Six-year-old Benny Alden held up a sign with KATYA LUDSKAYA written on it. He watched anxiously as passengers walked through the airport doorway.
“What if we miss her?” he said to his sister Jessie.
“We won’t,” Jessie replied. At twelve, she was the most organized of the Alden children. She had made the sign. “We know Katya is on this plane.”
“But we don’t know what she looks like,” Benny said. “And she doesn’t know what we look like.”
“That’s why Jessie made the sign,” said Henry, the oldest at fourteen. “Her coach told us Katya reads and speaks English. She’ll see the card and come over to us.”
Violet Alden leaned over Benny’s shoulder. The Russian girl they were waiting for was ten years old, exactly her age. She was as excited as her little brother to see their houseguest.
“The crowd is thinning out,” Jessie observed. “Katya was probably sitting in the back of the plane.”
“This was a long journey,” Grandfather said. “Katya flew from Russia to New York, then changed planes for this flight to Hartford. And we still have to drive home.”
In just a few days, their hometown of Greenfield, Connecticut, was hosting a gymnastics competition in the new Greenfield Sports Arena. James Alden had offered to sponsor one of the foreign gymnasts. Many athletes relied on people like Grandfather to let them stay in their homes. Otherwise, they couldn’t afford to compete in other countries.
“That must be her!” Benny cried, spying a small blond girl. She wore a blue warm-up suit and carried a red sports bag.
The girl scanned the waiting area with worried blue eyes. Then she saw Benny holding the sign with her name on it and smiled with relief.
The Aldens hurried forward.
“Hi!” Benny said. “Are you Katya?”
“Yes, I am Katya Ludskaya,” the girl replied. “And you are Benny, yes?” She pronounced Benny’s name Bennee.
Grandfather held out his hand. “I’m James Alden, Katya. Welcome to the United States.”
“Thank you so much,” Katya said shyly. “This is my first time in your country.”
“Well, let’s get your luggage and drive home,” said Grandfather. “Then you can see more of America than the inside of an airport.”
Violet was surprised that Katya was only a little taller than Benny. She was enchanted by the Russian girl’s accent and her beautiful smile.
“I’m Violet Alden,” she said. “Can I carry your bag?”
Katya gave her the red sports bag. “Thank you, Violet.”
“I’m Jessie,” Jessie said as they rode the escalator down to the baggage claim area. “And this is Henry.”
“We’re glad you’re staying with us,” added Henry.
“I am so happy you are having me stay,” Katya said.
Benny half turned on the moving stairs to look back. “Mrs. McGregor is cooking a special dinner tonight for you. Hamburgers and french fries and pie!”
Katya seemed pleased and a little less shy. “Real American food! How wonderful.”
Downstairs, they walked over to the carousel, where suitcases, boxes, and bags from Katya’s flight were going around on a conveyor belt.
“I hope I have not missed mine,” Katya said, concerned.
“Don’t worry,” said Henry. “It’ll take a while to unload all the luggage from the plane. What does your suitcase look like?”
“It is black,” Katya replied. “With squashy sides. I don’t know what you call it—”
“Is it like that one?” Jessie pointed to a green duffel bag.
“Yes, only black.” Then Katya cried, “There it is!”
But as she reached for the black duffel, a man with black hair and a yellow cap pushed past her and grabbed it.
“Hey!” Benny cried, but the man had already left.
Grandfather pointed to the carousel. “That bag belonged to that man. There are lots of black duffels, Katya. We’ll have to check them all.”
“This one is mine,” said Katya when another black duffel came around. “I am sure of it.”
Relieved that they’d finally found the right bag, Henry grabbed it quickly before it passed. “Got it.”
“Now we can go home,” Benny told Katya. “I hope you like our house. We have a dog named Watch, but he’s real friendly—”
“Benny,” Jessie said, laughing. “Katya will be with us all week.”
“That’s okay, Benny,” said Katya. “I want to hear about Watch and anything else you would like to tell me.”
Henry shifted Katya’s bag to his other hand. “We want to hear about your family, too.”
“What is your house like?” asked Violet.
Instead of answering, Katya said, “What kind of pie are we having for dinner?”
“Apple,” Jessie replied as they passed pay phones and lockers built into the wall.
She noticed the man in the yellow cap. He was hanging up the handset of a pay phone, the duffel on the floor by his feet.
Nearby a scruffy-looking younger man with light hair slouched with a dog at his side. He looked as if he were waiting for the phone the older man had just finished using. The young man crouched down to pet his dog. “You hungry, Ralphie?” he said softly. “Don’t worry, boy, I’ll get you some dinner. Promise.”
Weird, thought Jessie. There were at least a dozen unoccupied telephones. The scruffy young man was obviously making the older man nervous by standing too close. As the older man hung up the handset and stepped away from the phone, he backed into the Alden children and Katya.
“Sorry,” he apologized. Then, as his glance took in Katya, his eyes widened as if he had seen a ghost. As he quickly snatched up his bag and hurried out the door to the taxi line, a small key fell from his hand to the floor.
