Epilogue

Two weeks nearly gone, and three of us were preparing to fly home when Breta's mobile woke up. The longer she talked Swedish to somebody invisible the broader her smile grew. I even felt a kind of jealousy when she finally said in English 'Okay, darling, I'll see you tomorrow,' and hang up.

I was eager to know who it was but felt too shy to ask.

'What?' Lisa, however, was as ingenuous as ever.

'Kristina! She's in London on vacation and gonna meet us at Heathrow!' Breta was happy. 'Oh, I forgot my cosmetics!' and she left.

'Who is Kristina?' it was easier for me to ask Lisa. 'Another girlfriend of you two?'

'No,' Lisa burst out laughing, 'just Breta's sister. She's a schoolgirl and lives with their parents in Stockholm. Breta haven't seen her for half a year now. And she loves her little sister so much! Did I say little?' she suddenly stopped. 'I meant, younger sister.'

'No, little sister is a correct expression,' again, like with Mikha I was a tutor.

'Not in this case, sweetie!' Lisa laughed again. 'When I saw her last time - it was about six months ago - she was 15 and only by couple of centimetres shorter than Breta. And, unlike her big sister, she was still growing. And growing fast, believe me! And she's just adorable! Wait till you see her yourself.'

Lisa stopped again and gave me a strange look. 'Hey, don't you even think about that! Kristina's way too young!'

She stood upright, stretched herself, glanced down through me as if I wasn't there and added, 'But she's a stunner!..'