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Show 113 "I'm glad you're Andy's friend. He needs you," Veronica had time to say before a middle-aged man, hefty and bullet-headed, took Karl's place. Ahtough Veronica was wearing a dress of American styling, some of the little girls at the party were dressed in Slovakian costumes, with full, flowered skirts, embroidered bodices, and ribbons everywhere. They clustered around the priest when he made his way to the door, shortly after the bride's dance ended. Smiling, his hand raised as if in blessing, the priest said, "S Bohom, S Bohom," to everyone. "S Bohom," they replied, the men making two or three brief, shallow bows toward the departing priest. At the doorway, an elderly woman kissed the priest's hand. After the priest had gone, the band struck up a bouncy polka, and everyone rushed to the dance floor. The polka rhythm seemed more complex to Karl than the oompa oompa he was used to in German polkas. In midstream it switched to the tempo of a czardas, then back to a polka, but speeded to such a rapid beat that the dancers panted trying to keep up. Two plump old women, dancing with each other, whirled past Karl with fast, dainty steps. "I'm sorry I left you alone for so long," Andy said, coming at last to where Karl stood. "I had to say hello to all the guests, but now that's over, so I can stick with you. Come on, let's get a drink." Karl expected Andy to hand him one of the bottles of soda pop cooling in tubs of ice, but instead Andy picked up a shot glass and |
