This book is built on memory. Where memory faded, imagination stepped in not to change the truth but to turn it into a story worth telling. Moments have been shortened or stretched, depending on what they meant to the journey. To protect the privacy of the Americans involved, their names have been changed. The Russian names are mostly real. Only one last name is shared. This story may seem unusual, even unpredictable at times. But its roots are real. The core of it was written down in a journal during 1994, mostly in November and December. That journal became the foundation for everything here. Time may blur the edges of memory, but the feelings remain clear and strong.

For Pavel Grigorovich Klimkin Christian Agosta Without you, I would not be whole. And for Mila, Alexandra, and Emma Pavel May this story live on through you. Stephanie’s Memories…