He’d think of her at the worst times, standing in line at the bank, sitting in the paper gown at the doctor’s office, even during his first root c...nal. His visions of Catharine seemed to do more to numb the pain than the anesthesia. As months pressed past, he realized he had to cure himself and that the only cure would be Catharine herself. He started preparing what he would say when he saw her next, what witty lines could he use to get her to agree to dinner with him, that was all he wanted,. I picked up the phone and dialed the number for room service. I ordered Miko a hamburger and fries like she asked and ordered myself a plate of pepper steak and rice with a coke for each of us. After hanging up the phone, I put my pants back on and set about straightening up the room. I carried Miko’s clothes into the bedroom and laid them on the bed, pulling my shirt back on over my head. I sat down on the sofa and turned on the television, finding a documentary on ancient Rome on some. One night, she sat alone in her apartment, listening to the radio. A young man had been shot dead trying to escape to the west in Berlin. The newsreader reported a spokesman as saying he was a traitor to the state and all such attempts to defect would be treated as treason.Erika shuddered but they could not stay, especially now. If the Stasi found out about them they would be arrested anyway. Risking death would be a fair price to pay if she and Elsa could be together safely.Almost a week. Sleeping while you travel never actually gives you any rest.Four of Mike's housemates are in the communal kitchen when we walk through the door. We get some smallish disapproving looks and people kind of rearrange themselves while I boil the kettle. Between the four of us we devour most of Mike's food from his cupboard and whole tab of paracetamol. Four mugs of tea later we are all upstairs. The room is minute, a desk covered in junk, a single bed, and a sink-wardrobe unit that takes up most of.