It soon became evident that they both shared a passion for reading. For Leonid, it felt like expanding space, pushing the boundaries of the horizon. Books, especially thrilling adventures, prompted him to ponder, explore adult life, and dream of remarkable exploits.
Literature provided Olga with an escape from reality, not that her life was challenging – well, at least not until her mother fell ill – but it was not the reality Olga desired. She took great pleasure in keeping the house clean, appreciating its order and coziness. However, she did not particularly relish digging in the ground or tending to animals. Nevertheless, rebelling at Tatyana's house proved futile as the bossy mistress suppressed any whims with unwavering authority.
In the Gurko family, all the children shared a harmonious bond with each other, and the sisters were always well-protected. One could easily promise a neighbor who was getting a bit unruly, «I'll tell my brothers…» Their family seemed to expand like clockwork, with new additions arriving every two years, as if by design. However, while the older brothers were later drawn apart by the revolution, the girls remained steadfast friends.
The boys matured rapidly and eventually left for Kiev: Stepan enrolled in St. Vladimir's University, while Ivan joined military school. Now, the family was held together, as the head of the family aptly put it, by «woman's troubles.» Some of their land had to be leased out.
When the brothers visited, they lent a hand with heavy chores and, in their free time, engaged in endless debates. Stepan had come under the influence of the Social Democrats and actively participated in revolutionary circles, while Ivan, like most of the Yunkers was ready to lay down his life for the Tsar if the need arose.
«The country will descend into chaos without tsarist power!» the younger brother fervently exclaimed.
The eldest endeavored to remain calm and held on to hope of changing his brother's perspective. «Have you forgotten the Khodynka Tragedy? The numerous victims during the coronation – where was the response? No one took responsibility! And what about Bloody Sunday in 1905?»
«Oh, come on,» interposed their mother, «what are you saying!»
«The authorities care little for ordinary people; their suffering is deemed worthless! Our people may be kind and forgiving, but they possess an excellent memory. When the time comes, they will remember everything!» Ivan argued passionately.
Tatyana crossed herself fearfully, while Ivan continued to assert that the people were partly to blame for the tragic events, citing how the crush on Khodynka Field was fueled by everyone's love for freebies. According to him, giving people complete freedom would only lead to self-destruction, wreaking havoc on everything around them.
Sergei frowned, disapproving of these heated squabbles. He advised his sons, especially the eldest, to refrain from quarrels at home, and if they had disagreements, they should settle them by going «all the way to Kiev.» The sisters listened intently, sensing the echoes of a grand, tumultuous life, but they were yet unsure which side to take in this dispute.
However, their everyday life changed too soon, and it was no longer the time for mere verbal battles; instead, they faced very real ones. Whether the station was seized by the Bolsheviks, Haidamakas, German troops, or unknown forces, the teenage girls had to seek refuge in the underground. The emergence of each «new power» often left them feeling utterly powerless.
«Ivan is right,» Maria whispered as they descended into the cellar once again. «You see what's happening!»
Olga concurred; life «under the tsar,» with its tranquility, predictability, and sense of security, now appeared as a distant fairy tale. No one could predict what the future held. However, even in their darkest dreams, the sisters could not have fathomed that their mother would pass away, shattering their world.
Following Tatyana's demise, the father did not grieve for an extended period; he soon found a new mistress. A good-natured, sociable man with an appreciation for women's beauty (and, by local standards, quite wealthy), he became a sought-after groom. As we know, men of such caliber do not lead solitary lives.
Maria, the closest person for Olga in this world, hastily arranged her own destiny by getting married; she had already turned eighteen.
And Olga found herself all alone, surrounded by her father's new family (her stepmother with her two sons) – yet still alone. Throughout her life, she had felt like an outsider, not receiving the warmth and affection she craved from her parents. Her mother's reserved nature kept her preoccupied with household duties, leaving little room for attention and tenderness. Strangely enough, even her father seemed to favor her older sister more. Now, burdened by the responsibilities of a stepdaughter, the weight of everyday life fell upon the fragile shoulders of a fifteen-year-old girl, who was utterly unprepared for this role.
One evening, she wandered to the station and settled on a bench, gazing at the fleeting windows of a passing train that never stopped. Her thoughts turned to her sister – Maria, who had ventured far to the north, to Bryansk, alongside her husband, a railway engineer – and a sense of melancholy washed over Olga. «Ah, I wish I could grow up quickly and live a life of my own,» she dreamed.
The train, whisking away its joyous passengers, seemed to bring with it dreams of a different, undoubtedly more beautiful life. A life free from a worn-out vegetable garden, and most importantly, a life without a stepmother…
In that moment, Alexander Blok's poem On the Railroad, which she had once transcribed into her gymnasium diary, flashed in her mind:
… Once only a Hussar, carelessly leaning
His elbow on the scarlet velvet,
Smiled gently at her in passing…
In passing – and the train rushed on.
Just so, futile youth flew past,
Worn out in empty fantasies…
Till iron railroad longing shrieked,
And shrieking tore its heart apart…
«Well, no!» thought Olga. «I will not succumb to ennui! My dreams are not in vain. I will achieve everything I want!»
Impatiently, she waited until she completed her schooling, and then she set forth to enroll in a labor school in Kiev. A whole new world awaited her there!
Chapter 5: Matchmaking in Lazirky
Olga didn't hesitate for long after Leonid's sensational appearance in Lazirky. It was no ordinary visit from an old friend; it was a marriage proposal – unexpected and sudden, almost from the doorstep, after two years of not seeing each other.
She vividly remembered that June day in Kiev. Having completed the last exam of the summer session at the Higher Institute of Public Education, she and her girlfriends strolled down the boulevard from the Red Building of the former university to Khreschatyk Street. Near the bustling Khreschatyk Street, their path was obstructed by a lively group of young men who immediately sought to make their acquaintance. But among them stood Leonid, now grown up, lean, clad in the uniform of a railroader, his face beaming with a smile. What an extraordinary encounter!
Strangely enough, in the city, they seldom crossed paths. Though they attended the same university, their interactions were infrequent. Olga was a philology student, while Leonid, a free student, majoring in Physics and Mathematics, primarily focused on his education at the technical school of railroad transportation, which left him with scarce free time. Their relationship in Kiev, therefore, felt peculiar – perhaps the intensity of their respective academic pursuits left little room for sentiment or perhaps life's hardships stood in the way. Nonetheless, Olga always cherished the rare moments of meeting her childhood friend.
On that evening, the young men celebrated the conclusion of their studies at the technical college. The next day, Olga would return home, while Leonid was bound for an internship as a mechanic on the Central Asian railroad.
«Oh,