We stood in a queue for tea, and when they approached the window, kiosk, me vomit. Saleswoman gained tea cups, spreading out every time, before you draw a large scoop thick layer of обварившихся flies floating on top, as a black foam.
"You chicken want? I asked, Anton, glancing at his darkened carcass on display kiosk, which roam, poking хоботками, winged insects (Before us some old man asked his chicken, indifferently watching, вспугнув swarm of flies, clerk handed him one of the plates with a shop window).
"No, Anton fastidiously winced and shook his head from side to side.
We bought a plate of boiled eggs, two stale rolls, a glass of Transbaikalian tea and went to a corner where stood the dirty, filled with puddles and covered with crumbs tables, which, apparently, is never removed.
-Listen, to die there of hunger can be! — Old Anton, making her round eyes. — Such rabid rates, and from grub hooves can be discarded! How people live?
-Live. As you can see. You saw her tea is gaining?
-Saw Anton nodded.
-I don't know. It seems to me that I can't drink. I'll vomit.
"But the drink, — Anton looked around.
-Let him drink. And I can't, — I moved his glass aside.
"I think you're so not stand the test. Because this nightmare, he drove his rolls fly, but the second ended up right in his glass. — Ugh! This nightmare, — Anton started catching сварившегося трупика insect — not for one day.
I don't know, but I can't drink this stuff.
To our table came up a little old woman with a teenager, dressed in grey, and the greasy rags. They silently, waiting stood in front of us.
-What are they? In a whisper, leaning forward, asked Anton.
I don't know, " I said, but, having guessed handed them my Cup of tea.
The old woman silently took him and began greedily отхлебывать, then gave the glass a teenager. I handed her and a muffin, because could not eat it, hard, сухомятку. Beggars, almost pulling her from the hands of each other, разломили it into two pieces, taking each other's crumbs.
-Snake-AU! Said, watching all of this Anton, his eyes never came in normal state, while remaining abnormally large and round.
We spent a night at the station, fearing to go into a strange and not very friendly and happy-go-lucky town. In one of the halls of waiting we have found in different places two vacated chair. Anton immediately fell asleep. I sat, staring eyes and force trying to get them from collapsing.
Past me flowed dirty, poor life, which has never before had I met. Beggars. Голодранцев, thugs and homeless children there was so much that Moscow railway stations after they had seen it, might seem a promised land. Perhaps this cohort was here more than the passengers distinguished from it, not the quality of service in the majority, and only in the presence of bags, nodes, ридикюлей, portfolios and other скарба.
In front of me on the wooden back of the benches sat a girl in a bright, with grey environment in its brightness attire: juicy-pink, exactly glowing skirt that was visible piece of white panties, emerald blouse-безрукавке with a deep cut on the back. The hair on the girl's head was placed in a beautiful, original hair, cheeks burning young cheeks, her eyes shining, and the entire sight of her was such that she was here from some other bright and cheerful world, confusing the door and got here by accident. It was the same bright girlfriend. She was at the head of the queue in the kiosk. This same waited, turning to me your beautiful profile.
Wait was it possible to foresee everything, but I wanted to approach her and talk. I suddenly got scared that she now вспорхнет butterfly and never appears in this grey, boring building. It seemed to speak to her, my life is something bright, joyful change, something extraordinary, why suddenly disappear, disappear all my sadness, doubt and anxiety. But these were only illusions, and deal with them, I sat on the ground.
For some time she allowed me to admire its alluring, long legs, her beautiful profile, then fluttered and flew off somewhere, leaving me in doubt and раздумии. Was the reason why she was here, in this dirty, uncomfortable station, full of dark, hungry, gray and tired of people that outfit you even pay attention to her. Even if she wanted to sell her body, it was not the best place where you could trade in such goods. Too bright and beautiful she was and too concerned with the poor and the surrounding crowd, so that it could somebody come up. Apparently, she and her friend were still inexperienced in this matter, and perhaps today the first tried out on the panel.
In the morning we went in search of the staff of the district, then we found the personnel Department and passed into its own regulations. The time before the evening was free, and we went for a wander through the strange city Chita, on each corner of finding more evidence удручающему impression he made originally. The city seemed to have been created especially to remind that this is not Europe, and even Siberia and Transbaikalia.
