TE21 Serbian Moments

Nikola Lekić

Society of Free-world Receptionist

killer’. And do you know what he said? He said something like, know who my pop is? I ‘an do wha’ever I wan’. You ain’t gonn’ do nothin’ ‘bout it. And his old man’s a big shot too in the city, the neighborhood, whatever. I’m telling you – that pop of his screwed over so many people and had others take blame for him. I don’t know how he can sleep at night. So I say to mumbling J. that’s exactly what I’m saying – no one will want to do anything with you! Then we stopped at the intersection and he ran a red light, and stood there waiting for the green; anyways, I had nothing more to say to him, and I was turning right towards the newsstand, and he was going home, to that big house of his. Later – that day or the next, I don’t know – he complained to his dad, and then his dad threatened Mister M. who yelled at me so hard and forbid me to talk to this asshole at all. Say hello, show respect and be nice. Repeat after me. Say hello, show respect and be nice.

and say something, suggest something, or even call the police or the law enforcement officers – no one did anything. Until the professor died and the whole building started smelling of a dead man’s messy home and trapped puppies. You could smell it all the way to the newsstand, and they all waited until last moment, when the stench became so strong we could barely breathe and started coughing. Two cops came by at the newsstand that day. One shoved his head through the hole and started talking, and the other one stood in theback, bending his backa littlebit sohecould seeme and I could see him, so that he wouldn’t miss anything. And so the first one asked do you knowwhere number 72 G is? , he asked me that, and I told him it’s behind the newsstand, and he said why, don’t you say, it’s in the back! There are five entrances and each one says 72 – no G, no nothing! I’m asking you which one is the G entrance, he yelled. I think it’s the fourth one, and the numbers start at the end of the street there , I think. He frowned a bit there, and I felt a lump in my throat because I don’t like cops, I told you before. So, I decided to ignore the lump and I said, to explain myself, I think it’s the fourth entrance if you start counting from that end of the street, because, you see, that building has levels, so the first level should be A, and then all the way to D, the fifth one. They frowned some more, and then they both left. I was relieved - because of them leaving, but also because of the smell and the professor, and not to forget Mister M. who could’ve seen all of that on our security camera. He could’ve easily noticed a police car and cops dropping by, and if the camera had sound, he could’ve gotten worried about

That’s what he told me.

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And the professor?

- It’s a whole other story. After those dogs died he changed a lot. He wouldn’t go out as often as he used to, not even when he got new ones. He’d rather spend time with them at home, and that used to bug his neighbors. They complained to everyone around, but whenever someone actually had to ring his bell

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