 


 
 Note: This story was dynamically reformatted for online reading convenience.
 
 ï>¿Maragana Girl by EC

   Chapter 27 ï¿½ Vladik Dukov's "Proper Partner"

   Kim spent the afternoon making arrangements for Tiffany's future.  There
really were only two issues that needed to be addressed; where Tiffany was
going to live and where she was going to work.  Kim already had both
details partly settled, so her calls that afternoon simply were to confirm
her previous arrangements.  Tiffany would start at the music store the next
day.  As for living arrangements, Victor Dukov reluctantly agreed to rent
her a room, with the understanding she would move to Vladim's house
following Kim's marriage.

   Tiffany was up within just a couple of hours.  She struggled off the
table, wincing at the pain from her badly marked up backside.  Tears rolled
down her cheeks, as she again thought about the grim chain of events that
brought her to her current state in this office.  For a few minutes she
stood with her hands on the recovery table, trying to steady herself.

   Kim ordered Tiffany to go into the back office and quickly explained her
job and living arrangements.  Tiffany dried her eyes and partially
recovered after drinking some tea.  Her next statement hugely surprised
Kim.

   "I was curiousï¿½could you take me to the store, you know, so I would
see itï¿½maybe meet some people there?"

   "Wellï¿½uhï¿½sureï¿½except you don't have to report in until tomorrow."

   "No.  I want to do it today.  I want to get started, or at least know
what it's gonna be like."

   "Alright, I'll take you over.  You really think you can make it over
there with your butt like it is?"

   "It's not that bad, at least if I don't sit down."

   The two women left the Central Police station.  In spite of Tiffany's
assurance she was fine, she did have some trouble getting down the stairs.
Once they were out on the street Tiffany was able to walk fairly normally,
although she had to walk more slowly than usual.

   At first Kim was surprised that Tiffany didn't seem to be bothered by
being out on the street wearing nothing but her collar.  At this stage in
her sentence Kim had been mortified at the thought of being so completely
exposed to the world, and thus was surprised by Tiffany's acceptance of her
situation.  However, during their walk Kim remembered that Tiffany already
had spent nearly six weeks in the nude in the National Hospital rehab
program, and before that she had worked as a stripper.  Any modesty about
her body had long since been purged from Tiffany's mind.

   Tiffany, in fact, wanted to be exposed, and have her punished backside
exposed, to the view of the population of Danube City.  The punishment and
her collaring marked the final break from her past.  She no longer was a
stripper, no longer a prostitute, no longer Raymond Stark's girlfriend, no
longer an active meth and heroin user.  She now was a Danubian criminal and
eager to move ahead with her life as quickly as possible.  Subconsciously
Tiffany actually was proud of her collar and welts because of what they
symbolized, a new beginning for her.

   Once they arrived, Kim, following store protocol for employees, stripped
off her dress and hung it up in the employees' break room.  She then led
Tiffany around the store and introduced her to the owner and everyone
working the afternoon shift.  Kim then explained how Tiffany would start
out.  She would begin by doing manual chores such as window washing and
cleaning up until her Danubian was good enough for her to train as a
cashier.  Over time she would start at the information counter, to provide
an English-speaking presence when Kim was not working.  It was possible
that later on Tiffany might be promoted to a job at the studio and
recording complex, perhaps as a guide or information assistant.

   Kim was amazed at how happy Tiffany was upon hearing the explanation
about the routine she needed to follow and the steps she would go through
to get promoted.  Tiffany now knew she had escaped, really, truly escaped.
Her life in Danube City hardly would be exciting, but after two years of
squalid drug-addled adventures, she felt she needed a routine life and a
break from "excitement".

   There was another surprise for Kim coming from Tiffany that afternoon.
Before they left the store Kim's client noticed disposable cameras for sale
and asked Kim to buy her one.  Kim then shot the entire roll on Tiffany
posing in front of the store, in the store, and later in the Central Plaza.
Once they got back to Dukov's office Tiffany did something that struck Kim
as extremely odd; she placed her hands on the recovery table and looked
back at Kim over her shoulder.  The pose emphasized her welt-covered
bottom. Kim took two pictures of Tiffany in that position and finished out
the roll of film.  Once the film was used up Kim handed the camera back to
Tiffany.  The criminal then got on her knees and thanked the Apprentice for
doing her the favor.

   Shortly afterwards Kim took her client by trolley to Victor Dukov's
house.  She met his family and partially ingratiated herself by kneeling
when she greeted him.  With that Kim got ready to leave, with the weird
sensation of seeing her former boss and her former best friend standing
next to each other.  Tiffany knelt and in heavily accented Danubian said
"Goodbye, Apprentice Lee, until we meet again."

   "Goodnight Tiffany.  I'll be here at 7:00 tomorrow to take you to work.
I'm scheduled to be there all day, so I'll be helping you train."

   With that, Kim departed to return to the other part of her life,
rehearsal with Eloisa and the other singers of "Socrates' Mistresses" for
the upcoming Day of the Dead Equinox ceremony.

   ----------

   Kim and Sergekt returned to their classes at the National University two
days after Tiffany's sentencing.  For the first time they entered classes
as free citizens, but the euphoria of entering the university in their new
status quickly wore off.  Kim and Sergekt realized their second year of
classes would be extremely demanding for both of them.  Sergekt, in
particular, faced a rough year, studying chemistry, engineering, and
geology, with the promise of a third year that would be just as difficult.

   Kim did have one pleasant surprise on campus when she ran into Anyia's
friend Jennifer.  It turned out Jennifer had decided to stay in Upper
Danubia to go to college for at least a year.  Upper Danubia had grown on
Jennifer during her year in high school as an exchange student.  She now
felt comfortable in the country and was not ready to give up her
friendships with Anyia and some of her other classmates.  More importantly,
she was not ready to give up her relationship with her naked boyfriend.  At
the university cafï¿½ he was by her side, in his usual subdued manner, with
his bottom pink from constantly being slapped.  While they were talking
Jennifer ordered her boyfriend to get her and Kim some fruit punch.  The
order, as every other command she gave him, was accompanied with two sharp
slaps on the bottom as he left, and two more when he came back with the
drinks.

   Kim was surprised to find out where Jennifer was living.  She was
staying with her exchange-program counselor, the same woman who had
punished her in high school.  It turned out that her counselor had helped
her enroll at the university and complete the paperwork needed to extend
her student visa.  Obviously Jennifer needed to behave with proper protocol
at all times in the woman's house, but in public she rebelled by wearing
jeans and keeping her non-Danubian hairstyle.

   The grim and politically charged atmosphere on campus worried Kim and
her fiancï¿½e.  The campus was bitterly divided between students coming in
from the eastern provinces who supported the Greater Danubian Progressive
Party, and the ones from the capitol and the surrounding Central Valley,
who mostly supported the Party of the Duchy.  That afternoon Kim, Sergekt,
Eloisa, Dima, and Valia sat down to afternoon tea at a university cafï¿½ to
discuss the country's future.  Sergekt, the most politically aware of the
group, explained the Duchy's political situation to his increasingly
dismayed friends.  He concluded:

   "This country is going to be in a lot of trouble, no matter who wins the
next election.  Our choices are just terrible.  The "Nobility" doesn't have
a viable candidate and they think it's still 1945.  The "Progressives" have
been bought out and want to hand us over to foreign companies.  The
"Dissidents" couldn't organize making a pot of tea.  Who will we vote for?
Or maybe we'll just have election after electionï¿½"

   Sergekt looked at Dima, who sighed and buried his hands in his hair. 
The three women had no clue what to say.

   ----------

   Officer Vladik Dukov invited his partner to his father's house a couple
of weeks after Kim and her friends started classes at the university. 
Vladik thought it would be a perfect afternoon for a quiet tryst with his
lover, with Anyia in school, his fiancï¿½e and Kimberly Lee at the
university, and his parents at work.

