"Say, Erica, do you have an extra pen I could borrow?"
Erica turned to see who had spoken and noticed that it was Sam, one of the new tellers. "Sure." She handed Sam a pen.
"Thank you very much," said Sam. Erica noticed that he wasn't bad looking at all, with red hair, freckles, and brown eyes.
Work continued as usual, and a couple of hours later, Erica began to feel the hunger pangs that told her lunchtime was near.
She was just about to clock out and go to the break room to eat her sandwich as she usually did when she felt a hand on her arm and looked into Sam's smiling face.
"I was just about to grab a burger across the street and wondered whether you'd like to come along," Sam said.
"Well..."
"It's too gorgeous a day to hang around in here all day," Sam continued.
"Well...all right," Erica conceded, looking at the bright sun shining in through the window.
Ten minutes later, Sam and Erica sat together outside the fast food restaurant across the street, eating hamburgers and french fries.
"So, are you married?" Sam asked.
"My husband's in prison in the U.S.S.R.," Erica told him.
Sam's mouth fell open. "What is he, a spy?"
"No. After the war ended, he went back home to avoid being tried for war crimes, but they arrested him over there for going AWOL from the Soviet army."
"Whew!" Sam whistled. "So I guess the chances of him ever coming back are slim and none, huh?"
"Pretty much." Erica felt tears coming to her eyes and stared at the tabletop so that Sam wouldn't see them. A moment later, she felt his hand softly cover her own.
"Hey, I'm sorry," he said.
Erica smiled bravely. "I still write to him at his sister's address. I've never heard anything back from him, so I have no idea whether he gets the letters or not." She took a sip of her soda. "How about you? Are you married?"
"Oh, no." He chuckled. "I was engaged once, but it didn't work out."
"I'm sorry," said Erica.
"That's all right. I suppose it was for the best." They ate in silence for awhile.
"Do you by any chance like jazz?' Sam asked after awhile.
Erica shrugged. "Sure, it's all right."
"There's a concert at six o'clock in the evening at the park this Saturday. Can you come?"
"I'll have to see if I can get a sitter."
Sam looked surprised. "You have kids, then?"
Erica smiled. "Toni's three and a half, and Sonya's six months."
"Great!" Sam grinned. "Got pictures?"
Erica showed him the photographs of Toni and Sonya that she kept in her purse.
"Aw, they're adorable!" Sam exclaimed. "They both look so much like you!"
"Thank you." Erica blushed furiously.
The lunch hour flew by much more quickly than it usually did. Erica found that she couldn't get Sam's smile out of her mind for the rest of that day.
Although she told herself over and over again that there was no reason to be nervous, Erica had butterflies in her stomach as she dressed to go to the park with Sam the following Saturday. As much as she tried to convince herself that it wasn't really a date, that Sam was just a friend, she couldn't help but feel a niggling sense of guilt. What would Yuri think if he knew that she was going to a jazz concert in the park with another man?
She had to gasp at the sight of Sam when she answered the doorbell a little while later. He was dressed to the nines, and the scent of his cologne nearly made her swoon.
"You look absolutely stunning," he told her as he handed her a rose.
"Why, thank you!" She blushed slightly. "So do you!"
At the park they sat comfortably on a quilt on the grass listening to the musicians. The soothing music washed over Erica, making her feel euphoric.
All around them couples were beginning to dance, and when Sam stood and offered her his hand, Erica didn't hesitate to take it.
Sam proved to be an excellent dancer, and as they moved together, all thought vanished from Erica's mind except for the knowledge that she was here in this picturesque park, listening to this beautiful music, dancing with this captivating man.
"It's a lovely night." Sam's voice was like velvet as he held Erica tightly. "A real night for lovers."
Before she was even aware of what was happening, Sam's lips were kissing her own.