How I Stayed in America (Part 2)

“We stayed at the Marriott for two months. Not a bad option, especially for two people. From Moscow to Salt Lake, I brought almost everything that “was earned by hard work” throughout the years. I’m laughing at this phrase now, of course, but it’s true — I brought SO much stuff with me on this trip. Wearing all this in “Mormondia”, one could only charm the buffalo, pasturing in the wild around the salt lake. I took out some outfits, tried them on, took off, and immediately put on a “home suit” a

la sports pajamas — you could wear this in Salt Lake City all year round. You also could not wash your hair, or not wash at all — no one would even notice. I brought several pairs of watches, which I was actually ashamed to wear. The players from my husband’s team noticed my  Frank Muller with diamonds while we were in the bus, riding to the private airport, and they immediately commented: “Andrei, who did you have to kill in Russia to buy her this watch?” And he replied, “Well, she actually bought them herself.”

Yes, I was a rich bride, the heroine of the secular Moscow chronicles in the 90s. It’s funny, of course, but it’s true. My sudden emigration caused great surprise among the masses. Still, by that time I had my own company (with two more partners involved in sports marketing). We, as the characters from “Moscow Does Not Believe in Tears”, stood at the origins. Back then, he probably talked about TV, but yes, I was probably the first woman in Moscow engaged in sports marketing. It was the year 2000. My partners, who are also my beloved friends, with a creak in their souls, let me go to America. Although they realized… I would never return.

Let me seize the moment and share how I met my future husband. Few people know this, but he was probably the only athlete with whom Nike signed a long-term contract. At least, at such a young age, he was definitely the only one! Already at the age of 18, Andrei signed a contract that lasted a very long time. His career was swiftly progressing. Now, as I am writing this, it somehow feels unpleasant to me. Anyways, my company ID Marketing Group worked closely with Nike and planned out all the events and PR for them. That was my job. At some point, we were instructed to organize a big basketball event by the order of the Moscow Government, and so we did. Obviously, the first step was to invite my future husband to participate. He kindly agreed.

We met at my office. What a wonderful boy — merely 18 years old and already so clever! Good manners, education, and what a smile! I asked my comrades about him. It seemed like he was too good to be true, even too much. “He has a crystal reputation and an incredible potential, but he occasionally can be very difficult.” – “What do you mean difficult?” – “Well, try talking to him, and you will understand everything.”

Having lived with Andrei for 17 years, I understood everything, and living with him has been fun. Perhaps, I know better than anyone who Andrei Kirilenko really is. This is a great example of a phenomenal athlete with the psyche of a callous, unemotional log. Hellish discipline and hellish passion. Excitement and “log”. Total incompatibility. Colossal exactingness to yourself and others without the ability to demonstrate   it. My husband is a true Darth Vader, only working on the good side.

Well, God bless Andrei. We will devote a whole chapter to him but some other time.

Back to the story. We finally found ourselves a place to live. A new townhouse for two families stood at the very entrance to the

snow-covered canyon. Later on, I even did a photo shoot there for my store’s catalog, but in the meantime I was preparing to become a mother. I did not exercise, I drank 2-3 milkshakes with french fries a day — in general, I didn’t forbid myself anything. And what can I say, the result was evident both on the face and in general throughout the body. I gained 35 kilograms by the end of my pregnancy. Even my politically correct gynecologist suggested that I go on a diet. In fact, she was absolutely right. She claimed: “I don’t think you want to develop late stage pregnancy diabetes before giving birth, do you? It can complicate labor.” I am an obedient person, so I have abruptly stopped eating. And by the way, I managed not to put on a single kilogram anymore. Perhaps, there was no more space to do so. To be frank, I think all pregnant women notice that in the last month they yearn to eat much less, and this is logical. The fetus presses on the stomach with its legs. There is not enough space, and in general there is some tension coming from the sides.

We then started planning the due date. I don’t know how this is calculated in Russia, but in America they choose a specific date — the due date. The scheme is as follows: the start date of the last menstruation +40 weeks. My due date was February 21st.