Chita — the capital of Transbaikalia!" — you could see it on the roof, the wall of another building poster with the inscription, which wanted to laugh hysterically and cry with impotent anger. If Transbaikalia was such capital, one could imagine that this was a self Transbaikalia. I still feared that my fantasy is still not enough, and my views will be fantastically bright compared to reality.
The shelves were pristine clean, and it was unclear what generally traded here sellers. From desolation shops per capita was gloomy dejection. We couldn't even buy bread, and only about four o'clock we managed to do it, stood a half hours in a huge queue.
Buy a loaf of black bread, we decided to have lunch and to find something to drink. In stores no juice or mineral water. We couldn't even beg to us given water from under the crane, because the sellers refused to sell us an empty bowl. Their logic was impossible to understand.
Finally, we accidentally strayed into some provincial cafe, where not a soul, she'd shifted from candy in конфетницу crackers. Give us water she also refused, but suggested to buy dubious yellow-whitish drink, in which the flies, but swam large white flakes of unknown origin. The drink was called "Orange", but had no even signs of an orange or at least juice in its composition.
Do, however, nothing else could, and, desperate to find something more suitable for drinking, we took a glass of this heinous and besides, not a cheap liquor.
Never in my life had I had such a poor dinner. Despite the fact that almost a day I have not taken already and crumbs in his mouth, appetite for the food I do not possess.
Returning office of personnel, we drew attention to the unexpectedly large cluster is right in the middle of one of the larger streets and went down there. Coming closer, we found an unusual sight: as if from under the ground on shops and green strip of lawn, separating the pavement from the pedestrian walkway, the market appeared, which in the people have numerous names like "crush", "clouds", "push", "flea market". Top ten with a half Chinese Boyko traded all sorts of things and baubles, exchanging it on their pieces of material, watches, military uniform and greatcoat and other совдеповское stuff, that from all sides dragged people. Judging by how Boiko was the exchange and trade, as vehemently arguing, using mainly gestures on the fingers, signifying rates, and матерными words Russians, the brazen trying to inflate brothers-the Chinese, as the more inferior to their onslaught, it all started a few minutes ago. Here knew their work, and nobody lost a minute, pulling out each other benefits. There prevailed a fervent spirit embittered, and the soul of a beggar of the Russian people, not consonant with their lot and miserable life, revealed itself in all its glory in the attempts to snatch the pie handouts alien civilization bigger and cheaper, but without ненавистничества, which often manifests itself in poor buyer towards sustainable seller.
I could not help admiring one of young of teen girls, Boyko добивавшейся of not understanding a single word of her explanations Chinese to change her favorite thing on the old, women's mechanical watch, which he desperately waving, never wanted to.
-Well, let's? — Touching her eyebrows flew up as if helping its movement of the Chinese to give consent. — Come on, eh?
Chinese again vigorously waving the face with his palm.
"Well, come on! — The girl tried to put a watch in hand, Chinese, and he jumped away from her, as if stung by bee, and then he waved his yellow brush with clumsy fingers.
In the other side suddenly there was a terrible, shrill cry, I turned around and saw a fat Chinese, awkwardly припустившую along the street, right on the pavement, losing on the go sports suits, immediately falling under the wheels of cars. Far ahead, already on the other side of the street was visible for some time, the rapidly receding boy, прихвативший with you something of its goods.
-Well done, boy! Came near affirmative exclamation. — They need, bloodsuckers желторотых Rob.
Soon the pavement approached a large, comfortable bus. Trade quickly curled up, and the Chinese, tucking not sold and purchased things at his door ahead of him, climbed in a cosy interior of the machine.
We came round and hurried office of personnel, risking already be too late.
Lieutenant Colonel, who took the morning, our regulations, invited us into the office for an interview, asked a few of duty issues and making notes in the papers, presented us again accompanying documents:
-You Yakovlev, destination does not change now, — he emphasized the "not yet". — And you, Krivoruchko, get a new appointment. Now I'll give you a token to the passport office. You get a service passport. Serve'll be in the area of "triple zero". There salaries triple, all sorts of benefits, but... more responsibility. I think that the service is there for you to enjoy. Perhaps Yakovlev there soon will go. Month three to four. There, I think, and meet. Meanwhile, Yakovlev, get travel and forth into the way, and Krivoruchko go with us tomorrow.
