“So I think she heard us talking about adoption and decided to mouth off to me when I was alone.”

“Oh. OK, babe. People are crazy.”

“People are crazy,” I repeated. Then we talked a little more and fell asleep curled into each other. I woke up four hours later. I got dressed and brushed my teeth. I was still tired, but I was ready to face the day.

I checked my stash of, well, bribes. Filling one of my suitcases was an array of gifts to smooth our road: expensive bags of coffee, cartons of cigarettes, makeup from a really nice store in Austin. Boxes of chocolates. Stuffed toys—cartoon characters I hoped Russian children would know, as well as safer choices: plush little otters and ponies and kittens. It was hard to know what to get for the older children—all the board games I found are in English. I didn’t know if they have computer game consoles. I imagined not. I didn’t have time to go shopping for more here. We were expected at the orphanage at a certain time and we could not be late. I moved the goodies into a pair of nice-looking Louis Vuitton knockoff totes, which would also double as gifts.

Kyle was showering again because even after four hours of sleep he had serious bedhead, and I went down to the ornate lobby to get coffee for us both. I needed more sleep, but that wasn’t going to happen.

Across the lobby I saw Danielle. She had her back to me. Talking to a man, not our driver, Feliks, maybe the interpreter that GAC is providing—even with Danielle having an OK command of Russian, it was better to have a professional interpreter, and a Russian one.

I started to go say hello, but something stopped me. I watched them. Danielle did not smile or chat. The way the man spoke to her, waving his arms a little bit, it was intimidating. I didn’t like it, and I started walking toward them.

The man was quite a bit taller than Danielle, thin, a face of sharp edges along his nose, his jaw, even his glare. Dark hair. He wore a good suit, a silver tie. Then he gave Danielle a smile, not a warm one, but apparently the argument was over. He turned and left.

I saw her hand go back to the seat behind her, as if she leaned against it. Then she turned and saw me, offered a smile. I hurried the rest of the way across the lobby.

“Are you all right?” I asked.

She nodded.

“Is everything all right?” Meaning: Is our adoption in danger?

“Oh. Yes. That man is an official. I was meeting him about another adoption case. Nothing to do with yours.” Her voice shook a little, but she put on a smile.

“Danielle, don’t lie to me. Did he scare you?”