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Tatiana ran after hi, "Shura, please stop! Please!"

She couldn’t catch up He disappeared through the woods She ran all the way hos were still there, but he was not

"What’s thea basket of to She took the basket from Naira

"Where is Alexander?"

"Still at the old house," she said "Taking the boards off the s"

"I hope he nails the up fro that for anyway?"

"I don’t know," Tatiana said, turning away so they wouldn’t see her face "Do you need your ave Raisa her medicine for the shakes, medicine that didn’t help at all, and then she folded the sheets she had washed yesterday, and then -- so afraid he was going to cos, and leave -- she hid his tent and rifle in the shed behind the house, and then she went down to the river and washed all his uniforms by hand on the washboard

Alexander still had not come back

Tatiana took his helmet into the woods and picked a whole hel home, she made a blueberry pie and blueberry comp?te, a thick fruit drink

Alexander still hadn’t coht some fish and made ukha, fish soup, for dinner He once said he really liked ukha

Alexander still hadn’t corated them, and o swiot out soer sleeveless top

And still he hadn’t come back

Why couldn’t he just have stayed and finished their fight? She wasn’t going anywhere; she was staying until the end, why couldn’t he? The pit of her sto to let hio until they finished it She didn’t care how he lost his teo to the banya She left hiry, please eat the soup and the pancakes We’re at the bathhouse Or you could wait for us and ill eat together On your bed is a new top for you I hope it fits better Tania

In the bathhouse she scrubbed herself for hi pink

Zoe asked her if Alexander was going to join the

"I don’t know," said Tatiana "You’d have to ask hi breasts, "He is quite delicious Do you think he is feeling awful over Dasha?"

"Yes"

Zoe smiled "Maybe he needs a little coht in the face As if Zoe had any idea about what comfort Alexander needed "I don’t knohat you mean," she said coolly

"No, you wouldn’t Never ed

Tatiana dried off and dressed, brushing her wet hair and leaving it down past her shoulders She put on a blue print cotton dress she had made; it was thin and sleeveless with a half-open back and a short hemline When they all ca for them outside Tatiana locked her relieved eyes on him for a moment and then, unable to take his expression, looked away

"There he is!" Naira said "Where have you been all day?"

Dusia asked, "How are the s in the house?"

"Windows? What house?" he asked gruffly

"Vasili Metanov’s house Tania said you were taking the boards off the s"

"Oh," he said, never taking his darkened eyes off Tatiana She stood next to Raisa, hoping to hide behind Raisa’s shaking

"Are you hungry? Have you eaten?" Tatiana asked hier one

Mutely he shook his head

They all started walking home Axinya took Alexander’s arm Zoe came up close on the other side of hio to the fire

"No," he replied, pulling away fro, "What did you do with s?"

"Hid the She wanted to put her hand on him, but she was afraid he’d lose his control, and they would have to have it out in front of everyone

"Tania ood fish soup, Alexander," Naira said "You like fish soup?"

Dusia piped up, "And her blueberry pie is out of this world I’ry"

"Why?" Alexander whispered

"Why what?" Dusia asked

"Neveraway froot ho the table She looked up on her bed to see if he had read the note and taken the shirt The note was gone The shirt remained where she had left it

Alexander came inside The four ladies were out on the porch "Where are s?" he asked

"Shura--"

"Stop it," he snapped "Give s so I can leave"

"Alexander, can you co this bottle of vodka The cap seems to be stuck"

He went out on the porch Tatiana’s hands were tre as badly as Raisa’s She dropped one of the dishes Thewhen it hit the wooden floor

Vova arrived The porch was filled with laughing voices

Alexander came inside and opened his mouth to speak Tatiana motioned to the back of him Vova stood in the doorway "Tanyusha, do you need help? Can I carry so to the table for you?"

"Yes, Tanyusha," said Alexander bitingly, "can Vova carry soive me a minute, please?"

"Come on," said Vova to Alexander, who hadn’t moved "You heard her She wants aaround "A minute with s?"

"Shura, why are you leaving?"

"Why? There is no place for me here You’ve made that abundantly clear I can’t believe you haven’t packed for me, the way you feel I don’t need to be told twice, Tania"

Her lips were tre "Stay and have dinner with us"

"No"

"Please, Shura," she said, her voice breaking "I made you potato pancakes" She took a step to hi

"You can’t leave We haven’t finished"

"Oh, we’ve finished"

"What can I say to ood-bye would be good"

The food table was between them Tatiana came around on his side "Shura," she said quietly, "please let me touch you"

"No" He backed farther away

Naira stuck her head through the open door "Is dinner ready?"

"Alht you weren’t going to leave until you fixed me?" she said faintly "Fix h ofinside you Well, you’ve s?"

"Shura--"

Coritted teeth, "What do you want, Tania? You want a scene?"

"No," she said, trying very hard not to cry

His face was near her "A loud, ugly scene like the kind you’re used to?"

"No," she whispered, not looking at hio quietly, and you won’t have to explain a single word to your friends and your lover"

When she didn’t move, Alexander said, much louder, "Now!"

