Chapter 21 Twenty-one

• Mikhail.
• I trudge into the living room, bleary-eyed from a restless night. My sister Larissa is already here, standing in front of a window, looking out. She's not interested in art, but she pretends to humor me as she's always done since I was a little boy. Upon hearing my footsteps behind her, she glides toward me, smiling her sad smile, and fixes my collar and tie. She smooths my hair with a maternal flourish, reminding me she comes before me in the birth order.
• "My dear Kolya." She sits on the edge of the couch with her chin held high. "A pakhan in name, but still the little boy whose hair I used to muss."