Panthera Spelaea
Dinner Guest

Svetlana attracted many appreciative looks as she walked through the lounge area towards the back with me. It was easy to understand why; she was tall, blond, athletic, and wearing a little black dress and heels that hid little of her figure. Svetlana had a large handbag in her left hand, which she set down before sitting across from me. “You never called,” she said in English as I slid in across from her.

“мне жаль (I’m sorry). I did not know if it would be appropriate to call the hospital, and yesterday was the first day I’ve left the hotel since my discharge.”

“ты говоришь по-русски? (You speak Russian?)”

“маленький. (A little.) I’m trying to immerse myself in the language and culture so I can learn faster. As long as I am here, I need to keep busy. I was hoping to be more proficient than this. There’s a beautiful woman I want to impress.” I set my hand on the tablecloth, palm up and fingers reaching for hers. Svetlana reached her hand for mine, letting me hold it briefly as we both smiled.

“You’re doing well after such a short time, and I am impressed. Russian is not an easy language to learn, but I will help you. Tonight, I will speak in Russian first, then give you the English translation. You speak in whatever is comfortable to you.”

“как была работа (how was work?)” The pressure on me was building; not only was I chatting up the most beautiful woman in the room, but I was also doing it in a language I didn’t know well yet.

“хорошо, очень занят сегодня (good, very busy today).” The waitress took our drink orders, and I asked her for a menu since Svetlana hadn’t eaten dinner yet. She moved next to me to go through the menu together and stayed there for the meal. “What are you doing other than learning Russian?”

“Working out,” I said. “Everything else has been taken from me.”

She put her hand in mine under the table. “Why? What is happening?”

“I’m still a suspect, so the authorities won’t let me leave the country. Although I’m innocent, it doesn’t matter. When I called Harvard, they informed me I’m on academic suspension until further notice. A call to the University of Moscow was less pleasant; the department chair called me a ‘murdering bastard’ and hung up. I left messages for the people I worked with on the Siberian expedition and only got one response. He told me not to call again. My friends are running away from me, and even my father is looking to cut his losses.” My shoulders slumped, and I started to tear up. “My Mom is the only one who hasn’t abandoned me.”

“That’s not true,” Svetlana said. “I’m here. I told you I believed you were innocent, and I still do.” She turned my head toward her with her other hand and leaned in to give me a soft kiss. Her lips were soft and warm. With that kiss, she hooked me like a catfish on a trotline.

“I want so badly to spend time with you, but being around me could hurt you,” I told her as she sat back. “My lawyer warned me I am under surveillance, they’ve probably bugged my room, and I should trust no one. If Viktor sees me with you, it could have repercussions for your career.”

She rolled her eyes at that. “What could you tell them you haven’t said already? I’ve seen your eyes, John, and I know you told me the truth about what happened. I wouldn’t be here if I didn’t believe you.

“I don’t want you to get in trouble, even as I want to spend time with you more than anything.”

“You should know something about the Central Clinical Hospital, John. It used to be called the Kremlyovka, the Kremlin Hospital. Other than a few rich, cash-paying patients like you, admittance is for the Russian elite. Politicians, senior government officials, diplomats, business tycoons, celebrities, and top scientists all come there. I graduated at the top of my nursing class and can speak four languages. Still, I know I was hired as much for looks as for competence.”

“Does that make you mad?”

“It is the same everywhere,” Svetlana told me. “The bartender here didn’t get her job because she was better at mixing drinks. We nurses at Central get propositioned all the time, and some take them up on it. Marriages are the biggest source of nurse turnover.”

“But you don’t.”

“No,” she said with a smile. “I have no interest in men three times my age who want me as a trophy. Let Viktor report me; I’ve done nothing wrong, and they know it. I didn’t look up your information in the hospital’s computer system or ask someone to violate your privacy. I just happened to see you, and you invited me to join you for dinner.”

“How did you replace me?”

She blushed a little. “I figured you were staying with your mother, and your Mom’s hotel wouldn’t be too far from the hospital. For the last four days, I’ve put on this little black dress after work and headed to the hotel bars looking for you or someone who knew where you were. Tonight, I got lucky.”

“No, I’m the lucky one,” I said as I squeezed her hand. We talked through dinner, dessert, and a few drinks. She told me more about her home and her life here in Moscow, and I told her of my family and my adventures. At ten, she looked at her phone and excused herself to the restroom.

When she came out, the dress and heels were gone, replaced by scrubs and tennis shoes. She still looked hot. “I have work in the morning, so I need to get home,” she told me.

“Can I see you again?”

“I’d like that.” She gave me her phone number. “I get off work at four.”

“I’ll pick you up at the main entrance?”

“What should I wear?”

“Casual and comfortable. I’d like to see the city with you.” I wanted that and so much more.