A Word That Kept Me Up That Night

Liliya’s last word, “Maybe,” stuck in my mind for the rest of Sunday. There was hope, and I was going to go for it. I had so many questions still. How do I get over there? What documents do I need? What kind of money do they have? I could hardly sleep.

After some time on Google, I found out that they use the Ruble. No clue, but some images of their money showed up, so I wasn’t clueless. The article I read talked about exchange rates and fluctuations in the value of the dollar, and more. I had a full week coming up, so I hit the sack.

Irina’s Road Map

On Monday, I fired off 3 separate emails to Irina asking about these same things and what extra things I could do to make it easier for my visit there. I was expecting a reply within minutes, but one didn’t come, so I grabbed my lunch and headed out.

I threw myself into work, doing a small remodeling job to keep my mind occupied. I had seen Liliya’s picture on the dating site, so I knew she was beautiful, but nagging words my ex-wife told me kept me feeling that I was unworthy of love, and maybe not good enough for Liliya.

That night, when I got home, I tossed my lunch stuff on the table, petted the dogs, and got on the computer while my supper got nuked. Sure enough, Irina had answered my questions in a row:

1. Getting a passport.

2. Apply for a visa. You can’t just show up in Russia and start visiting without one. You have to fill out papers to get the visa with information like itinerary, who I will be with, and how long.

3. Check on airplane tickets.

4. Look online for some Russian to English audio training. Practice simple words like thank you, you are welcome, and I don’t understand much Russian.

Getting the Paperwork Done

As God would have it, I found a free download of this training, which I was able to save to my cassette recorder. I had just landed a job in South Fork, Co., and it was an hour’s drive, so I slid the tape in my cassette player and started learning.

Luckily, my local post office in Monte Vista had a room set up in a side office just for passports. I gave them my driver's license, birth certificate, and bank info. Then an older man told me to sit in front of a white screen and not smile. It would take a week to process it, so I went back to work.

Irina gave me the online link to the Colorado State government in Denver to apply for the visa. This was a little more complicated, but with some patience, I was done with the preliminary info in 30 minutes. The rest had to wait until I had my airline tickets purchased so I could fill in the departure date and return date.

10,000 Miles Away

Airplane tickets were another matter. My mind was boggled when I found out that Chelny was approximately 10,000 miles away from Denver, and that I couldn’t fly straight there over the ocean.

Lufthansa had the best reputation and prices for this kind of flight. The agent told me that I would start my flight from DIA in Denver, then to Chicago. I wouldn’t have to change planes, which was good, just a short wait.

Then up across Canada to the north, over Greenland, down and across the northern end of Ireland, then to land in Frankfurt, Germany. After a 6-hour layover, I would be on to Samara airport in Russia, and then northwest to the capital of Tatarstan, Kazan.

I was almost puffing out of breath as I traced the flight on my computer screen, but I gave my card info and booked the flight.

10,000 miles in total one way. The flight back would follow almost the same route. I would land in Atlanta instead of Chicago, then to DIA.

Telling The Family

 For someone who had only flown as far as Wisconsin in 1982, this trip would be like a world tour for me. I let my mom know what was going on that night. She was interested, but unsure if I was making a smart choice or not. “There are plenty of eligible women right here in Monte Vista. Doesn’t make much sense to me to travel halfway around the world to me on a ‘Maybe’.”

I have to say that she dented my resolve that night, but I was not going to give up, not after spending money on the passport, visa, and now plane tickets. I left her house sad, but determined.

The next day, I called my oldest daughter, Lisa, and filled her in on my plan. She was skeptical too, but she admitted that finding her husband Scott was not planned, but it was her best choice. She gave her blessing, grudgingly.

During the next week, I had lunch with Jessica and then Amy at their high school, watching their faces after I told them. Their initial reaction was surprise. My ex told them that I would never find love again, but by the end of lunch, they were both on board for my journey

One Way Or Another

 I finished several remodeling jobs over the next 3 weeks, socking away money for the trip. Buying the plane tickets had used up my meager savings, so I was determined to come back to some money stashed away.

The next weekend, I told Liliya and Irina about my success with the passport, visa, and plane ticket, and that I found some training tapes to help me learn some Russian before I went. There was a collective sigh. The conversation was light and uplifting, and then . . . Liliya told us about her concerns for me coming to visit. Earlier that week, her parents and brother had come to Chelny to live with her in that one dormitory room.

Things had changed in Uzbekistan, and they wanted out. There were enough family in Chelny to make it worth the move, but they had spent most of their money transporting their beautiful furniture to Chelny and paying for storage. They had no money to get another place. Liliya cried.

I lived in a two-bedroom, single-wide trailer, with an addition built on, giving me 4 bedrooms in all. There were times when the girls came for our weekends that the trailer felt crowded. I couldn’t imagine what Liliya was going through, but hearing her cry was all it took. I had 4 more jobs to finish, with one being done that week. I was going to help her, one way or another.

Over the next few weeks, I earned enough to send them money to get an apartment. God is good.