Suddenly fearful that she’d made a mistake in bringing her daughters to this strange new world, Raisa regarded Elena, beside her, peering through the small window as the airliner circled.
— What do you think?
Elena was so excited she didn’t hear the question. Raisa tapped her shoulder, suggesting:
— The city is smaller than I expected.
Elena turned around, able only to say:
— We’re really here!
She returned her attention to the window, staring down at the city. Raisa stood up, looking over the back of her seat at her elder daughter in the row behind. Zoya was also pressed up against the window, like a young child, her eyes hungry for every detail. Raisa sat back down, reassured that she’d done the right thing in bringing them to New York – it was a remarkable opportunity.
The pilot announced their approach, explaining that preparations were being made for their arrival at the airport, no doubt a ceremony of some kind. At an elaborate departure ceremony in Moscow they’d been told that the pilot was the same man who had flown Khrushchev to the United States on his countrywide visit in 1959 and that this was the exact same plane used by the Premier, one of the few planes that could travel such a distance without needing to refuel. Concerned about their international image, the Kremlin had insisted that the delegation land in New York in the most advanced airliner in the world.
As the Tupolev 114 circled out to sea, readying to land at John F. Kennedy airport, Raisa caught sight of a smaller island located off the lower tip of Manhattan. She pressed her finger up against the window, telling Elena:
— You see that?
Elena face was still close to the window, fearful that she might miss some wonder:
— Yes, I see it. What is it?
Raisa squeezed her daughter’s arm.
— It’s the Statue of Liberty.
Elena turned around for the first time since the cloud had parted.
— What is that?
At nearly seventeen years old Elena had no idea about the city she was about to arrive in. While Raisa had been prepared to risk her own life reading banned books and illegally imported magazines, she would never have allowed her daughters to read them. In the conflict between her instincts as a teacher and her instincts as a protective mother, the mother always won out. She’d deliberately sheltered her daughters, shielding them from any knowledge that might taint them. By way of explanation she merely said:
— A famous New York landmark.
Glancing at the excited faces of the Soviet students who filled the cabin, Raisa couldn’t deny that she felt a sense of pride muddled with her anxiety. She’d been intimately involved in the planning and development of this trip. Her position on it hadn’t been won through political connections. In fact, the opposite was true: she’d needed to overcome serious questions about her past. Leo was a pariah in the complex political landscape of Moscow: his reputation was ruined by his refusal to work for the State security forces. Over the last ten years he’d maintained a low profile while she’d become an increasingly prominent figure in the education system. Promoted to director at her secondary school she held regular meetings with the ministry on topics such as literacy levels. Her school had achieved improvements that she would’ve dismissed as propaganda had she not been involved. It was a peculiar reversal of fortunes. Leo, once powerful and well connected, was now isolated, cut off from advancement, while her career had grown, pushing her closer to the corridors of power. Yet there was never any suggestion of jealousy. He was far happier now than she’d ever known him. He loved his family. He lived for them. He would die for them: of that there was no doubt. She felt a pang of sadness that he was not here to share this experience with them. She wasn’t sure whether he’d enjoy New York, he’d almost certainly be on edge, alert for plot and intrigue, but regardless, he would always enjoy being with them.
Considering the level of hostility between the two countries the trip had been labelled as naive by many commentators. A delegation of Soviet students was to perform concrts in New York and Washington DC in an effort to improve relations between the two nations. It seemed like a fanciful idea. Recent diplomatic incidents had been grave: the Cuban Missile Crisis had brought the countries to the brink of nuclear war. While other incidents were relatively trivial in comparison, such as the Soviet Union being excluded from New York’s World Fair, they’d contributed to a worsening sentiment. Tensions were high. Against this backdrop the notion of a school visit had gained favour with governments on both sides. Since neither nation could be seen to capitulate on critical military issues, there were few avenues open diplomatically. Though seemingly slight, agreeing to these concerts was one of the few concessions either country was prepared to make.
Diplomats on both sides had thrashed out the official aim of the trip, entitled THE INTERNATIONAL STUDENTS’ PEACE TOUR:
The hope is for the children of today to know only peace in their lifetime.
The Soviet students ranged in age from twelve to twenty-three and were drawn from every region. They were to be partnered with an exact match of American students drawn from across fifty states. On stage the two nations would be intermingled, standing side by side, hand in hand, performing before the world’s media and diplomatic elite. It was a crude political exercise and on occasion the preparations had descended into farce: there had been discussions about whether the weight and height of each student needed to be balanced to avoid one set of students appearing more substantial on stage. Despite these absurdities, Raisa thought the premise admirable. She’d originally been asked to nominate a selection of students who’d best represent the country and had enthusiastically become involved with the planning. Unexpectedly she’d been asked to head up the tour. Her only stipulation had been that she’d didn’t feel comfortable leaving her daughters behind. Elena and Zoya had therefore been included. While Zoya found representing her country problematic – she had no love for the State, with a rebellious spirit that she could barely manage to control – she was shrewd enough to appreciate that the opportunity to travel would almost certainly never arise again. Furthermore, it was unthinkable to decline such an offer. She wanted to become a surgeon at a prestigious hospital. She needed to appear a model citizen. They’d witnessed the repercussions to Leo when he’d declined to work as a secret-police officer. In contrast to her older sister, Elena had no qualms about the trip: she couldn’t have been more thrilled and had begged Raisa to take the position.
