ALLAHIM HELP YA
that night, before sleeping on his thirty fifth birthday, ilya took an old photo from the drawer, him as a little boy, pressed against his mother’s side, her hand in his hair, both of them smiling.
he touched her face with his thumb and whispered in russian, so quietly shane almost missed it.
“look, mama. i hope you’re proud of me. i made it this far. i lived as long as you did”
his voice broke.
“i met good people. people who love me. people who stayed. i wish i had been enough for you to stay too, but i hope it is softer where you are. i hope you are happy now. i still love you”
shane did not understand every word, but he understood the way ilya’s hand shook, the way he held the photo like it was the only piece of her he had left.
so he got out of bed, came behind him, wrapped both arms around his waist and kissed the back of his neck.
“i’m sure she’s proud of you,” shane whispered, looking at the photo over his shoulder
ilya closed his eyes
“and i’m sure she’s watching over you, over us, until the end of our lives”
then shane held him tighter.
“you don’t have to love her alone anymore Ilya. i’ll love her with you”