-But to hold something I can, — Anton was obviously upset, although me and all of what was in bad condition. Засвербело somewhere under the spoon in anticipation close, very close already changes in your life, who always lived, it is not easy, and for me, as it seemed to me will be painful and difficult. With all the blinding clarity in my head whirled ирезвая thought that I failed to love the army, more than that, I'm just afraid of her, because for the six years I spent in the educational institutions of the Armed Forces, directly with it experienced only during two months internships, who passed two monthly holiday with military bias. To the service, to the management of soldiers me never and no one is serious not attracted, and now I had to plunge into the abyss of the unknown. Help there was no one from whom and from where, and, feeling suddenly for the first time really young adult, I was frightened and felt my forehead was covered with a nasty sticky sweat. It was almost animal fear of the future.
Apparently, Anton experienced this with my feelings, because his face became first Magenta, then suddenly pale, and he was unable to say anything, as I, in response.
We went out in the corridor. Anton took a deep breath, his eyes grew wide, and again nothing could say. After two hours we were with him at the station. I bought a ticket, and my train was about to start here.
-Write to me... or come over, if you really get into this трехочковую zone, — said Anton, shaking my hand. He gave me the number of his military post of the regulations. — Well, and the rest you know: Anton Krivoruchko. Find me where the bachelors will live. Well, okay.
The train started, I jumped on the bandwagon, waved to him and stood up, squeezing past the conductors with a yellow flag in the vestibule.
-Before I get in! — She mumbled sourly.
I went to his compartment, which was empty, and found there a passenger, sitting quietly in сгущавшемся сумерке early evening.
-Come in, come in, young man, " the voice of him who spoke seemed to me to be highly familiar, and I was glad it was there, thinking that with me will go one of my recent travel companions.
-And where are you going? I inquired, annoyed that I can't consider a person companion.
-There, where you are, young man! Said passenger and flipped the switch under the shade of a lamp beside him.
All four sconces were lit at a time, and this illumination I saw the gentleman in the hat-pot with red moustaches. From under the counter of his hat glowing green embers flushed with the light of light, watched two of his penetrating to the very soul пробирающих eyes.
I was stunned and felt that I was losing the presence of the spirit and is now going to faint. My feet became numb themselves disobediently buckled, and I sat down and literally fell on the bare, not covered shelf cold leatherette cover it. The line between reality and nothingness, between this world and the beyond has again become shaky, almost растворившейся this сверлящем two sharp rays-beaten look. It even seemed to me that my soul soared, выпорхнув with the fear of the body and leaving it as unnecessary dirty bag, and, thus, I simply gave up, as they say, the spirit.
-Well, boy, we met again, talk of souls? — Asked the gentleman in the top hat.
It seemed to me that this is the end.
Epilogue.
Two months later, before the New year I again sat in the train. Come nineteen ninety-ninth year. Before it was only a few days.
On the street was hard Zabaikalsky frost, and waiting for the train, once a day притормаживавший here at the platform godforsaken passing, I danced, feeling like a foot сосвсем already stiff, and the fingers can no longer feeling was: whether they are alive or even отмерзли completely. Leather chrome boots and a pair of wool socks, напяленных on top of cotton, not saved from the evil cold.
The train was late, and I used foul language on обжигающем face and hands in gloves wind, scolded her unhappy судьбину, заведшую me up in the icy cold, harsh land.
Two months have not passed without trace, and now I can already вкусившим from unsweetened officer of bread, though there seems to be nothing special with me and not occurred. Yes, and that could happen in this God-forsaken hole, lost in the boundless unfrequented spaces Buryatia like forever заговоренных from human presence.
I saw the lives of the officers in these areas in its ugliness and experienced it in full on сосбственной skin. Life, in General, in these places hardly glimmered on the verge of extinction flowed slowly, as if sinking in drowsy vastness of wild land, not able to even give their power stunted plants, frozen nine out of the twelve months of the year.
