This is how I remembered it without the aid of diary. Note several false things in this:
She is not coming for the weekend, because 1st of may is on wednesday, so she'll be home tuesday afternoon. So I went downtown on my own, met Kid and Eči and perhaps a couple of others. Kid was still with Branka, for all I knew, but I actually never saw them together. He had an idea that we should do a mayday uranak (early morning picnic, workers' tradition here) somewhere on the river, bring some drinks and barbecue perhaps... But the logistics were the trouble, so we decided that I go home and get the škodilak and we go see Vanji - we knew the address, because Eči was his roommate and told us exactly where it was. One of the pedagogy themed street names. I knew the place generally, and before taking the car I pulled up the map of the city (but forgot to bring it along) and checked the location. It was actually a little square behind one corner of a major intersection of two boulevards.
We went to the fairground parking there first, and luckily she wasn't asleep yet. She came with us and we went straight there... and couldn't find it. Ended up downtown, asking cab drivers and cops for directions, no help there. Eventually drove slowly around the block and found a gate without a gate, i.e. an opening which was no wider than anyone else's gate, but it belonged to no house - the houses on either side of it had their own gates. Aha! Took us the whole hour, but we found Vanji. He also wasn't asleep yet, even though it was after 23 already. So we sat for a while and had a little chat. There was nothing to drink. Vanji showed us Eči's painting... a puppy, with all the artistic skills of a five-year old. That was to contrast his paintings, which were well advanced; he could have been a painter but, just like most of us from either gang, wanted to have a foundation in sciences, and then whatever art got built on that.
Eventually we got to sleep. They had this one bed, but it was huge. The four of us had ample space and, besides, we didn't quite need to keep any kind of distance between us.
In the morning the two of us woke up first, and got up quietly. Kid was snoring heavily, then the noise he was making woke him up. He immediatelly started shoving Vanji to stop snoring.
So everything was set for wednesday. I drove her to her place and then got ourselves home. My folks didn't object much to the whole escapade; the objections stopped last night when I got the keys. As long as I promised to drive carefully and drink nothing, they let me go and hoped for the best. Amazingly, it worked - I never got into trouble with the car.
And this is how it actually was, as per my diary and refreshed memory. Spot the differences.
Ran everywhere all afternoon, no idea what and what not, go here get there, some homework, shooting... who'll know that now. Had a bath, and in the evening met Kid and Branka at Volta. Vanji's E. was there too. We planned some outing for mayday, even including some combination of Deliblato sands for twenty persons (which stunned me, didn't bide well). All in all it was quite awkward that Vanji was in Novi and it's hard to do without him. So Kid suggests we go there. Both Branka and E. wanted to go with us, so we had enough pockets from where to collect money for gas, which helped when we reached my folks to ask for the car. Dad wasn't quite willing, complained that I'm not in shape to drive, not having slept enough, and he remembers how I drove the night before, why don't we go tomorrow in daylight... but Kid had something to prepare for monday, so needed the time tomorrow. So okay, somehow we pull this off and get the car. E. couldn't get out, hers wouldn't let her go, and Branka then didn't want to go either. Mom packed some dinner for me which I ate while Kid was returning Branka's dad's car (and her... whoa, he got his license less than two months ago). Then we dropped by Eči to leave a message to announce our arrival. It was around ten when we finally took off, and Kid's nose was stuffy, he kept popping pills along the way - the pharmacos. This confirmed my opinion that Branka is a serious germinator.
At 22:50 we were at her place. There was a movie on TV and she and [her] roommate were watching it from their beds. Roomie said she expected that I would come, just not so late at night. We greeted each other, sat a little, then went off to look for the Kamenski square. I knew roughly the location, memorized from the map, and Eči did explain how to get there, just couldn't find the entrance to it, it's in a triangle behind a major intersection's corner. It's hard to spot, we drove around, I asked the cab drivers and cops and nobody knew. We even ran into three actors from the theatre, and the drunkest one says "and you're now in zort* that you have no place to sleep, well you have the car or even better, come to my place, and who are you looking for, Kamenski? My friend, famous swiss pedagogue, did you hear abou him? Wanderful man... You are young, the night is ahead of you, you need to have a good time... come to my place... come to serbian people's theatre anytime, to...". He had a really pleasant voice, impeccable intonation, really nice to listen to, and had he not leant onto the car his fellows would have to help him stay upright. She probably felt his smell too. Took some time to shake him off.
