Memoir of a Russian Punk

31

Swinging his arms as he walks and doing exercises in order to warm up, Eddie-baby moves in the direction of the trolley stop, in the direction of the "circle" line. From the circle, the trolley goes into the city. Eddie-baby is on his way to the train station. And from the station, he's going to Vladivostok, because here in Saltovka there's nothing left for him to do.

Only a few people are sitting at the trolley stop under the shelter, all hunched over with their noses wrapped in scarves as they finish their dreams through half-shut eyes. Even the earliest workers are not yet on their way to work, although Eddie knows that in half an hour the trolley will be crammed full. The holiday is over.

Only after he has taken a seat on the cold bench does Eddie realize that his friend and hetman Kostya is sitting on the same corner, hunched over like everybody else. And that he has a knapsack on his back.

Eddie-baby stands up and goes over to Kostya. Kostya's eyes are closed. It's possible he's asleep.

"Cat!" Eddie calls out.

Kostya shudders, but seeing Eddie, he smiles in wonder. "What are you doing here so early in the morning?" he asks, astonished.

"That's what I was going to ask you – what the fuck are you doing here so early?" Eddie says.

"I'm on my way to the station," Kostya says, becoming serious.

"That's where I'm going too!" Eddie exclaims. "I intend to get the fuck out of here and go to Vladivostok."

"Without taking anything?" Kostya asks in amazement. "Just as you are?"

"What do I need things for?" Eddie says sadly. "I can steal whatever I need," he adds, surprising himself. "Where are you going?" he asks Cat.

"To Novorossisk," the serious Cat answers. "Novorossisk is the biggest port on the Black Sea. I plan to buy some chewing gum and foreign cigarettes from the foreign sailors," he says. "You can get them for just kopecks there."

"How will you understand each other?" Eddie-baby asks, puzzled. "You don't know any foreign languages. How will you explain to them what you want?"

"It's easy," Kostya says. "Yura Gi-Gi wrote down in a notebook what I need to say and how to haggle with them. He's been to Novorossisk several times. It's warm there now, and the kids all wait until the sailors come ashore, and then they sneak up to them."

The trolley arrives with a ringing of bells, and the conductor jumps off to take a leak. Kostya and Eddie-baby, sitting as far as they can from the door, where it's warmest, continue their conversation.

"What made you decide to go all of a sudden?" Eddie asks. "And without even telling anybody. After all, I could have come with you."

"Well, why don't you come?" Kostya says. "What sort of business do you have in Vladivostok?"

"I don't have any fucking business there," Eddie says, making a clean breast of it. "I don't even know anybody there, not even one person. I just want to get away from Saltovka. I can't stay here any longer…" He turns away from Kostya and is gloomily silent for a while, and then he adds, "I've had a fight with Svetka. It's all over between us…"

Kostya remains silent for a while out of sympathy, and then he says, "Well then, come to Novorossisk with me. It'll be more fun together. And it's a lot warmer there than it is in Vladivostok. The Caucasus is right nearby. If we want, we can get there from Novorossisk. The only thing is, we don't have passports…"