Afina picked up the wide, red sash and tied it loosely around her waist. Glancing in the mirror at contrast between her sash and the drape of her royal blue silk pajamas, she had barely a moment to reflect before there was a knock on her apartment door.
Stepping lightly across the room, she opened the door wide to the sight of her friend, Livia, holding up an unopened bottle of wine.
“What’s the emergency, Fina?” Livia was already across the threshold and in the apartment kitchen, digging around for a corkscrew then pulling down two glasses from the cabinet.