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stairs. “Night .”
    Serge put his hand on the doorknob, He turned to face Tanya. “I’ll knock for you at eight for dinner, is it okay?”
    “Sure. I look forward to it.”
    * * * *
    Serge shaved in the mirror. He ran the blade over his dark stubble, before rinsing it under the warm water. His eyes offered kindness yet had witnessed much hardship. The scars on his chest reminded him of bad memories and a troubled past.
    Opening his large luggage case, he took out Vladimir’s sack of money. “Fifteen years of hell, just for this.” Tossing the heavy sack onto the bed he pulled out a covered suit. “Been a while since I used it for pleasure rather than work.” He dressed in front of the full length mirror. As the excitement grew he sang old pop songs from his youth. A smile broke across face as he suddenly realised he hadn’t sung aloud for years.
    Suited up, he stared into the mirror and fixed his tie. “Looking pretty smart, if I do say so myself.” He noticed a single rose in a vase on the window ledge. “Might come in handy.” Taking it out of the water, he placed it between his teeth but on seeing himself in the mirror, he spat it out into his hands. “Look like a bloody dog with a chew.” He took out his velvet handkerchief from his breast pocket and wrapped it around the stem of the rose. “Right, ready to go.”
    The walk to her door was little more than a few steps, but it seemed the longest walk of his life. Standing at the door he sweated under the pressure. He smelt his breath in his hand and then knocked on her door. The sound of footsteps caused a drop of sweat to trickle the length of his forehead. His hand reached for the breast pocket, but he realised he had used the handkerchief to wrap the rose. As she unlocked the door, she may as well have been unlocking his heart.
    “Hello , Serge. You’re looking rather handsome tonight.”
    “You look beautiful.” Serge handed her the rose. “I brought you a small gift.”
    “Ah, you have one on your window, too?”
    “Y … yes …. But I suffer with hay fever.”
    “Well, I better accept your gift, then.” Tanya stepped up on her toes and planted a kiss on his cheek. “Thank you.”
    “You’re very welcome.” Serge watched as Tanya walked into her room to place the rose next to hers. He wanted his handkerchief back, but felt touched when she folded it and placed it in her purse.
    Tanya switched off her bedroom light and closed the door behind her. “You Ok, Serge?”
    “Very.” He raised his arm and allowed her to wrap her arm around his. “Please allow me to escort you to dinner.”
    Serge gazed at her beauty from across the table. Being with her made him feel young, and his problems seemed far, far away. His eyes glanced at the menu in his hands. “So, what do you fancy?”
    “I’ve never heard of half the things on here. I guess I’ll just have the steak …. At least I’ve had that before.”
    After ordering his food, Serge decided to find out a little more about his date. “So, tell me a little about yourself?”
    “There’s not much to tell. I’m pretty boring. All I have to tell you is what happened to me since I met Vlad, and you know all that anyway.”
    “I want to know the real Tanya. The girl who created the woman that sits in front of me”
    Tanya sniggered. “You mean my mum?”
    “No, I mean you, before I ever set eyes on you.”
    “I grew up in Reading. Never knew my dad, well, until he tracked me down a couple of years ago. I didn’t meet him though. What’s the point? The bastard wasn’t there when mum died and I was put in a foster home.”
    “I thought you didn’t have a story to tell? That’s tragic.”
    “No point going over old ground is there? You’ve had it hard, I had it tough. Whole world is full of sob stories. Who’d be interested in hearing mine?”
    “Me.”
    “Not tonight Serge, I want to enjoy myself.”
    Serge, held his hands up. “Sorry, you’re right. I forget myself