She plodded on doing her job, but without the enthusiasm she had had before meeting Will. Christmas, although not a Soviet celebration was celebrated by the tourists and the government had tried to fold it into the New Year, so it was a highlight on the calendar and an opportunity to forget one’s woes and have a good time. Youriko tried hard and even succeeded a couple of times, but in the first week of January, when the quiet season started, she and her team were recalled to Moscow for a break, a debriefing and reassignment.
At the first meeting with the top controller, the one who was in charge of the two who controlled the teams, she met a new team leader, whose name was Katya, and she saw her old friend Irina.
“How are you, Irina?”
“Fantastic! We’ve just had a marvellous year in Kra