   The couple turned off their police radios and parked their bicycles near
the front door of the Dukov residence.  There would be a nice three hours
to have some wine, a small meal, and a pleasant session of lovemaking under
the sun in the back yard.  The two cops had done this plenty of times
before.  There was no reason to suspect today's adventure would end any
differently.

   The two officers finished their meal and went into the back yard.  Their
uniforms came off and Vladik caressed his partner's lean, muscular figure,
enjoying the feel of the hot sun on his backside and his lover's hardened
sweaty body underneath.  Maybe he was engaged, and maybe she was married,
but it seemedï¿½

   The kitchen door swung open and banged loudly against the back wall. 
The two naked cops looked up to see Vladik's fiancï¿½e, holding a camera.
The camera clicked twice before the young interloper dropped it down her
blouse.  The photographer addressed the policewoman with a tone of quiet
rage in her voice that frightened both cops.

   "I expect you to put on your uniform and be off this property within a
minute.  If you take any longer than 60 seconds your section chief sees
these pictures tomorrow morning, and your husband will see them tomorrow
afternoon."

   The policewoman jumped up to grab her uniform and quickly got dressed in
the living room.  As soon as she had her tunic and boots on she scrambled
out the door and sped off on her bicycle.  Vladik reached for his uniform
as well.  His fiancï¿½e snatched away the clothes before he could reach
them.

   "You will not put this on.  You have proven yourself unworthy to be a
police officer, just like you have proven yourself unworthy to be my
husband."

   She reached back and pulled her silver hairpiece out of her hair, and
then quickly tore off her necklace and her ring.  She threw the items at
Vladik's feet.

   "Your father had no right to call you Vladik.  You are a disgrace to our
King's name, and you're a disgrace to your family's name."

   Vladik had nothing to say.  There was nothing for him to deny, she had
seen everything with her own eyes and it was on film.  There was no point
in trying to persuade her to give him a second chance, in Upper Danubia a
dishonored engagement never got a second chance.  Finally he choked out a
question:

   "How did you know?"

   "I could see it in your eyes, Vladik.  I could see it in your eyes for
more than a year, but I kept deluding myself it was my imagination. 
Anyhow, I have a classmate whose younger sister is a friend of Anyia.  Last
week she mentioned your partner's little visits to this house, and I became
more suspicious.  But, what I want you to know is that it was not your
sister who gave you away.  You gave yourself away."

   "I suppose I didï¿½"

   "You made a final mistake today.  I saw the bicycles and let myself in.
You were very foolish to have left those bicycles there and not to have
locked your front door."

   "Iï¿½I don't know what to say."

   "Well, I do know what to say, you dishonored liar.  Your life is ruined.
I will see to that.  It's up to you to decide whether you want me to ruin
your partner's life."

   "Noï¿½you can ruin my life, but not hers."

   "That's up to you.  If you wish to spare your partner you will resign
from the National Police, effective immediately.  If you wish to spare your
family and those two Americans, you will resign.  That will be my revenge,
destroying your career.  Next Monday I will check the National Police
roster.  If your badge number is still active, your section chief, your
partner's section chief, your partner's husband, and your father will get
copies of the pictures.  If your badge number is removed, then I will send
the pictures and the negatives to you, after I'm absolutely sure your
resignation is finalized."

   With that she threw Vladik's uniform on the ground and walked out.  As
she went through the front door, the woman's controlled rage became a bit
less controlled.  She picked up Vladik's police bicycle and with all her
strength flung it at Dukov's front window.  It shattered several panes and
broke part of the window frame.  It was a very un-Danubian display of
temper, but one Vladik realized he deserved.

   Vladik lost no time putting on civilian clothes and folding up his
uniform.  He got on his bicycle and rode back to the Central Police
Station. He knew his ex-fiancï¿½e would be true to her word, whether he
chose to resign or attempt to keep his job.  She wanted revenge against
him, not anyone else, not even his partner.  However, she was perfectly
willing to destroy the other people in Vladik's life if he did not accept
the punishment she had laid out for him.  Vladik's concern was to protect
his father and his lover from his mistakes, not himself, so there was no
question his police career had ended.

   Vladik went up to his father's office and typed out a letter of
resignation on one of the secretary's computers.  He printed several copies
and then went downstairs to present them to his stunned section chief.  He
handed his folded uniform to his chief along with the letters.

   "I dishonored myself, my uniform, and my father's house.  I am unfit to
wear this uniform and am returning it to you."

   "Have you lost your mind?!  You're one of our best officers!  You're up
for promotion!  You could be a section chief within two years!"

   "No, that would never happen.  Iï¿½did something that if you knew, you'd
understand.  It's not just my life that's involved, but also several
others. It is bestï¿½for everyoneï¿½that I resign.  That'll spare the honor
of several innocent people, including you."

   Vladik's dumbfounded boss reluctantly signed his resignation letters,
realizing his star employee apparently was resigning to prevent a scandal.
The section chief was torn between wondering what on earth Officer Dukov
had done that was so terrible and hoping not to find out.

   With that Vladik went back upstairs to his father's office.  Kim was at
her desk, researching some of Dukov's old cases for an upcoming class
project.  Kim, upon seeing Vladik in civilian clothes and with a stricken
look on his face, realized something was very wrong.  He sat down and
buried his forehead in his hands.

   "You will need to find someone else to punish your client Tiffany next
year.  I'm notï¿½I'm not an officer with the National Police anymore.  I'm
dishonored, and I have only myself to blame."

   For a moment Kim stared in silence at Vladik, who didn't even look like
the same person with his broken expression.  She decided it would be a good
idea to get him out of the police station and then get him to talk about
what happened.  She told him to accompany her to the nearby river park.  He
listlessly complied and walked with her down several city blocks to the
spot where Danube City gave way to the strip of parkland that lined the
Danube River.

   Kim knew, because she was not Danubian, Vladik would be able to speak to
her and not have to be afraid of being judged according to the harsh
standards of the Duchy's morality.  Vladik did what he most needed to do,
talk.  In a single afternoon he had lost his fiancï¿½e, his mistress, his
job, and his self-esteem.  The fallout from his mistakes would continue
that evening when he would have to face his irate parents and uncle.

   "I don't know myself what was wrong with me.  She was perfect: smart,
determined, educated, pretty, from a good family.  Her parents liked me and
Mother certainly liked her.  She got along with Anyiaï¿½she's a woman with
honor.  And what did I give her up for?  I gave her up for sex with a woman
I preferred, but one who I knew could never be mine."

   "Vladik, did you love your fiancï¿½e at all?"

   "No.  The woman I love is my partner.  I respect my fiancï¿½e, but I
don't love her.  I don't know why.  She's everything a man could possibly
want, but in my heart I never appreciated her.  That is why I'm so
dishonored."

   "Well, I'm going to be honest and tell you that, from my point of view,
I think you got what you deserved.  I never said anything, but I knew what
was going on because it was a bit obvious.  I think what you did to both
those women, especially your fiancï¿½e, was totally wrong.  The only thing
I can say is I do admire you for taking the blame yourself and trying to
protect everyone else."

   Vladik said nothing.  Kim thought for a moment and then continued with a
statement that over time would change how he saw himself and what he wanted
from life.

   "I was wonderingï¿½you know, about how you Danubians see love.  Maybe
you're all a bit too logical about it.  It's always 'good family' and
'honor' and 'logical partner', and never 'how do you actually feel about
this person'.  Maybe she was too perfect for you.  Maybe what you need is a
woman with flaws and problems, someone you can love for who she is and how
she feels about you, not for what she is.  If your parents approve, that's
great.  If they don'tï¿½" Kim shrugged her shoulders, "that's their
problem, not yours."

   "That's not how we think, Kimberly.  A proper partner is necessary to
have tranquility in life."

   "Really?  You had a 'proper partner', and how tranquil was your life? 
You deceived and lied to everyone you knew, and you wasted four years of
her life because you didn't love her.  To me that's not how you should
live. It's definitely not living with honor."

