Cant believe Ive done it to myself again. What will it take for me to learn anything about how life works; about how they work !ust turned into a thirty year old gee"er a week ago; the one most symbolic event in the #ast eight years of my travelling life$ yet still find myself lying in the very same stinking bed Ive made for myself as a #im#led teenager. %nly difference is that Ive now got over a decade of more #ointless &so very #ointless' e(#erience to be ignoring when it comes down to the unfair se(. )!ust follow the basics$ I told myself back at the beginning. )*ake yes as a maybe$ maybe as no$ yet remember + success comes to those who at least try. ,he did say niet from the very start though; on our very first stroll through that tick infested woodland. But then$ shed materiali"e by my side whenever Id be rubbing my lam# and wishing for a cute$ blonde genie. -evertheless$ back then I was too god damn busy to a##reciate it. . cou#le of days earlier$ I arrived at -ovosibirsk$ after a month long /ourney from ,t. 0etersburg$ 1ussia$ through 2oskva and halfway across the ,iberian wilderness. Why Ive made that semi3conscious choice to be teaching 4nglish at the heart of ,iberia is still beyond me. .fter all$ I hate kids; hate them even more than I des#ise working. *he mere thought of having to deal with a whole bunch of )em still sends a shiver down my s#ine. 2aybe it was the monotonousness of the /ourney; maybe it was sheer loneliness Whatever the case might have been$ I was at least incredibly fortunate to be arriving in -ovosibirsk unannounced$ look u# a contact Ive briefly corres#onded with back in 4ngland months ago and /ust ha##en to catch the director of that so3called International 5anguage ,chool on her one and only day back in town. -e(t morning$ I was traveling on a stone3aged school bus$ surrounded by hordes of screaming infants$ and already seriously doubting the wisdom of acting on my own im#ulse. %nce we made it to the lakeside cam#$ relatively sane and sound$ I was at least looking forward to some rela(ing time in the 1ussian countryside. What followed was a chaotic bombardment of great e(#ectations$ with a tight and inefficient schedule of 4nglish lessons I needed to #lan$ ,#anish lessons I was e(#ected to give$ 1ussian lessons I wanted to receive$ martial art classed I somehow found myself volunteering for$ various activities$ #roductions$ social obligations$ food 6 entertainment. ,uddenly$ I was thrown into a s#inning 1ussian roulette of nonsto# toil and confusion; disorderly gangs of /uvenile delin7uents; 1ussian language going into one ear and coming out the other; daily kickbo(ing #ractices that would turn me into a #anting$ #athetic e(cuse for a human being; theatric clowning for kee#ing the little #atrons entertained and endless sociali"ing with the other teachers and stuff. By the time all that delirium has finally subsided$ 2y blonde genie was already gone.
,he was nineteen$ going on twenty; a slim$ towheaded girl from the town of -ovovsibirsk$ away from home on holiday with her family. I was twenty nine$ secretly about to turn thirty; an accidental tutor with a hidden agenda. 89airy$: she remarked$ 8with grays a##earing here$ there and anywhere.: 8Chubby as well$: she added$ though Ive lost several #ounds of flesh since setting off on this #articular cross3country train ride e(travagan"a several weeks before. 8.nd not tall enough$: she concluded; a lone3gy#sy$ who;s making u# for all that he;s lacking in looks with the air of a worldly e(#lorer. %n our second stroll through that mos7uito infested woodland$ I got another giggly re/ection$ with a mention of some obscure eighteen year old boyfriend of a sort. 2e and my lack of confidence in a cosmo#olitan wolf3skin; me and my bloody verbal entreaties$ when any child knows that the right thing to do is to )/ust do it! 4very woman I ever fancied$ every girl Ive been engaging in over a decade$ had to be a##roached with a timid$ a#ologetic$ refusal3antici#ative verbal re7uest$ when what needs doing is but a 7uick grabbing of the back of the head$ followed by a gentle$ yet firm$ #ressing of the li#s. *his notion is forever as clear as a sunny day in 9ell$ right u# to about five seconds before the moment of truth arrives. And whats with that eighteen year old boyfriend for fucks sake? Freaking eighteen years old boyfriends!!! Everyones got one! *hey;re so meaningless to me$ yet seem so very meaningful to eighteen year old girls. <ucking hate them all!! I also was eighteen not too long ago$ and seem to remember having no #roblem whatsoever with messing around with other girls behind my girlfriends backs.
