Wednesday the 14th I drew myself at the traffic police HQ for the exam. Nasty drizzle. At the test everyone nervous a bit, only five of us passed. The drive test three of us, plus one in motocycle category. Next was the first aid test, I passed and just left, I guess the others passed too. To avoid muddying my shoes I didn't take the shortcut by bager, went around. Sent a postcard to her along the way. At home wrote the third part of the annual club report, and wrote to Rudolf that I'm not coming in winter.
At school got kisses from the girls (I was the fifth driver in the class, Bilja and Zova were before me and don't know who else). Someone's new lipstick passed too, it can be wiped off (must be Bosa). After school took the report to the club, had a burek somewhere, went with Sredljak to watch "Sutjeska". On thursday at practice the time got tight, the school is moved to half an hour earlier that day so we can't really make it. We may decide to skip the first class, but then it's Sonja and we're already in trouble with her since monday, we'd be screwed. Some refuse to come, even Mima and Savka claim they've been skipping classes when you still wore diapers. Oh yes, I specifically remember Savka skipping, right. Ended up with everyone attending. Half asleep, but present. The IV5pp as such.
PTO in the evening, nothing special.
On friday went to pick my licence then went to practice. Fun there, then left earlier and went with mom to pick some cloth for my new winter shirt (she'll sew for me, again). They let me drive. Luckily, the course included learning to ignore the clapper from shotgun. It doesn't matter that I passed and that this one I drove without error, this was to show me driving so neighbors can see me, but amongst themselves they still mention what the instructor said about me almost causing a fender bender near the end of course. Who knows when I'll get the car again. Not again, just get it, without dad sitting shotgun. I'd prefer her on the other set.
In the evening straight to Groš, taking the #2 at 19:05. She was a bit late again. (... 19 words...) I recounted how Čombe, Baki and prob'ly Zova went to watch "Sutjeska", but when I said I brought šeri brendi (not the brandy made from cherries, but the 30% fragrant drink; a half litter bottle doesn't even peek out of my šinjel pocket), Baki said you guys go, I don't feel like watching, I've heard it retold already.
- hey show your licence
- here... recognize the picture?
- I know.
Of course, the 31st of august. Hickey visible if you know where to look. The enrollment day, hair freshly washed (on the birthday), kudos to majstor.
- the guy who sticks the pictures into licences asked whether this was male or female... (... 60 words...)
On saturday the 17th dad is off to Zajač, it's forty days to grandfather. Around noon Vanji came with the tape, recording of the concert they made in the catholic church, for accoustics' sake, he and Eči and Kid did something quite experimental. The reel is too big for the club recorder, we mucked some rewinding, then he had to go (vermouth doesn't go well over beans)(whatever I meant with that then).
At school, Marko Bozon's bullshit again, we're really under surveillance. On biology we carried the piano again and director is there again but miraculously forgot to send me to a haircut. Whether it's that ŽGLJ gives a rat's ass now about me or that I'm not the president anymore. During the PE I went out to get the tickets. The house rules are enforced now (Zova snagged it into something like the "hour fules are ensuled"... funnier in serbian), I had to backandforth with the dežurni for whole five minutes to get out of the building. For years we used to leave as we wished.
After classes again by my column of Tekstil, where someone wrote "who waits will die waiting" (ah so it wasn't me, I only boldened it so it wouldn't erase). She complained a bit that I chose that sentence to wait her by, but it didn't matter. We bought the half liter (... 22 words...).
The movie is much worse on second. Tito - Burton, Zanussi - Končar*. Director of our theatre has a nice episode, and that Višnja's actor limps through the whole movie. The theatre half empty, we in a back corner. I even learned some german. After the movie again in that gate behind špiritana. Then we reported what we did last summer, including my two minutes with Tejka. Drink kicked me fully, her only in the head. She had the honors to smash the bottle, failed, we did it together. Cut my finger a bit, she wrapped it in a hankerchief and held it in her hand all the way. On the way back hitchhiked some guy from Lesnina from downtown to my street.
Nixon said „I am not a crook“.