   "Very well, Kimberly, since you seem to have the answers, let me ask you
this.  What do you think I should do next?  What advice can you give me?"

   "Really there's only two things.  First, start over.  Get another job,
or maybe go to college.  Maybe with the end of your career with the
National Police Force you've been blessed instead of cursed.  Think about
it.  Maybe now you can just enjoy yourself instead of worrying all the time
about your responsibilities and what other people think about you.  Then,
you'll be free to find a woman who you actually like being with, instead of
a 'proper partner'."

   "You make it sound so easy."

   "Well it's not.  It's easier to do things the way you've been doing
them, because everything was laid out for you.  But it's obvious to me that
you can't live an easy life.  You need a life where you have to make your
own choices and suffer the consequences.  If you can accept that about
yourself, then you have the chance to be happy."

   Kim and Vladik came up to the grounds behind the Temple of the Ancients.
Suddenly Vladik decided to go in and talk to a priest.  He knelt and
confessed what had happened while Kim stood nervously watching.  The priest
repeated much of what Kim had told Vladik, that he needed to start his life
over with a better understanding of what he really wanted.  The priest then
suggested Vladik undergo a purification ritual and perform public penance
during the week leading up to the Day of the Dead Ceremony.  Public penance
would allow Vladik time to divide his life between who he had been up until
that day and who he would become after the Day of the Dead.  Vladik agreed,
nodded, and stood up.

   Two female attendants dressed in black robes took Vladik by the hands to
a stone platform behind the main Temple building.  There was a fire-pit
with an active fire at one end, and a small prayer stand at the other end.

   Vladik stood at attention in front of the prayer stand.  The two
attendants quickly undressed him.  One of the women handed Kim his wallet,
watch, keys, and a religious medallion.  The rest of Vladik's belongings
went into the fire.

   Vladik then knelt at the prayer stand, as the priest stood in front of
him and an attendant stood to either side.  There was a lengthy set of
ancient prayers that Kim could not understand, some burning of incense,
then more prayers.  Vladik then began a series of confessions.  The priest
was much more interested in Vladik's habit of lying than in his physical
acts of adultery.  Merely confessing to a lie was not enough for the
priest. As he confessed to each incident in his life, Vladik had to go into
detail concerning what he actually said, why he told the lie, and its
result.  Kim could tell that Vladik was becoming increasingly scared,
because his confessions were far more numerous and detailed than he had
anticipated.  It was obvious the priest was determined to dig deep into
Vladik's soul, to find out what made his mind work and what motivated him.
In the end, Kim found out much more about his secret thoughts than she
cared to know.

   The priest asked Vladik what he wanted for his future, but he only could
answer by referring to his past.  He wanted to live differently, but wasn't
sure how.  To Kim's surprise the priest did not have much advice, apart
from telling him the obvious, that he needed to be more truthful.  However,
Dukov's disgraced son now faced a radical change in his daily life, which
would last at least through the upcoming Day of the Dead ceremony.

   The priest began Vladik's public penance by collaring him.  The collar
was a special Temple issue instead of a standard Ministry of Justice issue.
It was smooth instead of grooved, lacked the metal loop, and had no
transmitter.  It could be unlocked by a priest, taken off, and reused.  Its
purpose was not to control Vladik's movements, but rather mark him as
serving public penance.  The rules Vladik would have to live under were
very similar to the rules of a "willingly repentant" criminal such as Malka
Chorno.  Like a convicted criminal, he was prohibited from wearing any
clothing at any time, the standards of criminal protocol applied, and he
could not take a seat on public transportation.  The only difference was
the option of ending his penance whenever he chose.  In Vladik's case, the
priest assumed he would serve his penance up through the Day of the Dead
ceremony and participate in the march, but then turn in his collar and
start the second phase of his life once the march was completed.

   It was getting dark by the time Vladik and Kim left the Temple.  It felt
extremely odd for Kim to be out on the street with Vladik, their roles
reversed with her wearing normal clothes while he walked alongside collared
and naked.  Finally they boarded a trolley and headed back to Spokesman
Dukov's house.

   Dukov and Maritza both were waiting in the living room with plenty of
questions.  Upon seeing their son nude and wearing a penance collar, their
questions about what happened multiplied.  Vladik, now in his new role of
performing public penance, had to kneel upon greeting his father, who still
was a public official.  Dukov did not give Vladik permission to stand up.

   The news that day for Vladikï¿½s parents had gone from bad to worse. 
First came word of Vladik's resignation through his boss.  The section
chief called Dukov, wondering if the Spokesman had any clue that would
explain his son's sudden resignation.  Dukov was infuriated upon hearing
the news, not so much over the resignation itself, but because Vladik had
not talked to him about it.  Then came a call from Maritza with information
about their smashed front window and the engagement jewelry thrown in the
back yard.  Maritza had thought something must have gone wrong between Kim
and Sergekt, but when her husband relayed the information about Vladik's
resignation it became logical to assume the engagement jewelry must have
been from Vladik's fiancï¿½e, not Kim.  Dukov, extremely worried, made a
series of phone calls but was unable to find out anything more.

   Vladik, his head still pressed to the ground, filled in the missing
information.  He admitted to having an affair with his police partner and
that afternoon his fiancï¿½e had walked in on them.  That prompted a round
of angry questions from Maritza, which brought out the detail that Vladik's
fiancï¿½e had suspected the affair for more than a year and finally
captured proof of it on film.  The threat of exposure explained his sudden
resignation from the National Police, because he and his partner had been
conducting their affair during hours they were supposed to be working.

   Maritza was livid.  Her intense anger frightened Kim, given that she
never had seen the woman lose her temper any time before.  She tore into
her son about disgracing the Dukov name and ruining his chances to marry
into one of Upper Danubia's "best" families.  And for what?  Sex with a
vulgar, skinny, ugly, uneducated peasant, and one who already was married
on top of everything else.  You gave up your future for that?

   As Maritza continued to berate and insult her kneeling son, Kim realized
something about the elder Dukovs.  It turned out they never had fully
recovered psychologically from their sentences and were determined to move
the family as high as possible through "proper" marriages for their
children.  Kim realized Maritza had gone to great lengths to set up
meetings between Vladik and several young women from the country's "old
blood" and was enormously pleased to see him engaged to a fine young woman.
Kim also realized Vladik had become engaged to placate his parents.  Try as
he might, he never actually loved the "proper" young woman to whom he was
engaged.  Now he was paying a terrible price for his misdirected efforts.

   Maritza landed several vicious kicks at her son's upturned bottom and
then stormed out of the room.  For several minutes the room was full of
tense silence, with Vladim Dukov wondering if he should ask Kim to leave
and Kim wanting to tell him to let his son get off his knees.

   In spite of the immediate crisis, Vladim's mind already was moving
ahead. He broke the silence by asking Vladik how long he planned to perform
public penance, and then what he wanted to do afterwards.  Vladik, still
kneeling, responded that he figured going to the country's military academy
would be a good option.  He didn't see why he couldn't be a good military
officer and two years of academy training would be waved because of his
police experience.  As for the penance, he wasn't sure how long that would
last.

   "Very well, Vladik.  I'll make some calls to assure you receive a slot
in the January class.  In the meantime you'd better get a job that keeps
you busy in the evenings.  I can tell you your mother isn't going to want
to see you for a while."

   ----------

   Kim took Vladik to the music store the following day to see what work
might be available for him.  The other employees gathered around, shocked
at seeing Officer Vladik Dukov out of his uniform and performing public
penance.  The store's owner did have an appropriate job for Vladik, as a
temporary contractor to recommend upgrades for the store's security system
and run checks on the wiring and fire safety equipment.  Another tasking
would be to create an emergency evacuation plan for both the store and
nearby studio complex.  The work easily would last until Vladik's Academy
date in January, but with the condition he had to remain naked during
working hours, no matter what.  Vladik agreed, and simply decided to extend
his public penance until the end of the year.