The airliner made its descent, the gentle rocking briefly muting the excitement of the passengers. Several gasps could be heard among the group of students and some of the teachers. Considering their inexperience as travellers, they’d remained remarkably calm during the flight. As they passed through the patchy cloud, Elena took hold of Raisa’s hand. Whichever way she looked at it, today was a remarkable moment. Not only had Raisa never dreamt that one day she would visit the United States, she’d never imagined she would have a family of her own. Her situation had been so desperate as a teenager – a refugee during the Great Patriotic War – that her ambition had been no grander than to survive. Even today she found it a miracle that she’d been fortunate enough to adopt two daughters that she both admired and loved.
Touching down, the cabin remained in a state of stunned silence, as if sceptical that they’d made the transition from the sky to the ground. They were now on American soil. The pilot announced:
— Look out your window! On the right-hand side!
At once everyone unbuckled their seatbelts, rushing to the windows and peering out. Raisa was ordered by the cabin attendant to hurry the students back into their seats, an instruction she ignored, unable to resist sneaking a look out of the window herself. There were thousands of people outside. There were balloons and banners, written in English and Russian.
WELCOME TO AMERICA!
Raisa said:
— Who are those people for?
The cabin attendant replied:
br />
— They’re for you.
The plane came to a standstill. The doors opened. As soon as they did, a school brass band began to play, the noise filling the cabin. In a state of dumb bewilderment the passengers lined up in the aisle. Raisa was at the front. The school band was at the foot of the stairway, playing with great gusto rather than great finesse. Raisa was nudged down the stairs, one of the first to step onto the tarmac. The press was to one side, perhaps as many as twenty photographers, flashbulbs popping. Raisa turned around, unsure what she was meant to do or where she was supposed to go. They’d been told to leave their bags onboard so they would be free to enjoy the reception. A welcome party greeted them, smiling and shaking their hands.
Raisa saw a small group of men, apart from the others. They were wearing suits, hands deep in their pockets. Their faces were hostile. She knew without seeing a badge, or a gun, that they were America’s secret police.
*
FBI agent Jim Yates watched the Soviet delegation form three neat rows, the shortest at the front, tallest at the back. The band, the balloons, the audience, the photographers flashing their cameras like these kids were film stars, and not one of them smiled, their expressions rigid, their mouths narrow. Like machines, he thought, just like machines.
Manhattan
Hotel Grand Metropolitan
44th Street
Next Day
If asked whether she cared about the concerts Zoya would shrug and claim that she hoped they went well if only for the sake of her mother. She didn’t feel personally invested and didn’t have much belief in the value of the events – the notion of international goodwill being conjured by singing songs seemed comical in its naiveté. Her rule was to avoid getting involved in politics and ideologies. She was training to be a surgeon. She dealt with the body, flesh, bone and blood, not ideas or theories. She’d sought out a profession in which in her mind there was as little moral ambiguity as possible: she would do her best to help the sick. Her approach to these concerts was pragmatic. She wanted to travel: that was the reason she was here. She wanted to see New York. She was interested to meetthe values. She’d learnt a little English and was curious to put it to use. And there was no way she would have allowed her little sister Elena to travel without watching over her.
Sat on the edge of the bed, Zoya was less than a metre away from the television, engrossed in the American programmes being shown seemingly at all hours. The screen was encased in a glossy walnut cabinet with the speaker on one side, a panel of small dials down the other. The instruction card on top had been translated into Russian. No matter what dials she turned, or buttons she pressed, the same set of programmes was on. There were cartoons. There was a programme with music called The Ed Sullivan Show, introduced by a man in a suit, Edward Sullivan, with live music from bands she’d never heard of. Afterwards there were more cartoons featuring talking dogs and racing cars that tumbled down cliffs, crashing in an explosion of gold and silver stars. Zoya’s English was limited to a few phrases. It didn’t matter since there was hardly any dialogue in the cartoons and The Ed Sullivan Show featured live music and even when it didn’t, even when the presenter was talking, even when she didn’t understand, she found it fascinating. Was this what America watched? Was that how America dressed? The shows were hypnotic. She’d woken up early to watch more. The fact of having a television in her bedroom, a bedroom with her own private bathroom, was so incredible it seemed a shame to spend too much time sleeping.
