‘What made you want to leave Moscow?’ she asked after the brief silence. He blinked at the unexpected question and his eyes slid past her face for...a moment, gazing out the little window to the dark sky beyond. It wasn’t that he’d wanted to leave. It had been the best option for him at the time, to be able to do something he loved, in a place that supported the sport so well. It also helped that his older brother had always encouraged him, right up to his sudden death when Anatoli was still a. He reached the aisle, noticing at the other end two grown-ups and what William surmised was their teenage daughter. She had her hands on her hips, a petulant teenage pose. Her father handed her a piece of paper. “Don't argue, just get these whilst we browse the lawnmowers,” he barked. She snatched it, spun on her heel, and started to march down the aisle. William quickly averted his gaze and pretended to look at some shelving brackets before him. When he looked again up the aisle, the parents. He didn’t ask me what happened or how bad it had been. He knew. He saw my face when I returned. He probably watched those five boys leaving Delon’s house late tonight. He knew we weren’t playing a board game.We sat together on the couch. He held me in his arms while I sipped the strong drink he made for me. I was halfway through the drink before I said, “It’s going to be terrible, Doug. Delon and his friends bought me a collection of the sluttiest clothes I’ve ever seen. He’s going to make me. He certainly looked good in his tight t-shirt and jeans. He was tall and handsome, and he greeted me with a casual smile that was very disarming.I offered him a glass of lemonade after I invited him inside. We had a moment to chat and I pretty much stayed out of his way when he went to work on my wiring. At the end of the day, he told me he had to come back the next day to finish the work. I was working online from home because of the pandemic, so I would be home to let him in the following.