An international introduction.

I walked out of the bathroom. The kitchen door was open. And there was Granny. Not just a silhouette this time, we stood face to face and smiled. "Hello," I said. A toothless grin. "Babushka. Babushka." "Alena," I replied. "Babushka," she repeated.

I lost my nerve and backed away, still smiling.

We've lived together for three weeks without meeting each other. Now she is real, as am I.