The call from Uncle Sasha. Without a coat in winter?

August 24, 2023. When I arrived in Borsum, I heard Mom talking to Uncle Sasha in the dining room. The phone was on speaker, so I could hear Uncle through the living room door.

"She's been gossiping about me to strangers and neighbors. She's only been saying bad things about me," I heard Uncle, as he vented his frustration about his mother. Mom was crying and pleading with Uncle not to speak ill of her deceased mother.

Grandma Lina had passed away in her house some time ago. When Uncle tried to reach her, Grandma didn't answer the phone or open the door. Eventually, when he forced the door open, he found her dead on the kitchen floor. She had diabetes and likely died of a heart attack. Grandma was buried next to Grandpa Yura in Kharkovskiy.

I wasn't necessarily saddened by Grandma's death. Instead, I felt sadness for my mother, who had been crying for weeks, and I couldn't really help her. Only with the words that Grandma was now in heaven with Grandpa Yura could I console her a little. But shortly after, she started crying again and blaming herself for not being there for her mom.

Now, as I listened to Uncle through the door, I believed his words. After all, I had lived in Kharkovskiy for a while in my youth and knew the dynamics between me, my uncle, and Grandma Lina. Still, I was slightly sad that she was gone. After all, I had also experienced positive moments with her. Since we had been living in Germany, she had always been kind to me and had always wished me a happy birthday. From one day to the next, she was no longer there.