In the Bleak Midwinter Page 3

  ‘You’re out of your mind,’ he responded harshly, ‘You can’t give presents to men so that they’ll make love to you ‘

  ‘Why not? I know what I want... and if you hadn’t felt the same way I wouldn’t have lost my virginity.’

  Will you stop saying that! This is a branch of a national bank not a bloody brothel! I don’t need to tell you that your conduct is counter to your duties as a secretary in this bank. So get out of this office and wait until I call for you,’ He lowered his voice sharply. ‘As far as I’m concerned, this incident never took place.

  She pouted her lips and moved closer to him. ‘Which incident are we talking about?’

  If you continue in this fashion, I’ll be forced to take disciplinary action,’ he told her menacingly tiring of the game,

  Her face went taut indicating her concern but she persisted in her cause believing that she could win him over ‘Just think of me as a female huntress and you as the male prize. Don’t you like playing games? I could teach you a few. The intransigent expression on his face portrayed his answer distinctly. ‘No games, eh, what a shame! Perhaps we ought to play one called ‘Rumours’ where all the staff hears rumours about two people in the branch, It a long game that goes on from the branch of the bank to Staff Department and then on to Head Office with the tom-tom beating out a rumour about a certain manager and his secretary. I can just hear them now... boom, boom!... boom, boom!, book, boom!... boom, boom!’

  He stared at her coldly pausing to weigh up the situation. ‘You’d do it too, wouldn’t you!’ he accused. ‘When it gets down to the bottom line you’d have no compunction but to blackmail me. You’ve no scruples at all.!’

  ‘Oh, Heavens!’ she mocked quietly. ‘If I don’t change my ways I’d might even get laid tonight... by my boss as well.’

  ‘You were once the top secretary at Head Office. What happened to you? You managed to destroy a remarkable career. One doesn’t have to put two and two together to come up with the right answer. Which senior man did you try to seduce or blackmail then? He picked up the present from his desk and threw it far across the office so that it fell to the floor. ‘Give your gifts and favours to someone else. I’m not your man! Never was... never will be!’

  A trickle of laughter peeled from her lips despite an element of disappointment showing in her face. She climbed off the chair and bent down in front of him showing as much flesh as she could as she picked up the little box. They stared at each other angrily for a short while, then he reached for her arms and pulled her towards him firmly, kissing her so fiercely that she felt her lower lip split under the pressure.

  ‘Not here... not here!’ she called out softly, gasping for breath. It was in her mind that he had lost control and that he would tear her clothes off her where she stood, however he quickly came to his senses, released her, and slumped back into his executive chair sulkily ashamed of his actions. He didn’t like Phyllis Roberts at all but she seemed to light a touch-paper inside him whenever she desired. It was an influence he was determined to eradicate... in time!

  ‘Remember,’ she reminded him, ‘Dinner at my place. Seven-thirty! She placed the tips of her fingers on one hand to her lower lip to stare briefly at the blood. ‘I don’t mind rough games, she remarked boldly. ‘They’re very exciting.’ She picked up her shorthand notebook, turned the customer’s chair in the opposite direction, and made a smooth exit.

  Sadler was extremely angry that she had threatened to blackmail him. People who went to those extremes were often ready to carry out the threat if they didn’t get their own way. She had raised the Devil inside him and he was unable to fathom out how she did or what action was needed to remedy the situation.

  Chapter Three

  At the first student council meeting, Ivan recommended that they should seek political asylum in Britain immediately After they had made their request to the immigration authorities they were taken to a lonely transit camp to take them out of the public eye and left to rot. After two weeks had passed by, they realised that they were virtual prisoners and left the camp to make their own way across the North Sea to England. On arrival, the British Government became concerned that their presence of a group of defecting university students from East Germany would cause an international incident and, without delay, they shipped them to a remote spot in Cornwall in the deep south of the country. The British authorities did not take kindly to such a large number of young students to apply en bloc for political asylum and in their attempt to remain diplomatic they decided to let the matter stew for a while.

  Ivan stared out of the window of the coach which took them to Cornwall taking note of each village they passed. This fertile foreign land , with great stretches of lush green grass fascinated him, If it was evil, politically, economically or socially as he had been taught so fervently there was no evidence of it, Quite the contrary! As far as he could see, everyone seemed normal; nothing was untoward. He continued to stare out of the window as night fell and the broad countryside became drenched with moonlight, The others wee very tired, sitting uncomfortably with their heads lolling forwards and sideways as the coach swerved gently round the twisting narrow winding roads. Occasionally, someone moaned, groaned, grumbled or shifted uneasily, exhausted by the long journey and, except for Ivan, they were all at one level of sleep or another,

  Anna sat next to him during the journey, She was his close friend and fellow student. Their platonic friendship had been established during the many hours shared together when they practised speaking English. He admired her greatly and perceived that in time, with a little encouragement, he might develop a long-lasting relationship with her to become emotionally involved... perhaps even enough to marry her, He recalled the occasion when he needed help on an academic problem and he went to her home and innocently burst into her bedroom without knocking She was preening herself in the nude in front of a tall mirror. Normally he would have scoffed at her like a schoolboy but maturity overtook him, He stared at the reflection of her developing breasts in the mirror with surprise and left the room in a great embarrassed hurry with a brief apology. It was the first time he realised that she was a woman as well as a fellow student. In the coach, he glanced at her beside him as he head fell forward and she opened her tired eyes,

  ‘Where are we, Ivan?’ she asked weakly, although any answer to the question would be meaningless to her.

