Chapter 15: Mike and Elizaveta's Excellent Adventure, Part VIII

June 17, 1985, Valencia, Spain

"Mike!" Milena called out, waving, as if it would have been possible to miss a gorgeous blonde in the station with mostly southern Europeans disembarking from the train or waiting for passengers.

We walked over to where she and Joel were waiting, and I exchanged a hug with her and shook Joel's hand.

"How was the trip?" she asked after greeting everyone else.

"No trouble other than the slight delay with passport control at Port Bou."

Which hadn't been too bad, really, though the Dutch entry and exit stamps had attracted attention, and our bags had been searched. We'd also taken the opportunity to exchange dollars or traveler's checks for pesetas at the eye-popping rate of about 170 to 1. The idea of a base unit of currency being about half of a US cent just seemed strange. Abby had pointed out that the Italian lira exchange rate was ten times the rate we'd received converting dollars to pesetas.

"Well," Milena said, "if the news is right, internal European border controls may go away in the not-too-distant future."

"I kind of like getting my passport stamped," I replied. "So far, the Netherlands, Belgium, France, and Spain!"

"Let's get going. We borrowed a station wagon from a friend so we could fit all six of you and your backpacks."

I chuckled, "And you're putting it to its named use!"

"Joel is driving that car with your backpacks and four of you; the other two can come with me in the old Volvo Mom keeps here."

"Mike," Clarissa said, "you and Lizochka can ride with Milena."

"Thanks, Lissa."

We left the station and walked to the cars where we loaded all six backpacks into the back of the relatively new Volvo station wagon, and then Elizaveta and I followed Milena to a ten-year-old Volvo 242. I laughed when she tossed me the keys and got into the back seat, directing Elizaveta to the front seat.

"I don't have a Spanish driving license," I said.

"Nobody will care," she replied. "Just follow Joel."

I buckled in, started the engine, and put the car into first gear, following Joel away from the station. Our drive to the house on Carrer d'Isabel de Villena took about twenty minutes. Milena directed me to a parking spot, and Joel pulled up next to the walk. After I parked, we got out of the car, retrieved our backpacks, and Joel left to return the station wagon.

"How far does he have to go?" I asked.

"Not far," Milena replied. "It's less than a ten-minute walk."

"You weren't kidding when you said across the road!" Pete declared, looking across a traffic circle to the beach and then out into the Mediterranean, or technically, the Balearic Sea.

"Did you guys make your plans for the next few days?" Milena asked.

"Sandy declared she's not walking anywhere tomorrow," I chuckled. "So I figured we'd just relax, hit the beach, and then visit Madrid on Wednesday and Thursday."

"Round trips are about two hours in each direction," Milena said. "And that's if the trains run on time, which they do about half the time."

"Maybe Spain should have stayed fascist!" Sandy observed.

"It's a myth that the trains ran on time in Fascist Italy," Milena replied. "If you're going to go twice, it makes sense to stay one night in a hostel. I can call for you tomorrow, if you want."

"Could we do it in just one day?" Clarissa asked. "I like the idea of chilling here."

"Well," Milena said, "If you limit it to the high points, like Puerta del Sol, Plaza de Cibeles, and the Chocolatería San Ginés for churros, the Basílica de San Francisco El Grande, and maybe the Teleférico cable car, yes, but you'd need to skip the Prado Museum. We'd have to be on a train by 6:00am and take a train back around 10:00pm."

"You're going along?" I asked.

"Sure!" she said. "I like to sightsee as much as the next person, and I haven't been to Madrid for five years or so. We don't need to wait here for Joel; let's go into the house and get you settled in the guest rooms."

She led us into the house, and through a nicely decorated living room, and to the back of the house, where the three small guest rooms were located. Each one had a double bed, a dresser, and a closet. The main benefit for all three couples was the privacy they'd provide. Milena showed us the shared bathroom, and then each couple picked a room and dropped their backpacks.