   As Vladik started walking around the store with a blueprint of the
building's wiring in his hands, he noticed Tiffany Walker cleaning windows
and dusting the windowsills.  Of all the people in the store astounded to
see the disgraced cop out of his uniform, she was by far the most
surprised, given that he so recently had been her arresting officer and had
switched her just three weeks before.  Vladik realized he owed her an
explanation.

   Because he was a contractor being paid by the task instead of a regular
employee, Vladik was free to take breaks when he wanted.  When Tiffany had
her lunch hour, he decided to try to talk to her, in spite of a language
barrier that still was quite formidable.  He spoke a small amount of
English and she spoke a small amount of Danubian.  Between them they had a
dictionary, so with a lot of effort they were able to communicate.  Tiffany
accepted Vladik's invitation for lunch at a nearby cafï¿½, partially
flattered that he was paying attention to her, and partially curious to
find out what had happened to him.

   As they began trying to talk to each other, they stopped referring to
each other as Criminal # 98946 and Officer Dukov.  From now on it would be
Tiffany, (or "Deevonay", as he pronounced it) and Vladik.  They were equals
and, at least for the time-being, co-workers.  The relationship they had as
police officer and criminal no longer had any relevance in their lives,
because Vladik himself now was much closer to being a criminal than to
being a police officer.

   Tiffany listened to Vladik's story about his fiancï¿½e, his partner, and
his forfeited police career.  As first she couldn't understand why Vladik
had to resign, but finally understood when he told her that he and his
partner had been conducting their affair during working hours.  She
realized there was much more than just the detail about the misuse of work
hours, some cultural stuff she couldn't yet understand.  Tiffany's judgment
was much less harsh than even Kim's had been.  She mostly felt sorry for
Vladik, because he seemed like a decent person, even if he was somewhat
flawed.

   Tiffany went home that night to Victor Dukov's house.  She knelt and
greeted him, then got up to join him and his family for dinner.  As Victor
conversed with his wife in Danubian, Tiffany heard Vladik's name mentioned.
In spite of her very limited Danubian vocabulary, Tiffany could tell from
Victor's expressions and gestures that he saw his nephew as a dishonored
fool.

   After dinner Criminal # 98946 thought about her own situation, her mind
functioning more clearly now that she was clean.  Tiffany marveled at her
own recovery.  She had not taken any mind-altering substance for more than
eight weeks.  She also had been celibate the entire time, but did not miss
sex in the least.  Her sexual desires had burned out, at least for the time
being.  Whether or not her sexual drive ever would come back was a question
that still had to be answered.  She presumed, over time, she might be able
to enjoy sex again, assuming it was with the right guy.  The right guyï¿½

   Tiffany's thoughts shifted to the disgraced young cop.  She cringed at
remembering the switching he had given her, but she did not hold that
against Vladik.  He simply had been doing his job, and she had returned to
Upper Danubia knowing she faced physical punishment.  The experience had
been horrible, but Tiffany was quite glad to have endured it because it
removed some of the self-hatred and guilt from her past.  She then thought
about the comment he made immediately before he began punishing her, that
he wanted her to show him courage and honor.  The comment made her aware of
an important detail about Vladik; even though he had to punish her, he
cared about her.

   As Tiffany thought about Vladik, she pondered what the possibilities
might be for a relationship with him, whether it be friendship or perhaps
something more.  She knew his life was in crisis and he could use a friend,
someone not connected with his past and who would not judge him.  She went
to sleep promising herself she would try to get to know him better, and see
what might come out of it.

   The following morning, when he saw her at work, Vladik asked Tiffany to
accompany him on the upcoming Day of the Dead march.  Tiffany happily
agreed, relieved not to have to endure that strange experience alone. 
Vladikï¿½s simple gesture of friendship signaled the end of Tiffanyï¿½s
isolation and the real beginning of her redemption.

   ----------

   The night of the Equinox, the members of Socrates' Mistresses led hymns
in the Plaza of the Ancients.  This was the first year the band would sing
instead of march, its 15 members performing dressed in black robes. 
Several cameramen were filming the concert for footage to later include in
music videos.  Eloisa and her singers outdid themselves presenting the most
mournful music Upper Danubia had ever created as the marchers moved out and
the religious ceremonies began.  The music moved many members of the public
to tears, but there was no applause.  The morose atmosphere of the Day of
the Dead demanded somber behavior from the audience.  They were to listen
respectfully, but not make any noise themselves.

   Vladik and Tiffany marched out together, with torches in their hands and
their bodies covered in white body paint with black highlights.  They
marched in a single-file column with 1,300 other criminals and Temple
penitents.  A second column of the same size headed off in the opposite
direction with the plan to reunite the following morning at the rest camp
at the other end of Danube City.  Tiffany was quite happy to have Vladik
marching in front of her during this bizarre and rather frightening
experience.

   ----------

   The Equinox prayers were very painful for Vladim and Maritza Dukov.  In
contrast with the previous year, the only member of the family present with
them was Anyia.  As she knelt praying, Maritza increasingly became burdened
with guilt over her treatment of Vladik, and saw very clearly she had to
apologize to him.

   Spokesman Vladim Dukov's visions terrified him.  He saw Upper Danubia as
an impoverished, polluted, deforested wasteland, the historical buildings
of Danube City torn down and the city's smoky streets jammed with cars. 
Gangs roamed freely, attacking at random, while desperate pensioners stood
outside the dilapidated Parliament Building clamoring for what little the
government could provide them in food relief.  The plazas and parks were
full of drug addicts and the hospitals full of AIDS patients.  Billboards
and advertising for foreign products cluttered the landscape, but from all
the closed stores and factories it was obvious Upper Danubia no longer was
producing anything, not even food.  As Dukov's mind traveled through his
nightmarish vision of his country, it seemed the only industries doing well
were casinos and sex tourism.

   An even more frightening scene filled the Spokesman's mind, as his
imagination carried him east to the recently deforested mountains.  Dukov
watched as heavy rains washed vast amounts of mud from nearby hills into
the Rika Chorna Reservoir.  Suddenly several huge landslides plunged into
the lake, breaking the dam and sending floodwaters downstream.  The wall of
water annihilated two provincial capitols and many villages before
completely leveling Danube City.  Dukov's last vision was of a Danubian
flag floating in muddy water.  He caught a very quick glimpse of King
Vladik's empty throne, and then came back to the real world.

   Maritza looked over at her husband's terrified, gasping face.

   "Vladim!  Vladim!  What happened?  What did you see!?"

   "Iï¿½I watched our country die, Maritza, the entire country.  I actually
witnessed the last day of the Duchy."

   ----------

   The following day Vladik stayed with Tiffany while she picked up her
winter cape and boots.  Like Kim two years before her, Tiffany was dismayed
when she pulled it out and saw what a ghastly piece of clothing it was.

   "This is shit!  I can't wear this!"

   "No Deevonay, what you say, true.  Criminals no wear cape.  Boot yes,
cape no."

   "Fuck!"

   Tiffany went upstairs to get her criminal number from Kim.  After
kneeling and doing the protocol greeting, Tiffany jumped on the issue of
the cape.  Kim responded.

   "Well, I got through two winters with wearing that thing maybe ten times
altogether.  The truth is they don't want you to use it, it's just for cold
snaps and if you have to be outdoors for more than a few minutes." Kim then
explained the survival strategy for wearing nothing but boots during the
winter, ducking into buildings whenever possible and jogging if it was
necessary to go more than a couple of blocks without having a building to
warm up in.

   Tiffany then went with Vladik to the Temple of the Ancients and watched
as he knelt to address the priest.  Vladik told the priest he wanted to
continue his penance until the end of the year and asked for a pair of
Temple shoes to protect his feet from the increasingly cold pavement of
Danube City's streets.  The priest gave him a pair of black boots with the
Temple emblem.  For Vladik there would be no cape.  Persons performing
penance stayed nude, no matter how cold it was outside.