*hat school$ if one could go as far as calling that cross between summer and labor cam#s a school$ consisted of a bunch of wooden hovels$ scattered around a #atch of lowland and enclosed by a forest on one side and a lake on the other. With bunk beds for slee#ing$ glacially cold water for showering and drab grub to kee# us going$ there sure wasn;t much in the way of stimulus. *he classrooms turned out to be converted dormitories$ teaching material none(istent and even 2agic 2arkers$ for use on im#rovised whiteboards$ took some con/uring tricks to come by. 2y fellow foreign teachers also made a cluster of strange fruits alright$ made out of a retired teachers from the =nited ,tates$ a re#resentative of their fifty first state &namely Canada'$ an Italian who was anything but one$ a cou#le of ,wiss nutcases more >erman than the >erman$ who was more British than the Brit$ who was even nuttier than the rest of ;em #ut together. *hen again$ you had to be rather nutty /ust in order to kee# u# with the #rogram. *hey had us dressed like Indians$ running around with #ainted faces$ singing and dancing$ or e(hibited and #araded like some kind of #ur#le3rum#ed baboons. It took a little while$ but eventually I managed to strike out a balance$ and once I;ve learned the right #ronunciation of the word niet 1 enough time was also finally allocated for leisure. <inally$ I could /ust hang around by the lakeside once in a while$ lying on my hammock and reading a book or something. <inally$ we could /ust hang around by the lakeside once in a while$ lie together in the comfort of my hammock and mess around. ,he;d let me stroke her sandy legs$ her ga"e ? -o &1ussian' lost among clouds gra"ing across a tur7uoise sky$ and as we all know only too well$ all it really takes is but a hint of a silver lining to get the boys back in business. @If you come to visit -ovosibirsk$ I will take care of you$@ she #ro#osed in a whis#er$ then would retrieve her #erfect legs and stride away. 1ight then$ a game #lan began to formulate in my mind; a lousy$ good for nothin; game #lan. 2y #lan was so sim#le$ it terrified me. <irst I must get her to kee# her #romise and then$ I shall be )taken care of good and #ro#er. 1ight now$ all I really wanna do is smack that #retty face of hers good and #ro#er$ then ravish the living daylight out of her &and not in a good way either'. =nfortunately$ I;d never be able to do such a thing$ for I;m /ust not that kind of a guy. I don;t have what it takes to be a com#lete and total bastard. ,hame really$ as it is a well3known fact that its the bastard that always gets the girl. *hat boyfriend of hers must be a real bastard$ the little 1uskA bastard of a caveman that he is$ and will definitely dum# her soon enough. *hat is$ after all$ what eighteen year old boys do best. 9owever$ by the time hell be throwing her off that bridge$ I;ll be long gone. But she was su##osed to be my little tro#hy! 2y thirtieth birthday gift for myself. Is that really too much to ask By the time I turned thirty$ in as surre#titious a manner as humanly #ossible$ everything back at the language cam# settled into a more or less #leasurable routine. *ime reached a #leasant flow$ good friends were made and even the mayo3laden grab didn;t taste half bad no more. Co#ied and recycled lesson3#lans were re#laced by more successful im#rovisation. 2ost of all$ I came to en/oy my ,#anish lessons$ where if an error fell in the forest no one was around to hear it. %n to# of all that$ I finally got the well needed kickbo(ing #ractice I;ve been #romising myself$ together with a bunch of knackered kids fighting to kee# u# and a cou#le of #ri"e fighters$ who can kick my arse any day of the week. 4vening time was for #laying cards$ building cam#fires$ barbe7uing with my fellow teachers$ swimming with friends$ watching the #retty girls or en/oying a steaming banya ! after a good day;s work and before a good night;s slee#. 