I needed to hear her voice. It was as simple as that.

Riding my Harley-Davidson would be the best way, I decided, to keep me alert after the sleepless hours of the night, because its big, furious roar would quicken the blood and, for an extra kick, send people scurrying away, left and right of me. 

It was a dark, cloudy sunrise. I rode my bike past the water tanks, which had been constructed in London some months ago to fight firebombs, past stacks of sandbags, which had been filled with earth from Knightsbridge Barracks, previously a scampering ground for terriers. In the wind, in the drizzle, through patches of fog, in-between cars, double-decker busses and horse-drawn carts, alongside street shelters and around newsstands, back and forth I went, as part of my military courier service, from the American Embassy to various governmental staff offices. 

The engine rattled under me, giving a raw, intense rhythm to the urban cacophony, composed of sounds of drivers, peddlers, shoppers, cops, and soldiers. This beat connected me to the throngs of people and at the same time, separated me. And yet, listening to it forced me to set aside my silence, my sense of loneliness, and take them all in.

Upon entering Piccadilly Circus I stopped. Surrounded by a small crowd, a street performer hailed me to come over, and then started singing:

Swirl in the air of daybreak, and mix in a kiss

Add a splash of blue winter, ‘cause you I miss

Stir it all together, toast a moment apart

Back into my arms is a long way to chart

Cool it with ice, throw in a lost star

Serve it bitter, to the sound of a lonely guitar

Drink it in one gulp, before you set sail

Let me have a taste of a lover’s cocktail

Behind him, down at the street corner, penetrating the clouds of mist, a cast iron telephone kiosk became visible. It drew my attention with an acute, urgent note, more so than all the famous hotels, arcades, shops, restaurants, cinemas, banks, offices, and public buildings around here, put together. 

I had to call Natasha. I needed to hear her voice.

It was as simple as that.

Apart from War

Paperback ★ Hardcover

Audiobook

This trilogy includes three novels, where one begins where the previous one ends, so you keep yourself immersed in the times and in the saga that begins when Lenny and Natasha first meet. Follow them from the US to England to France during WWII.