I was asked to visit Veca and Sneca and keep them company. Why not, got nothing to do. Expected some kissing at least, but the former just pecked me on the cheek, and the latter had some cream on her face. Went with them to Dom later and then even Zvojko had bad luck with them.
The 1st being a saturday, we also had 3rd off, such was the law. So I slept until 12:30. Tejka and Duca came in the afternoon. Dad and I tried to cross-examine them on their doček but got nowhere, they wouldn't say where they were (probably the twins' flat) and also didn't ask me. Tejka's mother even asked why I didn't want to go to doček with her... wow, that probably means she had a story that wouldn't check out if I was where were allegedly together at some Olgica's, I'd be the unwitting witness. And the story of Bosa being not allowed to go, so staying with Oli Boj and getting drunk to the point that the neighbors found her on the staircase and sent her to hospital, seems to have happened this time (I remember the story existed, but couldn't remember which year).
On 4th, walking to school, and somewhere downtown I hear a girl's voice calling me by nickname from behind. I see Višnja running to me, smiling, in very good mood. She got almost late, took off at 13:35 (25 or 6 to 4 crossed my mind), so she had to run. Said there were some news about the latin guy. Let's take the passage. Nope, let's go around vodotoranj. But it's shorter. I know but I avoid it on principle.
True, the passage is a mess. It's cobblestoned, and the stones are big, uneven. There's always some puddle of wash water, a sick cat with one eye, mud, stink, cigarette ends, menstrual pads, some beggar-like figures smoking in the corner, boxes, crates, vegetable peelings.
Er, the latin guy was unjustly kicked out of his work in Valjevo, and there was a court process about it, and he won - he'll be returning to work there. (which he probably did, but next school year, when it didn't matter to us)
At school, again everyone kissing everyone else, it's the first day of the new year. Tejka finally told me, without any effort on my side to get the story out of her, what happened. Slavka asked her if she could cop with Pišta... and then went on to try to fully take over. "You could have said no" "That's the worst, that she came to ask". So on the surface she stayed cool with it, while boiling inside. Well, if she considers him hers, why did she pass him on?
I definitely decided against suicide - not until I have tasted life properly. But then that would eliminate the reason for it, so no point. It's off the list.
I imagine most of the girls who so adamantly refuse to have a boyfriend will soon come to tell me how happy they are. It's just that the turning point seems to be happening when I'm not there.
On 6th, Tejka explained that there's now a triangle between her, Pišta and Slavka, of sorts. They are a couple without her, but he's bound to her and she to him, she dreams of him, and he keeps talking about her. Now Slavka is mad at her... well she never had a situation like that.
On 7th someone came to drive mom and me to Belgrade - dad was already there, we just needed to bring him the money. It seems he found the car to buy, all of a sudden. It's a brand new škodilak Š-100. It was pure luck, someone else just couldn't muster the money on that day, while dad kept stacking whatever he could, and had it ready. He was probably passing by on business, heard a hint, and went for it. Which is why we just had to go, promptly. We were home by 11:30. Still had the time for the big lunch, it's the fucking christmass, so the real soup, roast turkey, pork... Then at school we just congratulated each other, no matter that there aren't any believers (that I knew of then, perhaps Žara was), kissing matters. Kissed Bosa on the mouth, the sweetest, eh. I was stunned for half a minute. She told me that Skule got kicked out of DC-99, imagine that.
Gradivoj bought a 8mm projector, something totally amateurish, no cogwheels, he'll bring it tonight to try it out.
On 9th, the external team, two slightly older frajers who recently joined us, displayed what they were working on meanwhile: acts. That's naked girls photos. But they're huge, the photos that is. They found the largest paper I ever saw, and used wide film so they could enlarge it sufficiently. There's no way to pull the enlarger so high to expose such a big paper, the 24x36cm is the max for any tabletop. They first swiveled it backwards, weighed the board with a bucket of water, and put the paper on the floor, but it was still too small. So they turned it horizontally, and pinned the paper on the wall - all in almost dark, just the red light. The photos were actually quite good, they got the light right, and the girls look well, probably better than in person. But they need more models, help us, guys.
(one of them is a son of some dad's acquaintance from some previous job, probably from the village where we lived in 1956; he's mostly nuts, haven't graduated, never worked anywhere, lived on mom's pension - met him once in 2010 in Novi and he was looking sick; the other guy was good looking, easy going, and eventually became an actor and once even the director of the local theatre)
Lazar was mad at Morava - he wasted a lot of paper while doing the photos for Matica iseljenika (the organization which keeps in touch with emigrees abroad), they had an annual meeting, the negatives were just fine, and the club was getting paid (in materiel, I'd guess), but Morava wouldn't be bothered to mix new developer and fixer, so he did it all in the old ones and botched the whole batch. It all had to be redone... by me, last night. Another bad news is they accepted the rich kid from my area, whom I know from Zmaj, who's nobody much and has no clue about photography or moviemaking, but his parents bought him an automatic super 8 camera, with zoom etc, the likes of which the club will never have. And it turns out he's Furcula's brother (by uncle or something, not the same surname). He kept asking me, but I was evading him for weeks; eventually told him when and where we meet, and he came when I wasn't there. Fuck it.
On 10th, for chemistry we were half sick with this or that - Tejka broke a leg and Slavka took her to the doctor; Mjedac sprained an ankle; Oli Boj appologized for being not ready... generally half the class was absent or incapacitated. It's end of semester and nobody was quite ready for the class. Dragana sat with me and it happened that the buckle on her boot malfunctioned. I kept fiddling with it quite a long time, but couldn't make it. It didn't deter me, the touch of that leg is something I wouldn't miss. By the third class I figured out how to fix it, but during the break she lost some part, so now it wasn't fixable at all.
After chemistry everybody was healthy again. An idea clicked in my head...
- Hey, Oli Boj, would you like to be a photo model?
- Sure! Anything for you!
- Not for me, though, it's two guys in the club. Only, it's act photography.
- Never mind, doesn't matter. What did you say?
- It's act photography.
The gang already started noticing that something's going on, and listened in. Conversations were dropped.
- Act photography. What kind of photography is that?
- You don't know what act photography is? That you don't know?
The gang was dying of laughter, but she didn't notice: her chance to enter the world of film, glory, spotlights has just appeared. She thought for a bit and then
- Er... I think I know, those are those... is it... (pretends to undress)
- Exactly those, yes. Just to make it clear, this is art photogaphy, and yet they may send it so you appear on front page somewhere.
- Yeh right and I get kicked out of school.
- Okay, if you won't, then nothing. It's mine to ask.
Baki almost peed in his pants, he knew the "it's mine to ask" joke...
On 14th dad and I went to visit grandfather, in hospital in Belgrade. He'll be fine. Met some of relatives and got easily annoyed with their attitudes (have to drink or you're not male etc). On the way back, the škodilak was losing water, boiling every 2km. We barely made it to halfway. Had to stop very often, let the engine cool down, drive another couple of kilometers, cool again. Eventually we got some trucker to tow us home. Arrived at 3 in the morning. I clearly saw Ursa minor on the sky. At least there was no snow.
The last day, 15th, all the guys cut the sociology class, but nothing happened - the professor didn't come either, the class wasn't held. But the chemist came and wrote us all down.
Zova shaved the mustache! Not that there was much of it, but it's the thought that counts.
28-XII-2020 - 16-VI-2024