Once the parade had been dismissed, Alex was surrounded by his comrades, who congratulated him, while they all celebrated friendships forged by war. He wondered if he would ever see any of them again, after they’d disappeared in fifty different directions.
As the men broke up, they went in search of their families and friends who had been waiting patiently behind a barrier at the far end of the airfield. Alex hoped Addie would be among them. Her letters hadn’t been quite as frequent recently, but Alex had no doubt that, along with his mother, they would both be among those waving and cheering. His mother had dutifully written to him every week, and although Elena never once complained, it was clear that she and Dimitri were not enjoying their roles as temporary entrepreneurs. Now Elena could return to what she did best, and Dimitri could sign on for the next ship bound for Leningrad.
Alex joined an excited group of exuberant young men as the impatient crowd broke ranks and began running towards them.
He searched the vast crowd for Addie and his mother. But with so many people jumping up and down, waving flags, and pointing, it was some time before he spotted Elena making her way through the dense mob, Dimitri a pace behind, but no sign of Addie.
Elena threw her arms around her son and clung on to him, as if wanting to make sure he was real. When she finally released him, he shook hands with Dimitri, who couldn’t take his eyes off the Silver Star.
‘Welcome home,’ he said. ‘We’re all so proud of you.’
There were so many questions Alex wanted to ask, and so many things he needed to tell them, that he didn’t know where to begin. As they walked away from the crowded runway, it was hard to hear anything above the joyful, exuberant noise that was coming from every direction.
It wasn’t until they had settled into the back of a bus bound for Brooklyn that Alex noticed that all the joy had disappeared from his mother’s face, and Dimitri’s head was bowed, like an errant schoolboy who’d been found playing truant.
‘It can’t be that bad,’ said Alex, in an attempt to cheer them up.
‘Worse,’ said Elena, ‘far worse than you can possibly imagine. While you’ve been away fighting for your country, we’ve lost almost everything you’d managed to build.’
Alex took her hand. ‘It can’t be worse than seeing your closest friend killed in front of you. So tell me, what should I expect when I get home?’
Elena offered a weak smile. ‘We only have one stall left, and it’s barely making a profit.’
‘How can that be possible?’ said Alex. He knew from her letters that Elena and Dimitri had been experiencing difficult times, but he hadn’t realized things were quite that bad.
‘I’m to blame,’ said Dimitri. ‘I wasn’t always around when your mother most needed me.’
‘Yes he was,’ said Elena. ‘I wouldn’t have survived without his wages while you were away.’
‘But surely that was enough to get by until . . .’
‘Not nearly enough for Mr Wolfe.’
‘So what’s the old crook been up to in my absence?’
‘Whenever one of your licences expired, he doubled the rent,’ said Elena. ‘We simply couldn’t afford to pay what he was demanding, so we ended up losing all but one of the stalls. The final licence comes up for renewal in a couple of months, and recently he’s been tripling the price for a new one.’
‘It’s been the same for everyone,’ said Dimitri. ‘When you get home, you’ll see that the market has become a ghost town.’
‘But that doesn’t make any sense,’ said Alex. ‘Those stalls are Wolfe’s main source of income, so why . . .’ but he didn’t finish the sentence.
‘What makes it even more strange,’ said Elena, ‘is that he’s agreed to extend the licence on Mario’s pizza house with a reasonable rent increase.’
‘That’s the first clue,’ said Alex.
‘I don’t understand,’ said Elena.
‘Mario’s isn’t in Market Square.’
*
Once Alex had discarded his uniform, taken a bath and put on his only suit, he left the house and headed straight for the goodwill store. Addie couldn’t hide her excitement when he walked in, although she was shocked by his crew cut.
‘Your news first or mine?’ said Alex, as he threw his arms around her.
‘Mine. Your mother has kept me well informed of what you’ve been up to. I’m just relieved you made it back alive.’
‘I shouldn’t have,’ said Alex without explanation.
‘Come with me,’ she said, taking his hand. ‘I have a surprise for you.’ She led him through to the storeroom at the back of the shop. Alex wasn’t sure what to say when his eyes fell on a rack of suits, jackets, and a blazer as well as a smart black topcoat. ‘I’ve already had the trousers altered, so they should fit perfectly. Mind you,’ she added, taking a closer look at him, ‘you’ve lost some weight.’
‘How can I begin to thank you?’ he said. He hoped he also had a surprise for her, although it would have to wait until his mother agreed.
‘That’s only the beginning,’ said Addie, as she pointed to a shelf behind the clothes rack, piled high with a dozen shirts that hadn’t been taken out of their boxes, a dark green cashmere sweater, three pairs of leather shoes and half a dozen ties that looked as if they’d never been worn.
‘What more could a man ask for?’ said Alex.
‘Wait, it’s not over yet,’ said Addie, picking up a brand-new leather attaché case. ‘Just what an up-and-coming businessman needs when attending important meetings.’
‘Where’s all this come from?’
‘Everything came from the same source, a man who, frankly, has more than enough.’
‘How much do I owe you?’
‘Not a penny. It’s no more than a conquering hero deserves. We’re all so proud of you being awarded the Silver Star.’
‘Well, the least I can do is take you to dinner tonight,’ said Alex, leaning down to kiss her. But just as their lips were about to touch, Addie turned away, and he ended up brushing her cheek.
‘I’m afraid I’m not free tonight,’ she said.
‘Tomorrow night then?’
‘Tonight or any other night.’ She began to fold up the clothes and pack them into bags.
‘Why not?’
‘Because I’m going to marry the man who has too many suits,’ said Addie, holding up her left hand.
*
Alex was coming out of a lecture at NYU when he saw them standing in the corridor, conspicuously failing to blend in. They would have been hard to miss, dressed in their dark, well-cut suits and polished shoes among a group of students wearing faded jeans, scruffy T-shirts and well-worn sneakers.
Alex recognized one of them straight away. Not a man he could easily forget.
‘Good morning, Mr Karpenko,’ said Agent Hammond. ‘You’ll remember my partner, Agent Travis. Could we have a word with you in private?’
‘Do I have a choice?’
‘Yes, of course,’ said Hammond.
Alex placed his hands behind his back and whispered, ‘Arrest me. Handcuff me, and read me my rights.’
‘What are you talking about?’ said Travis.
‘It will at least give me some credibility with this lot,’ dissed Alex, as several students stopped to stare at them.
‘If you’re not going to cooperate, Karpenko, you’ll have to come with us,’ said Travis at the top of his voice. He then grabbed Alex by the arm and marched him down the corridor to accompanying jeers and cheers. They stopped at a door with the word DEAN stencilled in black on its pebbled-glass window. Travis opened the door and pushed Alex inside.
There was no sign of the dean or his secretary. The CIA did seem to have a gift for making people disappear, thought Alex. Travis released him the moment the door had closed behind them, and they sat down at a small square table in the centre of the room.
‘Thank you,’ Alex said. ‘Now at least one or two of them might still talk to me.’
‘What’s their problem?’ asked Hammond.
‘If you’ve served in Vietnam, don’t take drugs, never get drunk, and actually hope to come out of this place with a degree, not many of them want to know you. So what can I do for you gentlemen?’