He kept his voice even when he said, “And where are you going to sleep?”

Her face turned red, and he couldn’t help himself — he burst out laughing and kissed her cheek. That made her even more red.

“Tania,” he said, “you’re the funniest girl.”

She backed away practically into the porch.

Smiling at her, he said, “Listen, I’m going to go—”

“Go with Zoe and Vova?” said Naira, coming into the room. “That’s a great idea. I knew our Tanechka could convince you. She can talk the devil into a new dress. Zoe!”

“No!” exclaimed Tatiana.

Alexander wanted to kiss her.

“Naira Mikhailovna, he’s not going,” Tatiana said. “He didn’t come all this way to stay with Vova and Zoe. He’ll stay here. He’ll sleep up here.”

“Oh,” Naira said, her breath taken out of her a bit. “And you?”

Could she keep herself from blushing? No, she couldn’t. “I’ll sleep on the porch.”

“Tania, if he’s staying, why don’t you change the linen on your bed so he’ll have fresh sheets.”

“I will,” agreed Tatiana.

“Don’t you dare touch them,” whispered Alexander.

Saying she was going to get Alexander fresh towels, Naira disappeared to her room.

Instantly they turned to each other. She couldn’t manage to look up at him, but she was turned to him and close to him, and — was she smelling him?

“I’m going to go and wash, and I will be right back,” said Alexander, smiling. He didn’t know what to do with his hands. He wanted to take hold of hers. “Don’t go anywhere.”

“I’m right here. Do you need soap?”

He shook his head. “Got plenty.”

“I’m sure you do. But look what else I’ve got.” Out of her desk drawer she pulled out a small bottle of shampoo. “Found it in Molotov. Cost me twenty rubles.” She handed it to him. “Real shampoo for your hair.”

“You spent twenty rubles on a bottle of shampoo?” he said, mock aghast, taking it from her and grabbing her fingers.

“Better than two hundred and fifty rubles on a cup of flour,” she replied, quickly pulling her fingers away and trying to change the subject.

“Was that twenty of my rubles?”

“Yes,” she said quietly. “The rubles in your book came in very handy. Thank you.” She did not look at him. “Thank you for everything.”

“I’m glad they did, and you’re welcome. For everything.” He could not tear his eyes away from her. “Tatiasha, you’ve gotten so blonde.”

She shrugged casually. “It’s the sun.”

“And so freckled—”

“The sun.”

“And so—”

“Let me point you to the river.”

“Wait. Look what I’ve brought for you.” Crouching near his bag, he showed her many cans of tushonka, some coffee, a large bag of lump sugar, rock salt, cigarettes, and bottles of vodka. “And I got you another English-Russian book,” he said. “Have you been practicing your English?”

“Not really,” Tatiana replied. “I haven’t had time. I can’t believe you carried all that. It must have been so heavy.” Pausing, she said, “But thank you. Come on outside.”

Taking a towel from Naira, they walked through the porch and down the steps to the back garden. Alexander stood as close to Tatiana as possible without his body actually touching hers. He knew that six pairs of eyes were on them from the porch. Tatiana pointed. Alexander wasn’t even looking at where she was pointing. He was looking at her blonde eyebrows. He wanted to touch them with his fingers.

He wanted to touch her with his fingers.

Missing a breath, he touched the faint scar above the brow where she had been injured during the fight with her father. “That’s almost gone,” he said quietly. “Can’t even see it.”

“If you can’t see it,” Tatiana said lightly, “then why are you touching it?” She didn’t look at him. “Alexander,” she said, “can you look where I’m pointing? It’s right through the pines. Will you look? Just cross the road, and there’s a path between the trees. Walk down a hundred meters into the clearing. I do the laundry there. You can’t miss it. The Kama is a big river.”

“I’ll get lost, for sure,” said Alexander, bending to her ear and lowering his voice. “Come and show me.”

“Tania has to cook dinner,” said Zoe, coming up to them. “Why don’t I show you?”

