A new home

A chance for Alisa

"You know Alisa really should be going to school." Bridget handed me a cup of tea and looked at me seriously.

"Yes I know but she's never been to an American school. I know in Russia she went to school before she went to the ballet and then she was taught there. I'm afraid of her not being able to handle school here." I stirred the block of sugar in my tea cup watching it melt slowly trying to imagine Alisa in school.

"She's almost 9 isn't she? In just a few days? That's still young enough to be enrolled in school. It's really the best for her. She needs to be educated.  Inga has been going to Miss Bradford's school for young ladies for three months now and loves it.  I could get you in to see the headmistress if you like?"

"Yes I suppose your right she should be educated..alright I will try and get her enrolled." I tried to sound grateful for I knew Miss Bradford's school for young ladies was hard to get into and that Bridget was doing a lot to help me but I still didn't want to let Alisa go.

I could barely believe it had been almost 3 years since I had taken her to the ballet.  I was almost 19 now. Tomorrow would be the year 1919 and the day after Alisa would be 9 years old and in March little Natya would be three.

Life had flown by so fast at least for me it did.

"You have to let go sometime Annika. Nothing is going to happen to her. She will be perfectly safe and will be taught by the finest teachers."

"Yes your right I know...its just that I couldn't bear if something happened to her. Her,Natya and Andrey are all I have left of my family."

Bridget placed her hand on my knee and smiled gently. "Nothing will happen to her. You have a new family now. Lots of people who care about you. You can't let the past eat away at you Annika it's not healthy."

"I know Bridget thank you. You are too sweet."

"Now if you are going to meet the headmistress your going to need a new dress...yes maybe red....here come with me we will see what I have in my closet." She grabbed my hand and pulled me down the hallway and up the stairs like a little girl showing off her doll collection.

"No Bridget really I could wear this dress." I gestured to the yellow dress Bridget had given my for Christmas.

"No.no! You need something....different! Something that shows you come from money."

"Bridget I don't come from money though. Not anymore."

"Ah but they don't need to know that." Her blue eyes sparkled and she smiled widely.

"Bridget! I just can't lie to them they will eventually know where we live,how much we make,so on so forth!"

"Oh don't worry so much. As long as the school get's their check every month they don't care."

"That's another thing Bridget how much is this school going to cost?"

She stopped and took a deep breath. "35 dollars a month."

I felt like the world was crashing down around me. "35 dollars! Bridget I can't afford that! Never will I be able to afford that!"

"Well then your lucky because you won't have to. She could get in on a scholarship. I have already singed her up for one. All you have to do is go see the Headmistress in a weeks time and have Alisa take a little test and if she passes she get's to go to school for free for the entire year."

By now we were in Bridget's enourmous bedroom. She opened her large wooden wardrobe and pulled out three dresses. Two red and one a dark green.

"Bridget! Why didn't you tell me about this?"

"Annika I have come to know you oddly well in the short time we have be friends. You would have said no don't do it she will be fine. This is an amazing chance and I took it for you now go try this on." She thrust one of the red dresses towards me and smiled.

"Bridget you sure are a lot of work sometimes!" I laughed as I walked towards the powder room.

I slipped on the red dress and looked at my self in the mirror. It was shockingly beautiful. It was the right amount of simple and elegant. It was large enough to hide the stomach that was starting to show which puzzled me because Bridget wasn't much bigger then I was.

"Annika are you dressed yet?" Bridget knocked on the door softly and I stepped out.

"Oh it's so pretty on you! I knew it would fit you! The lady at the store said it would look magnificent on you!"

"Bridget! You bought this? How much was it? I will pay you back."

"Don't worry about it! I wanted to buy it! I have nothing else to do all day while Inga is at school and you needed something to wear to the school and it does look so pretty on you!"

I spun around in front of her large bedroom mirror and had to admit she was right. It did look stunning.

"Here try this." She pulled the cluster of pins holding my hair up in one movement and clipped a strand of pearls around my neck.

I looked so different. Like I did when Andrey and I had first gotten together. Fresh young again.

Brown curls framed my face and my green eyes seemed brighter.  The pearls reminded me of the ball back in Russia and I felt like a woman again not just some scullery maid.

"You look like your from the richest family in all New York!" Bridget exclaimed as she placed her hands on my shoulders.

"Oh Bridget this is all too much! Really I can't go looking like this!" Deep down though I did want to more then anything.

"You deserve to look like that Annika. You work too hard. All your doing is dressing up to go get Alisa into the best school possible. Surely that is justified?"

"Yes....your right....it's just one day."  I smiled  and turned around.

"Thank you so much Bridget. This is a real chance for her. I can't thank you enough." I hugged her and closed my eyes tightly to stop the tears that were starting to form.

"Here now enough of that! Martha will wrap the dress up for you after you change and then we can go over what the school has to offer. I am sure that Alisa will get in so fast it will make your head spin!" She let out a little laugh and started down the stairs while I went back to the powder room to change.

This truly was an amazing chance for Alisa. So amazing it almost didn't seem real. I couldn't believe that Bridget was doing this for her but yet I could.

Bridget was an amazing person with a huge heart and ever since Lars had gotten lucky and found a small fortune she did whatever she could to help others.

I had no idea that sending Alisa to Miss Bradford's school for young ladies was the going to change her young life forever.