   ----------

   September became October as Danube City enjoyed the final sunny days
leading up to the fall rains.  During the weeks following the Day of the
Dead ceremony Vladik never missed an opportunity to invite Tiffany out for
lunch.  He found her fascinating, with her tall thin body and strange hair
that contrasted with anything a Danubian woman would wear.  Her personality
fascinated him as well, because she was so completely different from either
his ex-fiancï¿½e or his ex-partner.  Even Tiffany's past, which would have
disqualified her as a partner for most Danubian men, fascinated Vladik. 
Tiffany was as "un-proper" as a woman could possibly be, but Vladik found
himself wanting to spend more and more time with her.

   During October Tiffany became increasingly acclimated to her life in
Danube City, but not because of Kim.  At the beginning Kim had expected to
take time away from her studies and rehearsals to spend with her client,
showing her around and teaching her what she needed to know to function as
a criminal in Danube City.  However, while Kim had lunch in the employee
break-room with Eloisa and the other female vocalists, Tiffany was nowhere
in sight, and neither was Vladik.  When her shift ended, it always was
Vladik, not Kim, who accompanied Tiffany back to Victor Dukov's house. 
Several times Kim and Eloisa watched dumbfounded as Vladik and Tiffany
walked towards the river during their breaks, smiling and bantering with
each other.  Eloisa commented:

   "If those two start going out, they are going to be the weirdest couple
in Danube City."

   Kim thought about Eloisa's comment, but did not agree.  There was
nothing odd about the coincidence that Vladik and Tiffany were rebuilding
their lives at the same time and thus would be attracted to each other. 
They both were in disgrace, they both were burdened with guilt from their
pasts, and they both were starting from nothing.

   ----------

   The first Saturday in October Tiffany and Vladik went to the Socrates
Club for the first time.  Tiffany actually liked the club, but her
companion was a bit nervous upon seeing several criminals he had punished
while still a police officer.  Finally he calmed down and focused on his
own situation instead of worrying about what the others thought about him.

   As he sat with Tiffany, the emotion of the past three weeks built up in
Vladik Dukov's heart.  A month before he never could have imagined he would
be sitting at a table at the famous criminal's club, as naked as any
criminal and struggling with his growing feelings towards a dishonored
woman who was a recovering drug addict and former prostitute.  Then the
words of Kimberly Lee came back to himï¿½ "Maybe what you need is a woman
with flaws and problems, someone you can love for who she is and how she
feels about you, not for what she is."

   With that thought on his mind, Vladik invited Tiffany to dance.  Vladik
had no real plans, other than to enjoy Tiffany's company.  For the first
time in his life he did not have to worry about protocol, furthering his
career, acting "properly", or trying to impress anyone.  He simply could
enjoy Tiffany for what she was to him, a friend and a companion.

   Tiffany was both very excited and very nervous as she felt Vladik's body
brushing against hers.  She had such a degraded view of herself that she
found it hard to believe that she had anything to offer someone like
Vladik. However, like her partner, he could give her something that she
desperately needed from him, companionship and a friend who seemed not
eager to judge her.  At the same time she felt flattered that a man who
just a month ago was so much above her socially now was accessible and
treating her like he would treat any other woman.  For the first time in
several years Tiffany faced the hope of having a "normal" relationship.  It
was for sure that Vladik was nothing like Ray, nor was he like any of her
former customers.

   The ex-cop and the ex-stripper left the club after dancing, since there
was no point in staying once the music stopped.  Tiffany's understanding of
Danubian was not nearly at the proficiency necessary to follow the speeches
from her fellow-criminals.  The issue of going to an "intimacy room" never
came up that night, because neither was quite ready to make that emotional
leap in their relationship.  However, by the time they finished their last
dance it was obvious both of them were moving in that direction.  They went
home by trolley, standing up according to the rule regarding the use of
public transportation by criminals.  Vladik kissed Tiffany goodnight, each
of them enjoying the feel of the other's bare body as they hugged on Victor
Dukov's front porch.

   When she went upstairs into her room, Tiffany studied her bare figure in
the mirror.  She was surprised by how good she looked, her body fully
recovered from the past two years of abuse.  The only signs remaining from
her drug habit were the faint remains of needle-track scars in her arms and
a cut on her forehead she received from a drug dealer who had
double-crossed her and knocked her unconscious.  She struck several poses,
and then turned her back to the mirror to study her bottom.  Tiffany always
had been proud of her backside, which now looked pretty good now that it
had filled out a bit and the welts from her punishment were completely
healed.  Maybe she had something to offer him after all.

   Tiffany still faced a difficult life, largely because of her ongoing
cravings, which popped up unexpectedly.  She had a bad one just the past
week, to the point she actually looked around Danube City to see if she
could find someone selling.  However, true to Kim's word, it seemed drugs
were completely unavailable within the Danube City collar zone.  The only
legal items were beer, wine, and cigarettes.  The only alcohol sold to
criminals was the weak and very filling beer served at the Socrates Club.
The law prohibited wine and cigarettes from being sold to collared
criminals.

   Tiffany realized she now had a much more important reason to stay clean
than the simple unavailability of drugs.  She had hope of a relationship
with Vladik.  He was a very flawed person, of course.  He wouldn't have
lost his job as a police officer had his faults not caught up with him. 
However, he also was a courteous and resilient man, already thinking more
about his future in the Danubian Army than his past in the Danubian
National Police.  Vladik Dukov gave Tiffany Walker a purpose in life,
something much more than simply wanting to stay alive for the sake of
staying alive.



   Chapter 28 ï¿½ Candidate Vladim Dukov

   By the beginning of October, Upper Danubia had reached an important
crossroads in its history.  The "Progressives", now aided by corporate
campaign donors and foreign professional political advisors, were well
organized and campaigning aggressively.  Their advisors had developed a
slick advertising campaign against the Party of the Duchy in particular and
against traditional Danubian values in general.  Their candidate was a
charismatic banking executive from Rika Chorna.  He had a flamboyant
personality and shady past, but was a gifted speaker and accustomed to
appearing on television.

   The opposition candidate mobilized the anger of the eastern part of the
country into a populist movement of uneducated voters to oust the country's
old leaders once and for all.  It looked like Upper Danubia was about to be
thrust, completely and fully, into a global economy of which its people
understood nothing.  The capitol's intellectuals saw disaster looming in
the frantic rush for change, but were unsure what to do about it.

   The first priority for the conservatives was to choose a viable
candidate for Prime Minister, someone respected and not associated with the
recently defeated government.  Finally, in a closed meeting of top
conservative leaders, the Chief Justice of the Supreme Court suggested an
unlikely candidate, a complete political outsider he had confronted many
times in court when he was still a prosecutor.  Most of the others
reluctantly agreed.  It was a choice being made out of desperation.

   ----------

   Two weeks after the Equinox, as Kim and Tatiana were reading over their
first major college assignments for the year, a group of old-guard Danubian
political leaders entered the office.  The two Apprentices were a bit
awestruck, since the visitors included the country's ex-Prime Minister,
several current Cabinet Ministers, and even the country's Grand Duke, who
was a direct descendent of King Vladik the Defender.

   The men formed an archaic and pompous group, but they greeted Dukov
fully understanding the future of their country was at stake.  The group
also had enough common sense to realize their time had passed.  They no
longer were in any position to lead the Danubian people, which was why they
had come to the Spokesman's office.

   Dukov came out into the waiting area, a bit taken aback by the presence
of men to whom he owed allegiance as a public official.  He realized that
was about to change when the group saluted him.  Dukov invited his
unexpected guests into the back office, while Kim and the two secretaries
scrambled to find enough chairs, make tea, and gather up whatever
refreshments they could find from other offices.  They quickly entered the
back room, distributed seating, teacups, and plates of sweet rolls.  The
three assistants then saluted and backed out.  Kim glanced at Vladim Dukov,
sitting at his desk.  He looked very nervous.

