It was all part of his plan, Stalin of course. Or at least that's what I feel. The lady in the red coat loves to tell random facts. He loves to show everyone how smart he is, his ignorance is as big as his belly. She loves to brag about her pure gold watch that her husband gave her for her birthday. Well, congratulations, they are forcibly taking us away from our homes on cattle trains like animals, but at least you can tell the time. For the whole two months I sat there trying to concentrate on my sewing and was always interrupted by her constant chatter. But in the end something useful came out of his mouth. He says this is all part of Stalin's plan to rid Lithuania of all its population so we can go to work providing resources to the Soviets. He says we will be deported to Siberia. I saw others being deported, many of my colleagues started disappearing but I never thought much about it; I thought I would be safe. But then my father and brother joined the Forest Brothers, the resistance army fighting the Soviets, and my mother and I soon found ourselves abandoning the only life we ​​had ever known. I was forced to leave my peaceful and happy life as a seamstress to be forced onto a cramped cattle train that reeked of disease and death mixed with tears of pain. Even worse, I had almost no room to do my embroidery! But life outside the cattle trains is even worse, we have to work in the bitter cold and snow; of the desolate Altai mountain region cutting down trees to give to NKVD guards so they can light their fires while we freeze to death. My life is going according to Stalin's plan and my vision for the future is as dull as my stringy brown hair that no longer fits into a bun and my hazel eyes now see through a world of grey. My body... middle of paper... lives by joining the resistance to liberate Lithuania from the Soviets and I would go and run away with one. And my mother would lose her entire family, it would destroy her. I finish my day's work and return to my tent. It's almost sunset and I know he'll be waiting for me. I don't really think he's the enemy, he's just doing his job for his own survival, just like me. Maybe he really loves me and just wants to keep me safe. But I won't meet him at the oak tree, he will have to leave without me. While he rows, I will stay behind and work to support myself and my mother. I will comfort her while she cries out for the return of my father and brother. And every now and then I will wonder what would have happened if I had run away but then I will immediately put those thoughts to rest because I know I did the right thing. If I were to just be a traitor or die loyal to my country, then I would rather die.