The small talk ended abruptly and she put her head on his chest and he looked out the window. The changes in the city were as she described them in her letters, and there was a bleakness on the streets, fewer cars, and in two gas stations they passed there were cars up on blocks. In a first floor window of their building was one of the rectangular flags, and upstairs, in their own, another.

Karen went up the steps without waiting for him, and as he paid the cabdriver he watched her. He wanted so many things now, but most of all to protect her from this. It was too much to ask of her, and he wished there was more for her that he could do. The war was hurting them more than they could guess—he could see it in the way she put the key in the lock.

She led the way up the stairs. “You can call your folks if you want to. They said it wasn’t necessary, that we could wait until morning.”

“Let’s not make any decisions,” he said. “I don’t want to call them.”

She turned on a light and removed her coat. Nothing in the apartment had changed. He took off his coat and began to unbutton his blouse. She looked at him and smiled. She undid her skirt. “I put in the diaphragm before I went down to the station. I didn’t know what you’d want, but I thought I wouldn’t keep you waiting.”

“I love you, Karen.”

“I love you. Let’s go into the bedroom. Did I tell you how much I missed you in there?”

“No.”

She took off her blouse. “I have.” She finished undressing. He had been watching her and was not done. When he stood up she looked at him. “In my own waiting I haven’t thought of what waiting would do to you.”

“I’ve tried not to think about it.”

She moved to him. “I’ll make it worthwhile.” She kissed him on the mouth. He put his arms around her slowly, touching her smooth skin with his fingertips first, drawing her to him so her breasts just touched him. They stopped kissing and looked into each other’s eyes. She looked vulnerable and small. He drew her to him again and kissed her neck. At first she did not move, and then she breathed deeply and locked her arms around his neck tightly. She pressed herself against him. “My baby. I love you,” she said. “I love you so very much.”

“Hold on,” he said.

“Are you going to carry me?”

“I want to.”