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Montana smiled, once again impressed by Dahlia’s positive outlook. He wasn’t sure he could accept the idea of slowly going blind with such optimism.
“In the meantime,” Dahlia added, “I’m making the most of the time I have.”
Montana leaned forward. “That’s why you travel.”
It wasn’t a question, but Dahlia nodded anyway. “I want to see everything I can before…I can’t. It’s why I’ve pursued the path I have. My decision to explore the world and document it came from my diagnosis, from my determination to make the most of my ‘seeing’ years,” she said, finger-quoting the word seeing.
Montana raised his glass to silently toast her bravery, her sense of adventure. “I can’t think of a better reason. And your show really is amazing. I used to think I was fairly well-traveled, but you put my handful of national park hikes and a lone backpacking trek across Europe after leaving the Navy to shame.”
She grinned. “I promise it’s not a competition. I’ll admit I haven’t done a lot of hiking in the States. Maybe that’s something we could do together.”
Montana winked. “It’s a date.”
They held each other’s gaze for just a moment longer before turning their attention to Vadisk. He hadn’t added anything to the conversation, and the annoyance Montana had managed to tamp down started to flare again.
Dahlia tilted her head, clearly waiting for their husband to offer some insight on his feelings about her revelation. When he remained stubbornly silent, she upended the rest of the bottle of wine into her glass and took a large sip. “Have you traveled much, Vadisk?” She directed her question at him, purposely attempting to draw him in.
Vadisk nodded. “Some. At the beginning of my military career, I did a tour in Iraq. However, I was called back after the war in Donbas began. I wouldn’t call what I saw in either place beautiful. The land has been ravaged by war, cities reduced to rubble and covered in a thick layer of dust.”
“What branch of the military?” Montana asked, anxious to keep Vadisk talking now that he’d opened the door.
“The Ukrainian Ground Forces, specifically Operational Command North.”
“I can’t imagine the last few years have been easy for you,” she said compassionately.
Vadisk shook his head in response.
Talking about his time in the military seemed to remind Vadisk of the task at hand, as he took another survey of their surroundings, his expression still closed, almost angry.
While there were a million more questions Montana wanted to ask the two of them, he could tell Vadisk had hit his limit on sharing personal details. What Montana couldn’t tell was whether Vadisk was remaining aloof due to their cover story of a couple with their translator or if he was genuinely resistant to this trinity. He’d expressed his concerns about being forced to leave his home and his society, apparently viewing himself as the outnumbered spouse.
It pissed Montana off that Vadisk had jumped to that assumption before ever meeting and speaking to them. He considered saying as much, but he thought it best to wait until he could address that concern in a calmer manner.
“I should go inside,” Vadisk said, rising.
“What? Why?” Dahlia asked, making it apparent she wanted to continue their conversation as well.
“The two of you are the couple.” The way his jaw clenched was a reminder that he hadn’t wanted them to present themselves as a couple. “It makes sense for you to relax outside together. Me remaining here too long would raise questions if anyone is watching us, as I’m supposed to be serving as your translator and guide.”
“So I’ll go inside and grab a notebook and map,” Dahlia offered. “We can make it look as if we’re nailing down our itinerary.”
Vadisk didn’t sit back down. “I didn’t choose these roles,” he reminded them. “But now that we’ve assumed them, we need to play our parts very carefully. One misstep here—in this place—could place us in a very dangerous situation.”
“We’re both perfectly aware of what’s at stake here,” Montana said, wondering how long before he and Vadisk became concussed after so much time spent butting their heads together like a pair of stubborn goats. “Neither Dahlia nor I need a lecture on how to behave.”
Vadisk sighed. “I’m aware of that. I’m simply saying it doesn’t make sense for your translator to spend time hanging out by the pool with you.”
“Then let’s move this conversation inside,” Montana said in a low voice.
“Now is not a good time for this.”
“Vadisk,” Montana said, ready to argue that now was probably the best time.
Before he could say that, however, Vadisk cut him off. “This won’t be a fast operation. We have to prove why you two are here, by actually doing the things on your visas, before we start asking dangerous questions.”
“We have the Golitsyn Path hike planned for tomorrow,” Dahlia reminded them. “With its view of the sea and the picturesque bays, it makes sense I would go there to film.”
“Then we should get some rest so we can get an early start.” Vadisk gave them a short nod and walked away before either of them could say good night.
