<div style="text-align: justify;">Mariya kept silence while Vitali did the same. It was something that was usual for her behavior since childhood. She always waited patient for whoever she was talking to to speak after she had done so. When he finally spoke and gave his opinion about London, she listened carefully. After a moment of thinking about what he had said, Mariya couldn’t help but smile.<br/><br/>“You make it sound terribly decadent”, she commented in a light-hearted intonation. “I almost feel a little bit ashamed for having lived there for all these years”, she completed, shaking her head. “I promise I have never done drugs, or displayed…”, she paused, blushing a little, and took a long pause before continuing. “...flippant sexual behavior”, Mariya finally completed, clearly uncomfortable with the mention. “You know I am a good girl, right, Viti?”, she added, trying not to sound too awkward.<br/><br/>She did feel a bit awkward, though. After all these years, Mariya wasn’t sure how much Vitali would believe in everything that was said inside Soviet Union. Was he just living his life? Had he been brainwashed like many others? It was hard to tell. She would like to believe he had a stronger mind than that. But when one is closed in there, working, living, and hearing the same lines every day… it’s a bit hard not to believe them, right?<br/><br/>When Vitali started moving, Mariya did the same. She felt a cold chill inside her heart. Did they still have anything in common at all? Had they drifted too far apart for bridges to be rebuilt? She really hoped not, both personally and for the sake of her mission there.<br/><br/>After a moment in silence, just walking by Vitali’s side, Mariya finally dared to speak. “I haven’t changed all that much, Viti. Seriously, I haven’t. You can be sure of that”. She felt a little bit of relief after saying these words. It made her feel lighter.</div>