The cabbie couldn't find the place on his city map, and it's not among bus stops either. We ask a cop, and in five seconds a full van of coppers comes up, "what do these guys want?". "Help us if you can, we're looking for Kamenski square for a full hour now, nobody knows where it is, we already wasted two liters of gas driving around and still can't find it". "You didn't feel that, as much as you saved on barber". Well fuck your constabulary mother.
He did explain but not clearly... luckily a guy came up with NSU Prince and drove ahead of us. He drove like Fanđo, but the streets were empty and he wasn't that hard to follow. He took us down the small street we already passed three times, and stopped by the square's entrance. It was barely visible, looked like some yard was missing a gate, not wider than that. He asked which number we looked for, three, ah that would be straight and then slightly to the right, the numbers go in a circle.
We finally found the house, I almost peed in, from bliss. Kid got out and started jumping. We left the car, took out the sausages cigarettes radishes and gave all that to her to hold while we pee.
There's an old woman visible through the right window. We knock and ask about Vanji, left window she says. We knock that one too, the shade rises, a beard appears and then he too. Didn't recognize us first, until he saw us as silhouettes. Came out, opened, says Eči's mom didn't call, probably because Eči came home a few minutes later - when he was away. Walls filled with his pictures (but he studies chemical engineering, not visual arts) and some posters, and a puppy which Eči painted, five-year-old style. Since Vanji and the landlord are the only painters in the house, anyone can... draw [their] own conclusion.
We talked long, about some piece played on Tribina, something guitar synthetisators and sound effects. Then about some theatre festival, then about jazz. About the very reason we came we dealt briefly, decided how to split the work and were done.
Then we felt like sleeping, and she lives a long way, almost 2km, and I wasn't sure I'd find the entrance again. So we lay as we were, the bed is big enough for four, and the two of us don't take so much space. She was a bit weary, so we told Vanji to turn of the light so she can undress. He said the landlord doesn't care, as long as inventory stays intact. Kid was a bit disappointed, he though we'd be welcomed with at least a fresh bottle or who knows what. But no, only what we brought, and a bottle of mineral [water], open since who knows when.
She and I woke around seven to watch them slap each other. One was snoring and woken up by his own snoring, then started slapping the other one to stop snoring. Vanji meant to take us to some exhibitions, but Kid really had to cram for the next day, so we just had a burek and hit the pedal. Even I arrived right on time, my folks sighed relief. Who knows what they imagined. Dad sulked, said he wouldn't have given the car if he knew it was just the two of us. Well we didn't know either, truth be told.
The day passed in resting, except I dropped briefly by the club.
On monday there was a hoot at school, when Mjedac, Baki and Bajče wanted to answer (which subject was that?) at the same time. In the afternoon I was supposed to be dežurni at the club but didn't get the keys.
Tuesday, 30th, was when the madhouse at school began. Since it's just a few weeks til the end, we managed to gather a hundred of us in the yard, sing gaudeamus and then more. My IV5pp wouldn't budge at first, but seeing the crowd in the yard, we joined. Sat by the river behind the school, sang, drank. Some hot dry wind blew, spoiling the atmosphere, muggy. Didn't even have the time to swig properly, when we dispersed, to a five day mayday holiday.
In the afternoon, such was the deal, Vanji and E. and Kid arrive, settle few more details and I check whether I should buy a little tent too. Quickly drop by her, Vanji drives left hand and munches on oranges with the right, offers some to Kid, who then discards the chewing gum through the wrong window and we have to stop while Vanji removes it from his hair. She wasn't at home, went to some woman nearby, who's knitting a sweater for her, around that long zipper from new year. We didn't wait for her for too long, had a beer. Of course staying overnight is out, but oma says she can go in the morning again.
She said the weather will be nice. That moment a drizzle began. Vanji said at least it won't be this bad. The drizzle stopped. Well honed, the skill.