2y ho#es of kee#ing my birthday a secretive matter utterly failed$ for a sim#le matter of a date of birth in a #ass#ort held by the director for safe kee#ing. %nce the cat was out of the bag$ though$ my day turned into a succession of small celebratory gestures orchestrated by a bunch of sweet kids I;ve grown rather fond of. *hus$ who would have guessed that$ thousands of miles away from family and friends$ this would become the second best damn birthday Ive ever had! .nd as a conclusion to a gay kinda day$ me and all the other teachers ended u# at the kiddy disco$ held nightly in a converted barn. 0redictably enough$ being teachers$ foreign and e(otic$ we soon became the main attraction on the dance floor. *hus$ with little girls hanging on my waist and bigger ones hugging me like I was a teddy bear$ I swayed all the slow bits and salsa3danced all the faster ones. -evertheless$ humorous turned most mystifying once the young women showed u#; blossoming teenaged models$ dri##ing milk$ honey and hormones$ who immediately bought all of our dance tickets. .nywhere else round the cam#$ they were but mere girls; students to teach and aficionadas to avoid. 9owever$ transformed into felinely curious seductress by night$ they became instigator of the soul and tormentors of the loins. <rom the brink of sanity I write these cautionary words$ with sticky fingers and a right hand too sore to be true; a self who is more com#osed$ somewhat wiser$ yet /ust as dumb as ever. <or$ e(#erience gained shall not soon be forgotten$ yet doubtfully be #ut into #ractice neither$ whenever a similar situation might #resent itself. <or what is a man$ what has he got If not himself$ then he has naught. <or$ to all those wonderful #eo#le whom I;ve encountered on my lengthy /ourney; those I regarded as friends and lovers for but a brief sense of bonding based on mutual or illusionary fondness; to each and every one of those random encounters I was not much more than a momentary fascination; an intriguing anthro#ological finding one forgets /ust B 1ussian steam bath as soon as their visit to the museum of unnatural history comes to an end and it;s time to go back home. .t the end of the day$ all those who at one time or another called me their friend or longed for me as their lover$ now endow this outskirted with very little human warmth$ carnal #assion or even the sound of another;s beating heart$ so as to remind him that he is not all alone in this cold$ miserable$ meaningless world. *hough$ in all #robability$ he is. *he one thing that was driving me nuts was being surrounded the whole day long by these eager and willing adolescent nym#hs$ who would do anything for a foreigner &granted this demigod statues sim#ly for being from anywhere other than 1ussia'$ while he could do fuck all for them$ for reasons of legality$ as well as common morality. %ne cannot even begin to imagine the levels of frustration$ de#rivation and de#ravation I had to deal with$ day in$ day out$ besieged from all sides by not /ust #eaking nym#hs$ but also by e(tremely fo(y native teachers and most affectionate adult students of a more than consenting age. .t the end of every day$ I;d taken to #ouring my heart$ as well my ra#idly degenerating mental state$ out and into a #oor roommates ear. Bitching and moaning from the to# bunk$ Id be feverously relieving myself nightly$ until his soft snoring would guide me into a steamy slumber of #edo#hilic dreams. *he last three nights I s#ent in that innocent yet lustful; dreamy yet nightmarish$ second circle of hell 7uickly turned into a des#erate attem#t to hold onto the very last few marbles I still #ossessed$ in the one #lace I was sure to lose them all + the kiddy disco. 9eaven from hell$ do you think you can tell .ll " could tell was that she came from the neighboring village$ was a comely gal and the one to a##roach me for an e(tremely slow number$ which ra#idly turned into a seductive fiesta of body and soul. Whichever tune did follow$ be it 4uro3#o# from the eighties attic$ Cossackian rock ;n; roll or s#unky salsa bits$ my hands certainly missed no o##ortunity to feel u# this nym#h$ who;s name I didn;t even know. It mattered very little that 5olita chickened out the moment we ended u# outside$ or that I never actually got around to seeing her again. What did matter was the warm$ co"y feeling of con7uest that revived my delirious dignity$ or at least #rovided an esca#e from feeling like a com#lete and total loser. .fter all$ in a matter of days I was to be released back into civili"ation; back into a world that made sense and into the arms of a #oor little blonde genie I was #lanning on drowning in a grandiose eru#tion of my combusting loins. %r so I thought When she came to #ick me u# from 5enin ,7uare on the day of my release; bright$ early and all #syched u#$ I knew the girl meant business and was #laying no games. While #laying my #ersonal tour guide$ I saw tenderness reflected in her #ondy eyes$ thus remained devoted to the game #lan