The station was packed as Terza turned into the ticket office, she could not believe it, twenty minutes to seven, and there were horrendous queues at the windows. She quickly joined the shortest one and put her narrow case down by her side. It was Friday, she thought, everybody was going away for the weekend, how could they travel so early! How could they do this to her! There was twenty minutes to go before the train departed and as she shut out the incredible noise from her mind she remembered how when she had woken up that morning the sound of bird song from outside her window had made her think of her youth and living out in the country. There was a clear blue sky and the day promised to be a warm one. She recalled summer meadows and soft mountain streams, how she had loved living in the country!

The queue moved forward slowly, her purse was at the ready and there was a book under her arm. She was wearing the black dress which she had hung on her wardrobe door the previous evening in readiness, and looked rather demure as the soft material followed the slender line of her body, with only a slight indent at the waist to hint that there was any shape to her figure at all.

Her dark hair was combed and swept back, and held in place with a deep pink head-band. She glanced down at her dress and gave herself a last minute inspection, as if she had not checked herself enough before leaving for the station, the only thing that crossed her mind was whether she should wear a slip, and whilst it was cool enough now, it would probably be too warm later - she would remove it. The inspection complete the queue moved forward a little more, it was ten to seven and she stood there hoping that the three people in front of her would not take too long, it wouldn't take much to make her miss her train. In the next three minutes nobody seemed to move. Things were getting just a little tight now.

Another minute ticked away and she moved forward, and then moved forward again. At last she was at the ticket window and she ordered her ticket, there was four minutes to go as she hurried from the ticket office, which led straight out onto the platform. She quickly checked the huge departure board above and in front of her. Platform six - she passed through the platform barrier with a minute to spare, and then quickly marched along the platform as attendants began closing the doors. She hopped into the nearest carriage and began walking towards the front of the train, she passed an open carriage and then through the restaurant car.

The next two carriages had compartments which she preferred, and half way along the second one she found an empty compartment, lugged the door open, which was a little stiff, half closed it again and looked around at the seats. She then heaved her case above one of the window seats and then looked around again, sitting down on the seat facing the engine.

She put her purse beside her and her book on the small shelf in front of her just under the large window. As she sat there others passed the compartment, only occasionally looking in her direction. It was three minutes after seven and there was no movement, noises could be heard outside from the station staff, but the voices were too garbled for her to hear anything properly.

An older couple looked into the compartment and then opened the door, Terza smiled as they came in and they smiled back, wishing her good morning as they did so. She returned the courtesy, and noticed that they were quite well dressed, he in a suit, which was of an old-fashioned dark-grey flannel colour coupled with a white shirt - one collar was not turned down properly - and a striking red tie. The woman wore a bright floral dress with a white background and a thick, brown cardigan which did not match the apparent newness of the dress. Both were rather on the large side, she more than him, but a walking stick distinguished the gentleman who, within his facial features contained all the world's sadness, and only a little of its wisdom.

This is as much as Terza took in as she sat there, and then glanced out of the window. The minutes passed and a train which she had eyed earlier a couple of platforms away now slowly moved out, revealing a completely empty platform.
It was ten past seven as she glanced at her watch, and a shout and further slamming of doors indicated that the train was almost ready to go. With a sigh of relief on her breath, the train jerked forward, and at last she was on her way.
A guard entered the compartment as Terza turned around, he then spoke briefly to the older couple, something about their luggage being in the luggage-rack at the end of the carriage.

"Will it be safe?" asked the woman, and the guard assured her that it would.

The guard then proceeded to tell the couple that they were to ask for help when they arrived at their destination, and as they thanked him he touched his cap in acknowledgement. The couple were seated together by the door, he was in the corner. He watched the guard walking away, and then he half turned, looked at Terza, and smiled again.

Leaving the hustle of the station far behind, the spires and the tall buildings of the city appeared resplendent in Terza's eyes, and the cathedral bloomed triumphant above the business district as the train continued now to wind and turn across various tracks which seemed to sprawl in all directions, the wheels beneath clacking heavily as a dozen points were crossed, and the train began to take the form of a silvery snake as it moved slowly, but gracefully forward.

Terza made herself more comfortable as she rested her hands in her lap and crossed her legs which stretched out before her, only partly visible below the long skirt of her dress. She felt satisfied with herself now that she was on the train, and she allowed her clogged up mind to unwind a little for the first time since she awoke. There had been so much to think of, but now she was on her way.