"Mom and Derek are out," Milena said. "They'll be home around 1:00am if you're still up. Let's go sit by the pool and have some sangría. Mike, I have fruit punch or grape juice for you."

"I'm drinking on this trip," I replied. "It's my last fling in SO many ways!"

Milena laughed, "That's YOUR fault! Nobody made you accept your bishop's request to ordain you!"

"I was referring to drinking, which is a doctor thing! And I'm married to a very sexy sixteen-year-old, so I am NOT going to complain!"

Milena laughed again, "Because your life depends on it!"

"True," I chuckled, earning a 'look' from Elizaveta, which took on a whole new character now that she had her new toy.

Milena led us out the back of the house to where the pool was, then went back inside to get the sangría. She returned a moment later with a tray and eight glasses. She poured seven of them, and just as she finished, Joel arrived, so she poured the eighth as well.

"Joel, would you get the fruit, bread, and cheese, please?"

"Of course!" he replied and headed back into the house.

"Did you hear they released about half the remaining hostages from that TWA flight?" Milena asked.

"No," I replied. "That's good. Where are they?"

"Beirut. Nobody's sure what's going on with the remaining hostages, though."

I shook my head, "Crazy. Has anyone died?"

"The terrorists murdered a US Navy sailor, but fortunately, he's the only one."

"Lord have mercy!" I exclaimed. "Hopefully, the others will be safe."

Joel returned with a large platter of fruit, bread, and cheese as a late-evening snack.

"What's your recipe?" Abby asked after sampling her sangría.

"Rioja wine with pineapple, peaches, strawberries, and melon. I use grapefruit juice instead of orange juice, and then add sugar."

"It's really good," Abby observed.

"So, about Wednesday," I said, "I'm OK with one day and skipping the museum."

"For sure!" Sandy declared. "We're going to be walking all over Rome and Athens."

"I think that's a good plan," Clarissa added.

"We do have to discuss what we want to do after Rome," I replied. "Elizaveta wants to spend a day in Venice, and I like that idea. A canal boat tour would be awesome, and we can take a night train from there to Athens."

"I think we're going to end up skipping London," Pete said. "Well, unless we only spend one day in Copenhagen, basically to catch the overnight ferry."

"I'm OK with that," I replied. "Or we can cut time in Munich, so long as we have time to go to Dachau."

"Actually, we should make a list of highlights we want to see from the guidebook, then decide how long to spend in each city," Abby suggested.

"Sounds like a plan for the train ride to Rome," Pete said. "It's a long one!"

"That's what she said!" Milena smirked. "Or, as we're in Europe, 'said the actress to the bishop'!"

Everyone laughed.

"Or Elizaveta to Mike," Elizaveta smirked.

Everyone else roared with laughter, though I was too shocked to make a sound. I could only hope that neither Milena nor Sandy said anything that might give away that they knew the size of the member in question.

"We are NOT going to have the guys drop trou and whip them out for a measuring contest!" Abby declared.

"You're just no fun!" Milena laughed.

"I can't believe you said that, Lizochka!" Clarissa exclaimed, wiping away a tear from her eye.

"I can't believe I said it, either!" Elizaveta declared. "It just kind of slipped out!"

"THAT'S WHAT SHE SAID!" Milena, Joel, Sandy, and Pete all exclaimed simultaneously.

"Oops!" Elizaveta giggled. "That didn't ... never mind!"

"I'm pretty sure the vast majority of sentences you can say in English can be twisted into some kind of double meaning!" Milena said, trying to control her laughter. "But, I think your plan has a flaw."

"Oh?" I asked.

"You should go to Geneva first. If you look carefully at your map, Geneva is very close to Lyon and very far from Vienna."

"What about our reservations?" Sandy asked.

"We can make calls tomorrow and find out if we can adjust them," Milena said. "You already planned some other changes, right?"

"Yes. Athens would be the real concern, if I remember what the travel agent who made all the calls to set it up said. But I'm game to try if everyone else is."

"Sure," Abby said. "I'm surprised the travel agent didn't suggest that."

