Made no notes between monday and wednesday, but that's the period when we prepared the show with the class from the Second. Apart from dramatisation of pearls-of-wisdom, I wrote an poem in epic decameter, what with the slavic antithesis in its beginningm about how last year, in chemistry cabinet, Tejka and Bajče fought, jumped over the desks and all.
That eighth of march I got up really late, put together breakfast with lunch, caught the 2A and arrived downtown at 12:30. Part of the gang gathered already, just all asked where Bajče was, waited for him to appear. Someone said he and Bilja were at Tejka's, let's phone them (post office is next to main street), belay that, there they are on the horizon. Did you buy anything for the classmaster? Didn't. You fool, what were you doing all day. Raised myself at ten and here I am. Listen let's go now to buy. What will you then? Well, flowers. Where will you find flowers on eighth of march at noon? You'll have to invent it.
If we'll have to wait for you that long, we're gone now and you [come] when you come.
And their programme starts first, in that one hour in the shift between, 13:05 to 14:00. Mostly classic, already seen stuff, all serious. Then we. Bajče arrives on time. We started with something serious too. Zova was getting confused, same me of four years ago. Then I act the historian. Orderly, give me something to write. The chalk is in the desk. I meant to log the class... now who was that... eh, trouble my, petty my trouble... Sredljak... and why are you, young man, hiding behind a girl's back? (now word for "girl" he used was the one denoting anything female from puberty until marriage, with just one suffix missing to make it mean virgin) (and he intentionally sat behind their classmaster, which was unmarried, just like ours was). Sssssh... she is thinking!
Then Bilja acted as Sonja, could have done it a bit livelier but was good. Then Mjedac, in full folk regalia embroidered with sequins etc, with gusle and fes, does that decametre stuff. Of course, he didn't know it by heart (I wouldn't either), so I knelt in front of him, holding the text stretched as a parchment scroll. Succeeded overboard.
So that ended too. Bajče went to buy booze and I ordered him to buy me a tiny doll. In the class people's kissing, found Bilja in the toilet for that. In the hall I meet her and hand her the doll, that I should have bought in Belgrade weeks ago. Tonight until last bus, can't longer. At seven then. Half eight. Seven fifteen. (... 11 word...)
Some left classes, mostly poking fun. Except that NMN was the only one trying to teach new stuff while being so sober as not to distinguish his desk from regulars. (teacher's desk was just larger and didn't have the bag slots) At ŽGLJ's we did the disco again, with most of the lights off except the one that illuminates the blackboard.
At 19:15 didn't wait long, light drizzle was coming down, she with a pink umbrella. At Dom, just when I was next in line at the wardrobe, power goes out. Everything is delayed ten minutes. The chances that we don't meet on weekend just grew - she's at some birthday until six in the morning, and therefore won't be out on sunday either, ough. Our spirits down, we sit for a while, trying to think up something, and we think up nothing. Then at least let's shake that out of ourselves, we find Gavra and dance like mad on the stage in comforter hall. There's a basement under the stage, and we did have an impression we may fall through, but the planks held.
The next day, after school, she said she'd meet Mariška (the girl from her street, my generation, hungarian class)... and now with whom, with her or with me? The girl, luckily, gets it quickly and disappears after a brief chat. Well where to now, we won't on štrafta. (... 95 words...)
On sunday, crowded in DC-99, the floodlight is nowhere, two new guys took it somewhere, run here run there. Then went with one to Dom for Pa šta onda rehearsal. V. is good on his Hammond big hog organ. Bitches about someone having played it, keyboard has no lock. Why don't you take it home? Did you try to lift it? Doesn't matter, the bass player has a špediter*. Luckily, the guy hasn't heard that. Tried out some recording, but nobody could tell the organ from the guitar on it.
At home mom is bitching, her 2nd degree invalidity is revoked, she'll have to work 8 hours instead of 4. The social's coffers are running thin, it seems. Made it clear that I should mind my own business, okay.
On monday (12th) Vanji comes with an eye wound, something like a scratch on the white. Was fiddling in his dad's workshop. (... 78 words...)
Then I hauled some huge books home, her cow (deskmate, that is, Đenđi) needs something for the matricular. I discounted from 4 to 3 dinars per print, just so that she doesn't try to haggle below 3. A little trick of the trade. And then there was some snow as we went. We stood by the column at Tekstil, so she'd shiver a bit less. Tells how some old hag bored her with her "how I don't like this youth of today, what with males with long hair and beards and moustache, I wouldn't want to kiss any of them!" "and you think one would want [to kiss] you?".