At that moment she was startled by the door of the compartment being opened again and on turning her head a man indicated whether the window seat opposite her was taken.

"No, it's not taken," she said, as a smile lit up his face and he began to make his way to the seat.

He had a smallish case which he threw up onto the rack, and then made himself comfortable opposite her as she curved her legs inwards a little to make more room.

"A nice day!" he beamed, as Terza smiled and then carried on looking out of the window.

She could feel his face study hers, but she pretended not to notice. His countenance had been polite though and as she stared out of the window a dozen thoughts came to mind as the outer limits of the city came into view; towering apartment blocks housing hundreds of families, all waking up together. They took on an ominous glow as the sun caught them from behind, silhouetting them against the stark blue sky.

The train began to pick up speed now as it rattled and shuddered over another set of points. Terza could see the reflection of the man opposite in the window, he was glancing out too, but occasionally his eyes turned to her. It was at this point she did not know what to do, his glance seemed one of part recognition, but she could not think where she might have seen him before. She felt uncomfortable for a moment, he had the advantage over her, what could she do without staring straight at him?

As the sun was beginning to stream through the window she had an idea, if she put her sunglasses on, she could hide behind them whilst she stared at him surreptitiously. She fumbled in her purse for her sunglasses, and finding them, she raised them to her cheeks and after another stare out of the window she placed them over her eyes. She continued to look out for a moment so as not to make things too obvious, but was now confident that the man could not see in which direction her eyes stared. She slowly turned her head inwards and stopped for a moment. Yes, he was staring straight at her, but his eyes then turned outwards again. Had he be looking at her all that time, or was it all in her imagination?

She looked at him a little longer and then looked out of the window again.

The city was now far behind, and the carriage rocked and swayed as she watched the meadows sweep past. Sunlight caught the hills and valleys and gave them sinister shapes and shadows, and a fine bluish mist rose from the fields, which glistened from early morning dew. She stared aimlessly for a while as the sunlight warmed her brow and encouraged her to daydream a little.

Terza now glanced casually at the man opposite again, he seemed a little older than her. Well dressed, he wore a grey pin-striped suit, a businessman she thought. His complexion seemed at first rather plain, but his eyes appeared immediately attractive, though she could not see their colour because of her dark glasses, but they struck her as kind eyes, reflective eyes. His eyebrows joined at the middle, and narrow cheek bones gave way to the impression that he had rather a long face, with a deep chin to match. She turned towards the window, removed her sunglasses for a moment, and held them thoughtfully in her hand. She noticed that his eyes were of a light blue colour with a fine tinge of hazel around the edges. She then looked away quickly for fear of being found out.

When she looked back again he was looking straight at her, and without any further expression in her face to give her away, she replaced the glasses on her nose.

The businessman then lifted his attaché case onto his lap and Terza heard the twin locks flick open at his touch. He put the case on the seat beside him, next to the older couple in the corner who seemed indifferent, and began to thumb through a pile of papers which he had taken out of the case and placed on his lap.

The old couple were chatting among themselves and Terza's mind drifted outside as the train passed an orchard with its trees all neatly arranged in rows. The next town could not be far off, she thought, as she felt the train begin to slow. They crossed a river and as Terza looked down she could see a beach along a riverbank. She knew the place well. It was a place that she had been many a time to swim. She had noticed that the man had also looked down as they crossed the bridge, which straddled the river diagonally, and guessed maybe that he had been there also.

It was a beautiful area, and for Terza it brought back many fond memories. She imagined that later it would be swarming with bathers, just as it was when she had last swam there. Although the beach was narrow, it stretched for some one and half kilometres up-river until it reached a small attractive waterfall.

No sooner had these thoughts passed through her mind when the train braked suddenly. The businessman's papers went flying everywhere, and Terza's book, which had been on the side-shelf, flew dishevelled into her lap. The train continued to brake, and a grating sound seemed to make the whole carriage shudder.

"What's happening?" said the man as he arched his back and began to rise from his seat, and looked at Terza mystifyingly.

Terza was already on her feet and about to look out of the vent at the top of the window.

"But your papers!" said Terza, as she bent down in an endeavour to help the man with his papers. He made some polite gesture that it did not matter, and made a joke about the insignificance of the papers. With another jerk the train came to a halt, but then the unbelievable happened. To Terza's utter embarrassment she was thrown helplessly on top of the man.
The couple in the corner, who had been watching this with some amusement, did not move at all. Perhaps they were bolted to their seats? The couple looked at each other and then looked at Terza.