   Kim returned to her reading, although she hardly could concentrate,
knowing something very important was happening on the other side of that
closed door just a couple of meters away.  After two hours the dignitaries
came back out, as the three women stood to salute them yet again.  Kim
noticed the visitors seemed to leave in a much better mood than they had
been when they went in.

   As soon as the political leaders left, the three women rushed into
Dukov's back office.  He was standing behind his desk, pale and with a
stunned look on his face.  After a moment he seemed to partially collect
his thoughts.

   "I need to meet with this city's other Spokespersons," he began quietly
in Danubian.  "We will reassign most of my clients, exceptï¿½well,
threeï¿½three who I think Iï¿½absolutely need to keep.  Iï¿½I need to have
you train under someone else, maybe Spokesman Havlaktï¿½becauseï¿½I amï¿½I
will not be available.  Andï¿½Tatianaï¿½and Kimberly, I am leaving this
office to you."

   Dukov turned to his secretaries.

   "You need to help me transfer the files.  The path of my lifeï¿½is not
to be a Spokesman anymore."

   Kim and her companions assumed the worst, that perhaps Dukov had been
fired for his political activities.  "Spokesmanï¿½what happened?  Are you
in trouble?"

   "Trouble?  Yes, in a manner of speaking.  I am in deep trouble, because
the tranquility of my life has just ended.  I have been called upon to
change my path, and I must serve."

   For the first time during the time she had known him, Kim saw Dukov a
bit disoriented.  He stared straight ahead as he spoke.

   "Kimberly, I believe you have an expression in your country: 'no favor
goes unpunished' or something similar to that, is that not so?"

   "It's 'no good deed goes unpunished', Spokesman Dukov."

   "Yes, yes.  'No good deed goes unpunished.' That is indeed the
expression you have." Dukov took a very deep breath and continued.  "I am
not a politician.  I never wanted to be a politician.  Butï¿½now, because
of what I wrote earlier this year, and that speech I gave last
month...Iï¿½have becomeï¿½a politician.  The ex-Prime Minister and the
Grand Duke...they want me to lead the Party of the Duchyï¿½in the upcoming
election.  If theyï¿½I mean weï¿½win, I would become this country's next
Prime Minister."

   "Spokesman Dukov, that's great!  Congratulations!"

   Dukov angrily shook his head.  "This is not something I want to do,
Kimberly!  At first I refused.  I have never been a member of the Party of
the Duchy.  I do not support much of what they have promoted.  In fact, I
supported the 'Progressives' until all those foreign advisors took over and
poisoned their souls.  I want reform, but not reform as the foreigners
define it.  We need to make our own path for reform, not walk in one laid
out by foreign money."

   Dukov seemed to recover from the shock of the sudden upheaval of his
life.  His mind began focusing on his new task, to become a Spokesman for
the Danubian nation.

   "I do not like the 'Nobility'.  I never liked them and I let them know
it.  I warned those leaders I would demand changes in their party's
policies if they insist on running me as their candidate.  The
conservatives do not really like me either, but they seem to think I am the
only public figure from Danube City with enough respect in the east to win
the next election.  For once they seem more concerned about the Duchy's
future than about themselves.  They conceded to my wishes on the policy
matters, which gave me no choice other than to accept the candidacy.  I now
am obligated to win an electionï¿½as the candidate for the conservatives."

   Dukov's mood seemed to shift, as he looked out his window at the distant
mountains that rose above the housetops of Danube City.  Those same
mountains separated the capitol from the Duchy's interior and divided the
country in more ways than one.  The Spokesman's voice sounded much more
distant to his three assistants as he concluded:

   "There is much anger in the east, and right now it is a very destructive
anger.  The government never really understood the rage that arose from all
those burnt villages is quite justified, not until it was too late.  By
ignoring what happened in the east last year the Prime Minister forfeited
his right to govern.  That is what I told him, and he actually accepted my
rebuke.  However, the message I must convey to the eastern provinces is
that destroying ourselves as a nation is not the way to address that anger.
We must not abolish who we are just because of a fire and some foreign
money.  I will speak for both past and the future of our country, and I can
only hope enough of our people will listen."

   With that Spokesman Vladim Dukov began the complicated task of ending
his career.  Within an hour he was giving an impromptu speech to the city's
other Spokespersons and seeking their approval to leave his position. 
Following the official blessing by Dukov's peers, the staff from the 20
offices spent a very long night dividing up his caseload and transporting
files.

   The following morning Spokesman Vladim Dukov officially turned in his
resignation, as did his two secretaries.  They would follow him to his new
position and cast their fortunes with his.  Shortly afterwards he appeared
on television in the National Parliament as the official leading candidate
for the Party of the Duchy.  He lost no time making everyone realize he
planned to take both the party and Upper Danubia in a totally new direction
and in detail laid out policy changes he planned to pursue if elected.

   ----------

   Spokesman Vladim Dukov proved to be a formidable candidate and a huge
asset to the faltering Party of the Duchy during the days following his
appointment.  His years in court made him a good public speaker and skilled
debater.  He had a dignified, subdued presence that contrasted with his
flamboyant opponent.  At first the opposition's foreign advisors scoffed at
facing a public defense attorney as their main opponent.  However, within a
week they began to view Dukov's candidacy with some concern, because it
turned out he was indeed the one public figure with enough credibility to
possibly win an election for the "Nobility".

   The campaign quickly got ugly.  Dukov found himself being attacked for
not only his political beliefs, but also for his personal life.  The public
learned he had been a convicted criminal for five years, and learned why.
It turned out he and his wife had been members of a radical group of
dissident students 30 years before.  Oh, yes, "Vladim the Subversive" may
look serious and quiet, but secretly he has extremely anti-democratic and
anti-free market ideas.  The past doesn't lie.

   Dukov countered by explaining, in detail, the student group, his role in
it, the conditions of his sentence, and how his personal and political
beliefs had evolved since he was sentenced.  Instead of trying to avoid the
issue, he agreed the question was a reasonable one, and tried to address it
as honestly as he could.  The attack against his past backfired to some
extent, because in answering the questions about his early political
activities Dukov had the opportunity to explain why he believed what he
believed and how his ideas had formed over time.

   ----------

   The election brought out a serious division in Danubian society.  The
division between the two parties was not just geographical and ideological,
but also professional.  The ex-Spokesman's team consisted mostly of legal
experts, a retired police commander, two provincial governors, and several
judges, while the "Progressives" top group mostly consisted of economists,
stockbrokers, and bankers.  As for Danube City's businesses, the owners
were evenly divided between the "Nobility" and the "Progressives".  Older,
more established businesses and trade unions mostly supported Dukov, but
younger business owners, entrepreneurs, and importers mostly supported the
opposition.

   The owner of the Socrates Club and the owners of several music stores
pledged their support to Dukov.  They genuinely believed that Dukov was the
best candidate, but also had a personal interest in seeing the "Nobility"
win the election.  If the Greater Danubian Progressive Party won and
proceeded with its plan to build prisons, the decades-old Socrates Club
would be put out of business, with all of its clients locked up.  Dukov
enjoyed additional support from the music storeowners largely for the same
reason.  With criminals in confinement, the tradition of Danubian musical
groups would disappear, and with it, the entire independent Danubian music
scene.

   Immediately after ex-Spokesman Vladim Dukov announced his candidacy as
the leader of the Party of the Duchy, Sergekt called Dima and Eloisa to
discuss what role, if any "Socrates' Mistresses" might have in the upcoming
election.  The couple adamantly wanted to provide whatever assistance to
Dukov's candidacy possible.  They met with the band's other 13 members that
evening to make sure no one had any objections to participating in Dukov's
campaign.  The meeting was mostly formality, because the band members were
personally indebted to Dukov from the time they had been criminals.  All of
them enthusiastically supported the suggestion the band support Dukov's
candidacy.

