My boyfriend Serhii had a call with his family. It was his grandmother’s birthday. She was born right after Holodomor, survived the Second World War and now — at the age of 76 — she has to live through another war, another Russian terror. Fairness is a subjective human category. In that subjectivity, I think it’s objectively unfair that she has to deal with this. What about a deserved rest and peace for the rest of her life?
On the call, Serhii wished her a happy birthday and to find a moment of calm and serenity amidst this calamity. She had a wish, too. A simple wish. She would just like for her grandson to come home to see her. A simple wish that’s virtually impossible to fulfill these days. Before, we could just board a train from Kyiv to Kharkiv and get a bus to Serhii’s hometown. It was a long trip — about 12 hours in total — but by all means manageable.
Today, none of that is possible.
Today, many things that used to be common and easy to do are impossible to imagine.
Going to see Serhii’s family is one of those things that the war has taken away from us.