top of the monument, where another
violin appears, and the boy begins to play, even while his body and his clothes
turn grey and then to stone."
I
was so embarrassed, I could have died, right there in my desk.
I
could feel Kim's glare burning itself through my back. Nicolasha played the
recording of the suite's Adagio, sweeping his arms back and forth, conducting
the piece with erotic precision. Felix now looked at me with wide
eyes.
"That
was really beautiful," he whispered. "It's even better than the
music." He reached out to shake my hand. His grip was warm and
firm, even if his hands were a little on the small side.
"You
should hear Nicolasha play it live."
"Who’s
that?"
I
pointed my thumb toward our teacher as he brought the selection to a
close. From the look on Felix's face, he had never referred to a teacher
by their first name in his life. Until Nicolasha came into our lives, the rest
of us hadn't, either.
Our
music teacher handed back the essays and assigned a chapter on Prokofiev in our
text for homework. He waved us out of the room, even though it was almost
ten minutes before the final bell was due to ring. For his consideration,
Nicolasha was nearly run over by escaping students. I used the ensuing
chaos to slip out of the room before he could call out after me.
*
I
bolted down the stairs and collided into the locked half of the Pilot
Institute's north door, which led into the labyrinth of brooding, gothic
buildings found at that end of the University, a fine place to lose anyone
tailing me. I was interrupted by Felix, who slid down the wooden banister
and landed beside me with a happy grin.
"You
sure know how to beat feet at the end of a school day."
"I
have to go, Felix."
"Let
me come with." He took hold of one of my arms, but let go when I
glared at him with wide eyes. "I'm sorry. I just want to talk
to you for a couple of minutes. Please?"
He
had a pretty cute smile, I'll say that. I was torn between blowing him
off him and messing up that perfectly parted hair. I heard people
entering the staircase from the floor above. He yielded to me as I
exited out of the door's open half, and did so with hurt in his eyes. I
sighed and waved for him to join me. "Are you ready to go?"
Pulling
a plaid scarf tightly around his neck, he smiled again. "Where to,
buddy?"
Buddy,
huh? I looked at the classical spires around us and suddenly felt
adventurous. "We’re going to Checkpoint Charlie. That would be
the 55th Street IC train station." I pointed
northwest, eleven o'clock . "We're in East Berlin now, and have to get these plans away from a dangerous Soviet
agent." I held up my leather book bag. "The last one
there buys dinner!" We began walking quickly into the nucleus of the
acclaimed campus.
Felix
was excited, and smiled again. He smiled a lot. "How about the
loser has to have the winner over to their house for dinner?" My
face fell as I stopped in my tracks, giving Felix a cold look. His hand
touched my arm again in apology. "I only have enough change to get
home."
I
wrapped my arm around Felix, pulling his trench coated shoulders close to me as
we continued on. He smiled again. "We're buddies,
right?" He nodded quickly. "Good. Then I can trust
you." His arm reached around my back. This was pretty
cool. "I'm going to get to Checkpoint Charlie first, because I know Berlin better." Don't bet on it, his shaking head said. "But if
the Russians get me and you escape, than its dinner on me, OK?" He
nodded with another damn smile. Stop it! "Well, Felix, let me
tell you, 'home' really blows for me, nowadays. I mean, it really sucks
whenever I'm there, so, if I don't want to be there, it wouldn't be fair
to subject you or anyone else to a visit, now, would it?"
"Then
you better cross the border before I do, pal!" With a friendly slap
on the back, Felix pulled away from me and charged up a short,
violin appears, and the boy begins to play, even while his body and his clothes
turn grey and then to stone."
I
was so embarrassed, I could have died, right there in my desk.
I
could feel Kim's glare burning itself through my back. Nicolasha played the
recording of the suite's Adagio, sweeping his arms back and forth, conducting
the piece with erotic precision. Felix now looked at me with wide
eyes.
"That
was really beautiful," he whispered. "It's even better than the
music." He reached out to shake my hand. His grip was warm and
firm, even if his hands were a little on the small side.
"You
should hear Nicolasha play it live."
"Who’s
that?"
I
pointed my thumb toward our teacher as he brought the selection to a
close. From the look on Felix's face, he had never referred to a teacher
by their first name in his life. Until Nicolasha came into our lives, the rest
of us hadn't, either.
Our
music teacher handed back the essays and assigned a chapter on Prokofiev in our
text for homework. He waved us out of the room, even though it was almost
ten minutes before the final bell was due to ring. For his consideration,
Nicolasha was nearly run over by escaping students. I used the ensuing
chaos to slip out of the room before he could call out after me.
*
I
bolted down the stairs and collided into the locked half of the Pilot
Institute's north door, which led into the labyrinth of brooding, gothic
buildings found at that end of the University, a fine place to lose anyone
tailing me. I was interrupted by Felix, who slid down the wooden banister
and landed beside me with a happy grin.
"You
sure know how to beat feet at the end of a school day."
"I
have to go, Felix."
"Let
me come with." He took hold of one of my arms, but let go when I
glared at him with wide eyes. "I'm sorry. I just want to talk
to you for a couple of minutes. Please?"
He
had a pretty cute smile, I'll say that. I was torn between blowing him
off him and messing up that perfectly parted hair. I heard people
entering the staircase from the floor above. He yielded to me as I
exited out of the door's open half, and did so with hurt in his eyes. I
sighed and waved for him to join me. "Are you ready to go?"
Pulling
a plaid scarf tightly around his neck, he smiled again. "Where to,
buddy?"
Buddy,
huh? I looked at the classical spires around us and suddenly felt
adventurous. "We’re going to Checkpoint Charlie. That would be
the 55th Street IC train station." I pointed
northwest, eleven o'clock . "We're in East Berlin now, and have to get these plans away from a dangerous Soviet
agent." I held up my leather book bag. "The last one
there buys dinner!" We began walking quickly into the nucleus of the
acclaimed campus.
Felix
was excited, and smiled again. He smiled a lot. "How about the
loser has to have the winner over to their house for dinner?" My
face fell as I stopped in my tracks, giving Felix a cold look. His hand
touched my arm again in apology. "I only have enough change to get
home."
I
wrapped my arm around Felix, pulling his trench coated shoulders close to me as
we continued on. He smiled again. "We're buddies,
right?" He nodded quickly. "Good. Then I can trust
you." His arm reached around my back. This was pretty
cool. "I'm going to get to Checkpoint Charlie first, because I know Berlin better." Don't bet on it, his shaking head said. "But if
the Russians get me and you escape, than its dinner on me, OK?" He
nodded with another damn smile. Stop it! "Well, Felix, let me
tell you, 'home' really blows for me, nowadays. I mean, it really sucks
whenever I'm there, so, if I don't want to be there, it wouldn't be fair
to subject you or anyone else to a visit, now, would it?"
"Then
you better cross the border before I do, pal!" With a friendly slap
on the back, Felix pulled away from me and charged up a short,
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