she breathed the words against his lips and then her mouth pressed against his . when he finished , he turned toward the peasants . the streets were quiet , the shops closed . her fingers lightly grasp my wrist . she only managed not to fall in the mud . we battled our way through the rush hour traffic , getting there just after nine-thirty . gradually he won not only a certain amount of trust but also a modest amount of warmth from the girl . i felt like i was missing moments with him that i would regret later . 