Old Friends We Keep

 Good friends are like stars. You don’t always see them, but you know they’re always there." — Unknown

Many years ago in Russia, people did not go to psychologists or therapists. Women met in the kitchens, and men -  in garages. It was there, among friends, that they could share their grief, find support, and maybe receive advice.

Who chooses our friends? The universe, circumstances, fate? 

Maybe it’s all of them together?

There were three women who were close friends. They were similar in age, married, each had children, and lived in the same neighborhood. They took their kids to the same playground, and on rainy days, they gathered in someone's kitchen. Though alike in many ways, they had different views on life, hobbies, and interests.

Ira got divorce around the time Olga had her third child. Lena was quick to suggest Ira look for a husband abroad, Germany for example. After the fall of the Berlin Wall, many Russian Germans moved to Germany, marrying  a German was no longer unusual. Back in school, Ira had studied German. That could help her pick up the language more quickly.

 

Lena tried to persuade her but Ira refused. She referred to the negative experience of Russian women who didn’t find happiness in an international marriage with Germans.

Keep in mind that everything was  happening over several years, not over one month.

Eventually, Lena got tired of persuading Ira. Her own divorce from her husband was a matter of time. Lena was also thinking about a foreign husband, preferably a Fin. Finland is very close to Russia, and the climate is presumably similar to Siberia. "Presumably" - because Lena had never been to Finland or any other foreign countries.

Their friend Olya, on the contrary, began to travel abroad. She mainly went to Turkey with her children and to Europe with her husband. Olya was thinking about learning English to feel more confident in traveling. Lena really liked this idea. As she couldn't find Finnish language courses, she assumed that knowledge of English could be useful in the future. Lena began to study English. Ira was admitted to the University in her specialty. Olya was busy with her family; her three sons did not let her get bored.

10 + years later 

Ira received a promotion at work and a proposal from a Russian, and got married. She let her kids figure out their lives. 

Lena is married to an American. She has a very simple life: home-work-home. Her children must figure out their lives simply because she is far away from them, unfortunately for her.

Olya is married to the same man. She doesn't need to learn English anymore. They moved to the Black Sea. They traveled abroad with her husband. Now she has time to take care of  herself while her children figure out their lives.

Three women remain friends, despite the distance and rare communication on the phone via the internet. There is no competition about who has a better life. There are only years flying by and distance between countries and cities. And there's always the hope of getting back together in the kitchen.