They forgot about the time, and, then were surprised to see that it was morning already. The storm had abated, and the golden pink sunrise blazed on a clean, bright blue sky.
Jeff parked the car next to the apartment building and turned to Vera.
The crossbars separated them from each other, and he saw Vera’s long refined fingers mechanically run over the screen. Captivated with that sight, Jeff slowly stretched out his arm, and touched her hand.
«How strange that our palms are the same color…» involuntarily noticed Vera, feeling a chill creep over her body that neither disgust nor fear.
She sat, still gazing at Jeff, and the boundless ocean of a new feeling overtook them.
They were not he or she anymore. They amalgamated into each other. They fused together in the cluster of souls.
But the radio came to life again, driving them back to reality.
Without a word, Jeff got out of the car, opened the door, and helped Vera out.
When she leaned on his arm, and he sensed her so close to him, the desire to embrace her struck the policeman. It was all he could do to suppress this wish. He was afraid someone would see them.
Having the same fear, Vera stealthily squeezed his hand and quickly went to the house. Returning to the cruiser, Jeff kept his eyes on Vera until she entered the building, then he slowly drove away.
* * * * *
In the morning Ruslan Grafinsky checked the car with Vlad Lapin. The front was smashed so hard that the right wheel could barely turn. Ruslan lifted the hood, and Vlad stared at him with hope, awaiting his diagnosis.
«We can fix it,» Ruslan said, and Vlad sighed with relief. «We have to replace the radiator, and we need to fix the body.»
«How?» wondered Vlad.
«I think I know.» Smiling, Ruslan got into the car, and Vlad followed him without doubt, as he trusted his smart friend.
Ruslan drove to a mansion surrounded by a tall iron fence.
«What is this place?» Vlad asked.
«The Limpsons’,» explained Ruslan getting out and taking out a towrope. «In this hole, it’s probably the only enclosure that is strong enough.» He fastened the rope around the iron bars and fixed the other end through the body of the car. «But we better be careful. Stay here, buddy, and watch that we don’t break these stupid rods.»
He got into the car and started the engine, slowly moving the vehicle backwards. Vlad watched as the smashed parts of the car became straighter.
He glanced at the bars with worry, but they seemed fine, and when he looked to the car again, he saw a limousine stopped next to them. Mr. Limpson opened the window and gazed at him. Ruslan noticed it also and got out.