“Yes,” Tatiana said, backing away. “Why doesn’t Zoe show you? I really do have to start cooking if we’re to eat tonight.”

Alexander said, “No, Zoe. Excuse us,” and he pulled Tatiana away. “Come with me to the river,” he repeated. “You can tell me what’s upsetting you, and I’ll—”

“Not now, Alexander,” Tatiana whispered. “Not now.”

Sighing, he let go of her and went by himself. When he returned, clean and shaven, dressed in his Class-Bs, he saw that Zoe was shamelessly interested in him. Alexander wasn’t surprised. In a town with no young men, he could have had one eye and no teeth and Zoe would have been interested. Tatiana was another story. She obstinately avoided meeting his eyes. While leaning over the hearth and her frying pans, she said, “You’ve shaved.”

“How would you know?” He was staring at her back and hips as she leaned over in her yellow dress. Her waist tapered into her tight, round-as-a-moon hips, and the backs of her bare thighs peeked out below the short hem. He was pulsing inside. “Tania, this village life agrees with you,” Alexander said after a few moments.

Straightening up, she was about to walk to the porch when he grabbed her hand and put it to his cheek. “Do you like it better smooth?” He rubbed her hand back and forth against his face and then kissed her fingers.

Gently she pulled her hand away. “I haven’t seen much of you clean-shaven,” she muttered. “Either way is fine. I’m covered in onions, Alexander,” she said. “I don’t want to get you all messy. You just got so nice and . . . clean.” She cleared her throat and averted her eyes.

“Tatia,” he said, not letting go of her floury hand, “it’s me. What’s the matter?”

She raised her eyes to him and blinked, and he saw hurt in her eyes, hurt, and warmth, and sadness, but hurt foremost, and he started to say, “What—”

“Alexander, dear, come in here with us. Let Tania finish making dinner. Come, have a drink.”

He went out to the porch. Naira handed him a shot of vodka. Shaking his head, Alexander said, “I’m not drinking without Tatiana. Tania! Come.”

“She’ll drink the next one with us.”

“No,” he said. “She’ll drink the first one with us. Tania, come out here.”

She came out, smelling sweetly of potatoes and onions, and stood next to him.

Naira said, “Our Tanechka doesn’t even drink.”

“I’ll drink to Alexander,” Tatiana said. Alexander handed her his vodka glass, his fingers touching hers. Naira poured him another. They raised their glasses. “To Alexander,” said Tatiana, her voice breaking. Her eyes were filled with tears.

“To Alexander,” they echoed. “And to Dasha.”

“And to Dasha,” Alexander said quietly.

They drank, and Tatiana went back inside.

A dozen people from the village came by before dinner, all wanting to meet Alexander, all bringing small gifts. One woman brought an egg. One old man a fishhook. Another man a fishing line. One young girl a few hard candies. Every one of them shook his hand, and some bowed, and one woman got on her knees, crossed herself, and kissed the glass he was holding. Alexander was moved and exhausted. He took out a cigarette.

Vova said, “Why don’t we take that outside? Our Tania has a hard time with smoke in the house.”

Alexander put away his cigarette, swearing under his breath. To have Vova look out for Tania’s welfare was too much. But before he could say another word, he felt Tatiana’s hand on his shoulder and her face right in front of him as she put an ashtray on the table. “Smoke, Alexander, smoke,” she said.

Petulantly Vova said, “But, Tania, the smoke bothers you. That’s why we all go outside.”

“I know I said that, Vova,” Tatiana declared. “But Alexander didn’t come all the way from the war to smoke outside. He’ll smoke where he pleases.”

Shaking his head, Alexander said, “I don’t need to smoke.” He wanted her hand on his shoulder and her face in front of him again. “Tania, do you need help?”

“Yes, you can help by getting up and eating my food. It’s dinnertime.”

The four ladies sat on one side of the long table that was flanked by two benches. “Usually Tatiana sits on the end. So she can get up and get stuff, you know?” Zoe smiled.

“Oh, I know,” said Alexander. “I’ll sit next to her.”

“Usually I sit next to her,” said Vova.

