Ioan came, and after teasing him for a moment or two, we let him in to see the bride. More pictures, and her hands trembled as she pinned his corsage on him. And the guests kept showing up. I think by then the nanashi (Rodica's sister, Lilia, and her husband, Niku) were there and maybe even the groomsmen, and finally the other bridesmaid, Rodica L., came downstairs and all these relatives --his and hers -- were milling around the entryway and living room, and we went downstairs to pile into the rented cars. Their apartment is in a Soviet-style cement block building, and the common areas aren't very well cared for. The mailboxes are askew and broken, the paint is mostly gone, the plaster is carved with graffitti, and there's a heavy metal door to keep out thugs. And a bride with train sweeping down the stairs, the guests pattering behind her.