1) Lost Bells

She knew it was St. Mykola’s Church whose bell-ringing reached us faintly in the wind because it was just a bell. The Church of Blahovishchennia (how would I translate that?) and Saint Sofia’s both had several bells.

The three bells of St. Mykola’s were buried during the war when the Germans began taking church bells for the metal. No one remembers where they are buried.

2) The Fishy Discount

During Easter, I was told by my 2n’d cousin’s husband Vitalik and his friend that they took the marshutka to L’viv to buy fish.

The price was 23 hryvnias per kilogram. The weight of the fish selected was 950 grams.

The lady told them the price was 22.50, but she’d discount it to 22.00.

During the marshutka ride on the way back, they did the arithmetic.

I asked whether they couldn’t get fish in Horodok, wondering if this wasn’t another business opportunity. They said yes, but in L’viv it was cheaper and better. His mother-in-law, by contract, told me they just wanted an excuse to travel to L’viv.