I shrugged, "I just gave him a list of cities and dates. Let's see what we can do."

Sandy downed the last of her glass of sangría and said she was ready for bed, so she and Pete said 'good night' and headed into the house. Abby and Clarissa went to bed a few minutes later, leaving Joel, Milena, Elizaveta, and me on the patio by the pool.

"Mike, I didn't get a chance to ask you, but what's the status of Code Blue?" Milena asked.

"We're going to get together in August and see where we are. Elizaveta strongly encouraged me to continue, so I'll give it a shot."

"Cool! If you need any help, just let me know. Any idea where you'll play your first gig?"

"I can bet you any sum of currency you wish that your mom is going to ask us to play for Freshman orientation!"

Milena laughed softly, "No bet! She said she was going to ask you, and if Code Blue wasn't ready for a full concert, if you'd do a return gig with José and me. And Elizaveta for your song, of course."

"I'll consider it," I replied. "I need to get my schedule for orientation and classes at McKinley Medical School before I commit, but I'm supposed to have that in early August."

"You know, I never asked," Elizaveta said, "but what classes will you have your first year?"

"The main ones are anatomy, physiology, epidemiology, and histology. They are broken up into blocks, and there are things like clinical medicine, small group problem-based education, labs, and so on. Basically, Monday, Wednesday, and Friday are full days, and Tuesdays and Thursdays are half days in class. On Tuesday afternoon, we have our clinical observation, and on Thursday, there are optional one-hour guest lectures on pretty much any topic you can imagine related to medicine. That's also time for study or catch-up sessions where all the professors have their office hours and mentors are available. The mentors are usually Residents from Moore Memorial Hospital. And, of course, there will be study sessions, too."

"You, Clarissa, Sandy, and Fran are going to study at our house, right?"

"That's the plan. We do want to find two guys to add to the group to make it six, total, which was the number recommended in the orientation materials they sent us with our acceptance. And it's going to be most nights, and probably some time on the weekends, too, so we'll give you a break and study at the library or at a coffee shop some of the time."

"Remember you promised to be home for dinner!"

"I did. And we'll work that out, Kitten. I promise."

"Kitten?" Milena asked. "What happened to «Котёнок» (katyonak)?"

"Just another evolution away from being too Russian," I replied. "We decided not to teach our kids Russian. If the grandparents want to do it, they're free to do so, but we're not going to help. Tasha decided the same thing."

"Wow! That's quite the change for her, isn't it?"

"That's her telling her dad to shove it," I chuckled. "Nik is OK with English, and I think everyone who knows Tasha knows who will be in charge in THAT relationship!"

"So, just like in yours?" Joel teased.

"I did marry a Russian woman," I chuckled. "So I kind of brought it on myself."

"Hey!" Elizaveta protested.

"What?" I asked. "I was just confirming what you've repeatedly told me!"

"But you said it as if it was a bad thing!" Elizaveta exclaimed, her eyes narrowing as they did when she disapproved of something.

"She's a feisty one, isn't she?" Milena teased.

"Oh yeah!" I said, the inflection of my voice conveying 'in bed' without saying so.

"Be careful, Mike!" Elizaveta warned.

"Or what?" I asked, "You'll use..."

"Mike!" she exclaimed nervously. "No!"

I chuckled and didn't complete the sentence. Milena and I exchanged a look which said there was a story there, and I was sure she'd ask about it. I'd have to be very careful about what I revealed. That said, the flogger was already public knowledge, so to speak, given Clarissa, Sandy, Abby, and Pete all knew about it.

"I'm not sure we're going to be able to stay up until your mom and Derek get home," I said. "So, if you don't mind, we'll head to bed and see them in the morning."

"OK," Milena replied. "There's a good selection of food for breakfast, so just make what you want when you get up. I assume you'll be here for lunch and dinner tomorrow?"

"I'd say so," I replied. "I can't speak for the others, though."

"I'll ask them in the morning."

Elizaveta and I got up, said 'good night', and headed to our bedroom.

"You can't tell!" she said fiercely.

