Almost Lost Her

 I almost couldn’t sleep after talking with Liliya. She was even more beautiful than I imagined, and this fueled my desire to keep the dialogue going.

We exchanged email addresses and tried to make arrangements to video chat with her at least once a week. Sitting in front of my computer monitor at home, I had a hard time trying to imagine what it must be like to have to go to an Internet Cafe to do business or chat with family and friends.

Life in Russia had come a long way since the fall of the Soviet Union, but there were still many hurdles they had to jump to get on the same level as the rest of the world. I could almost feel myself growing as I tried to absorb how different our countries were, and yet I was very thankful that we could communicate like this.

Lost in Translation

 The next weekend, we met online and began talking. I listened to her broken English and managed to grasp what she was trying to tell me, but I made a mistake. I started talking to her like she was fluent in English. I could see her eyes get big and the confusion on her face, but I kept on talking.

Finally, I got it. I asked if she was okay. She was silent. Then, as if she were scared and confused, she said, “I not know if we good. You speak fast. I not understand all. You feel same?”

I continued to stare at the screen, wondering how I should answer. I wanted to talk to her more. I wanted her, so I said "yes". Oh boy. She gathered her papers and looked me in the eye. “Fine. Bye.’ and she was gone.

It was like I had been punched in the stomach and head at the same time. I tried her phone number again and again, but she wouldn’t pick up. I was devastated.

The Kansas Angel

 The next morning, I called my daughter Lisa, who had married a man she met in Monte Vista. His name is Scott. They moved to Denver so she could go to college, but fate had a different plan for them.

During a trip to a big mall, she went to check out some shoes, and he went into an Army recruiting office. When they met up in the hall an hour later, Lisa had her new shoes, and he showed her his enlistment papers.

By the time I started talking to Liliya in Monte Vista, he had been sent to Ft Riley, Kansas. I told her what happened and our problem communicating. She said she would talk to Scott and see if he had any ideas.

The next morning, Lisa called me early and was very excited. Turned out that one of Scott’s new friends had married a woman from Russia, Irina, and she spoke very good English. Best of all, she was willing to help us straighten things out. 

Later that morning, I called Irina and introduced myself and told her about our problem communicating. Using the phone number Liliya gave me, Irina called her and explained that she wanted to help us stay together. Liliya was quiet for a few minutes, but then she agreed. We were saved.

Irina to the Rescue

 After they talked for a while, Irina spoke with me. It turned out that I was sending her too much information at one time, and when she suggested that we should stop, I said yes, which was so wrong. It didn’t take long for Irina to set up a plan to get us back on track.

Irina explained that she was working during the week, but she had time on Sunday to help us with a 3-way call. Both of us agreed that we could make this work. We had to. Liliya and I continued to email during the week, but I was sure to keep things simple, waiting for Sunday to really get into it.

Sunday Morning

 Sunday finally came, and we got started about 8:30 am my time in Colorado. Irina made sure we had each other’s names correct and that we both agreed to continue getting to know each other better. There was a yes from both sides, and she continued.

Irina continued by making sure that both of us understood the time difference between Russia and Colorado, 8 hours, and that Russia didn’t have daylight savings time. The other was the language.

Two Different Worlds

 The next step was to understand where we each lived. Liliya lived in a very big city named Naberezhnye Chelny, in a republic called Tatarstan that sits in the Russian Federation. This is not the whole Russian Federation, but it shows where I will have to go to meet her.

I was kind of sputtering when I saw this and all of the other towns and cities around Chelny, but I wasn’t going to let that stop me. I found another map of Tatarstan showing the capital city, Kazan, and to the right sits Chelny.

I did a Google search for a map of Russia and Tatarstan. I was kind of sputtering when I saw this and all of the other towns and cities around Chelny, but I wasn’t going to let that stop me. We had a computer connection as well, and I uploaded this map to both of them. It was nothing new to either of them, and then Irina told us that she had lived in Chelny and that her mom was still there. A very good morning indeed. 

What an adventure this was going to be. I told Liliya about Monte Vista, Colorado, and the San Luis Valley. I even managed to find a good map of the Valley to send her.

Liliya said some things to Irina, and I waited to hear what they were so I could respond. She asked how many people live in Monte Vista. I told her 6,000. She took in a breath. I asked what she was thinking. She said that the population of Chelny was 510,000 people. It was my turn to take in a deep breath. This was something we would have to agree on. A vast change from Chelny to Monte Vista, but I wanted to try. 

I told Irina about the Russian Brides show, and she chuckled. “I have a few friends here because of that program. I will help you two, but only on Sunday, and I need $20 for an hour’s work. Will that work for you?”

I didn’t hesitate, “Yes, it will. Just tell me where to send it and I will. Liliya, is this okay with you?” Irina translated, and she said yes as well. 

Next, we will get a step-by-step plan for this American boy to fly to Russia.