The cartoon was about to finish. Zoya strained forward, excited. Even better than the cartoons or the music were the programmes that ran in between shows. These shorts were no more than thirty seconds each. Sometimes they featured men and women speaking directly to the camera. They spoke about cars, silverware, tools and gadgets. This one featured a busy restaurant in which children laughed while being served wide glasses filled with ice cream, chocolate sauce and fruit. It was followed by a second short, this one featuring images of houses, impossibly large for a single family, more like a dacha than a house. Except unlike a dacha, situated in the countryside, there were many of these large houses side by side, with neat lawns and children playing. And every house had an automobile. There was a programme featuring devices to chop carrots and potatoes and leeks and turn them into soup. There were face creams for women. There were suits for men. There were objects for every chore, machines for every task, and they were all for sale, propaganda except not for a political regime but for a product. She’d never seen anything like them before.
There was a knock. Zoya turned the volume down, opening the door and finding Mikael Ivanov outside. He was the youngest of the staff accompanying them, some thirty or so years old and one of the propaganda experts assigned to the delegation. His purpose was to make sure none of the students embarrassed the State and to make sure the Americans were unable to unduly influence the students. Zoya didn’t like him. He was good-looking, vain, arrogant and humourless – textbook party loyal. He’d joined the tour preparations three months before they were due to leave, spending several hours a week lecturing the students, highlighting the social problems in the United States and explaining why Communism was superior to capitalism. He’d provided them with lists of things they should be wary of. While abroad they were supposed to carry these laminated checklists around with them wherever they went. On the checklist were statements such as:
The ostentatious wealth of a Few
The deprivation of the Many
Zoya wanted to wince every time Mikael spoke. She understood the principle, that the poor would be on the fringes, hidden from view, and that it was easy to be impressed by symbols of wealth in the centre of Manhattan. All the same, his relentless emphasis on party dogma was tedious. Of the many people involved in the tour, he was the person she mistrusted the most.
Mikael strode past Zoya, across to the television, turning it off with an angry flick of his wrist.
— I told you: no television. It’s propaganda. And you’re lapping it up. They’re treating you like you’re a fool and you’re behaving like one.
At first Zoya had tried to ignore him as much as possible. Since that ploy hadn’t worked she’d decided it was more fun to irritate him.
— I can watch something without being brainwashed.
— Have you ever watched television before? Do you think they haven’t put a lot of thought into the programmes they’re showing you? This isn’t real television that the American citizen will watch – it has been created just for you, along with the contents of that bedroom bar.
In their rooms they had found a small refrigerator stocked with Coca-Cola, strawberry- and cream-flavoured candy and chocolate bars. A note, kindly translated into Russian, explained that the contents were free and were to be enjoyed with the hotel’s compliments. Zoya had moved with lightning speed, drinking the soda before squirrelling away the rest of the chocolate. By the time Mikael had arrived to confiscate the contents none remained. He’d been furious and conducted a thorough search of their room, failing to find anything, since Zoya had lined all the candy and chocolate along the window ledge. Leo would’ve been proud.
Mikael was now working himself into a fresh temper about the television, which he had unplugged as if Zoya would not be able to plug it back again.
— Do not underestimate the power of their programmes. They serve to numb the minds of their citizens. It is not mere entertainment: it is a key weapon in maintaining their authority. The citizens of this country are given idiotic escapism in order to prevent them asking deeper questions.
Though Zoya enjoyed upsetting him, finding him entertaining when he was angry, the joke quickly grew tedious and she moved to the door as a way of hastening his departure. He looked about the room.
— Where is Elena?
— In the bathroom. She is shitting. As an insult to the Americans, you should be pleased.
He was embarrassed.
— You’re only on this trip because of your mother. It
was a mistake to bring you. You are quite unlike your sister. Practise your songs. Tonight’s concert is important.
With that, he left.
Zoya slammed the door shut, angry at the comparison he’d made between her and Elena. Like most party officials he ruled by creating divides between people, families and friends. She was closer to her sister than anyone alive and she would not allow any agent of the State to imply otherwise. She pressed her ear to the door to msure he’d gone. He was the kind of man who’d linger and eavesdrop to find out what people thought of him. Unable to hear anything she crouched down, peering through the crack under the door. There were no shadows, just a strip of light.
Passing the bathroom, she called out to her sister:
— You OK in there?
Elena’s voice was faint.
— I’ll be out in a second.
She’d been in there for a while. Zoya plugged the television cable back into the socket and returned to the edge of the bed and turned it back on, lowering the volume only slightly. Maybe the American programmes were supposed to brainwash the audience. But only someone brainwashed by the Kremlin wouldn’t be curious.
*
Even though there was nothing left in her stomach, Elena felt as if she wanted to be sick again. She filled a glass with water and rinsed her mouth. Desperately thirsty, yet unsure whether she could manage even a sip, she spat out the water. She took one of the towels, drying her face, composing herself. She was shocked at how pale she looked. She breathed deeply. She couldn’t delay any longer.