   Eloisa, Dima and Sergekt went to Dukov's campaign office to meet with
him.  They walked though a barrage of reporters and conservative
dignitaries, then saluted as they greeted him.  Dukov greeted the band's
two leaders with enthusiasm.  He made no effort to conceal his gratitude.
His candidacy needed any help it could get, and the support of Upper
Danubia's most popular band was a tremendous asset to his campaign.  The
support of "Socrates' Mistresses" offset some of the publicity the
"Progressives" were receiving from their foreign donors.  Sergekt promised
performances in four different provincial capitols and a final one in the
capitol.

   ----------

   Dukovï¿½s candidacy changed Kimï¿½s personal plans, the most important
of which was the date she and Sergekt planned to get married.  At first Kim
wondered how she could salvage her wedding plans now that Upper Danubiaï¿½s
political situation had so completely intruded into her life.  It was
obvious Dukov would not be able to take time out from his campaign to
attend her wedding, but to Kim it was extremely important that he and his
family participate.  Finally she accepted the obvious, there was no way she
could get married in October and have the wedding she wanted.  Marrying
Sergekt would have to wait.  Kim brought up the problem to her fiancï¿½e,
who sadly agreed.  They could not get married until after the election.

   Kim called Cindy to ask her to postpone her familyï¿½s trip.  Cindy
changed the reservations their parents, but decided to keep her own
reservation.  She was working on her M.A in political science, and decided
to be present for Upper Danubiaï¿½s election.  She commented to Kim. 
ï¿½You guys are going up against American political advisors.  Some of
those consultants are people Iï¿½ve actually heard of.  Let me come out and
see if I can do anything to help Dukovï¿½s campaign.ï¿½ Kim agreed, and a
couple of days later picked up Cindy at the airport.

   Cindy brought with her a suitcase of political science journal articles
and campaign guidebooks to prepare some briefings for Dukov.  She spent
hours in the former Spokesmanï¿½s vacant office watching the oppositionï¿½s
campaign ads and having Kim translate them for her.  As Kim watched her
sister pore over her research material and prepare PowerPoint
presentations, she realized what Cindy wanted to accomplish.  Her ambitions
went way beyond simply collecting research material for her Masterï¿½s
thesis.  Kimï¿½s sister wanted to take part in altering the course of
history.

   Finally, on October 18, Kimï¿½s birthday and the date she had hoped to
get married, she instead sat with her sister in a room with Dukov and other
Party of the Duchy dignitaries.  Cindy gave her first presentation,
speaking with confidence about campaign strategies while Kim translated. 
Dukov listened attentively to the young woman, who for free, was giving him
the political advice he needed to counter his well-funded opposition.

   ----------

   The week after Cindy gave her first briefing, ï¿½Socrates Mistressesï¿½
accompanied Vladim Dukov to Rika Chorna and gave a concert during a party
rally.  The presence of Upper Danubiaï¿½s most popular band helped
Dukovï¿½s cause in that city tremendously.  However, when the band got back
to the Danubian capitol, there was trouble waiting for them.  A group of
attorneys from the bandï¿½s record label had traveled to Danube City and
demanded to speak alone with Kim.  At first the owner of her music store,
Spokesman Havlakt, and Dima wanted to accompany her.  She decided no,
Iï¿½ll see them myself and find out what they want.

   Kim sat in a conference room full of rather sinister-looking older
professionals.  This group was a bit of a shock to her, given that she had
always been treated well, and in a friendly manner, by the representatives
of her firm.  The lawyers quickly made it clear why they were in Danube
City.  They explained to Kim that by supporting Dukov ï¿½Socrates
Mistressesï¿½ had embarrassed the company.  There were very important
business interests depending on a victory by the Greater Danubian
Progressive Party.  ï¿½We thought you had things figured out, Miss Lee. 
Our associates are advising the ï¿½Progressivesï¿½ and paying for their
campaign.  We have the Embassy involved.  And here you and your little
criminal friends go off and sing for that group of has-beens.  What are you
trying to do to us?ï¿½

   Kim sat in shock as the lawyers made it very clear that under no
circumstances were the members of ï¿½Socrates Mistressesï¿½ to offer any
further support to Vladim Dukov.  They insinuated that Kim would end up in
serious legal trouble in the US were she not to adhere to their advice, and
the group would lose its contract.

   Kim walked out of the meeting in shock, while the lawyers were confident
they had made their point and there would be no further trouble from
ï¿½Socratesï¿½ Mistressesï¿½.  Alone, Kim left the hotel and walked past
the old city wall.  She continued through the quiet streets of the capitol
to the Plaza of the Ancients, her mind in turmoil over how to react to this
sudden sinister turn of events.  Then, by pure chance, she ran across Dima,
who was visiting some former co-workers at his old restaurant.  As Dima
joined her, Kim wondered if it really was chance, or fate, that had led her
to Eloisaï¿½s long-suffering fiancï¿½e.  She told him about the meeting,
and about the threat to the groupï¿½s contract.  His response somewhat
surprised her.  There was no hesitation whatsoever in his voice.

   ï¿½Kimberly, you should understand that the path of our lives is to
sacrifice to safeguard our honor, our friendships, and our nation.  We will
stand with Spokesman Dukov and we will suffer the consequences, just like
we stood by Eloisa and suffered the consequences.  What I believe is the
path of our lives is to be Danubian, not a bunch of rich singers.ï¿½

   ï¿½Butï¿½just like that?  You really donï¿½t care aboutï¿½the band?ï¿½

   ï¿½I care about the band.  But without our honor, our music means
nothing.  I never believed it was the path of our lives to be rich.  I
never felt good about that, all those foreign concerts and all that money.
Now the money is going away, and Iï¿½m glad about it, because there wonï¿½t
be anything left except the music and our honor.  You can ask any of the
others, if you think Iï¿½m not speaking for them.  What happened at your
meeting doesnï¿½t matter to me at all.  Tomorrow weï¿½re going back east
and weï¿½re singing, no matter what the record label says.ï¿½

   Kim nodded.  Dima had told her, deep down, what she really wanted to
hear.  Finally she responded ï¿½ï¿½then Iï¿½m one of youï¿½Iï¿½m Danubian,
and Iï¿½ll sing for Spokesman Dukov.ï¿½

   The next day Kim was supposed to have a follow-up meeting with her
record labelï¿½s attorneys.  She missed that meeting to travel to the other
end of Upper Danubia to sing at a campaign rally for the Party of the
Duchy. She dedicated the final song of the concert, the English rendition
of ï¿½The Wall that Divides my Soulï¿½, to the corporate lawyers by name.
That night the infuriated legal team left Danube City to return to New
York.

   ----------

   The recording company responded to the groupï¿½s arrogance by filing
several lawsuits against the members of the band, and against Kim in
particular.  When the corporate lawyers called her to announce the pending
suit, Kim's answer stunned them: "Well, you can sue me all you want, but if
you do, you'd better hope your candidates win.  If Spokesman Dukov wins,
you won't collect shit from me."

   The company announced the distribution of the group's music would stop
immediately.  Overnight CD's from "Socrates' Mistresses" vanished from
music stores worldwide.  Radio stations stopped playing the popular music
to the ire of the group's many fans.  Even DVD's from the Gaul movie were
pulled from distribution.

   The day after the lawsuits were announced and their group's music was
pulled from the shelves, Kim and Eloisa gave the first out of a series of
press conferences to explain the group's position and why they felt helping
Vladim Dukov's campaign by touring for him was so important.  During the
conferences Eloisa and Kim showed themselves as stubborn and determined
young women, loyal to ideas and principles much more important to them than
their careers or contracts.  The press conferences made the group's
die-hard fans support them even more, because now they had rebelled against
the international music establishment.  The music from "Socrates'
Mistresses" suddenly became subversive and underground due to the group's
ostracism from the mainstream music industry, and very much in demand.

   The entire conflict between "Socrates' Mistresses" and the recording
company made the group's outlook in life much more nationalistic.  As they
toured the eastern provinces, the singers performed their most traditional
songs, along with a new song that was a tribute to King Vladik the
Defender. The group also, at the insistence of Kim, always performed "The
Wall that Divides My Soul." That song had special meaning for Kim, now that
she had been hit with several lawsuits.  For her there could be no going
back to the U.S., possibly for the rest of her life.  The audiences were
well aware of the huge sacrifice the band's members were making to support
their candidate, which made many of them re-consider their opposition to
Vladim Dukov.

