Failed drivers' by 16 points, 2 would be a pass. Few fucked up intersections and a couple of stupid little things. Shouldn't have expected anything, I wouldn't be disappointed then. It's not that I expected to pass it on the first try, I thought they'd fuck me on something later, not so early on.
Went home and retyped translations of Mlinarec for Rudolf. We acquired a typewriter, because dad has to get his graduation work, and then I'd have to do mine. A small reporter-style job, has no đ.
At school, to compose myself, I treated myself to a double rum, during PE. Didn't help.
On tuesday, hopped down to Dženk's place to get some records, he wasn't at home. Š. invited us both to her birthday on saturday. Wrote her a letter.
On wednesday heard new details of my case. Kornians on TV, "Not an ordinary life". Višnja is hunting me about some photos. No mail, except newspapers. Finally got the records from Dženk.
On thursday class community class (sounds stupid in english, but what can I do - we have separate words for class as a group of people, and class as a timeslot in school). Marko Bozon tasked me to write a report for the next class about students' hairdress. What is this, political pornography?
On friday we mocked Radisav to blazing. He, a student. After classes attended a party meeting even though I'm not a member. This was my chance to defend myself. But Tejka was reading some report, too long, all else adjourned.
On saturday learned chemistry like crazy, pictures for Višnja already handled, paid right on. In the evening missed her by a minute, she saw me get on the bus home, checked the Proleter, Gavra sent her off ("he's not hanging on my navel"), she got mad at him. Found her when I came back, deliberated a bit and decided to do that birthday. Tells me how she lives at some old lady's, crazy and a heart condition, and tanti told her she has no boyfriend, and then after just a couple of weeks there's a postcard from me with "I love you". She plans to move.
I retell my talk with Marko Bozon about that hair report. In five moves it came to it that I shouldn't write what I think but what they think I should. That means I should lie, advertise short hair. Yes, he said. Well it's too much, first you force me into haircut, now you force me to shout how I like it. That won't go. It will, it will, he said.
Bought two tiny dolls as a birthday present, a Yogi Bear and Snagglepuss. We added one button, then wrapped it all in a poster we tore off a wall, made it to resemble a bouquet. Played even-odd with Tiki (Vlada Tiki, nicknamed after his mom's photo shop, was with Gagi, the local beauty famous from several local photographers' shop windows, was 29 at the time and he 18). We'd fill a water glass with vinjak then take swigs, the one who gets the empty glass gets a čvrga. I won by 2:1, while she (... 28 words...).
Turns out it was good that this was so far away, so we had some chance to kiss and sober up along the way. She tried to gaslight me into believing that I didn't slap myself, but the slap worked that much already. So I didn't slap myself again. Came home at 1:30.
My room was finished, so the anteroom (i.e. lobby) was next for today. She came around 16:30, and I was dirty and sweaty. Showed her the current looks of my room. Asked whether this door is white or light pink. And the ceiling? And the other door isn't darker?
- will you wait till my hair grows?
- even longer than you think
Then we went through the pictures I prepared for the wall. This time I'll glue them straight to the wall no pak paper no thumbtacks. And then it was her time to leave. Granma came and stuffed two large apples into her duffel, for the trip.
- you know, when I started here, my mom was offering me apples, I barely ran away
- you can't evade granma
We deliberate about Sombor. (... 34 words...)
We can't think of a sure way to pull this, our lying skills are not good enough.
On 10th wrote to Rudolf. Troskok took my maths notebook from Bilja, and the maths prof doesn't care at all (Radoja went off to be a programmer, so we have this one* now). Jolpaz was doing a striptease act, was changing and they hid his clothes. I borrowed him a jacket so he answered biology with something on above waist. The famous sound copies of the three DC-99 films arrived. Tarča and Z. are messing with some business.
On 11th, a thursday, a letter from her. She's moving to another place near fairgrounds after the weekend. They still don't have a dead body, they get only a hand and shoulder next week.
At school we are gaining bad reputation as a class. Very few professors root for us. Radisav is simmering the Russian and Sonja, alternating, and has no other text than to rat on us, mostly just gossip. The philosopher doesn't like us, didn't even before he knew us, and if anyone asked he would ban smoking. And then repeats that six more times in other words. And they try to make IV4 and us to turn on each other, use each other as excuse or bad example. Would be the best if we became enemies. Baki is a finger's breadth from expulsion.
Therefore, we're screwed.
On friday I should have stayed after sixth class (art) on the continuation of that party meeting, well fuck that, I bluff I'm kind of sick and leave before half of the class, catch an earlier bus home. Then go to her place, they say she's at the disco on Groš. It's quite good there, still like a shoebox and emptyish but already gaining some physionomy shaped. Lots of wood on the walls, glass tiles in the floor with color bulbs beneath. Jež is the deejay. Shouldn't have gone to her home, but there it is. She told me what crap the old lady had pulled, how she got late to the lecture because she was writing me a letter, how they still don't have their own dead for anatomy. Talked with Jež about maybe running a few projections, maybe split the space with some partitions. Escorted her, keeping official and at some distance most of the way, then burst into an embrace, couldn't sustain the pretense. Walked home.
On saturday the 13th I told mom I wasn't coming in the evening. At school, I hear ŽGLJ was investigating the works of the youth org while I was its sherriff. In the evening met her at 19:30 by Tekstil. That's on her end of štrafta so I can see most of the main square where she'd come, so I spot her from afar without having to gaze through the crowd. Mine was the third supporting column, and I wrote on it, using plain graphite pencil, "who waits will die waiting". Dozen years later it was still not erased. For Čarga's birthday we bought a keyring pendant boxing gloves. Made him close his eyes as I slipped the keyring on his finger, with the words
- may this be with you when you run into cops
- what, you heard already?
- what, again?
- you don't know?
- no, what happened?
- just caught me again this evening...
He had the standard IV4 gang, plus Tejka, who was somewhat sore at us, sensing that we've come just to cuddle and drink in a warm space. We arrested a bottle of prošek, found an armchair and drank more than half of it. Jozda danced around, including on my toes. The music, to dick, Yugrupa every now and then. Going east into the yard, a puppy nibbles at shoes. At some point the gang starts singing, badly but making progress, two more birthdays and they'll neigh. I escort her, it's already cold and we shiver a little... and we understand that we're always somewhere outside, nowhere really, always saying goodbyes until next time. About Sombor we invent the story that there appeared an empty slot, one guy gave up, it's all paid.
Sobered up by half I return to Čarga. Randomly, with a bottle of vinjak between my feet, to warm myself up(... 33 words...). Around 1:30 the old folks arrive and we disperse.
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* accidentally, ten years later I'd be in the same staff room with her husband
24-V-2021 - 25-VI-2026