CHAPTER 4

But you're the same age as me!' Tuuli had said. of course, Kaisa was fairly used to that kind of reaction - not many girls got engaged at the age of sixteen so she just that

Now sitting in the hall, next to the silent telephone,  Kaisa looked at the invitation from the British Embassy.  She traced the gold lettering with her fingertips and turned it over and gazed at the smudged lipstick on the back. His name and address. For two days Kaisa had sat in her flat waiting for the Englishman's phone call. Like a

fool, she'd made only short calls to her friend and tried to get her boyfriend off the line as quickly as possible. She was supposed to be studying before her university lectures

restarted on Monday, but all she could think about wasPeter. Kaisa was furious with herself. Matti had been right;  she should never have agreed to go to the cocktail party.

Luckily he didn't know what a fool she'd been, so completely taken in by a foreign sailor. Thank goodness all he got out of her was a quick, stolen kiss. Did she dial Tuuli's number.No call? Kaisa tried to listen to the tone of her friend's voice. Was Tuuli getting bored with her talking about Peter? No,' she said.' Forget about the Englishman. It was a bit of fun, that sallow course, Tuuli was right. Kaisa changed the subject.' Are you going to see your guy again?' Her Finnish sailor had gone back to his barracks at Santahamina, a few miles down the coast of the Gulf of Bothnia. I don't know. He was a bit too - correct. You know what I mean?"

Kaisa said she did, but didn't really understand. Matti, her fiancé, was very 'correct'. Peter wasn't at all like that,  although he was serving in the armed forces. He didn't

seem to take anything seriously, he was always laughing.  Perhaps that was why he hadn't called; perhaps Kaisa was a great big joke too? Or was it some kind of a game? Was he

one of those boys who liked to conquer and then chuck you as soon as they've won you over? But they hadn't done anything all he'd had was a hasty kiss. It didn't matter now, Kaisa told herself. Why was she here waiting for a call from some foreign stranger when she was engaged to be married anyway? It wasn't right. That was another thing:

sooner or later she'd have to come clean to her boyfriend.

First, she needed to get over her own embarrassment. Matti's questions about the party, the embassy, the foreign officers, the food and the drink could wait.

You must have it bad, old chap, Collins slapped Peter on the shoulder as he passed. He'd lost count of how many times over the last two days he'd tried to dial the number

the girl had given him. He'd called it all day yesterday and now on a Saturday it still kept ringing and ringing at the other. 'Plenty more fish in the sea!l' Collins shouted

and, turning around, cupped he pretend breasts and pursed his lips in a mock kiss. There was dirty laughter all around himmmmim. Peter wanted to tell him to '**** off' but he

was senior to him, so he just laughed half-heard. After about ten rings he replaced the receiver on the wall and sat down on an empty sofa in the officers' mess. He ran his

fingers through his thick hair. A young steward was cleaning away the tea dishes from a table littered with half-filled cups of milky tea and cake crumbs. Peter gazed at the pa-

per napkin under the table, trying to see if he'd missed something in the numbers.

Still no answer?' Nick, the other sub-listen Antoon boards sitting opposite him, reading a magazine. Peter and Nick had graduated from Dartmouth at the same timeeeeeme, but it was really only during the last few weeks on the ship that they'd become firm friends. Peter waited for until the steward, balancing a tray full of cups and saucers,  them.  I don't get it - why would she give me the wrong number? To shut you up?' Nick grinned at him.

Peter didn't look at his friend. He sighed and, leaning back against the hard edge of the wardroom sofa, flicked the now a tattered piece of napkin onto the table. He took a packet of cigarettes out of his ****** pocket and lit one. Blowing the smoke upwards, he wondered why he was so keen to get in touch with this girl anyway. They were going to sail tomorrow, so there'd be no time to really get to know her, to have her. Still, there was something about her, something different. The way she reacted when he

touched her. The hidden passion under that cool exterior. He wanted to know how she looked with the dress pulled down her shoulders, onto her waist. She'd worn no bra and

he'd clearly seen the outline of her breasts. God, he mustn't think about it now. He looked over to his friend, who was studying the napkin. Nick turned it this way and that. 'That last number - is a seven?'Peter nodded; he could recount the number by heart now, '245 527.

Have you tried it as a one? You know, Europeans put that little slash across a seven and this hasn't got one, so...

Kaisa decided to make some bread rolls. She looked out of the window of her kitchenette.

It was snowing; the first fall of the year. Light flecks dropped slowly to the asphalt below and melted as they landed. She turned away from the cold scene and started mixing flour with water and yeast. The loud ringing of the phone filled the flat with its urgency.

Not Matti again, please, Kaisa prayed and picked up the receiver with her floured hands.

Peter sounded elated when he heard Kaisa's voice. You're late, she said. Sorry? Now there was a serious tinge to his tone. Exactly 24 hours late.' Kaisa was surprised by her own tone of voice; she hadn't realised how angry she was. Peter started talking fast. Kaisa balanced the receiver between her neck and shoulder and listened. Even when he was being serious she could hear the smile in his voice. He'd rung the wrong number. The digit 'one' that she'd written in lipstick on his napkin looked like a seven, he explained.

A mate had told him Europeans write numbers differently. I see.' Could Does Kaisa believe this foreign sailor? Everyone knew foreigners, and sailors, in particular, had loose morals. She thought about her fiancé. How could she tell Matti she'd met up with the Englishman twice? If they didn't do anything and met up just as friends, was it still wrong? If she didn't kiss him again, would that be alright? Kaisa knew Matti would be so angry; he might even leave her. Was she really prepared for that? Then there was the flat, owned by

his aunt, not to mention Matti's mother. How would she be able to face her? Please, please come and meet me' Kaisa could hear Peter's sincerity in his words.

She closed her eyes and thought about the kiss. But it's impossible, she whispered. Kaisa sat down and held tightly onto the receiver now, not caring about the dough sticking to the plastic. She'd have to clean it up later; besides, what did it matter anyway? There was another short pause. Kaisa held her breath. Was he giving up on her? Peter looked along the gangway. Involuntarily he crossed his fingers and waited. He could hear her faint breathing down the line. 'If I phone again in half an hour, you'll think about it?' he said.

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