Watched pigeons in the schoolyard on wednesday. (... 5 words...)
On thursday (15th) sparrows instead of pigeons. Flew away.
On friday did those reshots for the cow, boring, painstaking, unending. Čarga is making problems again, separating himself, a country of his own.
On saturday on sociology set up a discussion rather than to be graded, which the professor accepted, seems to like it.
The art professor laughed heartily at my quip that "there's not enough of that for legal citizens, let alone the youth".
In the evening, she got up on left foot, keeps mum and won't tell me why.
On sunday, the two guys who took the floodlight showed their work, not bad at all. My "Pa šta onda" project almost got started, except the singer is now ill, the films are in Belgrade (er, what films, what was that?). In the evening she was in bad mood again, kind of fever, tonsils. She ate no supper, so when Gavra collected for wine, the fever got to her so we looked for a place to sit, and guess who gave us a place - Ema the cosmetician, with some oddball guy, who didn't seem to do famously. She smiled, recognized me.
(... 16 words...) I said "the new issue of The Gram is out soon, with your picture in there... (... 4 words...). Expect trouble?" "Nope, that I told them right away". Then the wine came and her mood improved (diet, no supper). I tell her about Ema and the five frajers who tried their luck. How do you know there were five? I was the third...
On monday, 19th, a postcard from Rudolf: "we start around 25th of june, arrive in a day or two. Tell us if we need to change. We stay with you two days, not longer, can't wait to see the crazymen! Happy fucking! Greet the girls!".
My parents, miraculously, agreed with the plan. They'd make me a savings account so I'd have just the booklet and wouldn't have to carry so much cash around. Yeee... whole month on the sea, at least half of it without my olds! Freedom!
The rest of the day passed in the rush around the 2nd issue of The Gram, was acquiring some paper and missed some 200 dinars, total chaos. We got it somehow on credit and then brought the money later. One page is mine, four big photos: Višnja with the sneaker, Bosa in the downstairs coridor, (... 4 words...)she, Tejka by the table at my place, kind of writing something. Submitted the photos on tuesday morning. We'll be better than the Second's competing paper. All we have is written by students alone, we have the photos, and communication with the mass, and a fourth thing which I couldn't remember.
Sat on some meeting afterwards, preparations for some quiz. Came late to russian. The guy M. from that birthday is really a G. - M. is his nickname (differs only by that first letter)(... 8 words...). She asked for Mlinarec's second to listen at home, sure, as soon as I get Josipa. My folks went to Belgrade, grandfather had surgery, is okay. And they bought Josipa's black album. Weird music, starts coming together only the third time.
After classes we stood a while in the city, didn't find quite a place for ourselves(... 10 words...). Desert, just bare streets everywhere, we have nothing of our own. (... 25 words...)
Oli Boj pokes at me about Branka, says she saw her at the viša when "Crni biseri" (black pearls) were playing. Milica says "so you do, seduce then leave, eh?". She asks do I still wear that gold letter pendant - nope, it's at home, in a safe place.
Nobody even dreams of how it really happened.
On wednesday, 21st, (... 6 words...) a three in chemistry.
fluorography on thursday, quite early in the morning. Don't remember where the bus with the equipment was, maybe at Dom. Finshed by 9:30. Took a kilo of bread into the park behind, split it among us (Gavra, B.N., Jozda and I). Lizarding out, it's spring.
In pre-class term (13:05) some recital in komitet, in hungarian mostly, Hazim didn't quite know his lines, but he made it up so charmingly that he got better applause than anyone else. The right part of the "Világszabadság" (world freedom) slogan fell off... IOW, his confusion was the redeeming moment for the whole show.
After classes she had consultations for matricular, and Tejka asked me to escort Dragana, because Duca's insane brother is enamored in her since seventh grade and he's chasing her. So whenever he comes near, we invent a reason to be somewhere else. Like I forgot my watch at school and went to get it, or we're looking for him and keep checking places where he could be. Eventually we leave him in front of the school and we slip to the yard, down the river, over the other bridge.
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*a horse cart with tyres, quite popular; the name also stuck to the owner, when he'd make it a trade to haul stuff