"You focus on the cake, I'll do the lasagna," you tell Kirill.
Lasagna is basically just layers of cheese and noodles and vegetables and ground beef, so you pile the ingredients on top of each other until it looks like something that could become a lasagna. You pop it in the oven that Kirill already preheated and look to see how he's doing.
"It's ready to go in when the lasagna is done," he says.
As the two of you are catching your breath in the living room, Kirill's father comes in through the front door. He says something in Russian, then sees you and looks surprised. He looks so much like his son, it's startling.
"You must be Kirill's friend!" he says with a big smile, then turns to his son. "I have not met this one before."
"Petzeiros wasn't here most of the summer," Kirill explains.
You're not entirely sure what to say to Kirill's dad. You've never been particularly comfortable around other people's fathers since your own took off.
"Happy birthday, Mr. Sorokin," you say as you get up to shake his hand. "It's nice to meet you."
"Ah, thank you!"
The timer goes off in the kitchen.
"What's that?" Mr. Sorokin asks.
"We, ah, tried to make you something," Kirill says as he hurries into the kitchen.
"Well, I don't want to intrude during your birthday," you say as you back up towards the door. "I just came over to lend a hand."
"No, please stay!" Mr. Sorokin says, gesturing towards the dining room. "We don't have people here often. Join us."
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