Page 69 of Protecting Maggie
“She say it okay,” Borysko translated. “Artem keep us safe.”
Maggie smiled down at Yana and said, “Thank you.”
“You welcome.”
The English words coming from the little girl were both surprising and adorable.
“Can you talk us about America?” Borysko asked.
Maggie struggled to come up with something to tell them. Something that wouldn’t make their own situation seem even bleaker than it already was. But when she saw the three eager faces looking up at her, it hit home how young these children really were. Because of the role Artem played in keeping her safe right now, she’d temporarily blocked out the fact that they were just kids.
“I live in Riverton, California. It’s right by the ocean. The weather is nice almost all year. Not too hot or too cold.”
“Ricky live there?” Artem asked.
“Yes. He and Shawn both, and their friends all live there too.”
“And there is food store?” Borysko asked.
The question made Maggie sad again, but she kept the smile on her face as she responded. “Yes, there are a lot of food stores. And places that sell wood and hammers and clothes, and everything anyone would need.”
“Cost much money,” Artem said with a frown.
“Well, yes. Some of the stores are more expensive than others. But there are some places that are cheaper too. I work in a store that gives clothing to those who need it.”
“For no money?” Artem asked with wide eyes.
“For free,” Maggie confirmed. “But only to those who really need it. For others, they pay. That’s how the store can stay open.”
“And school?” Borysko asked.
“Yes, there are schools. For kids your age, as well as bigger kids and adults.”
“Anyone go?”
“Yes. Anyone can go.”
“I like school,” Borysko said sadly.
“Danger on road?” Artem asked.
“I’m sorry, I don’t understand what you want to know,” Maggie told him.
“Here, danger outside house. There, is danger walk on road?”
“Oh, well…yes, I suppose it could be dangerous to walk around. But that’s generally only in certain areas. Most places are safe, especially during the day. There are bad guys there, just as there are anywhere, I suppose.”
“Put you in jail?” Borysko asked.
“What?”
“Bad guys put in jail?” the boy repeated.
Maggie’s heart skipped a beat. She really didn’t want to talk about prison because it hit a little too close to home. And she wasn’t sure she should talk about jail, because of all these kids had already been through and werestillgoing through. But if the question had been asked, it had to be because Borysko was worried about something.
“America is a nice place to live,” she told the trio. She wasn’t sure how much Yana understood, but she was staring up at her, listening intently, as if she understood every word Maggie was saying. “But there are bad people everywhere. And yes, if someone breaks the law, they could go to jail.”
She couldn’t believe she was talking about this, but sheneeded the kids to know that while the US was a great country, it wasn’t free of dangers.
