Page 39 of Koroleva

"I think a taste for coffee is the only thing we share," I remarked, not intimidated by the male presence.

"You have to start somewhere," she said, dismissing it.

"Where can I throw this?" I showed the woman the napkin.

"Give it here, I'll throw it away." She reached out kindly.

"It’s better if I do, it contains biological samples." The woman furrowed her brow. "A bunch of unborn puppies that will never see the light."

"Oh! Ah!" The woman burst into giggles. "So Brutus has taken a liking to you, that means he likes you, he's usually quite elusive with women. There's the trash can," she pointed.

I threw the napkin away and went to the sink to wash my hands.

Romeo hadn't moved. He watched me suspiciously.

"Is something wrong?" I asked, taking a piece of kitchen towel to dry my hands.

"I find it hard to recognize you." I ran my hands over my face.

"Yeah, well, today I skipped the makeup."

"That's not what I mean," he replied cryptically.

"If you've come to scold me for my greeting from the balcony, or for what I told your family about last night..."

"I didn't come for that," he cut me off.

"Then what?"

"I wanted to tell you that your men can move into the housing where mine reside," I looked at him surprised, I didn't expect him to give in so quickly.

"Why?"

"I've been thinking a lot tonight. We were both very tired and upset yesterday. It's better if we relax a bit and get to know each other, or this is going to be unsustainable, don't you think?"

"I think that's very good," Ana María commented, offering us each a coffee. "You make a fantastic couple. It's normal for you to argue, you both seem very passionate, but you shouldn't let small disagreements cloud the relationship." It seemed to me that Ana María was not the typical employee who kept her mouth shut. "This house needed a woman, and Mrs. Nikita seems to fit the bill."

"Thank you." I raised the little cup and looked at it pleased. She nodded and went back to her tasks.

"So?" Romeo insisted. "Truce?"

"Truce," I replied, biting my tongue.

A Russian proverb says that after the storm, the wind will blow in your favor.

I wasn't going to be foolish; if my husband was extending a bridge for me to climb aboard his ship, I wasn't about to reject it. I'd have time to light the gunpowder and blow it up later.

17

Confess

Three and a half hours earlier…

I observed the enclosed space; it smelled of mold, feces, and decay. It was quite common for people visiting the choir to lose control of their sphincters.

We didn't clean it.

The bloodstains and the stench gave us an extra edge towards confession.

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