He
looked
at
me
very
sternly,
and
I
realized
immediately
that
I
was
skating
on
thin
ice.
“You
…
know
…
Gatins?”
I
guess
Gatins
was
his
proper
name,
and
only
now
did
I
learn
that
Gati
was
just
a
nickname.
“Yes,
we
grew
up
together.”
Mr.
Cimbulis
just
shook
his
head
sadly.
I
looked
at
him
waiting
for
the
bad
news.
Oh
no!
I
hope
Gati
hadn’t
died!
He
would
have
been,
what
-‐-‐
38
or
39?
The
news
was
going
to
be
so
horrific
that
Mr.
Cimbulus
could
not
bear
to
tell
me.
So
I
waited.
Finally,
he
cleared
his
throat,
wet
his
lips,
and
then
he
spit
out
each
word:
“Gatins…married…
an
Estonian!!!”
46