Summary

Irene arrives late to meet Markovsky with Alex. Another Russian man, Ivan, as well as Brecht are also at the celebratory gathering. When Irene asks what Markovsky is celebrating, he tells her that he received a big promotion to the director’s office in Moscow. Irene sours slightly, displeased that he will be leaving her, and tells him that his wife will be pleased to have him back. Markovsky tells Irene that “'A woman like you. You’ll have no trouble finding someone else’...intended to flatter, but Irene turned red, as if she’d been slapped, a public embarrassment” (171). The group toasts to Moscow and Berlin. Markovsky muses that he would like to return to Berlin someday to see what it will look like. He mentions that the construction around the city, the creation of “a new city right on top of...