[h3]Petra Novak
Home[/h3]

Kettle on the boil. Dinner on the stove. Petra Novak ran a hand through her short red hair as she stood in front of the stove, her eyes on the clock. These days, her husband was getting home earlier than usual, in fact two hours earlier. With that nasty [i]cold[/i] going around the construction crew was short handed. They either opted to hire temporary help or wait until their crew was back to full size. However, it seemed barely anyone responded to their job add. Where were the mass of the unemployed? Petra's husband would end up arriving at the job site, ready to work, only to go home a couple hours later when less and less of the crew would show up. Whatever this cold was, Petra reasoned, it must be a strong one. 

If only she knew. 

At 2:30 in the afternoon, keys turned in the front door and her husband, Radek, grunted as her entered the home. Wringing her hands, Petra stepped out of the kitchen to meet him, surprised to see him home this early. The weekly norm had been 3:30 - he was an hour early. 

"[i]Ahoj,[/i]" He greeted her in Czech, tossing his sweater onto the hook and planting a kiss on her cheek. 

"[i]Ahoj.[/i] Home already? This is an hour earlier than yesterday."

Radek merely shook his head, sauntering into the home, his nose directing him to the kitchen. "We are down by seven men. We cannot work like this." The man sighed. "I smell food," he said in Czech, winking at his wife.  

Petra only grinned, leading him to the kitchen that he was headed for. The two conversed about the "cold" while Petra tended to the meal. 

"I do think this cold will dissolve soon," Radek said as Petra served their early dinner. What neither of them knew was that it was only the beginning.