and didnt make a move until it was time to kiss her goodbye and retire to the otel C she got me. *hough she again solemnly declared that she would never kiss me$ much less slee# with me$ she was$ nevertheless$ already unknowingly losing to this dealer. ;Cause$ in the end$ the casino always wins. *hrough neighborhoods of crumbling down$ communist concrete a#artment blocks I then strolled$ where ancient tram lines and rusty trolley busses run across muddy #aths$ leading into tinny markets$ where ancient women sell their skim#y stock of garden vegetables$ until I finally reached my five3bucks3a3night hotel. When invited to her home the ne(t day$ while her #arents were conveniently away$ I knew I was in. While sharing an intimate yet flirty little chat$ however$ she seemed determined on sliding further and further away down the lengthy living room couch$ while I was slithering closer and closer yet. @Doure like a kid who doesnt get what he wants!: that child finally declared; a declaration that only served to further annoy me$ for I wasn;t getting what I wanted. "m getting too old for this govno! # I finally admitted$ swearing half #ublicly and half heartily to back off and hassle her no more. -evertheless$ later that day I suddenly found myself caressing her sandy legs$ softly kissing her long neck and nibbling on her delicate ear$ while sharing a brief romantic moment at a #ublic #ark by the great river %b. 9ard to say what sur#rised me the most$ C 9otel &1ussian' E ,hit &same' though + the fact that we were making out or that we were doing so seated on bare grass$ a deadly sin in the 1ussian unwritten book of #ro#er social conduct. @!ust not on the li#s!@ she sighed softly. $%ust be symbolic& one of those 'monogamy' things going around$ I thought to myself$ while tirelessly trying to catch them sweet scarlet ribbons of hers off guard. $Am " good or what?$ I allowed a touch of gloat enter my elicited mind$ while my hands were busy fondling her #erfect breasts$ feeling further aroused by the hushed moans the head crowning that #erfect body was #roducing. $(eah "'m good alright!$ I boasted internally$ as my fingers finally slid underneath her wet #anties and culminated her into a fulfilled grin. $)ow "m defiantly in!$ I concluded with glee$ kissed her goodbye and returned to my hotel$ so as to /erk off in antici#ation of the day of the morrow + 2y final day of trium#h. >od$ what a drag it is getting older! 4ven the notion of getting too old for this or that shit aint funny no more. In fact$ the only trait that kee#s me in touch with my inner child seems to be the habit of #laying with e(crements of our own design. %nly difference is that the child #robably still en/oys it$ while I defiantly dont anymore. 9ow many nineteen year old girls have I messed around with over the years 9ow many of those vestal roads have I walked down 9ow many dead ends did I reach ,he obviously liked what she got in the #ark that day$ for her angelic$ fla(en self suddenly materiali"ed right in my very own bed bright and eagerly the ne(t morning for a similar treatment. 9owever and as ever so vestal and dignifiedly$ she religiously managed contain herself$ withholding her touch like a sedated beauty and refraining from reci#rocating with any form of #leasure. $%ust be another one of these symbolic 'monogamy' things$ I though to myself$ while eagerly grinding my firm self against her crotch. *hen$ the clock stroke midday$ and my sweet #um#kin lea#ed out of bed$ turned herself into a carriage and trans#orted me and my bold3eagle turned blue3/ay out for another day of showing us around -ovosibirsk. $*atience is a virtue$ I reminded myself$ whenever my #oor /ay would chir#$ $and it aint over till the slim lady screams+$ .nd so$ I tried my best to avoid the mentioning of her bloody boyfriend all day long. When she brought it u#$ I 7uickly dismissed her idea that its better to have one bird in your hand than even a #hoeni( half way to China$ by arguing that it would be lovely if the weather shall remain nice and sunny tomorrow as well. 8I am always more dominant #erson in every relationshi#$: she grumbled later that day$ while we were visiting the -ovosibirsk ,tate .cademic %#era and Ballet *heatre. 8,o am I$: related this wolf in worldly clothing$ 8though I sure would like to find me a woman with whom there shall be a balance of #owers.: 8.nd I want a strong man who kee# me at home raising children$@ she smiled. ,uch a clever girl and with a good sense of humor to boot$ I thought. 