"Vanya" a voice from his memories echoed in his mind, "Vanya your sister has made you a scarf, why don't you try it on, dear", the little boy frowned he didn't want to try on the scarf, but he did so to please his mother.

"It's itchy, da" the boy complained, his mother just laughed

"Being itchy is better than being cold, Vanya". His mother's voice was so soft, the now 14 year old boy touched the scarf that was wrapped around his neck, it seemed a like a lifetime ago when he was given that scarf, and he was about to leave all those memories behind in Russia. He was sad about leaving his elder sister behind, she was very close to him, his younger sister however sometimes reminded him of his father; she was his father's favourite and was spoilt. He couldn't count how many birthday gifts she received whilst he had nothing on his last birthday. His elder sister wasn't treated with much more respect than he was, but he never laid a finger on her. Ivan was beaten regularly; he shuddered at the memory of his last beating, the bruises on his ribs stung whenever he got dressed or just brushed up against something.

Ivan sat in the departure lounge at the airport in Moscow, he had never been on a plane before, and in fact he had never even left his homeland once. His father on the other hand was a Russian diplomat, of course his duty was to represent Russia abroad, and so Ivan's mother looked after the three children in Russia, but when Ivan's mother had died his father had to stay located in Russia to look after Katyusha, Ivan and Natalia. Because Ivan's father was never around when he was little he had never got to know the man very well…they did not share a normal father-son bond. He remembers his father as a distant and scary man, very different to his loving and caring mother.

Words could not describe how Ivan felt when his mother became ill, she promised him that she would get better, but she lied. Somewhere in Ivan's heart, he always knew she would never recover, he was quite young but not young enough to not understand what was going on. He was only ten years old, Katyusha at the time was fifteen, Natalia was four years old and too young to comprehend. Ivan watched his mother die slowly, everyday deteriorating in health even though she always told him she was feeling better, and she would force a smile on her face just for him; Ivan felt tears prickle in his eyes, the vision of his dying mother still burned onto his brain.

"Ivan, you're going to America, you're going to need to toughen up. Do you hear me?" His father's voice pierced through his thoughts,

"Da" Ivan replied not looking directly at his father instead watching the crowds of people in the airport. His father suddenly grabbed hold of his jaw and yanked Ivan's face so that he was looking straight at his father's own face

"Listen boy, you will look at me when I talk to you, understand?" the tone in his father's voice sounded poisonous. The tight grip on his jaw hurt badly, Ivan nodded

"Da, papa" he replied trying to keep his cool. He never understood why his father disliked him so much, was there something terribly wrong with him? He never knew. His father treated him like shit. Ivan never met up to his father's high standards; he tried so hard in school only to have received a high B grade and then have his father tear his homework into shreds and be belted for not doing well enough.

Why did he have to go to America with his father… he wouldn't have even minded going that much if Katyusha and Natalia were coming with him, but Katyusha's English was very poor and his father told her very rudely that she would get no-where in the USA and be a nobody "You're a disgrace to me, you're a dumb bitch, no daughter of mine" was his harsh words. Ivan was furious, Katyusha cried. Katyusha was more suited for caring and looking after people just like Ivan's mother had been, and so she was ordered to stay in Russia and look after the eight year old Natalia. Ivan's English wasn't the best either but he had grasped the basics of the language; he was scared about going to school in a country where he would have a hard time understanding and communicating with his classmates. However, his father had told him that he had potential to be something better and that he wanted him to move to America with him. Ivan was stunned when his father actually told him he had potential, it was probably the only time in his life where he had complimented his son. Ivan could not refuse his father, and so he had to go.

The loud speaker announced that the passengers for Ivan's flight were ready to board. Ivan could see out of the big glass window as he walked to the gate, he saw the aircraft outside and looked at it with fascination as he had never been to an airport or seen an airplane up close. Ivan and his father made their way to the boarding gate, Ivan copied his father's actions; he showed the security guard his passport and ticket and was allowed onto the airplane. As he sat down on the window seat he looked out, it was dark outside but he could see the lights, he felt a mixture of excitement and sadness, as he was leaving his homeland. Ivan's father sat beside him, not paying any attention at all to his son. As the engines fired up, Ivan felt a tinge of anxiousness in his stomach, he continued to look out of the small window, and watched the plane as it climbed upwards into the sky, seeing all the lights of Moscow below him, it was a beautiful sight. The next time he would see daylight would be in America.