They sat like that on the steps of the church for a long time, Alexei's arm around Alison and her head resting on his shoulder. The sun began to set and the air grew cooler.

"Sunset is beautiful," Alexei murmured. His arm moved gently up and down Alison's. She didn't want to move but knew that she couldn't stay there all night.

"I suppose I should be heading home," she finally said.

"I walk you home," said Alexei, taking her hand.

Denny opened the door to let his mother in and glanced at Alexei in surprise. He was a few inches taller than Alison, and his hair was a darker shade of blonde than hers, but he had the same blue eyes.

"This is Alexei. He's an old friend of mine," Alison told her son. The boy grinned shyly.

"Is wonderful to meet you," Alexei said. "I knew your mother long ago, before you were born."

"Alexei was on a submarine that ran aground on our beach," Alison told Denny. "We were afraid that he and the others had come to attack us, but they were only looking for help."

"Why were you afraid?" asked Denny.

"That was during the Cold War, when everyone was afraid of the Russians," Alison explained.

"Oh, yeah, that's right." Denny grinned. "I remember learning about it in school."

"I go back to motel now," Alexei said. "See you tomorrow."

"He seemed nice enough," Denny remarked after Alexei had left. Alison nodded. Denny looked at her closely. "He was more than a friend, wasn't he?" he ventured.

Alison nodded again. Denny noticed how sad she looked.

"How long were you two together?"

"All of one day. Well, not quite." Alison chuckled.

"So you didn't really have time to get to know each other very well."

"No, but I really liked him and wished that he could stay. I waited a long time for him to come back."

"And then you met Dad."

"Yes. I did really love your father, Denny. But I never forgot Alexei."

"Is Alexei the reason you never married again after Dad died?"

"Probably."

"That's an awfully long time to wait for someone you knew for less than a day."

"I know. Crazy, isn't it?" To Alison, the length of time she had known Alexei had never been important. All that had ever mattered was how she had felt when he had held her hand, when he had kissed her. From that moment on she had known that he was the man she wanted to be with.

Time had passed and Alexei had become a sweet but distant memory. Every so often a story in the news would have her thinking about him all day again. Satellites in space. Invasion of Afghanistan. Olympic hopefuls. Arms races. Words like glasnost and perestroika. Movies like 'Moscow On The Hudson' and 'Red Dawn'. The collapse of the Berlin Wall. Oh Alexei, where are you? Are you safe? Are you happy? Do you still remember the beach, little Annie Whittaker, the 'rakuska', the seashell?