Reunited After 25 Years 1

"I knew I would find you on the beach," he told her. They were sitting in the lobster bar on Andrea's island home. Anton still looked much the same as he had when Andrea had first met him. She'd recognized him right away.

"It's my favorite place in the world," she told him. "I spend as much time as I can there."

"I remember the first time we were there, with the little girl," he said.

"She's taller than me now." Andrea laughed.

"And the little boy also."

She smiled. "He never forgot you, you know. This entire town has always regarded you as a hero for having saved him."

"Everybody helped me," Anton said.

"That was amazing," Andrea said. "You were all ready to blow us up, and we had our guns ready to fire on you, and then we saw him hanging from the corner of the roof by his belt and that changed everything."

"When the life of a child is in danger, nothing else matters," Anton agreed. "I hope he has a good life now."

"He has," Andrea assured him. "Like I told you before, it's a waste of time to hate anyone." Andrea slowly stirred her drink with its straw and watched the bubbles rise to the surface. "I nearly gave up on ever seeing you again, you know."

"And I as well," Anton told her. "When I decide to vacation here, I knew the chances of finding you weren't good, but I had to try anyway."

"I'm awfully glad you did," Andrea said. "I followed all the changes your country's government was going through in the news. I often thought of you and wondered how it was affecting you."

"Mostly good," Anton told her. "The economy is bad, but we have more freedom now, more choices. They do not say to hate Americans anymore."

"Well, I'm awfully glad to hear that." Andrea laughed, and Anton joined in. "And we no longer have to worry that you'll push the button and wipe us all out."

"I would never have pushed the button," Anton laughed.

"I know you wouldn't have." Andrea smiled. "I'm so very happy to see you again, Anton. You'll never know how many times I looked out over the waves and thought about you so far away and wondered how you were."

"I thought about you many times as well," Anton said. He reached across the table and took her hand. She looked into his eyes and thought about how very happy she was to see him again. He had changed, of course, but she had as well. How much she would soon find out.

"I tried very hard to find a way to come back," Anton said. "For a long time I tried, but I could not get an exit visa. I met Nadya, and we fell in love - what can I say?" He gestured helplessly. Andrea felt a sinking feeling in the pit of her stomach.

"So you're married now?"

"Oh no, no. Nadya died six years ago. She had cancer."

"I'm so sorry, Anton."

"What about you, Andrea? Are you married?"

"I was, for a little while." Andrea sighed deeply. "His name was Dennis. We were married for barely six months when he was sent to Vietnam. I remember so clearly the day I received word that he had been killed. I was six months pregnant with Denny at the time. I was completely overwhelmed and exhausted, what with trying to deal with my grief plus care for a newborn."

"I am so sorry, Andrea. My country supported that war, saying Communism was good, and the whole world should be Communist, but I was against it. I said we should leave them alone, let them fight their own war."

"I was against it too," Andrea told him. It had been one of the few bones of contention between herself and Dennis. He had wanted to be a hero, to fight for the American cause, for...freedom. For everything they were trying to take away.

She had never told Dennis about her brief encounter with Anton. She had known better than to do that. He had almost managed to stay alive until Nixon had called all the troops home...almost. She couldn't bear to think about it.

"So you have a son now?" Anton's voice brought her back to the present.

"Denny. He's eighteen. He starts college in the fall."

"I likewise have a daughter, Darya. She is also eighteen, a good girl, very bright. Spending the summer with her grandparents. My first summer alone in twenty years, so I thought, why not come back here? Nice place to visit, and just maybe..."

"Maybe?"

"Maybe Andrea still here."

"Well." She didn't quite know what to say. "That's interesting, that we both have kids the same age."

Anton grinned awkwardly.

"Are you still in the navy?" asked Andrea.

"Oh no, no. I retired a long time ago. I have a different job now. Do you work, Andrea?"

"I'm a librarian." It had been her life for fourteen long years - go to work, work all day, come home, spend the evening with Denny, then go to bed alone. All alone.

"You were lonely for a long time, weren't you, Andrea?" Anton's voice was surprisingly tender as his hand cradled her chin.

She nodded, tearing up just a bit.

"Well, you don't have to be anymore. I came back just like I said I would."

She smiled, and he smiled back. For just a moment time seemed to stand still.