Embarrassed and upset, Tatiana led him outside to the shed behind the house, out of everyone’s view

"Where are you going, Tanechka? Are we going to eat soo--"

"I’ll be right back!" Tatiana yelled, her shoulders shaking When they were behind the house, Tatiana tried to take hold of Alexander’s hand, but he roughly ripped his ar in front of him quickly, she wrapped her arms around his waist He tried to push her away "Please don’t go," she said, looking up at hi you I don’t want you to go I waited for you every minute of every day since I left the hospital Please" She put her forehead on his chest

Alexander didn’t say anything Tatiana didn’t look up His hands rehtly, Tatiana said, "God, Alexander! How can you be so thick? Can’t you see why I didn’t write you?"

"Not at all Why?"

She inhaled his smell, her face still in his chest "I was so afraid that if I told you about Dasha, you wouldn’t come to Lazarevo at all" She wished she were braver and could look at hiry with her any his hand, she placed it on her cheek, and when his warrad nearly finished us all off I thought that ot healthy again, like last su for me would come back--"

"Co?" His hand reh, wrapped itself on her bare back, his fingers fanning her, grasping her, andhim to her "Can’t you see" he said and broke off He couldn’t say any more She felt it And he didn’t need to She felt that, too

At last Alexander spoke "Tatia, I will earn your forgiveness I will fix everything I will do right by you, but you have to let me You can’t shut me out like this -- you just can’t"

"I’ed hihter "Just too many lies for me, too much doubt"

"Look at me"

She lifted her eyes to him

His arms around her, Alexander said, "Tania, what doubt? I am here only for you"

"Then please stay," she said "Stay forhard, Alexander bent his head to her, and she gave him her wet hair to kiss His lips stayed on her for a few a?"

"Shura," Tatiana said, "there is a houseful of people"

His fingertips were pressing into her bare shoulder blades so e her feeble

"Lift your face to me this instant"

She lifted her face to him that instant

"Tania, could we eat, please?" Naira’s loud voice fro!"

Alexander kissed her so fiercely that for a moment Tatiana becas could not hold her up

"What is she doing out there? We’re all starving Tatiana!"

They heaved themselves away fros from the shed, and went inside

Tatiana poured soup for Alexander first, placing the bowl right in front of hi him the spoon Then she served everyone else while Alexander waited for her to sit down before he took his first bite

"So, Alexander," said Vova, "what does a captain in the Red Army do?"

"Well, I don’t knohat a captain in the Red Army does I knohat I do"

"Alexander, do you need some more fish?" Tatiana asked

"Yes, please"

"What do you do?" asked Vova

"Yes, tell us, Alexander," said Axinya "The village is dying to know"

"I’ade Do you knohat that is?"

Everybody but Tatiana shook their heads

"I command an aruards" Alexander sed his soup "At least, we’re supposed to"

"What’s extra support?" asked Vova "Tanks?"

"Tanks, yes Armored cars Tania, are there uns called Zeniths, and mortars, and other field artillery Cannons, howitzers, heavy uns I myself stand behind a Katyusha, a rocket launcher"

"Ierous than the rifle frontovik?"

"More dangerous than anything Who do you think the Geruy with a slow, bolt-action Nagant or me with a mortar that pummels them with fifteen bombs a minute?"

Tatiana said, "Alexander, you want some more?"

"No, Tatiasha--" He stopped She stopped "I’m full, Tania, thank you"

"Alexander," said Zoe, "we hear Stalingrad is going to fall"

"If Stalingrad falls, we lose the war," said Alexander "Any more vodka?"

Tatiana poured him a shot

Dusia said, "Alexander, how rad to stop Hitler?"

"As many as it takes"

She crossed herself

Red-faced, Vova said excitedly, "Moscoas quite a bloodbath"

Tatiana heard Alexander suck in his breath Oh, no, she thought No scene, please

"Vova," said Alexander, leaning in front of Tatiana -- who pressed into his side -- to glare at Vova "Do you knohat a bloodbath is? Moscow had 800,000 troops before the battle for the capital started in October Do you kno many were left when they stopped Hitler? Ninety thousand Do you kno many men were killed just in the first sixrad? Fourit a bloodbath, as if it were a game"

Everyone at the table was quiet Tatiana, nested into Alexander, said, "You want more to drink?"

"No," he said "I’o and clear--"

Alexander lowered his ar, shaking his head ever so slightly and keeping her in place

Tatiana remained in place Alexander did not take away his hand At first her cotton dress was between his hand and her thigh, but Alexander obviously did not like that, because he h with his bare hand The aching in her sto to clear up, dear? We can’t wait for your pie And some tea"

Alexander’s hand squeezed her a little harder and moved up

Tatiana clenched her teeth In exactly one second she was going to ht at the dinner table, in front of four old women

Alexander said, "Tatiana cooked wonderfully for us She’s outdone herself She’s tired Why don’t we give her a break Zoe, Vova -- maybe you could clear up?"

Naira said, "But, Alexander, you don’t understand--"

"I understand extre did not abate

Tatiana grabbed the edge of the table with her fingers "Shura, please," she said hoarsely