Hello, Privet! #1: Hello/Привет

Chapter 50

ANTON

It takes more than two hours to travel to the Hamptons. I have only been here once before, but I was in a car with others, but Sophie knows the way to go. I am thinking, when we are leaving the city that I did not bring my clothes, my fishing things, or anything. But I do not want to go back. She might change her mind. The important thing is to get away from New York as fast as possible.

But a few minutes in the bridge, I pull over to the side and push up my visor and tell her to do the same.

"What?"

"You ever ride in a motorcycle before?"

"No."

"You have to hold me and sit closer to me."

She takes a deep breath. "Okay."

I get back on the motorcycle, and she clutches a handful of my jacket with both her hands. I look back at her and then take her hands and wrap them about my waist.

"Hold tight."

"I don't want to fall," she says behind me.

"I will not let you fall. You will be safe."

She nods.

SOPHIE

I imagine that a million eyes were watching me when I got on Anton's motorcycle. Maybe there were paparazzi, maybe the doorman knows who Anton is. And Tal saw me get on his bike. I had tucked my hair under my jacket and tightened my keffiyeh around my neck, holding on to Anton. When I look down, it is as if the road is flying away beneath us.

It is only now that I am realizing what I had done by climbing on Anton's motorcycle.

I squeeze my eyes shut.

ANTON

At John's house by the sea, Sophie knows her way around. She would because they must spend a lot of time in this house too. She tells me the house next door, a smaller one which is blue and white and more traditional and not modern like John's place, is owned by her brother's family.

She opens the windows in all the rooms she passes through, and I follow her to the kitchen, where she opens the refrigerator. "It's stocked," she tells me, and smiling for the first time I have seen her today.

I find some glasses and pour some juice for both of us, but she's looking for something else in the shelves, and then she goes to another room, returning with a bottle of wine. She tries to uncork it and pieces of the cork fall into the bottle, but she shrugs, taking a wine glass with her.

She turns to me and says, "I'm going to the beach."

Sophie goes out first and I watch her from the porch. I call John.

"Hey, Anton, what's up?"

"I am in the Hamptons."

"Yeah? You like the house?"

"It's very nice."

"Found everything you need?"

"Yeah—"

"Listen, I have another meeting in a few minutes. If you want to go fishing—I have a guy in South Cheshire who can show you the fishing spots—"