"I'm sorry," said Terza, as she began to push herself up with her hands.

"It's okay," said the man, "....it's okay, just put your hand there and push yourself up."

She did this and began to push herself up. What a picture she must have looked she thought to herself, as her legs had at first splayed, and now her dress was all up around her knees. The man recovered his composure quicker and helped Terza back on her feet.

"Are you hurt?" he asked, his face full of embarrassment for the position they found themselves in, and then quipped, "It's not often that women throw themselves at me like that!"

Terza looked straight into his eyes, but could not resist a cautious smile at the man's inference, and she checked herself before opening her mouth and offering a comment for his well-timed remark. She bent over and brushed her dress down quickly with her hands.

"Here, let me help you," he said, as he too brushed her dress lightly of some of the dust which it had picked up from the dirty floor.

"Let me take off my glasses," said Terza, and she placed them on the seat as she twisted and turned, brushing the rest of the dust from her black dress. She straightened up, and at once saw the concern in the man's eyes. These were the kind eyes that she had earlier regarded with affection.

For a moment she forgot where she was, and quite unintentionally allowed him to show his concern more than she would normally have done, was it possible that she was deliberately acting more distressed than she really was? How could she be so cruel to such a kind and unassuming person? But what a strange sensation came over her at that moment! Meanwhile, the old man who was sat in the corner got up with the aid of his walking stick and opened the compartment door, the commotion heard in the corridor wafted into the compartment.

"Why have we stopped?" she said, still slightly dazed.

"I don't know," said the man who had helped her, but his voice was reassuring, and he looked out of the vent briefly and then turned inwards again.

Terza, still standing, steadied herself and then continued to look at the man pensively, and with anticipation.
Just then a guard made his way along the corridor, checking that everyone was okay and reassuring passengers that the train would be moving off again soon. No explanation was given, and as Terza began to return to her seat the train rocked as another train passed them at full speed.

"A red light, I presume," said the man, without much conviction, and shrugging his shoulders at the same time.
The older gentleman returned to his seat and muttered some words to his wife.

Terza got up to look out of the vent when some noise outside caught her attention, little realizing that her slim, dark form was of some interest to the businessman. Terza was not aware of this as she tried to see what was happening, but to no avail.

The train slowly arched forward and Terza turned inwards, still a little unsteady on her feet.

"Please...." said the businessman, indicating that she should take her seat for safety.

"You are so kind," said Terza, with lady-like exuberance, to which the man appeared unaccustomed. The man picked up her dishevelled book, glanced at the cover, smiled, and handed it back to her, with her sunglasses.

"Thank-you," she said, as she placed both on the side.

"Do you often read such heavy books?" he inquired, as his eyes half glanced at a copy of Kafka's 'The Castle'.

"No, not often," she said wryly, as she expected to be drawn into a conversation about the book, which she did not really want to discuss. The reply was accepted and Terza felt a little relieved at this.

"Well, my name is Frantisek Tauberg, but most people call me Franti." He stretched out his hand to shake hers.
Terza paused momentarily, however, his calm countenance reassured her and she shook his hand shyly.

"Terza," she said in a half whisper.

"Terza?" he repeated, "That's unusual, is it Bohemian?"

"I don't know," said Terza, smiling reservedly.

How little Terza knew that this was the same man who had been struck by her beauty when she had visited the National Gallery, it was his woman in black, and how little she knew of his deep attraction for her. Of course, Franti could hardly believe that he had now introduced himself to her, and that he now knew her name. How close he had been to her, how he had touched her, and how he treasured the moment he had held her in his arms as he helped her to her feet!

Terza, for her part, looked at him quizzically as a number of thoughts crossed her mind. He mystified her, yet at the same time she was intrigued by him, there was something about his polite manner which made him seem unusually attractive.

"Where are you going?" continued Franti, in a light-hearted vein.

"To Geneva," said Terza without expounding.

"Me too," said Franti, "I have business there." He glanced briefly at his papers as he said this.

Terza waited for further explanation, unfairly perhaps, as she had not been forthcoming in her own conversation. Anticipating this, Franti continued.

"I am a banker, I have business interests there...."

"Oh," came the reply, as Terza nodded approval of his answer with her eyes, but after this the sudden thought that she had been very rude troubled her. Realizing this, Franti reassured her that she had not sought too much of their fragile acquaintance.

