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Show 181 Andy waited, his silence indicating that he was willing to listen if Karl wanted to talk. Karl decided to tell him the truth. As Andy had said, only God knew when they'd be together again. "It was because of Yulyona Petrov," he admitted. "I was in love with her. That night, just before you and I left, Pop took me with him to the general superintendent's mansion. I saw Yulyona there, coming out of a bedroom, wearing a nightgown." One side of Andy's mouth curved in a conspiratorial grin. "So now you know, too," he said. "It's supposed to be a secret, but I guess you won't tell anyone." Andy took a slow sip of beer, then added, "I only know myself because my sister Veronica was a bridesmaid." Karl stared at him, bewildered. "Bridesmaid? What are you talking about?" "About Charles Bonner and Yulyona getting married last June. They're keeping it a secret, because Yulyona wants to teach for at least a year. You know, she worked really hard to get her education, and married women aren't allowed to teach." Karl was stunned. "They're married?" "Sure. What did you think? Oh... I get it. You thought " Andy started to laugh. "Not Yulyona! She's as straight as they come." Karl leaned heavily against the bar, not even noticing that he'd spilled beer over his fingers. He felt immensely relieved, although he couldn't explain to himself why he should be relieved to discover that Yulyona was married. It made her even less accessible to him than she'd have been otherwise. But at least he now knew that |