  ‘Not far not, Anna,’ he replied with a comforting tone in his voice. ‘Not far.’

  She leaned back and closed her eyes as she tried to make her body fit into the unyielding upholstery. Ivan stared out of the window again but this time as fleeing thoughts rambled through his mind. He was at the start of a new life in a strange country,. It was too late now to turn back. He was faced with a challenge to be carved out of nothing with his bare hands, On the upside, he and most of his colleagues were proficient in the English language. He also regarded himself as the underdog which gave him the drive to fight for what he wanted, The downside was obvious. He was an alien, penniless, without a job, in a foreign land.

  ***

  The following day was a new awakening for them all. Unusual fool brought new tastes to their palates while strange faces of local people stared at them from a distance with more than just an element of suspicion. At first, Cornish villagers kept well away from the hotel where the Russians were billeted, Their children remained indoors to avoid any contact with the strangers and even though the Cornish knew that their concerns were ill-founded, no one could bring themselves to venture close until a suitable period of time had elapsed, Eventually their curiosity go the better of them and they started to move within range but by that time the Russians had learned to confine themselves in their rooms or in the hotel lounge. It was soon recognised that apart from their absence of a common language, the visitors were not strange at all, Nonetheless, the temptation to spread false rumours about them was not lost by certai
n gossips and supposititious local folk who made the most of it. Neither was it long before national interest caught up with the situation, In the tiny hotel lounge, normally only used when bad weather forced guests to remain indoors, Ivan held a Press Conference with a number of newspaper reporters, the local Member of Parliament and some Civic Councillors. It was almost claustrophobic as the mass of people squeezed into the tiny room, Then the reporters from the local and national newspapers began asking questions incessantly,

  ‘Ivan Obsiovitch,’ began one reporter. ‘The story of so many students from the same university defecting at the same time in a daring dash to the West has sparked off a lot of public interest, What’s your motive in all this?’

  ‘Motive?’ he repeated., ‘Why to live in your beautiful country and enjoy the life you lead here, of course.’

  ‘Why did you choose Britain and not another country in Europe or the United States?’ asked another swiftly.

  ‘Because you’re a small island,’ returned Ivan, tongue in cheek. ‘It’s harder for anyone to put us all in a boat and row us back from here.’ There was an element of laughter before he continued. ‘Seriously... the British are known for their fair play and justice. That’s all we seek... fair play and justice.’

  ‘What do you intend to do now that you’re here?’ asked another reporter.

  ‘We could start up an academy. We have enough intelligence to do so. No, my friends,. Now we wait for your Government to decided what it want to do with us.’

  ‘How will you cope with the English language?’

  ‘Most of us are already proficient.. It will take a little time for the rest to catch up.’

  ‘Mr. Obsiovitch. There’s a great deal of technical and scientific knowledge within the group. Are you willing to pass on that information to the British?’

  ‘We all know how clever we are. It’s up to you how we play it.,’

  ‘Are there any more groups in Russia ready to undertake a similar mass defection.’

  ‘I’m only aware of this one.’

  ‘Would you be willing to return to Russia if it meant being exchanged for a captured British spy?’ The room fell silent as the answer was eagerly awaited.

  ‘We’re students, not spies!’ snapped Ivan sharply. ‘The question does not apply!’

  ‘Do you think your group is too large for political asylum?’

  ‘If more had been willing more would have come,’

  ‘What’s your personal feeling about crossing from the East to the West?’

  Before we crossed... terrified. After we crossed... triumphant! We didn’t blow up the minds near the border and, if you’re a good chap, I’ll show you my wound.’

  The questions continued to come thick and fast but Ivan handled them all superbly with an element of seriousness and comedy without intruding too much flippancy, In due course, after everyone had departed, he fell back into an armchair and released a long sigh of relief. The world would become aware of their presence when the newspapers were distributed on the following morning,. In the meantime, he felt that if one more question was asked of him he would explode,

  During the afternoon, the women congregated in the kitchen to prepare the evening meal, This occurred as a result of the poor lunch arranged by the hotel staff which caused many of the Russians to register a complaint. Against his better judgement, the hotel owner permitted them to take over the kitchen area for their own needs. If nothing else, it relieved him of the chore of making meals for them,. They set to gathering the tureens, pans and pots, and sorted through the meat and vegetables, singing traditional national songs loudly as they worked. Some time later, when the borscht soup (the beetroot soup) was boiling, the men sat at the tables while the women brought the food to them. Ivan’s mind whirled with the affairs of the day as well as the problems confronting the group. He was disappointed that the Member of Parliament had left without arranging a meeting for them to discuss their future. It was clear that there would be much delay before their fate was settled.

