My unexpectedly busy schedule isn’t going to permit me to post the new chapter
of Stillness today, and I’m a stickler for keeping the new chapters on Wendesday…so
see you next week.
Meanwhile, here’s a blast from the past. Enjoy. (And if it’s not enough for
you, here are 50
more blasts.)
Part I
Chapter Three
A clear November afternoon in Moscow was a rarity. To have one fall on a Saturday struck Reuben as a lucky break, one that he doubted would last. Clouds were gathering and the brisk wind, which had begun as the faintest breeze, was gaining momentum as the day progressed. He set out from the Mezh and crossed the Moskva river on foot, making his way to the Hotel Ukraina.
Reuben liked the Ukraina. It was a product of the Stalin era: massive and powerful. It looked like a cross between the Empire state building and a medieval castle, much more interesting than the glass-and steel Mezh.
It was a short walk, not ten minutes from one hotel lobby to the other. He found the main lobby and, glancing at his watch, took a seat in a red leather armchair. He was five minutes early.
The place was almost empty; he noted that it was bigger, better lighted, and much cleaner than the lobby of the Mezh. He wondered what the guest rooms looked like � maybe it was time for a change of scenery. He could think of only one thing he would miss at the Mezh.
And there she was.