8. girl without a man is weak! -a!! . girl must have a strong man to #rotect her!!!: *hat;s when I finally reali"ed sarcasm was not one of her strong suits; #robably not even a #art of your #lebeian 1ussian wardrobe to begin with. 8,tu#id$ stu#id girl!!: I cried out$ eager to #ut the world to right by o#ening the #oor girls eyes to modern conce#ts such as 47uality and Women;s 5iberation. 8*hat;s /ust the way things are in 1ussia$: she added$ casually. 84ven nowadays liberal ,candinavians were village3burning$ women3ra#ing Fikings not too long ago$: I des#erately tried to make her understand$ while a warm$ co"y feeling of victory was filling my heart$ for stu#id girls are$ after all$ the easiest to mani#ulate. *hus$ in my mind;s eye; in my dumb mind and blind eye$ I was already showered with cham#agne$ while holding u# my tro#hy for the whole world to see. *hus$ back to my hotel went my tro#hy3to3be. *hat bloody little cunt!!! *hat self3centered$ self3controlled littledid it to me again! . well monitored orgasm or two on her #art$ yet not even a single hand3stroke on my #art$ leaving my #roud eagle to suffocate on its own agoni"ed screams. *hen$ off she went$ back home$ leaving me to tend to my rotten eggs in muted fury. I obviously didn;t get any$ no matter how hard I tried. -o matter how soft and romantic; how wild and #assionate; how hard to get I #layed or how available I made myself$ getting any remained out of the 7uestion. .nd she huffed$ and she #uffed$ and she moaned$ and she sulked$ but the slim lady did not scream. ,he did$ however$ e(#ress concern over my #hysical well being$ the dear$ caring soul that she was. %n one hand$ attentive to my needs$ she had her fingers crossed for me to find another girl to slee# with; on the other$ she admitted$ she;d #robably get awfully /ealous knowing that I;m barking u# another tree. 9owever$ her main concern was over the #ossibility of me eventually ra#ing her. .f moi/ eventually/ ra0ing/ her!?! 0ersonally$ I considered it an outlandish #ossibility to even consider on her #art$ borderline #aranoia even &#sychotic reveries I might have had aside'. *hat is$ until she finally volunteered this a##alling bit of information$ namely that$ statistically$ one out of every four women in 1ussia gets ra#ed sooner or later! .nd so$ with ra#e$ as well as consensual se($ com#letely out of the 7uestion$ we ended u# at this #ricey salsa club on her side of town. %nce I #aid our entry and ke#t on #aying for the drinks$ I at least had the rest of the night to brush shoulders with gorgeously slim and lofty su#ermodels. 2y ;best buddy;$ however$ ke#t her #romise and her distance$ leaving me to salsa on my own$ and would only swoosh down u#on me on those rare occasions when I actually a##eared to be getting the slightest attention from a rival female. <inally$ tired of solitary salsa dancing$ I innocently decided to grab my towheaded buddy by the waist$ the way I was taught back in 5atin .merica. .s soon as I did$ however$ she com#letely fli##ed out$ forcing me to release my gri#$ or else face the un#leasant conse7uences. @But$ you dance salsa together@ I mumbled. @)iet! Dou dance salsa alone!@ was all she had to say. .##arently$ unlike the ha##y3go3lucky 5atinos$ the 1ussian mentality is strictly against unessential human contact$ even when it comes to salsa. -evertheless$ that last straw; that absolute denial of even a bit of human warmth$ released an emotional snowball into the night; a night that was ra#idly going downhill anyhow. Fuck that goddamn 'realism'!!! Fuck that all too 0ractical a00roach to life men and salsa all so common among wannabe romantic women! *hey wouldn;t be able to recogni"e romance unless it came with a lifelong guarantee; unless it was well rooted to an acre of land$ bolted to a freaking white fence and had keys to a minivan it doesn;t even drive$ as it;s not going anywhere to begin with. .ny way you look at it$ a drifter shall forever$ by definition$ remain out of that e7uation$ thus out of the loo#. @.re you sad@ she asks me$ once we ste# out into the free"ing night. @I;m too tired to be sad$@ is my re#ly$ though Im in fact /ust tired of being sad. @Will I see you tomorrow@ she asks me$ once we reach the bolted metro station. @)iet! >uess Im gonna continue on my /ourney tomorrow$@ I say. .nd so$ without a wasted word$ she kisses me goodbye$ then sim#ly walks off$ leaving me to shiver on my own by #onderous doors to a metro station that shan;t be o#en for several hours yet$ rather than take me home with her.