  Anna entered carrying a tray of bowls, each containing the steaming hot red liquid, Ivan’s face broke into a broad smile and his eyes sparkled.

  ‘Borscht!’ he exclaimed brightly, ‘I never expected to taste it again.

  He stared at her closely noticing an aura that had not existed before, She had turned from a fellow student into a grown woman in an instant. She was hardly the same person he had befriended back home in Russia and he could hardly believe how blind he had been to her physical attractions, He stared at her all through the dinner on a newly-discovered phase of manhood... hardly tasting a morsel of food place before him.

  ***

  In the evening, a chill wind rose but the refugees obtained permission to build a bonfire some fifty metres away from the hotel. Wood was piled upon wood and a lighted match set to a foundation of paper soon caused the fire to blaze. The group gazed excitedly at the conflagration., One of them borrowed an old accordion which he found at the bar. He strapped it across his shoulders and began to play the notes of a stirring Russian tune. The others clapped their hands in time to the music wearing broad smiles on their faces, lit by the flickering flames, and, for a while, were restored to their natural environment. It was different for the Cornish people. Timidly, they crept from their dwellings to witness the music, the singing and the dancing. Warily, they watched and commented on the antics of the strangers who preferred to amuse themselves in the open air around a blazing fire at a time when all decent folk were preparing themselves for bed,

  In the evening darkness, the Russians joined hands and danced around the fire, changing and humming to the music. Ivan clutched Anna’s hand lovingly and glanced at her occasionally., Every time their eyes met they smiled warmly at each other. Josef, Anna’s brother, held her other hand, He danced with fervour, noticing the exchange fo glances between his sister and his friend, He had always likes Ivan and sometimes wondered how the relationship with his sister would develop as it was always in his mind that they would marry each other one day.

  The tempo of the music accelerated and the circle whirled around faster, Ivan broke away from the others, folded his arms and danced on his haunches, kicking out his legs from the knees outwards in true Cossack style. Immediately everyone stopped and took great delight in clapping their hands to the rhythm to urge him on. He continued for a while, eventually leaping high into the air on to land on the points of his heels before returning to his haunches, The ranks broke again as Josef moved into the centre of the circle to join him and they danced until the accordion played the tune to a halt. Puffing exhaustedly, they collapsed to the ground with gales of laughter, gasping for air as the others wandered off to find some refreshment. After the laughter had subsided, Ivan and Josef groaned wearily as they helped each other rise, at which time Anna brought them each a glass of beer to quench their thirst.

  ‘You little weakling!’ heaved Josef to his friend, causing them both to burst into laughter again, ‘I’ll give you the test of strength to prove that you’re no match for me.’

  Ivan fell to the ground and rolled over on to his back roaring with laughter to ridicule the challenge, while those around began to chant and clap for the contest to begin. The noise grew louder as the two men turned on to their stomachs in the grass facing each other supporting themselves on only one elbow. Two lighted tapers were rooted into the earth a short distance from the back of each man’s hand, and they gripped each other firmly anchoring their elbows on the ground, each one hoping to force the other’s hand on to one of the naked flames. A self-appointed referee ordered them to commence and the contestants struggled brutally to make headway, At first, Ivan edged forward a few centimetres, then Josef moved him back to the original starting position to the sighs, wails, groans, mutterings and encouragement of the spectators., Joseph stared fixedly at their clasped hands while Ivan studied his opponent
’s face searching for any sign of weakness. They remained locked in this position for a while before the effort began to show. Their hands trembled violently as beads of perspiration started to appear on their foreheads. Josef gritting his teeth until they began to hurt his gums as he consolidated all his energy to the single limb. Ivan was certain that his hand was dead with numbness, the sweat streaming down his face as he strained every muscle.

  The group was strangely silent, staring in awe as the flames on the lighted tapers flickered slowly down their wooden lengths. As the seconds ticked by, Ivan began to hear his blood singing in his ears, The effort was too great for him to sustain and he knew that if he didn’t break the grip of the other man quickly he would falter and lose. With a surge of hidden strength from an unknown source, he tried to press forward but Josef was as solid as a rock. Having committed his last resources to the failed effort, Ivan felt his hand being forced backwards towards the spluttering flame on his right. A buzz of excitement emanated from the group as he was pushed lower until the hair on the back of his hand started to singe. He conceded the contest by pulling it away sharply howling with pain, and he sat up rubbing the it tenderly, A roar went up as the students rushed forward to slap Josef on his back for the victory.

  Anna knelt down in front of Ivan and took his arm gently. ‘Never mind,’ she predicted. ‘You’ll beat him next time.’

  He grinned and shook his head gamely. ‘He’s very strong,’ he told her. ‘I don’t mind losing to him.’

  She kissed him lightly on the cheek and he stared at her in surprise. ‘Anna,’ he began, ‘There’s something I’ve been wanting to say to you for a... ‘

  Without waiting to listen, she got to her feet and started to walk away,

  He rose quickly and caught up with her, ‘Anna! I want to talk about us!’