   ----------

   While the ex-Spokesman was out of the house campaigning in the eastern
provinces, Kim noticed huge changes in the lives of Maritza, Vladik, and
Anyia.  All three members of the household struggled to redefine their
relationships with each other and how they viewed themselves as
individuals. Anyia and Vladik seemed to exchange personalities, while
Maritza came to terms with Vladik's faults and Anyia's sudden push for
maturity.

   Over the fall Anyia's social life changed completely.  She dropped her
friendships with her old group of rebellious friends to associate more with
the sons and daughters of other politicians.  She dumped her soccer
hooligan boyfriend and began dressing and acting much more seriously. 
Dukov's daughter did not become any nicer, but her rebelliousness evolved
into a hardened support of her father in both her school and among her
friends.  She studied and struggled to understand the issues her father was
confronting during the campaign.  Whenever she was not in school, Anyia
wanted to accompany Dukov while he was campaigning.  She became a fixture
of his campaign appearances, always at his side, or with his two
secretaries, or flirting with the teenaged sons of his new political
associates.

   Vladik always had been the serious son of the family.  He no longer
wanted to perform that role.  He used his penance as a justification to
excuse himself from his father's political life and to live quietly. 
During the fall Vladik paid only passing attention to his father's
struggles on the campaign trail.  Vladik's focus now was on trying to
determine who he was as a person and what he really wanted from his life.
He was determined to do the one thing he had never done before, live
quietly, live for the moment, and try to find peace with himself.  He
stopped worrying about the future or what anyone thought about him.

   Maritza struggled with the changes in her son and daughter.  Maritza's
entire world was shifting under her.  Vladik seemed to have lost his
direction in life and any personal ambition.  Anyia was trying to act like
she was 30 years old, even though she still was in high school.  The only
person in the household who seemed to have any reasonable sense of
direction was Kim, with her upcoming marriage, her singing, and her
studies.

   ----------

   The ex-Spokesman's candidacy took a much more patriotic approach than he
originally had planned as his campaign progressed.  He emphasized the need
for the Danubian nation to do things the Danubian way.  He laid out a
recovery plan for the east and an over-all program of incremental upgrades
to the nation's water supply and hydroelectric power generators.  There
would be a rational forest management plan and upgrades to schools and
public buildings.  There would be educational reform and a huge push for
AIDS and drug-awareness education.  There would be some road improvements,
but no major construction of new roads, because under his administration
the prohibition against private cars would remain in place.  He argued
passionately to keep Upper Danubia's justice system intact and rejected the
idea of building prisons.  Dukov also emphasized changes in his countryï¿½s
foreign policy.  He would re-negotiate Upper Danubiaï¿½s entry into the
European Union and several other international organizations, feeling the
current pending arrangements were giving too much away.

   Dukov campaigned desperately, because he was very aware of what would
happen to his country if his party did not win.  He now had a personal
reason to win as well.  The members of "Socrates' Mistresses" faced
financial ruin if he lost, because there was no question they would be sued
in Danubian courts.  If he won, he would have the power of his government
to protect them; if he lost there would be very little he could do for
them. He was angry about the threats made against his supporters, and that
personal anger drove him as he gave his speeches in city after city.

   While Dukov waged his campaign in the streets and city plazas, his
opposition waged their campaign on television.  Campaign ads attacked Dukov
as being naive and his party as a relic of the past.  The real future lay
with complete integration into the world economy.  There were dire threats
about what would happen under a Dukov government, with foreign companies
and international trade groups retaliating against the country should he
win.  Upper Danubia was on the verge of being a failed nation, according to
the TV ads, making the immediate and complete opening of the country's
economy imperative.  The two parties were offering two very different
visions of Upper Danubia's future.

   ----------

   Vladik's fascination with Tiffany only increased as he quietly pursued
his duties at the Danube City music studio complex.  He became apprehensive
about where the friendship might lead, because increasingly he wanted her.
He actually felt a need to be with her, the need to be with Criminal #
98946, of all people.

   Vladik struggled to accept Tiffany's past and her ongoing recovery from
her recent drug addictions.  He debated with himself the wisdom of pursuing
a relationship with the American criminal.  Here he was, recently engaged
to a beautiful woman from one of the country's most affluent families.  Did
he want her?  No.  The woman he wanted was his rough, passionate, scrawny
police partner.  He had lost her, and now he had taken a step further down
in his desires, wanting an American who was a convicted criminal, a drug
addict, and an ex-prostitute.  And yet, Vladik felt at peace when he was
with Tiffany, more so than he had felt with any other woman he had known.
If Kim was right about Vladik needing a woman in his life with flaws and
problems, certainly Tiffany filled that need.  None of it made any sense.

   As for Tiffany, her relationship with Vladik began to restore her old
self-confidence.  They were together constantly, both at work and at the
Socrates Club.  Over time how Tiffany viewed herself began to change as she
could imagine herself as more than a drug addict and stripper.  As the fall
progressed time began separating Tiffany from her life at Dirty Grampyï¿½s.
Her day to day life at the music store and her other responsibilities in
Upper Danubia slowly crowded out the most recent memories of her life in
the US.

   Tiffany was aware that Vladik wanted her.  Finally, after more than a
month of going out with him, she felt she had recovered enough from her
past that she might be able to have sex with him and actually enjoy it. 
She decided the moment had come one night in the Socrates Club as she was
dancing with him.  She danced close, enjoying the feel of his bare body
against her own.  As his penis brushed up against her bare thighs, it was
becoming evident Vladik was becoming aroused.  For the first time in many
months the American felt the hints of sexual desire herself.  Finally, in
heavily accented Danubian she asked:

   "Tebe hochesh mene?"

   "Dak, Deevonay.  Ya tebe hochu."

   With that the couple went upstairs.  Vladik found an empty "intimacy
room" and slipped inside with Tiffany.  For the first time Tiffany kissed
Vladik passionately, putting her arms around him and hugging him tightly.
Vladik's hands explored Tiffany's body, his hands traveling down her back
to her bottom.  Vladik relished the feel of Tiffany's bottom cheeks in his
hands, and then brushed his fingers up the middle.  He pressed up against
her and enjoyed the feel of her breasts against his chest.

   Tiffany became increasingly aroused.  She knew all the tricks to arouse
a man.  With her clients Tiffany's job was to get them aroused quickly,
finish the job, make the guy at least reasonably satisfied, and then get
back across the street to Dirty Grampy's as fast as possible.  Tonight she
had to clear her mind of all that and let things come naturally.  Her duty
to Vladik was not to arouse him, but instead to allow herself to become
aroused, so she could have sex with him normally.

   Tiffany lay on her stomach to allow Vladik to explore her bottom. 
Tiffany always considered her bottom the sexist part of her body and
enjoyed having it touched and caressed.  Vladik spent a long time with his
fingertips and lips pressed to the same bottom he had so cruelly marked up
just a few weeks before as a police officer.  The thought of that contrast,
the cruel welts from two months ago and the soft unmarked tanned skin under
his face now, totally excited him.

   Vladik slowly worked his way up her back with his caresses and kisses.
He pushed her hair aside to concentrate on kissing her neck.  She flipped
over on her back, to exchange yet more kisses and allow him to explore her
breasts.  Yes, to not have to do anything, just lie back and enjoyï¿½she
had not had the chance to do that for a long time.

   Vladik entered her and began thrusting in his usual vigorous manner.  It
seemed just the right mix of pain and pleasure that Tiffany needed.  She
had her first orgasm in many months as she gasped and gritted her teeth. 
Tiffany realized that with Vladik sex could return to its proper role in
her life, not as a business transaction but as a part of a relationship to
be enjoyed.