I chuckled, "The other four know already. But I wasn't going to actually say it; I was just teasing."

"And you're going to pay for that, husband!"

June 18, 1985, Valencia, Spain

"Good morning, Mike!" Doctor Blahnik said when I walked into the kitchen.

"Morning, Anicka!"

"Did you sleep well?"

"Yes, I did. Elizaveta will be out in a moment."

"There are a number of pastries, as well as bread, cheese, butter, and fruit."

"Thanks. Can I ask a question?"

"Of course!"

"Does anyone stay here when you're teaching?"

"Yes. A retired SAAB executive and his wife are here from October through March. They Winter here and Summer in the Stockholm Archipelago. And in August, a Swedish family spends their vacation here."

"All Swedes?"

"It just worked out that way! I have a friend here who watches the house and takes care of any problems."

"Spanish?"

"No, another Czech defector. He left a year before I did. He had academic friends here who took care of him and got him a teaching position at a university. He's retired now."

"You were in McKinley most of the last few Summers."

"Things didn't work out to come here, but we're back on schedule now. You're more than welcome to visit."

I chuckled, "In five years, maybe. We don't have any real breaks after our first year. There's a week between first and second year and a week at Christmas each year. But otherwise, we're in class or doing clinical rotations year-round."

"I knew medical school was difficult, but I didn't realize they didn't give you any breaks!"

Elizaveta came into the kitchen and she and I made our breakfast, poured tea from a pot which Anicka had made, and sat down to eat.

"Nobody else is up?" she asked.

"Apparently not," I replied. "Of course, it's only 6:45am! You and I are early risers. I know Sandy and Pete like to sleep in. Clarissa is an early riser, but I'm not sure about Abby."

"What do you plan to do today?" Anicka asked.

"Just hang out here and relax," I replied. "Sandy doesn't want to walk any further than the beach today!"

"Are you going to Madrid?"

"Yes, tomorrow, just for the day. Milena and Joel are tagging along."

"Do you mind if «los ancianos» tag along as well?"

I chuckled, "You and Derek are hardly 'ancient'! And, of course, you're welcome!"

"Thanks," Anicka replied. "Elizaveta, how have you enjoyed your trip so far?"

"It's been lots of fun! I really liked Amsterdam and the other cities in the Netherlands. Paris was nice, too."

"The most romantic city in the world was 'nice'?"

Elizaveta laughed softly, "I preferred the Netherlands, though the hotel in Paris was totally awesome!"

"That was the gift from your friend Laura, right Mike?"

"Yes. She booked us the 'Honeymoon Suite', which was amazing!"

"This must be kind of a letdown then!" she said with a silly smile.

"Not at all!" I replied. "You know I prefer things to be cozy and simple. That said, I enjoyed the luxury for those few days."

Elizaveta and I finished our breakfast and, because everyone else was still in bed, decided to take a walk along Calle José Ballester Gozalvo, which paralleled Carrer d'Isabel de Villena but was closer to the beach. We left the house, joined hands, and walked around the traffic circle before heading south.

"It's gorgeous here!" Elizaveta exclaimed. "Forecast for the mid-seventies today and mid-sixties tonight."

"And the humidity is low. That's always the problem back home — when it gets into the eighties or nineties, it's often humid. And here, there's a nice breeze coming off the sea."

"Do you tan?"

"Reasonably well," I said. "But I've never actually tried to get one. Mostly, I'd get a light tan from being out in the Sun at the pool or hanging out at Grant Park. You?"

"Yes, but mostly only when we've been on vacation in Florida. You went to Disney World, right?"

"Yes, when I was thirteen. You?"

"Twice. Once when I was seven and then again when I was twelve. I was at Disneyland in California when I went with Joe and my parents so he could do a campus visit at UCLA and scope out the party scene and look for easy girls!"

"Do you think he'll buckle down now that he's going to be a Junior?"

"Not really. I don't think he cares all that much about his grades. But he's actually pretty smart, so I think he'll end up finding a job even with a low B average."