✔ A Minute in Heaven || Wattys 2017

Chapter Five - Even More Repairs

What am I going to do with him?

...

It wasn't long before Alfred found his niche.

He hadn't joined me at work for the first week, for he wasn't fluent in Russian yet and wanted to be at least conversant before going into the job. I spent that first week teaching him, and he picked up very well. He told me that he was able to learn so quickly because he'd done this before. He'd learned Japanese phrases from a friendly Tokyo man named Kiku, and, in California, a man named Yao Wang had taught him basic Chinese. According to Alfred, if one could learn Mandarin Chinese, one could learn any language.

Whenever I went to work, Alfred would usually go and fix up Liberty Belle. When she - Alfred insisted on calling the plane a girl - was repaired, he had nothing else to do.

He quickly found something else to occupy him.

When I came home late one night, I was confused that Katyushka hadn't greeted me at the door. I called for Natalia. Again, there was no response. When I moved to the stairway, I heard very loud noises, like an enormous door creaking incessantly. Suddenly, there was an almighty CRACK, which was followed by cheers from Katyushka and Natalia.

I rushed upstairs to find Alfred, Katyushka, and Natalia outside my old bedroom, the collapsed one. My sisters were directing Alfred very matter-of-factly, and Alfred was clearing debris with his bare hands.

"Oh, hey Ivan!" Alfred said with a wave. "I figured I should do something for you, so I'm helping restore this place a bit."

"He's almost finished with this room," Katyushka said jubilantly. "Alfred, that last piece can go."

Alfred grabbed a broken plank of old wood and tugged on it with all his might. After a minute of tugging, the plank gave way, and the remaining debris crumbled away. Katyushka cheered, and Natalia nodded, looking impressed.

"Whoo, there we go!" Alfred grinned.

I stared at the now empty doorway. I didn't know why he felt the need to do this. I was also stunned that this young boy had cleared all of this by himself.

"I... I think you have done enough for tonight," I said. "Do not over work yourself."

"I can go on," Alfred said. "You need anything else?"

"Nyet," I said. "Go wash. You need rest."

Alfred obliged. He rose to his feet and went to wash up.

"Why is he doing this?" I asked. "You aren't forcing him, are you?"

"He seems to think he owes us something," Natalia said, eyebrows raised. "Big sister tried to stop him."

"Er... tried?"

"He's stubborn," Katyushka said plainly. "He kept asking what he could do. Said that, 'That's what heroes do. They help people.' He's very fixed on that hero idea, isn't he?"

"He's American," I replied. "That mentality runs through their blood, da?"

Neither sister responded.

I looked at the old doorway. The doorway itself hadn't collapsed, but rather, the ceiling above it had. That area had, despite our father's constant attempts to fix it, always leaked whenever it rained or snowed. The wood eventually rotted so badly that it had collapsed, thankfully while no one was around.

Now, with the doorway beckoning to me, I reached forward. The knob was cold in my hand. I turned it, and although it was stiff, it complied. With a gentle click, it opened.