Grandfather was leading Katya out the same door.
Henry dropped back to speak to the others. “Did that guy seem weird or what?”
“Definitely weird,” confirmed Violet. “I wonder why he was staring at us that way.”
Jessie shook her head. “I don’t know. I’ve never seen him before.”
While his brother and sisters were discussing the stranger’s odd behavior, Benny picked up the tiny silver key he had seen the stranger drop. It had a small number 17 stamped on it.
Before Benny could mention his find, the young man with the dog rushed by them and out the door.
“Everybody’s certainly in a hurry,” said Violet. “I guess he’s afraid his mysterious friend will leave him.”
“Who knows?” Henry shrugged. “We’d better hurry ourselves. Grandfather and Katya will be at the car by now. Come on, Benny.”
Benny slipped the key in his pocket and promptly forgot about it. He planned to sit beside Katya in Grandfather’s big station wagon and show her the sights.
Within minutes, the Aldens and their houseguest had left the airport behind and were heading toward Greenfield.
“The United States is so big,” commented Katya, looking at everything with interest. “And so pretty.”
“Russia is much bigger,” Grandfather said. “What part do you come from?”
“Oh, a little town near St. Petersburg,” Katya replied vaguely. “The towns here are like pictures in a book. I can spell Connecticut!” And she did, proudly.
Benny was impressed. “Boy, I can’t even spell Connecticut, and I live here!”
Everyone laughed. Then Jessie and Henry taught Katya “Michael, Row the Boat Ashore,” and they sang the rest of the way to Greenfield.
As Grandfather pulled the station wagon into the driveway, the large white house came into view.
“Is this your house?” said Katya. “For just the five of you?”
“And Mrs. McGregor,” said Jessie, swinging open the car door.
“And Watch,” Benny added.
At that moment, the dog bounded out the front door, barking in greeting. Katya giggled when Watch eagerly licked her hand.
“He likes me!” she said, delighted.
Mrs. McGregor came out to welcome their guest.
“I hope your visit will be comfortable,” the housekeeper said, opening the door wide.
Katya smiled shyly again. “I am sure it will be.”
Upstairs, she stopped when she saw the guest room.
“Is this for me?” she asked in amazement.
The room, which overlooked the backyard, was furnished with a canopied four-poster bed. A quilt sewn in pink and green blocks made the bed even more inviting. Mrs. McGregor had arranged dried cattails in a green pottery vase.
“The bed belonged to Grandfather’s mother,” said Henry, putting Katya’s bag on the floor by the dresser. “It’s old.”
“But it won’t fall down or anything,” Benny put in, making them all laugh again.
Katya went over to the large window and drew back the lace curtain. “What is that?” she inquired. “It looks like a train car!”
“It is,” said Violet. “We’ll tell you about it at dinner. I’m sure you want to wash up and rest a little.”
Then the children left and went downstairs to help Mrs. McGregor with dinner.
In addition to hamburgers and french fries, the housekeeper fixed baked beans, hot dogs, and coleslaw. Two fragrant apple pies cooled on the countertop.
When it was time to eat, everyone filed into the dining room.
“Sit by me,” Benny begged Katya.
“All right,” said Katya, unfolding her napkin in her lap. “Everything smells so good!”
“Dig in,” said Grandfather, passing the plate of meat to the guest. “Mrs. McGregor outdid herself.”
“Oh, it’s nothing,” said Mrs. McGregor. “Just hamburgers and hot dogs.”
Katya speared a hot dog from the plate. “Where I come from, we never have two kinds of meat at the same time. Americans are so lucky! You are all rich!”
“Not all Americans are rich,” Grandfather said gently.
“And we didn’t always have a lot of food,” Henry broke in.
“And we didn’t always live in this house. In fact, we didn’t have a home at all for a while.”
Katya stared at him. “That is not so!”
“Yes, it is,” said Jessie. “You see, our parents died suddenly and we didn’t have anyplace to go. We didn’t know about Grandfather then.”
Violet took up the story. “So we found this boxcar in the woods and lived in that. Henry earned money for food.”
“Then Grandfather found us,” said Benny. “He had been looking for us, and we thought he was mean. But he isn’t and he took us to live here.”
Katya looked confused. “I do not understand.”
“My grandchildren heard things about me that weren’t true,” explained James Alden. “They hid in that boxcar. But then I found them and brought them here to live with me. We’ve been happy ever since.”
“And we’ve solved a lot of mysteries,” said Benny.
Grandfather laughed. “Benny is right. These four are quite good detectives.”
“What an amazing family!” Katya declared.
When dinner was over, the Aldens took her outside to show her the boxcar.
It was getting dark when they went back in the house.
“Katya, you must be exhausted,” said Mrs. McGregor. “Jessie and Violet will help you get settled in.”
Jessie led the way upstairs to the guest room.
Katya picked up her duffel bag and placed it on the bed. She unzipped the top, then gasped.
“What is it?” Violet asked, concerned.
Katya pulled out a man’s tie. “This bag! It is not mine!” |