Martial Music

During the summer of 1972, my wife and I took an automobile tour of Europe. Only in Budapest did we see Russian soldiers, in uniform, parading up and down the sidewalks.

One evening, while we were having dinner, the band at our hotel struck up “Lara’s Theme,” the title song of Dr. Zhivago .

Knowing the Russians’ hatred of the book, I pointed to the soldiers outside and said to the maitre d': “With them outside, I’m surprised you play that song.”

Thrusting a fist into the air, he said with vehemence: “ We show them.”