pleased he was able to juggle so many balls at once, with the aid of Melenki and his laptop, they were a much more efficient team now he had given the man a mobile phone, there was less unnecessary running about. Though his boss Stepan had supported him he knew the guy was concerned he may have overstretched himself, but rising to the challenge he was proving Stepan's fears were unfounded. Despite currently only working a four day week for his boss, he was running more than his fair share of maintenance projects, and running them within time and on budget.

At the studio additional laptops were being prepared for models who were training up to join the Forum, the decision made to hold off a little longer, rather than to struggle with only eighteen girls. Twenty-one was the minimum they really needed, and given a few more weeks they would have a starting line up of twenty-five girls, three of those with good language skills lived in other parts of the country but they had run tests proving the links held up to the data rate required. When the Forum was launched a few of the girls would still be slow or hesitant, but that would only demonstrate the voracity to those taking part that they were conversing for real with the young models who were learning English, whose images on the web site they so admired.

The family had all spoken of their plans when Anna was studying in her room, so on Friday morning at breakfast she got cards from everyone, with a tease there may be a gift or two when they had supper that evening. When Igor got home early, Anna showed off all the cards that had arrived from numerous friends at the studio and those from girls at school, but he could see pent up excitement at the thought of a birthday with real gifts.

Igor asked if they thought they should hand them out now, the boys rushed off returning with their gift, covered in colourful wrapping paper and complete with a bow, it was plain from the shape what it was. Tears streamed down her face as she hugged her younger siblings, with care she removed the paper, then opened the case to reveal the beautifully polished finish of a new acoustic guitar. She strummed a few cords, then tried one of her practice pieces, a children's song, so the boys joined in with the words.

Marta had agonised over what to buy her sister, but seeing it in a department store when she was seeking inspiration left her in no doubt, they had missed out on so much growing up, knowing what rich children had, but those things were mere dreams, but not any more. At nearly one point four meters high it was totally over the top, Marta struggled in with the amorphous shaped bundle to the laughter of those watching. Anna was wide eyed as the gift lay on the floor awaiting her attention.

It was squidgy, tearing at the paper brown fur was revealed, she squealed it couldn't be, a childhood memory, sisters looking in a store window when they were younger than the boys, a large bear she knew she couldn't have, now years later a giant teddy bear of her own, standing she was only a centimetre or two taller. The three of them stood there embracing Anna, Marta and Mr Bear, Anna hardly able to speak but it didn't matter.

They danced about the room until they bumped into a sofa where the girls sat with the bear sitting between them, Anna had never had a birthday like this, she wanted the rest of the family to have such wonderful birthdays, and News Years gifts and everything.

Igor didn't think he could speak without breaking down, he nudged Ella giving her the two envelopes, Ella said she had a gift she and their father had chosen, going on to say that they thought both their daughters might enjoy the same present, and as Marta's birthday was not that far off they had decided to hand out both gifts today.

There were more girlish squeals as they discovered their equestrian gift, six months of horse riding with tuition, when Igor had gone there to check out the centre and collect the gift certificates he had also arranged for the girls to be rigged out with the proper clothing and safety hats when they came for their first visit, or in Marta's case her second.

Ella spoke up again telling the boys to run up and get changed, she had left out what they were to wear in their rooms, then she said the girls should get changed too as they were going out to dine this evening at the girls favourite restaurant, not that they were gourmets dining out every night. They had eaten out now and then, but this could only mean that posh place overlooking the river that held special memories for them.

As they ascended the stairs Anna said they should have invited Karl, as Marta didn't get to see him as often as she would like, and they would miss one of their Friday nights out.

Smiling Marta said he was coming, but not until they were due to leave. Marta had gone into town with Karl on Tuesday, he had left work early to join her, and it was him that had carried the gift back, then smuggled Mr Bear into the house when she had distracted Anna on their return.

Both Anna and Marta had a new lesson in etiquette today, at their old school friends may have wished you a happy birthday, but that was as much as it would be acknowledged, in their new school it was about the same, apart from the studio girls who discretely gave out cards to one another. Although most of the pupils at their school were from a more affluent area, the endemic poverty around them discouraged any overt displays of ones wealth.

They had a wonderful evening even Karl gave her a present, a scarf and gloves obviously helped by Marta, with an MPV from the cab company taking them there and back Igor was free to toast his youngest daughter on this happy occasion. She was curious if Hollywood film stars felt like she did that evening or if they ever got used to having everything they could possibly want. The only way the evening could have been better was if Nana Olga and Gramps could have been here to share it with them, but they had sent her a nice card with a message that a present the girls could share would be arriving about the time of Marta's birthday. She hoped they didn't spend too much on a present for them, but she looked forwards to seeing them again over Christmas, she wished it could be more often.

To be continued in Chapter 36 ....

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