"You have set my mind at rest," said Terza, trying to hide her embarrassment and to compensate, Terza intimated to Franti the events of the last two days.

"I am so sorry to hear your father is not well," said Franti, "my journey also has some family interest...." and with this he went no further than to say that both business and pleasure was often the reason he made this particular journey.
It was now five past eight and the train had no sooner gained some speed again when it began to slow down. Terza glanced out of the window as the train neared the outskirts of a small city. They pulled into the station five minutes later.

"Only a short stop here," said the seasoned Franti.

Terza nodded again as she continued to look out of the window at passengers as they disembarked. She glanced around at the placards on the platform, and she watched people as they passed the window. Everyone had a purpose to what they did, she thought, as she stared into their faces. She looked impatiently at her watch, although only a minute had passed. Franti got up and looked out of the window, his body towered over hers as she looked up. The door to the compartment was suddenly opened and a uniformed officer looked around the compartment.

"Passports!" he said, as he turned to the old couple in the corner.

Franti put his hand in his inside pocket, whilst Terza fumbled in her purse. The border guard did not seem to take any interest in the passports once he had opened them and just stared blankly.

Terza handed him her passport, he looked quickly and then stared straight into her eyes. Perhaps this was some sort of game she thought, the object being to guess what was on the guard's mind. She giggled to herself, but did not show any emotion as the passport was handed back to her. She came to a decision about what was on the guard's mind: stewed apple. Yes, stewed apple, he was thinking about lunch. Who on earth fancied stewed apple this early in the morning, she thought! He did obviously.

The guard turned and glanced at Terza quickly, before leaving the compartment with a thud as the door was slammed. The old couple smiled, Franti raised his eyebrows, and Terza just sat there with her passport in her hand.

Still standing, Franti looked at Terza and smiled. How nice she looked as she sat there he thought, with her pink head-band and her black dress, she looked just the same as she had looked on the first day he saw her.

"Did you see what was on that guards mind?" said Terza, as she looked at Franti. Yes, he did have wonderful eyes she decided as she studied him with interest.

Then she told him about the games that she played with her mind sometimes, to which Franti said he often did the same. Terza thought he was just saying this to appear agreeable to her, knowing very little of what was on Franti's mind. Franti could still not believe that he was so close to the woman who had been on his mind constantly since he first saw her, and he cast his thoughts back to the moment he set eyes on her beautiful face, and how he had dreamed about her ever since.

Terza realized he was thinking about her as his eyes suddenly looked out of the window when she looked up. She didn't know what to do for a moment. Words came to her and she suddenly had little comprehension of what she was saying.
"Are you playing that game with me now?" Her voice seemed somehow distant and there was an ocean of calm in the way Franti responded. She felt awkward for a moment as her meagre words hung in the air like mist in the early morning.

Franti smiled.

"I suppose I was," he said smiling, and he put his hands in his pockets as he turned around and looked philosophical for a moment. His countenance then changed to one of more practical matters. "Would you like a coffee," he said, as he looked at her warmly.

"Yes, that would be very nice, I'm parched!"

Franti's face lit up as she said this and Terza felt that a bridge of friendship had grown up between them. She watched him as he left the compartment. She thought for a moment about what she had said to him, and she could feel herself being drawn closer to him, not that this was a bad thing. He was not unattractive, and he had such an exquisite nature that Terza thought of herself as wholly inadequate, unable to match his kindness.

She admitted to herself that she was fascinated by him, but how could she deal with her own feelings? She had made such a fool of herself earlier when the train had jerked to a halt, and he had teased her about it. How could he take her seriously after she had flung herself on top of him, it was so embarrassing! Had she really thrown herself at him? How could he joke about such a thing? Her body went limp at the thought of what had come to pass. She then thought about how silly a situation it had been.

As she looked out of the window she began to feel she was reading too much into the situation, after all, he gave no outward sign that he was embarrassed by the situation, or was she completely lost in her own imagination and confused by events which seemed so hugely simple that they did not bear consideration? She composed herself enough to feel more relaxed for Franti's return.

Her thoughts quickly dissolved when he appeared at the door carrying two coffees, an assortment of small milk cartons and a small packet of biscuits on a plastic tray. His gesture seemed to be a kind of apology for their little accident earlier as he looked kindly upon her. What could she do next? But her eyes lit up with delight as she moved her book off the side-shelf to make room for the coffee and biscuits, all neatly arranged on the tray. Franti placed one of the coffees near her.

