she went missing, they’d know where to start looking for her.
“Girls, they are going missing all the time,” he told her with feeling. “You, we will not have missing. So, where is it you are going?”
Marja knew the dialogue by heart—and wanted to put some distance between it and herself until such time as she could hear it without having it set her teeth on edge.
She glanced from one sister to another, looking for support. It wasn’t as if this was something new, a phase their parents were going through. This was everyday life at the Pulaski residence.
“I just really need some time away from them. A vacation,” she added because it sounded less harsh.
Natalya nodded, feigning sympathy. “Yeah, I know how it is. Hot meals, clean sheets, no rent to worry about, laundry done.” She sighed loudly, shaking her head. “Must be hell.”
“Oh, like you didn’t leave the first chance you got,” Marja reminded her.
“I had to. Sasha was lonely.” She glanced toward her older sister. “Weren’t you, Sasha?”
“I was too busy to be lonely,” Sasha deadpanned.
“It’s not that I’m not appreciative,” Marja persisted. “It’s just that I want them to stop looking at me as if I was their little girl.” The others might not have thought so, but it really was no picnic, being the youngest.
“News flash.” Perched on the arm of the love seat, Tania leaned over and pretended to knock on Marja’s head. “You’ll always be their little girl.”
“We all will,” Sasha interjected. “Even when we’re in our nineties.”
Marja shivered at the very thought. “Well, we need to fix that.”
Sasha curved her hand protectively over her abdomen that was just beginning to swell. “Can’t. It’s a fact of life, Marysia. I’m already beginning to feel extremely protective and the baby’s not even here yet.”
Marja leaned over her older sister’s stomach, cupping her hand to her mouth as she addressed the tiny swell. “Run, kid, run for your life. This is your aunt Marysia speaking. I know what I’m talking about.”
“Idiot.” Sasha laughed, thumping her youngest sister in the head affectionately.
If she didn’t move this along, they’d never get to the reason they were all here. Kady looked at the last arrival. “I thought you said you were coming straight home to fall into bed.” She’d all but had to twist Tania’s arm to get her to agree to this get-together. It was called at the last minute because all five of them were very rarely off at the same time and she wanted everyone’s input.
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