On sunday 18th I drove dad around town on his errands, left him at the last one and went to DC-99, annual convention. Shoved presidency on me again.
In the afternoon my folks went to Temerin, to visit Ilona and Aranka (they moved, she got a job in Novi). I stayed at home to jerk the club magish (magnetofon, i.e. tape recorder). Was rewinding the primitive when she appeared.
- what's up, nobody home?
- how did you guess?
- don't see them.
- ran away. Not setting anything up, even I didn't know this morning.
Then we still moved to the dining room, aka kitchen. Music is here, but it's warmer there. Tomorrow's ten months to us, so I ran out to the street and picked a flower for her. Gave her this summer's diary to read, nothing to hide.
At the bus station met Vanji with his chick, and acted out a dramatic parting. On the way back picked B.N., took him home and we made more recordings for the progressive. My folks came quite late.
This is the time when I made one of weirder experiments with sound recording. The headset that Rudolf left, which he made from construction site noise mufflers and a pair of old telephone speakers can actually work as a microphone... so when I connected it that way, hey it worked. Then I put it around my neck and recorded my breathing for a whole minute. When I played that, I couldn't bear it longer than a dozen seconds, felt suffocating. I played it a few more times to other people, just to get more opinions, then erased it. Dangerous to health.
(... 158 words...) Back to school. Marko Bozon in bullshit mode again. Dropped by Tejka to see about some book.
Friday 23rd. Preparing the projection. Going home on 17:30 bus, stuffing things into the car. "And don't cut any curves**". Well fuckya what history have I built so far, ten smashed cars and three ran-over pedestrians? I cut a curve once during the training, when I was still learning how much to steer to get the car to go where I want, and the instructor just had to snitch on me.
I get to her place, her mom says she still hasn't arrived. Should have, but hasn't.
I rush to the projection hall, they still aren't there. Drive to bus station, not there, to Dom, neither, met just Žare. At 19:00 I grab 15 minutes off and go to her place again, missed her by fifty metres, she just left. Tried to pass her via some shortcut but miscalculated, still don't know all the small streets in that part of town, to the projection hall again, park in the yard and rush to the main entrance (ah so this must be the Syndicate building, which also hosts the newspaper and measures control). And there she is, with Vanji and his girl. The two of them go for a walk and we stay. (... 18 words...) CD approaches. I acquaint them, "...and this is CD, the young hope of local journalism, you had the honor already of reading what he wrote..." (yeah, the green market report). He carries four empty beer bottles, invites us upstairs into the newspaper, he's got full ones there plus always some reserve... and goes now to buy more, see you there.
This was the first time I missed a drink because I drive. This will happen hundreds of times.
I had that new shirt of zenana (the silklike stuff for womens' home dresses). Audience numerous, thirtysome. Then to Groš. (... 16 words...) At some point Jež shouts "hey you back there, tone it down, I hear everyting" "well you eavesdrop a bit less loudly then". Then I suggest to go for a ride. (... 17 words...)
On saturday she waited for me at school. We go to Proleter, (... 14 words...). We come to my place and I take the car. Dad tells me it's losing water, so I take a spare can of antifriz. (... 18 words...)
On the way back we pick Jež, for the length of last street. Antifriz wasn't necessary.
Holiday week, 29th is on thursday, she's not going to Novi for just three days, specially as 28th they'll probably split early.
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* it was a big project, second after the success of "Neretva", where they had all sorts of famous foreign names - Yul Brynner, Orson Welles, Sergej Bondarčuk, Franco Nero... This time they took Richard Burton to play Tito. Rade Končar was another partisan hero, and there was a big factory of electric stuff, including appliances. So for washing machines they bought a licence from italian Zanussi company... hence the parallel.
** I know the phrase is about cutting corners, but I'm not buying it. In my mind and language, corner is two walls at a right angle, with sharp edge, made of brick or concrete. No building - no corner. So we cut curves and leave buildings alone. OK, some drivers might try that, but we don't call it cutting then, we call it a crash.
25-IX-2024 - 28-VIII-2025