At a family gathering celebrating my grandmother’s birthday, held at my brother Sergei’s apartment, I already felt like I didn’t belong.
Family games
Everyone was seated, chatting loudly, when my nephew Ilya approached me with a bottle of cola in his hand. He moved slowly, deliberately, like he already knew all eyes would soon be on him. He stopped beside my chair, looked me straight in the face, and suddenly tipped the bottle over, drenching my lap in sticky, dark liquid.
