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Dear Ivan,
I don’t know if Nikolai knows about those guys. Maybe Hannah mentioned it? I doubt it. They definitely have better things to do than talk about the creeps who try to hit on girls in the high school band. Believe me, I share a wall with her. You’re coming to Katya’s graduation? That’s great! I will also be there, maybe we can talk?
Sincerely,
Emmy
7/1
Dear Ivan,
I enjoyed seeing you at Katya’s graduation but am sorry we never got a chance to talk. Not to sound paranoid, but it seemed like you were avoiding me—were you? Are you angry with me for some reason? Is it for not telling Nikolai about the creepy band dads? Did you enjoy the music, at least? I think that is the first time you’ve heard me play, so I was curious about your opinion.
I heard you were back in Russia. At least it’s warm now. God, sorry I keep talking about the weather!
Sincerely,
Emmy
9/12
I’m not mad at you. I have no reason to be, though you should tell Nikolai about the creepy dads. Yes, I enjoyed listening to you play. You’re gifted. ???? ???? ?????, ????? ?? ???????.
9/13
Dear Ivan,
What does that mean…what you wrote in Russian?? I don’t even know how to pronounce it, so I can’t ask Katya or Nikolai. I guess I can try Google translate…
Tomorrow is my birthday and we’re going to visit Hannah, Nikolai, and Katya at college. I can’t believe Hannah’s in college! While I’ll be happy to see them all, it’s kind of a bittersweet way to spend the day. I miss Hannah more than I expected to—we’d gotten really close in the last year. Did you know she was stalked in high school?? She was (for years!) but never said anything to me until she finally asked Nikolai for help last year. I felt terrible and guilty that she went through that for years with no help at all. I found out about it right before all that stuff with Yuri.
Unfortunately, these types of things happen to me a lot. People not telling me things to “protect me.” It’s frustrating, the way people assume I can’t handle anything.
Sincerely,
Emmy
9/14
You have an aura of innocence. Those around you will do everything to protect it. That’s a good thing.
Happy Birthday, Emmy.
9/15
Dear Ivan,
Thank you for the birthday wishes! As I mentioned before, my actual birthday was a little sad visiting Hannah at school because it just made me miss her more. It’s only ever really been me, Hannah, and my mom, so now that one of us is gone, the house feels so empty, though I would never tell my mom that. My father has never really been in the picture. He supposedly came around once after I was born, but we never saw him again after that. I used to have this fantasy that he is the one who put me through Briar Ridge, but my mom told me enough about him for me to know that is really unlikely, if not impossible. When I asked the school, they told me someone heard me playing harp in my junior high band and felt I should be attending a more prestigious high school with a better music program. I have no idea who this person is—they said they would only pay on the condition of anonymity. It’s kind of weird, isn’t it? I mean, I'm grateful and everything, but I still think the secrecy is unnecessary. I’d like to thank them one day.
So, I used Google translate to translate the Russian you wrote. It translated to, “Your face is shiny when you play.” What does that mean??
Sincerely,
Emmy
10/1
You don’t know who paid for your schooling? I assumed you got some type of scholarship. Yes, I think it’s very strange. I will look into that—I don’t like the idea of some anonymous man donating money to you without you knowing who he is. Don’t worry, having a dad isn’t always a good thing. Katya, Nikolai, and I can attest to that.
