The Russian Century: A Hundred Years of Russian Lives

sailor doubled his fist and hit him back. Then I was fighting. Then everybody threw chairs just like in movies. My God! How we were fighting! It was beautiful. People were so electrified from this stomach dance they had to discharge the excitement.

But in the middle of the fight the police came and here we were in the police station. Then somebody notified the captain and here we were back on the boat under arrest. Every day we were lectured and lectured on how to behave in capitalistic country.

Then we went to Holland, Gibraltar and Constantinople. A man in a restaurant in Constantinople told me he’d like to give me a present. Of course, I love presents and he gave me an amber stone on a chain. It was the first piece of jewelry I ever had in my life and I thought it very beautiful.

Then we went on to Odessa and from Odessa we went to many other places. Altogether my sailoring days lasted nearly a year. When they were finished, I had no money whatsoever. I had spent all of it in the countries where we stopped to see how the people lived.

I wanted to bring something for the mother, but I had nothing except some antique flowers I bought in Gibraltar. Nothing else. My sweater was in shreds and my shoes torn to pieces, but I did have enough sardines from my ration to buy a ticket to Kursk.

As I neared our house, I saw Mother talking with the woman from next door. They were outside sitting, eating the sunflower seeds. I slipped around and came in the back door and I heard Mother telling the most beautiful tale about me. How I was going about abroad, everywhere doing first-class traveling; all the places I was staying and all the beautiful clothes I was wearing.

And there I was in the old rags! Oh, how guilty I feel to break this beautiful tale she was telling! I really couldn’t give her up before this woman; but after a while I say, “Sh-sh-sh,” and she heard me and came inside. I gave her the sardines that were left to quiet her down. With tears in her eyes she begged me not to go out in the town, and so for two days I stayed in the house.

By now my brother Nikolai was a member of the Communist party and was assistant manager of a repair factory shop. It was a small thing, but nevertheless he was quite prominent and he gave me the coupons for some material and Mother made me a dress. She wanted me when I went out to say it came from abroad, but it could be plainly seen it was made by the mother.

THE SADDEST ROMANCE ONE CAN IMAGINE

The most important thing as can be happened to me at a big skating rink in Moscow in November of 1936. You see I loved to skate more than anything.

214

Chapter Twenty-Two

I was not very fancy, but fairly good that’s just to be modest for once in my life, for to tell the truth, I was really very, very good.

This evening when I was striding along fast and strong I saw in front of me a quivering figure, very unsure on his feet and z-zh-ip he went down. Then quickly with a z-zh-ip I cut the ice and came to a dramatic stop, and very beautifully my full skirt went around me. Now I understand my outfit was a little strange for the skating, but it was the best I had then. I had on a quite bright blue silk dress with a circular skirt and on top of it I was wearing a quite shabby man’s sweater, a beige-brown color, a black beret and heavy white socks and mits. I hadn’t developed at this time the talent for matching things. But no matter, for a very big orchestra would play for the skating and everybody would look so much more beautiful with the graceful movements than he actually was.

Well, I helped the sprawled figure to his feet and immediately I saw he was a foreigner by the way he was dressed. His jacket and gloves and skates were perfect and he was also wearing a beret, which was most unusual for a Russian man in those days. He thanked me in Russian with the accent and I left him and went on my way. In Russia we consider it not polite to talk to a man you’re not introduced to, and especially if he is a foreigner.

However as I went around I kept my eyes on him for my curiosity had jumped to the heaven—it was always before the Revolution and after the Revolution in Russia this great curiosity for the foreigner—and I noticed he kept his eyes on me. I pretended to pay no attention. Z-zh-ip I went by him. Z-zh-ip! Z-zh-ip! Once when I went by I heard him talking with a group of three people in English.

Then he fell down again quite close to me and as I assisted him once more to his feet I said. “It looks like I will have to help you.”

“Will you?” he asked very humbly with the shining eyes.