"I think it went well, my love. What would you say?"
"The dinner or the chatting afterwards?
"Both.
"Well, you weren't talking at all, and I remember the time when you were witty and cheerful, honey. Now you don't say a word as though you're afraid of your plain language."
"I don't deny it, you're right... Of course I could've made an effort to be smart and funny; it's just lately I have the feeling I had said it all before and the things I really wish to discuss are dangerous and forbidden..."
"You mean you don't trust your friends any longer?"
"That, too... Times have changed, love: anywhere you turn—it's a deadly marsh. At least, we can still afford to have them all for a nice dinner and some drinks afterwards..."
"Are you alright, honey? I mean, aside from that deadly marsh around us?"
"I'm fine, really."
"And you're not hiding anything from me?"
"Not one damn thing! Want to hear something funny?
"I'm dying to hear something funny!"
"I know that there's a light at the end of the tunnel, but the frigging tunnel never ends!"
"I can cry at that, but I will laugh: my husband's back!"
"Comrade Trubman?"
"Yes. Who is calling?"
"Comrade Lazarus Trubman?"
"I think we already established who I am! Now, my class starts in two minutes, so if my name is all..."
"Oh, I wouldn't worry about that too much, Comrade Trubman. My name is Andrei Samoilov, I'm a KGB Captain and I am calling on behalf of my immediate supervisor Major Anatoly Orlov who is asking for a meeting."
"KGB? This must be the flattest joke I've ever heard!"
"No joke, Comrade Trubman... How about tomorrow, 10:30 a.m.?"
"I need to check my schedule..."
"I've taken the liberty—your first class doesn't start until 1:45 p.m. Just come to the reception desk, and Lieutenant Gonchar will escort you to Major Orlov's chatting room."
"Thank you, lieutenant. Good morning, Comrade Trubman! Please, come in, have a seat. Would you like some tea, coffee?"
"No, thank you: I already had two cups."
"I see...Well, let's get to the point then, shall we? I'm Major Anatoly Orlov, Chief Supervisor of the KGB's Domestic Investigative Team. How's your morning so far, Comrade Trubman?"
"I'm still in a state of a shock, Comrade Major, and my attempts to come up with any sensible reason for this invitation fail to..."
"Sorry for interrupting, but it's all very simple: we have some credible information that there is illegal listening to the BBC going on at your university, as well as at the Pedagogical Institute and the Technical College. In addition to that, we were able to recover quite a few written pages of the above mentioned radio transmissions..."
"I can assure you, Major Orlov..."
"Let me finish, please! It's not just you, Comrade Trubman: some of your colleagues already visited me; others are scheduled to do so next week. We are looking for information that might help us stop the illegal activities of the youngsters and possibly save them from getting into trouble."
"Oh, my God, it's like a mountain off my shoulders!"
"Do you know anything about it?"
"If you're asking about my students, none of them, in my opinion, is capable of such a deed..."
"That's all then! How's your writing going? I haven't read any of your stories, but my wife did, and a couple of them left a very strong impression on her."
"Are you sure this was the only reason for my appearance today, Comrade Major?"
"As sure as God's vengeance... Now, if you hear something, I would appreciate a quick phone call. Here's my number before you go."
"I will, I promise."
"Oh, look at that: already ten till noon! How about a lunch? I'm buying."
"I don't think the idea of us being seen together is really..."
"It's lunch, my friend, a harmless thing. There's a café five minutes from here, great food, and I promise: no serious stuff, just an easy, casual chat about nothing!"
"Trubman's residence, Lazarus speaking!"
"Just the man I was hoping to get! Anatoly here, calling to wish you a happy birthday. Be healthy, be loved, and, as one of my friends says: die before your wife, so she would take care of your grave."
"How did you... Sorry, that was stupid... Thanks a bunch!"
"Oh, you're welcome."
"And what's the real reason for your call, if I may ask, Comrade Orlov?"
"How about just Anatoly? I can almost feel how hurtful it is for you to use the words 'major' next to my name. Well, you made it easy for me: we need to meet again, but this time outside of my chatting room. There's an apartment complex on Garden Street, right behind the main bookstore. Number 603. Next Tuesday, 10 o'clock sharp."
"Next Tuesday?"
"I've already cleared your schedule."
"I guess this won't be about kids trying to catch BBC radio waves."
"It won't... And let me tell you something: the mill-stones of history never stop; that's why it is very important not to get between them..."
"So, don't push me."
"In your case it's too late, my friend: your hands were already there when I got you. See you on Tuesday."
"I'm sorry, I probably misplaced the number..."
"Please come in, Comrade Trubman, you're not lost. My name is Iraida Borisovna; I'm the owner of this apartment, and Major Orlov is waiting for you in the living-room."
"I see... Well, thank you..."
"I'm here, Lazarus, was busy on the phone, so Iraida Borisovna was gracious enough to play hostess."
"I thought I misplaced..."
"She's great, isn't she? A retired schoolteacher, loves music and literature, which she understands more than I do. Her husband was a Hero of the Soviet Union, died three years ago of a heart attack during his annual vacation in a prestigious sanatorium near Sochi..."
"What was the cause of death again?"
"Please, sit down, Lazarus."
"The casual time is over, I recon."
"Somewhat... How about a real, hand-made Cuban cigar?"
"I actually quit, more than a year ago..."