Shrugging and not interested in dealing with Vova, Alexander looked at Tatiana and raised his eyebrows.

She wiped her hands on a towel and said, “How about if I sit between Alexander and Vova.”

“Fine,” said Zoe. “And I’ll sit on the other side of Alexander.”

“Fine,” said Alexander.

Tatiana had made a cucumber and tomato salad and cooked some potatoes with onions and tushonka. She opened a jar of marinated mushrooms. There was white bread, some butter, milk, cheese, and a few hard-boiled eggs.

“What can I get you, Shu—?” asked Tatiana, sliding in next to him. “Do you want some salad?”

“Yes, please.”

She stood up. “What about some mushrooms?”

“Yes, please.”

Tatiana spooned food onto his plate, standing near him. The only reason Alexander let her continue and didn’t get the food himself was because her bare leg was touching his trousers and her hip was pressing into his elbow. He was going to have her get him seconds and thirds to keep her standing this close to him. His urge was to put his arm around her waist. He took his fork instead. “Yes, please, some potatoes, too. Yes, that’s plenty. Some bread, yes, that’s good, butter, yes.”

Alexander thought she would sit down, but no, she walked around the table and ladled out food for the old ladies.

And then she served Vova. Alexander’s heart tightened when he saw her serve Vova with casual familiarity. Vova thanked her, and she smiled lightly, looking right at him.

At Vova she looked. At Vova she smiled. For God’s sake, thought Alexander. The only thing that prevented him from feeling worse about it was that in Tania’s eyes he saw nothing for Vova.

Finally she sat down.

“Tania,” he said, “I’m so glad to see food in front of you again.”

“Me, too,” she replied.

The rooms were so dark that he could not see her well, but he could see blood trickling from her mouth as she cut the black bread for him, for Dasha, and, last, for herself. Now she was eating white bread, and butter, and eggs. “Much better, Tatia,” he whispered. “Thank God.”

“Yes,” she said, and nearly inaudibly, “Thank you.”

Zoe’s annoying elbow intermittently and purposefully rubbed against Alexander’s. Zoe played the game very well. Alexander wondered if Tatiana even noticed Zoe.

Moving away from Zoe, Alexander scooted closer to Tatiana. “Just to give you a bit more room, Zoe,” he said with an indifferent smile.

“Yes, but look,” said Naira, who was sitting across from them, “now poor Tanechka is all squished.”

“I’m fine,” said Tatiana. Under the table her leg was flush with his. He nudged her once.

“So,” Alexander said, eating hungrily, “have I had enough to drink for you to tell me what happened to you?”

Tears. Not from Tatiana, from the four ladies. “Oh, Alexander! We don’t think you’ve had enough to drink to hear it all.”

“Can I hear some of it?”

Naira said, “Tania doesn’t like us to talk about it, but, Tanechka, for Alexander, can we tell him what happened?”

“For Alexander, yes, tell him what happened.” Tatiana sighed.

“I want Tania to tell me what happened,” Alexander said. “Do you want more vodka?”

“No,” she replied, pouring one for him. “Alexander, there is really not much to tell. Like I told you, we got to Kobona. Dasha died. I came here and was sick for a while—”

“Near death, I tell you!” exclaimed Naira.

“Naira Mikhailovna, please,” said Tatiana. “I was a little sick.”

“Sick?” Axinya cried. “Alexander, that child got to us in January and was at death’s door until March. What didn’t she have? She had scurvy—”

“She was bleeding from the inside out!” mouthed Dusia. “Just like our former Tsarevich Alexis. Just like him. Bled and bled.”

“That’s scurvy for you,” said Alexander gently.

“The Tsarevich did not have scurvy,” said Tatiana. “He had hemophilia.”

“Have you forgotten about her double pneumonia?” cried Axinya. “Both her lungs collapsed!”

“Axinya, please,” said Tatiana. “It was only one lung.”

“It was the pneumonia that almost killed her. She couldn’t breathe,” Naira stated, sticking her hand across the table for Tatiana to pat.