Madam Lena

Aghajan hit the paddle against the tree trunk and a pile of snow fell from the tree. “Aghabaji” shouted in his Turkish accent: The snow in front of the door has frozen; it’s better to sprinkle salt. “Turan,” Aghabaji’s sister, had brought mother’s clothes from the tailor’s shop. Mother, with her curled hair, passed through the hallway and called me. She insisted that I get ready quickly so that I would look neat when Colonel Kocharian’s family arrived. Colonel Kocharian has two sons named “Armineh” and “Odet,” and mother wants me, “Lena,” to look beautiful in their eyes and… .