Memoir of a Russian Punk

11

At the door to Vovka's apartment Grishka smiles slyly. "Listen!" he says, and presses the buzzer.

Eddie-baby listens. All of a sudden from somewhere in the ceiling comes the sound of Vovka's gruff voice amplified by a loudspeaker:

"Who's there?" the voice asks.

"It's your neighbor Grishka," Grishka answers with a grin.

"What do you want?" the voice asks just as gruffly. Eddie-baby realizes now that the voice comes from a loudspeaker over the door. The loudspeaker is covered with wire mesh.

"I need to talk to you," Grishka answers importantly.

"With or without a bottle? Alone or not alone?" the laconic Vovka asks.

"With a bottle," Grishka lies – the fire extinguisher in his hand is less than half full. It would be nice if there were at least half a bottle of wine left, but there probably isn't. "And with a friend," Grishka adds. "With Ed."

"All right," the invisible Vovka Zolotarev concludes, now satisfied. Something hisses and clatters in the loudspeaker. "Press the button to the right of the door and come in."

Grishka, winking at Eddie, presses the black plastic button, and the door opens of its own accord.

"Everything's automated," Grishka says enthusiastically, turning to Eddie. "Vovka doesn't even get up to open the door. He just lies in bed and picks up the receiver and presses his buttons."

For all his automation, Vovka still has to share his apartment with somebody else. He has sworn to outlast her and take over her room. For the time being, however, the large room in the apartment belongs to Vovka and one of the two smaller rooms to his mother. Both he and his mother are pressuring their neighbor by every possible means, but basically by tormenting her with Vovka's music and his way of life. The neighbor, whom Vovka refers to as "Mashka" even though she's forty years old, calls the militia at least twice a week, which is easy, given the fact that the station's right next door and you can see its yard from the window. But since Vovka's outrageous behavior doesn't actually involve physical abuse, and since he is employed, there's really nothing the militia can do. They don't even come anymore. Vovka's convinced them that Mashka is crazy.

Now, if Vovka were a parasite like the kids in the Blue Horse, they could do something, such as exile him 101 kilometers away from Kharkov, but since he isn't, they can't do anything. Vovka isn't even a dude or an alcoholic, although he does drink a lot and has company every night.

Although nobody ever calls him anything but "Vovets" or "Vovka," Vovka is actually a pretty old guy – more than thirty. But he doesn't like to associate with men his own age. He prefers schoolboys. Even Sashka Plotnikov drops by Vovka's from time to time. Vovka maintains that he has a lot more fun with schoolboys. And he sleeps with and screws girls Eddie's age. Galka Kovalchuk from Eddie's class humped Vovka for a while, and everybody knew about it.