— Yes.
— It will be twenty when you are almost a hundred!
— And you will be fifty-three when she is twenty. This does not make you incapable of being a brother.
He looked at me.
— I’m not her brother.
— By blood.
— That doesn’t mean anything.
My tears flowed.
Not because his words surprised me.
And because they were confirmation of what I had learned the day I told them about pregnancy.
They were not afraid for me.
They were afraid for themselves.
Six months earlier, I had invited Sylvia and Mikhail to lunch.
I prepared their favorite things.
Complete peppers for Sylvia.
Homemade moussaka for Mikhail.
I had bought a cake with strawberries because the grandchildren would come later.
Todor was in Ruse then. I wasn’t ready to tell them about him yet.
We were sitting at the table in the dining room.
Sylvia was telling me about her job. Mikhail complained about some repairs in the office.
I watched my children and thought about how old they were.
Then I said:
— I have to share something with you.
They were silent.
— I’m pregnant.
At first they thought I was kidding.
Then they saw my face.
Sylvia laughed nervously.
— Mom, that’s not funny.
— I’m not kidding.
Mikhail turned pale.
— What does this mean?
— Means I’m expecting a child.
Sylvia started crying.
Not happy.
— Are you sick? Does anyone blackmail you? Has anyone deceived you?
— No.
— Who is the man?
— I’ll tell you when the time comes.
Mikhail stood up.
— No „time “. This must be terminated.
At that moment, I realized they weren’t talking about me.
They talk about the inconvenience.
