Konrad and Alexandra (pdf) - Rolf Gross

New Year 1899
The jeunesse d’orée of Tiflis crowded the Artist’s Club on New Year’s Eve. Konrad
helped Alexandra out of her burka. She wore the Italian silk dress, Manana had made. No frills,
lemon yellow, of ankle length, with a slit on both sides it clung to her slender body. In its deep
décolleté his necklace, the pearl ring on the finger of her left hand.
She glowed in his admiration.
"Didn’t Manana surpass herself?" she asked, turning in front of him. "But don’t tell Mama that I
wore it. I could not wait to model it for you."
She had done her hair up in a new way. She had trimmed her long, black tresses and
wound them into a vertical roll above her nape. She looked several years older. The soft,
feminine hairdo and her dress complemented each other perfectly.
"Do you think you could present me like this at your garden party in St. Petersburg next
summer?" She smiled seductively. "And don’t you already see the envious looks of all the
ladies?"
Konrad did not dare to embrace this fabulous creature so he kissed her hand. She put
her arm through his and they walked across the dance floor to their reserved table.
They had barely sat down when a very young man with dreamy eyes rushed up to them
and asked Konrad for his permission to dance with Alexandra. Konrad, taken aback, nodded
resigned and deferred the decision to Alexandra.
"Konrad, may I introduce Dato Ortaladze to you, Professor Konrad Rost, my fiancé.
David is a friend of our family. Dato, please forgive me, I would like to dance the first dance
with my fiancé, but do come back a little later, I have not seen you for a long time."
Dato flushed and apologized, mumbling that she had never looked more stunning.
A bottle of champagne and various French-style appetizers arrived. Konrad left it all
standing and asked Alexandra for a dance.
"You better hold onto me," she said as she took his arm, "or as you see, I will vanish
faster than you can say my name!"
Konrad danced beautifully, she nestled herself into his arms.
"Konrad, who taught you to dance like this? Oh," she bit her lip, "I shouldn’t ask, I don’t
need to know."
"Her name was Sonya." He smiled at her. "She is no secret. She was a beautiful, blond
medical student, and I was unsterblich verliebt in sie. I met her on a New Year’s Eve ball in
Berlin. She danced like a goddess, but she already had a boyfriend and was not interested in
me. Regrettably I never danced with her again after that evening."
Alexandra leaned her head on his shoulder and whispered, "Please forgive my
question."
"But why?" He said into their closeness. "Let there be no secrets between us, ever. Let
us do only those things, which we need not keep from each other. Let us never possess each
other, but be free and one at the same time."
The next dance was a fast waltz.
"Do you want to return to the table?" Konrad asked.
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