Hello, Privet! #1: Hello/Привет

Chapter 56

SOPHIE

"Akhmerov looks a little worse for wear as he half-heartedly whacks a wild forehand volley and gifts Jakobsen with another point. Akhmerov roars in frustration as unforced errors creep back into his game, helping Jakobsen edge to 15-30. Akhmerov is famous for his devastating backhands and he's certainly hitting the big shots at Jakobsen, but they're just not getting through."

Then another commentator, the distinctive, somewhat nasal voice of Morris McElhone, a tennis player from the '70s: "That's right, Matt. Look at Henry Landau, Anton's coach—he doesn't look very happy. Akhmerov has been a different player since that shoulder injury last year. The fans really want him to win big here at the US Open, which he won as a sixteen-year-old back in 1999 if I'm not mistaken. I thought at 3-1, Akhmerov would take the set, but Jakobsen is holding it down. The Norwegian also needs to keep winning to maintain his top two ranking. Oh, but here's a forehand winner from Akhmerov... Can Akhmerov keep his focus and turn this game around? No, no. Akhmerov screws up a wide forehand...Break point Jakobsen and the fans are screaming. This match is too close to call. We may have to go to a fifth set the way things are going..."

Anne sits next to me and smiles. She appears to be saying something to me.

I yank out the earphones from my ears. "Sorry?"

"I said you look so pretty in that dress. Where did you get it?"

We are at her parents' house, getting dressed for the party her parents are hosting

I look down at myself. I am wearing a strapless cocktail dress made with sari silk fabric, another dress that Aphro made for me. With my coloring, I guess really pop in jewel tones. "Aphro made it, actually. Do you want one like it? She would be happy to make one for you—"

"Okay. I'll see her when I'm in the city." Anne smiles, checking her reflection in the mirror one last time. "What are you listening to? You look worried."

I nod. "Yeah. Did you hear about the subprime mortgage crisis? It's terrible. Really terrible," I say. Even if to my ears, I sound worried about it, when the truth is, I'm really worried about Anton's game. I had promised myself I won't watch any of his games or even think about him, and I managed not to try and find out how he's doing in the US Open for the past four days, but today, I couldn't stand it anymore. I'd listen to the radio like it was something bad and I had to hide it from everyone, because no one knows about what happened, except for Alison, and I'm not about to confide in her.

Anne nods. "My father's worried too."

She opens a jewelry box and then holds up two necklaces to show me. One has a pendant with a golden heart, the other with a pearl lavaliere.

"No hearts for me," I say. Anne knows perfectly well that I'll never be caught dead wearing anything with a heart on it. Anne wears the heart instead.

"So Dad was wondering when you were going to talk with Mr. Kirkpatrick."

"What?" Mr. Kirkpatrick is Uncle Stephen's partner at his law firm, Kirkpatrick, Welford and Associates. He's also handling my Aunt Claudia's estate. I know there's a hedge fund manager and a financial advisor I was also supposed to meet...

"He really thinks you should start learning about Aunt Claudia's business interests—"

I know this is important that I do this. Uncle Stephen wouldn't have asked Anne, who is my closest cousin (and only cousin) to tell me this. He really wanted to make sure I would recognize how important this is. So had my mother. "But what do I have to do with it?"