Daniel.
“Em?” he said dozily.
“It’s getting stuffy in here. Sorry. Are you cold?”
Daniel reached into the back seat for the big overcoat he had borrowed from Vasily. “I’m fine, I’ll put this over me.” He yawned. “How long was I asleep?”
“Not long. About forty-five minutes.”
“This road’s rough, isn’t it?”
“Yes, but we should pick up an exit in about ten miles. Maybe we can stop for a cup of coffee. Help keep us awake.”
He eyed her suspiciously. “You’re not getting sleepy are you?”
“Not at all.”
“Because I can drive for a while if you need a rest.”
“No, it’s fine, Daniel. I’m fine.” She switched the radio on. Snow on every channel.
“We must be a long way from anywhere,” Daniel said, and something about his words gave her a chill.
Em snapped the radio off. “How did you meet Rosa?” she asked. She didn’t really care to know, but conversation was a good barrier to sleep.
“I enrolled in an advanced Russian course and she was my teacher,” he said, yawning again.
Em suppressed a sympathy yawn. “So you’d learned Russian before?”
“I had a Russian nanny for six years when I was a little boy.”
“A nanny?”
“Yeah. My mother died of cancer when I was two.” Daniel went on, filling in his family history, responding to her carefully placed questions to keep him talking as the road wore her down.
Finally, he said, “Shouldn’t we have reached that turn-off by now?”
“Perhaps I underestimated.” She smiled at him. “Optimistic. I’m thinking about a warm bed.”
They travelled another half-hour in silence, and Em started to worry that she’d missed the turn-off. What if they’d passed it in that moment she’d dozed?
“Is that it?” Daniel said, pointing to a long dirt road. Two bent posts, once the pillars of a street sign, stood at the corner. Em pulled into the road and stopped the car, knocking it into park.
“I’m sure it’s a paved road we want,” she said, leaning over Daniel to pull the map out of the glove box. “Let me see.”
By the yellow light of the overhead bulb she ran her finger down the map. By her estimation, they should have passed the turn-off twenty minutes ago. And this road wasn’t even marked.
“Maybe the map’s misprinted,” she said.
“Do you know where we are?”
“I know where we’re supposed to be.”
She studied the map a few moments longer, while the car hummed and Daniel looked on nervously. Finally, she folded it away. “You know, I think we’ll just keep driving the way we’ve been going, and see what happens. I mean, we’re heading in the right direction, there will be a turn-off somewhere.”
“If you’re sure.”
“Nothing else we can do. We have to be in Arkhangelsk by morning.”
She switched off the overhead light and put the car back into drive. It stalled. The engine went dead, light and sound sucked into nothing.
“What the hell?”
“What happened?” said Daniel.
Em tried to start the car. Nothing. The dark outside, now the headlights were off, was absolute.
“What happened?” Daniel repeated.
“Maybe the battery’s gone flat.”
“But the car was running.”
Em turned the key again and again. Not even a click or a wheeze rewarded her.
“It must have been more damaged than we thought on the way up to St Pete,” Daniel was saying. “Shit, what do we do?”
Em pounded the steering wheel. “This is so irritating. We’re stuck out here in the middle of nowhere, we have a shoot in Arkhangelsk in about eight hours, and my cell-phone has been out of range virtually since I left St Petersburg.”
Daniel sighed and leaned his head against the window. “It’s all my fault.”
Em looked at him. “Daniel, that’s not helpful.” Something caught her eye in the distance. She leaned closer and peered into the dark beyond Daniel. “You know, I think I can see a light.”
Daniel turned. “I can’t.”
Em nodded confidently. “I can.
“Em?” he said dozily.
“It’s getting stuffy in here. Sorry. Are you cold?”
Daniel reached into the back seat for the big overcoat he had borrowed from Vasily. “I’m fine, I’ll put this over me.” He yawned. “How long was I asleep?”
“Not long. About forty-five minutes.”
“This road’s rough, isn’t it?”
“Yes, but we should pick up an exit in about ten miles. Maybe we can stop for a cup of coffee. Help keep us awake.”
He eyed her suspiciously. “You’re not getting sleepy are you?”
“Not at all.”
“Because I can drive for a while if you need a rest.”
“No, it’s fine, Daniel. I’m fine.” She switched the radio on. Snow on every channel.
“We must be a long way from anywhere,” Daniel said, and something about his words gave her a chill.
Em snapped the radio off. “How did you meet Rosa?” she asked. She didn’t really care to know, but conversation was a good barrier to sleep.
“I enrolled in an advanced Russian course and she was my teacher,” he said, yawning again.
Em suppressed a sympathy yawn. “So you’d learned Russian before?”
“I had a Russian nanny for six years when I was a little boy.”
“A nanny?”
“Yeah. My mother died of cancer when I was two.” Daniel went on, filling in his family history, responding to her carefully placed questions to keep him talking as the road wore her down.
Finally, he said, “Shouldn’t we have reached that turn-off by now?”
“Perhaps I underestimated.” She smiled at him. “Optimistic. I’m thinking about a warm bed.”
They travelled another half-hour in silence, and Em started to worry that she’d missed the turn-off. What if they’d passed it in that moment she’d dozed?
“Is that it?” Daniel said, pointing to a long dirt road. Two bent posts, once the pillars of a street sign, stood at the corner. Em pulled into the road and stopped the car, knocking it into park.
“I’m sure it’s a paved road we want,” she said, leaning over Daniel to pull the map out of the glove box. “Let me see.”
By the yellow light of the overhead bulb she ran her finger down the map. By her estimation, they should have passed the turn-off twenty minutes ago. And this road wasn’t even marked.
“Maybe the map’s misprinted,” she said.
“Do you know where we are?”
“I know where we’re supposed to be.”
She studied the map a few moments longer, while the car hummed and Daniel looked on nervously. Finally, she folded it away. “You know, I think we’ll just keep driving the way we’ve been going, and see what happens. I mean, we’re heading in the right direction, there will be a turn-off somewhere.”
“If you’re sure.”
“Nothing else we can do. We have to be in Arkhangelsk by morning.”
She switched off the overhead light and put the car back into drive. It stalled. The engine went dead, light and sound sucked into nothing.
“What the hell?”
“What happened?” said Daniel.
Em tried to start the car. Nothing. The dark outside, now the headlights were off, was absolute.
“What happened?” Daniel repeated.
“Maybe the battery’s gone flat.”
“But the car was running.”
Em turned the key again and again. Not even a click or a wheeze rewarded her.
“It must have been more damaged than we thought on the way up to St Pete,” Daniel was saying. “Shit, what do we do?”
Em pounded the steering wheel. “This is so irritating. We’re stuck out here in the middle of nowhere, we have a shoot in Arkhangelsk in about eight hours, and my cell-phone has been out of range virtually since I left St Petersburg.”
Daniel sighed and leaned his head against the window. “It’s all my fault.”
Em looked at him. “Daniel, that’s not helpful.” Something caught her eye in the distance. She leaned closer and peered into the dark beyond Daniel. “You know, I think I can see a light.”
Daniel turned. “I can’t.”
Em nodded confidently. “I can.
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