"Thanks," she said as she smiled her appreciation, Franti just looked at her, a little more pleased with himself.
Her thoughts were miles away when he spoke.

"You know, this is a very fine journey!" Franti's eyes spoke volumes as his words softly floated in her direction, "The countryside ahead is so beautiful that I often think I would like to live in Switzerland."

What Franti had said was so obvious a reference to what she had said about her father living in Geneva that Terza felt gratified and subdued at the same time. He was trying to side with her to make her feel better. Of course, she appreciated this. Terza kept quiet for awhile but continued to stare at him. She was thinking beyond any words she wanted to say.

"But there are many beautiful places in the world." Terza was trying to draw attention away from herself, she didn't like being so obviously the centre of attention.

"And what do you call a beautiful place?" said Franti, unapologetically.

Terza again thought about Franti's words, she sipped her coffee, and looked at him again.

"The most beautiful place is the one you always dream about, sometimes it is real, sometimes it is not, but Geneva is a very beautiful place. I think it depends on experiences, we have different reasons for our preferences, don't you think?"

"I agree with you, but what are your experiences? What of Switzerland? What of Geneva?" Terza continued drinking her coffee. "I can see you are concerned for your father, I'm sorry, I am being too presumptuous...." continued Franti, feeling ashamed of himself.

Franti reflected for a moment and waited for Terza to speak, but she remained motionless. After a pause Franti interceded that there were many fine doctors in Geneva, and that her father would be well looked after. Terza nodded in agreement, but could not stop her thoughts drifting away from the conversation. It was not long before she recovered and she looked at Franti and the kindness in his eyes.

"Of course, you are right, I know you are right," said Terza.

Terza cheered up a little, and she attributed this to Franti. He offered her a biscuit and she took one and held it to her mouth. She paused, looking at Franti. His eyes were fixed on her. Why was he looking at her like this, she thought, and smiled at him. She could not contain her inquisitiveness, and her face flushed as she spoke more boldly.

"Why do you look at me so?"

Her words were like passing wisps of clouds on a clear summer's day.

"It's nothing," said Franti softly, "I did not mean to stare, it's just that a sudden darkness passed over you just now and I could not help thinking that I had said too much to you."

Terza felt a little more relaxed.

"No, it is I who have said too much....." Terza continued.

Her cheeks returned to their normal colour, but Terza's emotions had been stirred, and when she looked at Franti she could see a gentle longing in his eyes that she had not noticed before. She did not know what to do. She could see into his heart. She finished her coffee at the same time as he did and they looked at each other almost with shyness, she felt guilty about what was on her mind and tried to hide her feelings in a mask of aloofness, but she could not hide such feelings, even if she wanted to. She was lost in a dream of self discovery, but how could she know her true feelings when all around her the world seemed so full of things she could not know, and a mysterious feeling of well being made her shimmer at the thought that this stranger could demand so much of her attention?

"Would you like something else to eat?" said Franti, holding out the small packet of biscuits.

"No, it's okay, I'm fine now," said Terza, as her words seemed to echo in her mind.

"I'll return the tray then," said Franti as he picked up the cups and made for the door.

Terza watched as he disappeared from view and felt momentarily relieved to be alone with her thoughts. She picked up her book and thumbed through it quickly, but she knew she could not concentrate, all she could think about was Franti. He intrigued her, yet at the same time there was something about him which seemed wildly romantic, as if in her heart she really believed that there was something beyond the ordinary feeling of affection for someone who could be so kind, yet remain composed. She could not face her own feelings, she did not want to believe them, but how could she stop thinking about the way he had looked at her?

She began to fear his return, and she tried to think of ways to avoid eye contact, but how could she come to terms with her feelings? She would excuse herself, she would go to the bathroom and hide for a moment, she would try and pull herself together. She drew her purse closer to her and then looked fixedly inside, she rearranged a couple of items and then closed it up again. Should she go now and avoid some embarrassment? She could not concentrate on what she was doing, she was going to pieces for no reason at all!

She got up, and to her surprise Franti appeared at the door. She was speechless for a moment.

"Oh!" she said, her face colouring once more, "I was just....."

But it was too late, her words foundered and became nothing, and she stood there not knowing what to do.

"That's okay," said Franti, "I'll see you in a moment," he said cheerfully.

