palace?”
“Do I come in?”
“Just to the gate. I’m going to turn in my weapon and sign out. You’ll wait, all right?”
“I’ll wait.” After walking through the long archway, they came to a manned iron gate, deep inside the entranceway. A young sentry lifted his hand in salute to Alexander. “Proceed, Lieutenant. Who is this with you?”
“Tatiana. She’ll wait for me here, Sergeant Petrenko.”
“Of course she will,” the guard said, eyeing Tatiana surreptitiously, but not so surreptitiously that she didn’t notice. Tatiana watched Alexander walk beyond the iron gate across a courtyard, salute a tall officer, then stop and chat briefly to a cluster of smoking soldiers, breaking into a laugh and striding off. Nothing distinguished Alexander from the others, except that he was taller than anyone else and had darker hair and whiter teeth, broader shoulders and a wider stride. Nothing but that he was vivid and they were muted.
Petrenko asked if she wanted to sit down.
She shook her head. Alexander had told her to wait right here, and she wasn’t going to move. Certainly she wasn’t going to be sitting in some other soldier’s chair, though she would have liked to sit.
As she stood looking through the garrison gate, waiting for Alexander, Tatiana felt herself floating on the cloud of fate that laced her afternoon with improbability and desire.
Desire for life.
One of her Deda’s favorite sayings was, “Life is so unpredictable. That’s what I like least about it. If only life were more like
math.
”
This one day Tatiana had to disagree with him.
She would take a day like this over any day in school or in the factory. She decided she would take a day like this over any other day in her life.
Taking a short step toward the guard, Tatiana asked, “Tell me, are civilians allowed inside?”
Smiling, Petrenko said with a wink, “Well, it depends what the sentry gets for it.”
“That will be quite enough, Sergeant,” Alexander said, walking briskly past him. “Let’s go, Tania.” He didn’t have his rifle anymore.
Just as they were about to walk through the passageway onto the street, a soldier jumped out at them from a secret door Tatiana had not seen. He startled her so much that she actually yelped as if stung. Placing his hand on Tatiana’s back, Alexander shook his head. “Dimitri, why?”
The soldier laughed noisily. “Your faces! That’s why.”
Tatiana composed herself. Was she wrong, or did Alexander move not just closer to her but closer and to the front, as if to stand not next to her but to shield her? How absurd.
Smiling, the soldier said, “So, Alex, who is your new friend?”
“Dimitri, this is Tatiana.”
Dimitri shook Tatiana’s hand vigorously, not letting go. Graciously, she pulled away.
Dimitri was average height by Russian standards, short compared to Alexander. He had a Russian face: broad, slightly washed-out features, as if the colors had all run dry. His nose was wide and turned up, his lips extremely thin. They were two rubber bands loosely strung together. His throat was nicked in several places by his razor. Underneath his left eye he had a small black birthmark. Dimitri’s sidecap did not have an enameled red star like Alexander’s, nor were his shoulder boards metallic. Dimitri’s were red, with one thin blue stripe. His uniform tunic bore no medals.
“Very nice to meet you,” said Dimitri. “So where are you two headed?”
Alexander told him.
“If you like,” said Dimitri, “I’ll be glad to help carry the purchases back to your house.”
“We can manage, Dima, thanks,” said Alexander.
“No, no, it’s nothing.” Dimitri smiled. “It’ll be my pleasure.” He was looking at Tatiana.
“So, Tatiana, how did you happen to run into our lieutenant?” asked Di-mitri, walking alongside her while Alexander trailed behind. Tatiana turned around and found him staring at her with anxiety. Their glances touched and moved apart.
“Do I come in?”
“Just to the gate. I’m going to turn in my weapon and sign out. You’ll wait, all right?”
“I’ll wait.” After walking through the long archway, they came to a manned iron gate, deep inside the entranceway. A young sentry lifted his hand in salute to Alexander. “Proceed, Lieutenant. Who is this with you?”
“Tatiana. She’ll wait for me here, Sergeant Petrenko.”
“Of course she will,” the guard said, eyeing Tatiana surreptitiously, but not so surreptitiously that she didn’t notice. Tatiana watched Alexander walk beyond the iron gate across a courtyard, salute a tall officer, then stop and chat briefly to a cluster of smoking soldiers, breaking into a laugh and striding off. Nothing distinguished Alexander from the others, except that he was taller than anyone else and had darker hair and whiter teeth, broader shoulders and a wider stride. Nothing but that he was vivid and they were muted.
Petrenko asked if she wanted to sit down.
She shook her head. Alexander had told her to wait right here, and she wasn’t going to move. Certainly she wasn’t going to be sitting in some other soldier’s chair, though she would have liked to sit.
As she stood looking through the garrison gate, waiting for Alexander, Tatiana felt herself floating on the cloud of fate that laced her afternoon with improbability and desire.
Desire for life.
One of her Deda’s favorite sayings was, “Life is so unpredictable. That’s what I like least about it. If only life were more like
math.
”
This one day Tatiana had to disagree with him.
She would take a day like this over any day in school or in the factory. She decided she would take a day like this over any other day in her life.
Taking a short step toward the guard, Tatiana asked, “Tell me, are civilians allowed inside?”
Smiling, Petrenko said with a wink, “Well, it depends what the sentry gets for it.”
“That will be quite enough, Sergeant,” Alexander said, walking briskly past him. “Let’s go, Tania.” He didn’t have his rifle anymore.
Just as they were about to walk through the passageway onto the street, a soldier jumped out at them from a secret door Tatiana had not seen. He startled her so much that she actually yelped as if stung. Placing his hand on Tatiana’s back, Alexander shook his head. “Dimitri, why?”
The soldier laughed noisily. “Your faces! That’s why.”
Tatiana composed herself. Was she wrong, or did Alexander move not just closer to her but closer and to the front, as if to stand not next to her but to shield her? How absurd.
Smiling, the soldier said, “So, Alex, who is your new friend?”
“Dimitri, this is Tatiana.”
Dimitri shook Tatiana’s hand vigorously, not letting go. Graciously, she pulled away.
Dimitri was average height by Russian standards, short compared to Alexander. He had a Russian face: broad, slightly washed-out features, as if the colors had all run dry. His nose was wide and turned up, his lips extremely thin. They were two rubber bands loosely strung together. His throat was nicked in several places by his razor. Underneath his left eye he had a small black birthmark. Dimitri’s sidecap did not have an enameled red star like Alexander’s, nor were his shoulder boards metallic. Dimitri’s were red, with one thin blue stripe. His uniform tunic bore no medals.
“Very nice to meet you,” said Dimitri. “So where are you two headed?”
Alexander told him.
“If you like,” said Dimitri, “I’ll be glad to help carry the purchases back to your house.”
“We can manage, Dima, thanks,” said Alexander.
“No, no, it’s nothing.” Dimitri smiled. “It’ll be my pleasure.” He was looking at Tatiana.
“So, Tatiana, how did you happen to run into our lieutenant?” asked Di-mitri, walking alongside her while Alexander trailed behind. Tatiana turned around and found him staring at her with anxiety. Their glances touched and moved apart.
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