"I'll take it as a no, but never lie to me again! The purpose of today's meeting is to offer you a job, to point out...oh, thank you, Iraida Borisovna, you're as hospitable as ever!"
"Anything else besides the cake and the tea, Comrade Major?"
"That'll do, thank you... Please help yourself, Lazarus. It's an herbal tea from China, very healthy; they say, it does wonders for a man's sex drive."
"Simply say, you're offering me to betray my own people..."
"I'm about to play you a tape; it's a recording of your meeting with a few old friends from the Moscow State University in a dacha some twenty miles from our capital..."
"Are you sure it's my voice on that tape?"
"Not just your voice, my friend; your name is also repeated five times. Would you like me to start?"
"Why don't you simply arrest me then?"
"Have another piece of cake, Lazarus, and some more of that wonderful tea. Yes, yes, go ahead. Now, let's talk seriously: you're not betraying anybody, not necessarily; at least for now, you're a Soviet citizen, aren't you? To defend the interests of your country was never considered a betrayal. I'm not asking you to kill people..."
"Don't see any difference!"
"...to poison them, to knock out their teeth. Your name will never appear in any documents, will never be pronounced in the interrogation room. You'll never know what happened to them, how they were punished or if they were punished at all. As far as I see it, you'll be a ghost, Lazarus, an invisible man. Our organization is interested in people of certain qualities, and you possess those qualities. We're also collecting information about a certain circle of people with whom you have established a lasting relationship. Their plans, thoughts, and the contents of letters that might be channeled to them from around the world, especially from the United States and Israel, are just a few examples of what can be used..."
"So, it's a risk-free job?"
"Nothing is completely risk-free, professor, even this tasteful tea, but let's talk about the compensation. Our system is not perfect, and the fact that a college professor doesn't make enough money to provide a decent life for his wife and children only proves..."
"I'm actually a college lecturer."
"Not for long. Any interest in advantages and privileges?"
"Not today, no."
"Finish your tea, Lazarus."
"Do I have a choice?"
"To avoid punishment? Not even a slim one, but that would be something to talk about in detail at our next meeting on Monday, at ten o'clock exactly. I want to remind you that everything I've said is strictly confidential and not for public discussion."
"My family?"
"It's for your own good, my friend... And there is something else: I have the ability to do a few things for you if my offer is accepted. If not...well, let's just say that your life and the lives of your close ones will change forever, and not for the better. Until next Monday then...is it Monday or Tuesday?"
"It's Monday."
"Very good."
"My name is Lazarus Trubman. Are you the clerk in charge of the phone?"
"I am, Comrade Trubman, please be quick."
"I will."
"Borodin's residence!"
"Major Orlov, please."
"Hi, Lazarus, I'm listening."
"Sorry, but I'm not coming."
"You shouldn't be calling from the bookstore."
"I know...my apologies again."
"It very understandable."
"Hopefully, we'll have another lunch someday."
"I doubt it. Enjoy your day, Lazarus, and...we will come for you."
"May I have a cup of coffee, please?"
"In a minute, teacher... Here you go!"
"Thank you, Konstantin, how's your restaurant doing nowadays?"
"Same as yesterday and same as tomorrow. Is your family alright, teacher?"
"Everybody's fine, thank you for asking."
"Well, that's good: family is without doubt the most important thing in life. When my Stella died..."
"Is it too early for a shot of cognac, Konstantin?"
"Well, it depends..."
"I'll have one then."
"Here it comes, teacher!"
"Thank you, that was fast... Do you have any kids?"
"All grown up and gone... Here's to my Stella: let the ground be soft to her!"
"That's pretty good cognac, Konstantin!"
"Yes, it is... Some more coffee?"
"Unfortunately, I must go. What's the damage?"
"It's on me today, teacher."
"Sorry again about your wife, my friend."
"That was a decent movie for a change, don't you think, honey?"
"Yes, it was."
"Are you alright? It's been a month since you've not been yourself..."
"As alright as I can be, love."
"I can change that for the better in a heartbeat."
"I've no doubts...how about a rain-check?'
"A rain-check it is...don't take too many though... Was that the doorbell?"
"It was: probably Misha: I promised him a few timed chess games. Sleep well, love, I'll join you as soon as possible and who knows, I might even wake you up."
"You better, honey!"
"Coming, Misha, coming, it's a bit too late though..."
"Comrade Lazarus Trubman? Remember me, Captain Samoilov? We came for you."
"How you feeling, honey?"
"I'm great, love: heart hurts, liver hurts, half of my teeth are gone, but I'm feeling exceptionally great!"
"No one survives five years in their camp, but you did, honey. We're so happy for you!"
"Thoughts of you can beat any of their stinking camps, love."
"How do you like the Boeing-747, daddy? Isn't it huge?"
"I love it, son. Wait till you see it inside."
"Welcome to America, Mr. & Mrs. Trubman!"
"Thank you... You look exactly like the stewardess on the brochure!"
"I am that stewardess, Mr. Trubman!"
"Keep walking, daddy, you don't have a chance."
"I know, sweetie, I know, but it doesn't matter."
BIO: Lazar is a labor camp survivor and a college professor, who immigrated to the United States from a small town in the ancient land of Transylvania in 1990. He was assigned to Arizona, where he taught Languages and European Literature for twenty-one years. In 2017 he retired from teaching and settled in North Carolina to devote his time to writing.