With this Terza brushed by him slowly, her eyes turned away from his. She walked down the corridor and quickly shut herself away. She stared at herself in the mirror for a few minutes and began to feel better. She fumbled in her purse for her make-up bag, and after a quick refreshing wash began to make herself up. She took off her hair-band and brushed her hair, and then replaced it again carefully. When she had finished she checked herself again, put some fresh perfume on, and then stared once more in the mirror before returning.

The train was pulling into another station as she returned to her seat, and with refreshed excitement she distracted Franti by showing interest in all that was going on around, but surely Franti could see through her? She continued in this new vein, but noticed that he had been aware of her fresh perfume as soon as she had walked into the compartment, but bravely she looked at him and smiled, and then reached for her sunglasses to enshrine herself in that mystery which had first fascinated him. He smiled back at her.

As she looked out of the window thoughts of the final part of the journey now engrossed her and she pictured Kirsty waiting on the platform, a kiss, a hug perhaps, and then she would be lost forever in an indifferent world.
Franti caught her attention for a moment and she looked away from the window, he indicated that he was going to stretch his legs and Terza looked up and smiled, how sweet it was that he had caught her attention, and now she could not think of anything else but the way he had looked at her.

She took off her sunglasses and glanced at her book. Time seemed to be going quickly now, the green countryside raced by as the train got closer and closer to its destination.

When Franti returned he did not enter the compartment straight away, but stayed outside and looked out of the window vent. The wind caught his dark hair and she continued to look at him, unable to resist a candid glance at his firm stature and fine facial features.

It was close to the Swiss border and now the sun began to stream through the window, Terza got up and opened the vent more fully, the train began to slow down as she returned to her seat, and Franti appeared in front of her.

"The Swiss border," he said, and sat down with a smile.

"Ah!" said Terza with a sigh of relief. "It's so warm!" she said as she pretended to fan herself.

"Yes, it's going to be a scorcher," came the reply.

In Franti's eyes Terza could see a rare affection which was mixed with uncertainty, and she knew at once that she was the cause of it, but did she want to resist her own feelings and pretend she felt nothing for this person she had only just met? How strange it felt when he looked at her, and how her heart jumped when he spoke to her! She hid behind her sunglasses, but she could hardly stop thinking about him, what could she do to suppress the way she felt, even if she had wanted to?

By the time they had crossed the Swiss border Terza and Franti had exchanged telephone numbers and addresses and were busily chatting about their various impressions of Geneva, Terza had learned much about the city that she did not know. In the past she had not had time to explore the city and Franti very kindly offered to show her around, but because of her limited stay there she had sadly to decline. Terza reassured him that she appreciated his offer, but said to give her a call at home during the week.

Franti commented on the views which now opened up before them from the train window, the lake was a beautiful clear blue colour, and Lausanne an absolute picture in the midday sun. Terza had always wanted to holiday in Lausanne and she mentioned this to Franti.

"Perhaps one day you will," he replied, but added that he had only ever stopped there once.

Terza could see the distant mountains, and her mind was filled with renewed hopes about the future, not least because of her conversations with Franti, who had been so kind to her. He had such a way of expressing things, and her heart fluttered as she thought about him and how they had literally been thrown together (she still felt embarrassed about this). But, of course, it was also a source of amusement deep down within her, and she wondered how such a man could feel anything for someone who had made a complete fool of themselves.

As the outskirts of Geneva came into view Terza could feel a deep sense of anxiety, and thoughts that had earlier caused little consternation now rose like a mountain stream within her, she raised her sunglasses to her eyes once again in an endeavour to hide her thoughts, but Franti could see that she was concerned. He did his best to reassure her.
"Franti, I'm okay, I'm really okay," she repeated.

Franti loved the way she said his name. Terza felt sorry for him as she suppressed his concern, he was trying to be so helpful, she altered her gait and said enthusiastically: "You will call me?" Terza could see that he was very pleased to hear her plea.

"Of course, I'll call you as soon as I can," came the reply.

Terza smiled and leaned her head back briefly, brushing her hair back with her hand and re-adjusting the head-band.
At that moment the train pulled into the station, and an air of activity immediately swept the carriage. The old couple in the corner came to life, they had dropped off to sleep, and Franti helped Terza down with her case. She looked out of the window frantically as she thought of Kirsty, the train was about ten minutes late pulling in, but she could not see her.

