Quid pro quo. Itwould have been unreasonable to get something for nothing. Nicole's parents were children when Anya was murdered, yet for one such as myself, it was merely yesterday. Scarcely a night passes when I do not feel the phantom sensation of her hand touching mine.
"Her name was Anya."
"Did you love her?"
I nodded silently.
"She meant a lot to you, didn't she?"
"Yes, she did." I stared at the wood-paneled wall across the room, the grain fading and dissolving from the here and now before Nicole's voice pulled me back.
"How'd you guys meet?"
My voice sounded wistful. "I was inPrague , conducting business."
"Nice city. Been there a couple times."
"You are fortunate. One night, I was attending a play by Anton Chekov. During an intermission, a friend introduced us. I think that from the first time we looked upon each other, we knew we were destined to be close. It was not so much that we were kindred spirits. Oddly, our meeting was a strange coincidence. We knew not of each other, yet I was actually quite close to her family. She was a gypsy, and my family had had close relationships with gypsies many times over the years."
"I'm part gypsy," Nicole interjected.
"Yes, I can see it in your eyes, black like the soft, velvety night."
Nicole cooed softly, then laughed, beckoning me to continue.
"It was summer, and we went on outings together. I had to do a bit of traveling, and she accompanied me. It was not long before a bond formed between the two of us."
"It must have been very special."
"It was. So much of my life has been spent alone, and when someone emerges that I can enjoy such a bond with, it is quite exquisite."
"So what happened to her?"
I paused, the here and now dissolving before my very eyes, but Nicole pulled me back again, lightly touching my shoulder, her fingers ever so softly stroking the fabric of my shirt.
"She died protecting me," I began gingerly. Nicole nodded, prodding me to reveal more, to reveal all. "We were hiding from soldiers. Actually, I was hiding, and she was keeping watch until it was time for our train to leave to take us safely out ofPrague . She could have fled to save herself, but she did not. Anya stayed with me, even when the storm troopers broke the door down. From where I was concealed, I could hear them beat her, rape her. Then, there was silence, and I was powerless to do anything to help her."
"My God," Nicole gasped, clamping a hand on my wrist. "God, how horrible. You must feel terrible. No wonder you were a bit freaked out. How can somebody ever recover from something like that?"
"Time heals." Indeed, time does heal, though some humans do not live sufficiently long enough for that to happen. Still, at least they do not get haunted by memories for the next several centuries.
Nicole shook her head, her raven tresses falling forward, covering her face. She lifted her head and crossed her legs. "Wait a second. Storm troopers? InCzechoslovakia ? I thought they didn't really have much of a standing army."
"You are correct." I paused for a moment, gathering my gumption. "They were not Czech. The soldiers were German."
"Ah, East German soldiers. But what were they doing inCzechoslovakia ? Oh, must've been 1968. There must've been East German soldiers along with the Soviets when the Prague Spring was brought to its knees. I think I remember reading that the Soviets went in there with Warsaw Pact troops. Jeez, you were there? Wow. But, Al, even as terrible as that was, that's a pretty long time to be carrying that kind of baggage." She reached over and stroked my cheek. "You gotta let go of the past sometime."
Indeed, but while short-lived mortals have the luxury of letting go of their past, eternity gives me the opportunity to wallow in it. "It was a little longer ago than ninteen sixty-eight," I said, after pausing a bit, summoning the courage for full disclosure. Yes, full disclosure! Speak quickly before common sense can stop that reckless tongue! "Those Germans were not of the Warsaw Pact. They were Nazis."
Nicole's back straightened abruptly. "Nazis! Come on. You can't be serious. You can't be that old. No way. You're pulling my leg."
"I can assure you, this is no jest. Theywere Nazis."
She slid away from me, her back rigid, but her voice still soft. "Why are you doing this? I don't understand. Are