Twists and Turns

Flikr photo by Tapio Hurme


"Upon us all a little rain must fall."
Led Zeppelin, Rain Song, 1973 Houses of the Holy album.


Life is full of twists and turns. It’s not always ducky like the day I walked with ducks in the splendor of a blossoming spring in Ukraine. A few days later, something changed. Things turned dark. I’m not sure why. A twist. A turn. It has to do with Luba’s son Sergei. Something happened. On Saturday afternoon Luba got a phone call with bad news. It was a beautiful sunny day. She was working in her garden, happy as a lark. Then the call came. And everything changed. Luba’s been sad ever since. Did Sergei have a car accident? He had gone to Donestk on a business trip, I thought. Is he okay? What happened? I don’t know because I do not understand Russian. Luba’s elder son Vitaly came soon after the call, thank god, and so did her neighbor Tonya, but Luba was inconsolable. I am thankful for her friends who come in and out, because I have never felt so helpless and useless in my life. What is going on? What happened?


It’s been four days, and things aren’t much clearer, or much better, except Luba is out of shock and just crying a lot and trying to carry on. I think Sergei is alive (that was my biggest fear), but I don't know where he is. I'm beginning to think the details are not important. I am a PCV in Ukraine, living with a family, a proud, hardworking family. Something has happened, and I am watching a mother grieve. I don’t know why.

Maybe it's better I don’t. Some things are beyond understanding. I pray Sergei is okay. I pray "this too shall pass," as my mom used to say when things got rough. I am sorry this has happened to Luba. Spring has turned dark at Luba’s house. A curtain has fallen, and it doesn’t look like it will lift soon. It's raining in Luba's life. Luba's tears.