Handsome is as handsome does.
‘You must love your country – your Motherland. You must also respect our leaders – government and president, – said the teacher expressively, – I do respect our president, and doesn’t matter that my flat is small, furniture is old and there are holes in the wallpaper – I believe that it will be better. They want good for us. We just must wait and… Yes, George?’
‘I love my Motherland, but I don’t want to live in an old flat with the holes in the wallpaper. And if you vote for him you make it more difficult for my father to earn money and repair our flat .’
‘We also don’t want to live in old flats,’ – rumoured everyone in the class
‘Our president is a good man and he wants everyone to be happy. He does not want someone to earn much more money than others. Everyone will be happy if we all receive similar salaries.’
‘You mean you want to earn as much as my father, who works ten times harder than you? – George was too young and angry to control himself, – I think you are lazy, and YOUR president is so stupid, that he has become dangerous for our country!!!’
‘Behave yourself, young man! How dare you?.. Give me your diary! Now!’
‘Eh… I’ve forgotten it at home…’
Yahor ( or George, as I call him) was 11 then. He is 14 now. He is my brother. I’m proud of him.
‘…Women are crafty, grandson! Be careful with them. Your grandmother is crafty, isn’t she?.. Are you still with that girl?.. No? Good! Her parents are very rich. Very good of them, but you must work and achieve everything yourself.’
‘I didn’t realize she was so rich. I didn’t care then, and don’t care now.’
‘Ha! – he continued, neglecting my objection ( actually, I haven’t expected any reaction), – do you know how we used to call a chap who married a girl because her parents were rich? “PRYMAK!!!”. Find another one – painstaking and diligent.’
‘As you wish, Grandpa, – I laughed, – better tell me, when should I pick you up tomorrow?’
‘6 am. Have got a lot of gardening to do tomorrow. And a neighbour asked me to weld a silencer for him – will earn a bit of extra money. A man must work, son. Pension and all this “social security” stuff is for disabled persons. I spend my pension on cigarettes. I’ll plant enough cucumbers, tomatoes, cabbages, potatoes for all the family – you, your parents, your aunt and uncle and a bit for grandma and me – we don’t need a lot…
Oh, yes! And she must be virgin! Only pure blood in our family!’
‘Ok, ok, Grandpa,’ – I laughed again.
My Grandfather is 80. Some of his ideals are strange. But mainly those about women.
‘It’s Bordeaux, year 1999. Should be good. Happy Birthday!’
‘The wine is lovely, thank you. I’m so glad this stupid party is finished. Do you know what they wished me? “Best wishes to the future Minister of Economy!” So silly! Can you imagine me spending taxpayers’ money and signing stupid regulations?.. We realized profits this year! I did it. Have finally sold this huge building. It was nonsense to keep it on balance and pay taxes – it needed millions of additional investments the factory cannot afford now and will not afford in the nearest hundred years: the ministry will take all the profits anyway. Now it going to be even worse – Chamber of Ministers is preparing the plan of the fusion of our factory and the Electro-Mechanical Plant. You see, they are practically bankrupt and we will have to pay their debts back! Can’t they see that this “charity” won’t help and will destroy everything we achieved within these two years? I won’t give up. I will fight!.. Oh, I’m chatting again! Say something. How is your master thesis? Haven’t you started writing it yet? You are simply lazy! Why, you have always been cleverer than me. You always solved problems faster on the math class; I was so angry about it!’
‘Life is not a math problem, is it?’
‘No, it is not… How long will it take to get back to the city tomorrow? I must complete the salary list, or all the factory won’t get paid for the month.’
Irena is 24. She is the head of the Department of Economy and Planning at a big government-owned factory. She is my… say, we like to spend time together.
The stories are not imaginary. These are true stories about people I love and respect. None of them have ever read an ideology book on liberty or free economy – they are just natural, leaded by instincts, beautiful people!