Franti and Terza left the compartment together and moved slowly down the corridor, the old couple went before them, and Franti helped them with their cases, which had been stored in the luggage rack at the end of the corridor. He then returned to assist Terza onto the platform. She had no sooner disembarked when she heard Kirsty's voice call her from behind, she turned and screamed Kirsty's name, and with open arms embraced like sisters.

"Hey," shouted Terza, "allow me to introduce Franti, he has been so kind to me."

"Well, how do you do," said Kirsty, looking at Terza askance, as if to say, What have you been up to? Franti shook her hand rigorously and then apologized for the fact that he had to dash. He turned to Terza, and as he shook her hand, he looked deep into her face. Terza removed her dark glasses, smiled, and then said good-bye. Franti looked at her for a moment longer, turned without further word, and disappeared into the crowd.

"Hey, let me take that," said Kirsty, bending down to help Terza with her case.

"No, it's fine, I can manage," said Terza.

"We have so much to talk about," said Kirsty, putting her arm around Terza's shoulder.

"Yes, tell me Kirsty, how is Papa?"

"You'll see," said Kirsty, "he's quite cheerful in himself, he says the nurses argue over which of them will tuck him in at night."

"Oh," said Terza laughingly, "That's typical of the old rascal, the tests are not bothering him then?"

Kirsty stopped walking for a moment, "Well," she said, her voice turning a little more serious, "Deep down, he is really worried, what can I do?"

A hundred thoughts entered Terza's mind, and she looked into Kirsty's eyes searchingly. It had never crossed her mind that her father could be seriously ill. Kirsty anticipated her concern and reassured her that it was too early to tell whether anything was seriously wrong, moreover, she had been assured that the tests were merely precautionary. The whole thing had started off with a routine medical and doctors were optimistic about the results.

Terza relaxed again and the two carried on walking. Once outside the station the hot sunshine was almost overpowering, and Terza's first thought was to change out of her travelling clothes as soon as possible. Kirsty's car, a four-door Mercedes coupé with the top down, was parked nearby in the Place de Cornavin, and Terza threw her case in the rear.

"Is it far?" asked Terza.

"No, only a couple of minutes."

Terza had conjured up all sorts of thoughts about the new apartment and so she was really looking forward to seeing it.

"This is a beautiful city," she said, as they drove down Rue du Mont Blanc and across the bridge, the Jet d'Eau looking absolutely superb as it rose majestically to the left.

"I love it here," said Kirsty, "so does your father."

"I can imagine that!" agreed Terza.

The breeze blowing through their hair felt refreshing as they drove past the English Gardens.

"Nearly there," said Kirsty as they turned down a side street on the right, leaving the beautiful lake behind them. They then took a left turn and then turned again into what seemed the back of a large house, there was enough parking space for three cars.

"Here we are," said Kirsty.

Terza turned to open the car door, whilst Kirsty got out to close a pair of iron gates behind them. In front was a door leading to some stairs, the bottom floor seemed to comprise a junk-room initially, though Terza could not see much further beyond.

"We do have a front door as well!" said Kirsty, when she saw Terza's face.

"Oh, I wasn't really thinking...." said Terza, as her words became nothing and her thoughts seemed elsewhere. Kirsty guessed what was on her mind.

"Who's this guy Franti then?" said Kirsty, all of a sudden, as they climbed the stairs.

Terza had her suitcase in her hand. "Only someone I met on the train, we chatted that's all, he was sweet to me."

Kirsty stopped and Terza almost walked into her.

"Just a sweet guy, huh?" Kirsty's eyes took on an ominous gesture, and then she raised her eyebrows in disbelief.

"And what did you do to befriend him then? Couldn't you see he was all over you? I know that look in a man's eyes? I've seen it before!"

"Oh Kirsty, can't you think of anything else?"

"I know that look, that's all, what happened to make him like you so much?"

"Oh Kirsty!" Terza said again, and laughed as if to herself, "You're quite wrong."

"Terza, you're in love, why can't you look at me in the eye then!"

Kirsty flapped her fair, almost blonde shoulder length hair as she turned disbelievingly at Terza. She then continued walking up the stairs, but her steps and motions were decidedly more bouncy. Terza could not think whether to hide her face in embarrassment or utmost pleasure, both turned her denial into a mockery. Her body shuddered with uncontrollable laughter, and Kirsty had to stop and help her up the last few steps. The two women looked at each other with laughter in their eyes, and Kirsty had to put her hand around Terza's waist to steady her.

© Robin Wilkey 1997