Tuesday, March 25, 2008

The world is getting smaller and smaller!

I logged on to this Russian 'facebook' version and found TONS of friends from the past- kinder garden, all of my five schools, my old block, my village.... The most surprising person to meet there was Masha.
A little history... We had a house on the Dnieper river, right on the border with Belarus in the little cozy village of Kamenka. This place was all nature - forests, fields, tiny little homes with a few pensioners living in them, only one tiny shop - no cars, no pollution, no TV sets or phones (most of our neighbours didn't have these luxuries - we had an old TV). It was a perfect place to find peace. My family didn't spend much time there - Mom and Dad were too busy working in the city. My brother and I liked it in our other village more. But sometimes we went to Kamenka with grandparents. One summer our family (surprisingly Mom and Dad were there with us) met a young family there - a couple with two kids of our age - a boy Maksim my brother's age and a girl Masha my age. It was a simple miracle for a village with only old or dead people in it :) - sorry for black humor.
No need to say that our families became very close rather quickly. While our parents would solve the problems of the world enjoying a cup of tea - the four of us would play and run around till midnight. I even remember we went to a local cemetery once! Crazy childhood...
So, anyhow, we spent one summer with them - it was a fun one. Then we lost contact.

Here after 18 years Masha finds me! She is a beautiful young lady, lives in Kiev, writes poetry. We started talking. I scrolled down through her pictures looking for Maksim, too (her brother) - wondering what he looks like. The last time I saw him, that I'm aware of, he was wearing a pirate eye-patch, with black mustache and a beard painted on his face with a marker (or piece of coal?) :)))) I asked her, "so what about Maksim? How come he isn't on any of your pictures?"

The next reply I received was this: As far as I understand, you work in Edinstvennaya magazine. That means that you work in Edipresse publishers' house. That means that you work together - he is in the color-correction section.

I simply cannot believe this. My brother will be shocked :) Today I'll pay him a friendly visit. From the past.

PS. So I looked him up in our staff database. He looks so different in that picture. SO serious! In glasses and a very strict mature face. He is a real man. I think he even started balding. I'm afraid to go see him, it feels weird. What am I going to say to him? Hello, remember that 6-year old from your village? That's me, but I'm 22 now. So... how have you been?
Our photoeditor (she knows him - present him) promised to go with me, she wants to see his reaction, too :) So, I'll keep you posted.


PPS. Yep, I went to see him. He is nothing what I knew him like. I remember a tall blond tanned blue-eyed fellow. When I went to meet him I saw a short plump dark-eyed and dark-haired 30-year-old. Wow, people change. He was pretty surprised to see me. But very glad. He showed me some pictures of our village (what it looks like now, they still own a house there) and showed me around on the 10th floor :)) - I work on the 6th floor. So, it was fun. I don't think we'll become best friends though :)))

4 comments:

Anonymous said...

Amazing! Still doesn't answer why she doesn't have any pictures of him! Boy, will he be surprised when you show up!

Anonymous said...

What fun to have you here last night, though we were all too tired to talk much. I'm glad that I now have the inside scoop on your "smaller world." I won't give anything away here until you have to post...

Anonymous said...

Intriguing Ukrainiac.
Great story Dasha! These "facebooks" do make the world small! What a fun meeting it will be!

Anonymous said...

...so what happened???!! Your fans want to know!!