Trafika Europe 13 - Russian Ballet

Two Stories

carpets, and so on and so forth down the list. For the first half hour, Gena, accustomed to airport security measures, did not let go of his satchel. Then, in answer to the question of the host ’s father, “What are your thoughts on our prospects in the Pacific theater?” Schneiderman replied: “It ’s a doozie!” But after a moment ’s reflection he added, “But it does give one hope”. After that, the curly-headed boy, Benjamin, saddled him up, like a dromedary, which became a pretext for Bedouin races with the attendant necessary losses of antique dishware. In the foyer already, Gena found time to notify Lina that he had come “to be near her,” that being “away from her” felt like dying. To mark the occasion, a gathering of the high command of imbibing guests was urgently organized. And while the Benjamin boy raced around the apartment on his camel, Lina’s acquaintances and admirers mulled over the ultimate question: what is to be done with Schneiderman – without a Moscow residence permit, an apartment, a profession, one of his front teeth missing…. Here, itmust be frankly stated that Evilina Alexandrovna experienced nothing of the sort of the feelings that our Gena was prey to. On the other hand, she knew all too well that such a rare, one-of-a-kind specimen as Schneiderman must be protected, nurtured, and entered into the honor roll of humanity. And if such a specimen himself admits that he is dying, well,

47