Бесплатный фрагмент - Silver Coin

Dedicated to the

victims of the

Russian-Chechen war

of 1994 -? years

and to my father

Annotation

This is not just an ordinary novel, but a publicistic narrative about love, duty and honor. If you want to discover another truth about the Chechen war and feel it’s pain, this book is for you. Tragic and touching story about a schoolteacher… About father and son…

“I see the dawn bleeding. The blue sky washes the corpses and the earth is crying. I see birds and animals, everything burns under fire. How painful it is – a groan cuts my back. What can I do? It’s impossible to change a thing”.

Foreword

The story of a Chechen journalist and a beginning writer Ismail Akaev is not simply a piece of fiction but reminiscence and an endeavor to look back to the terrible days of the Chechen war. The writer tries to estimate objectively the whole flow of history in the Past, from the very beginning of the gloomy days of the Chechen war. The writer tries to estimate objectively every step from the very beginning. He does not blame only one party, especially he doesn’t state that these are the Russian people, responsible for the war. But recalling the episodes of the past one by one, the writer comes to conclusion that every evil is primarily based on the people’s indifference, and then, on their fear. Indifference causes fear and vice versa. All the consequences turn as a boomerang to the society suffering from severe complications of this disease.

The Chechen people is not only the victim of the bloody aggression of the Russian troops, it is the victim of its own social apathy, of its fear before a group of renegades and gangsters. And it pays an excessive price for its fear. We see hundreds of thousands of killed and wounded, ruined cities and destroyed villages, broken hearts and injured souls. All that exists in the civilized world, in the eyes of apathetic and indifferent Russian society. But the requital is inevitable. The one who didn’t stop the hand of evil makes a more malicious act oneself. And every one will give an answer for one’s deeds, everyone will have to pay for the sins of the past. Good and evil acts will be estimated sooner or later on the scales of life and fortune. That is why the theme of the requital is sufficient in the narrative flow, it touches upon many characters of the story. The protest against war and violence is essential. Any war contradicts to the aim and purpose of the human life, to the idea of God. Any war is fratricidal and therefore – is criminal. It does not improve people, it makes them alike with animals, it awakes their animal instincts. The protagonist, Ibragim Tasuev is a typical representative of his époque. He was brought up on the Soviet philosophy and Soviet traditions. But having passed through the Afghan and Chechen wars and having seen the very worst nature of the man, able to kill with impunity a father, a brother or a son, he remains a humanist.

Perhaps, that is why the story, which is full of cruelty and violence, is optimistic and life-loving. Life is always stronger than death, good is stronger than evil, and that is the only reason for the human life on the Earth.

Lecha Ilyasov, historian

Author’s foreword

There is nothing more humiliating,

than a hypocritical servility

The contemplation of life is much more pleasant than drawing the death. And no matter how severe and gloomy my sketches are in this book, they are images of truth, images of harsh reality in which my heroes lived and where I lived, and also you. The truth is, that the war has its long echo. Unfortunately, this echo consists of pain, deceived hopes, injustice, incommensurability of human suffering; this echo we will listen for a long time. It will be heard in our memory and in the memories of our descendants. Despite the pain in my heart, I want to believe that this echo will once disappear and would not sound in hearts and souls. But, unfortunately, evil leaves loud and bright marks in our hearts.

Blessed memory to all those victims, fallen in this terrible, risky, deadly war. It does not matter, how professional “connoisseurs” describe these events that occurred in the Chechen Republic, on the land of Chechens, where the stubbornness of honor and nobility was always considered a virtue in the millennia. It is important that the Chechen people themselves understand and comprehend what has happened to them. And it is extremely important, that we always were able to disclose in ourselves all the good, bright, proud, noble, steadfast, strong-willed and spiritual center, keep united and rise from the shadow of evil into the light of illumination, leaving our descendants with the consciousness of their personalities, national identity and prosperity.

Ismail Akayev,

2001.

Adat

I

The day was breaking. A village was slowly waking up. However, nobody was sleeping in Zaurbek’s house at that time. Almost all men from Tasuyevs’ clan gathered there. They were discussing what was going to happen in the next few hours. All of them and especially Zaurbek had been waiting for this to happen for almost 25 years.

Zaurbek didn’t take part in the conversation. He was sitting frowned in the far corner of the room and seemed if not broken then at least tired from the burden of all he had been through. His long gray hair and long beard only added to his tiredness and the state of being doomed.

Zaurbek was drowned in his heavy thoughts. The scenes of the past were flowing one by one in his mind. He saw cold, crowded railroad cars taking people to some faraway, tragic obscurity, the guards’ grim faces, and lifeless bodies covered with snow at way stations. He saw and almost felt again his mother’s careful and tender hands, whose warmth tried to keep life in his puny body saving him from the February frost.

Then he remembered a terrible drama that happened in Kazakhstan several years after the deportation. His heart and mind told him that he couldn’t behave differently.

Rowdy Alikhan offended him and according to the law of adat only blood could wash away that insult. He undeservedly insulted Zaurbek’s mother’s name. A fight started and Alikhan’s friends took his side. The forces were unequal and Zaurbek stabbed his offender. Though the wound was not a serious one, Alikhan died from the loss of blood.

Although Zaurbek was seriously wounded himself in the fight, he was put to trial after a long treatment. He got 10 years of hard labor.

At about the same time, another trial took place, the trial of adat, where late Alikhan’s relatives were the judges. They sentenced Zaurbek to death at the earliest convenience. And he knew that sooner or later the sentence would be carried out.

In the civilized world the law of blood revenge is seen as a barbarous survival. However, for the Chechens, in their tragic history of permanent wars for freedom and independence but very often it was only blood feud that kept people from manslaughter.

O believers, ordained for you is retribution

For the murdered,

(whether) a free man (is guilty),

of ((the murder of) a free man, or a slave of a slave,

or a woman of a woman.

But he who is pardoned some of it by his brother

Should be dealt with equity,

And recompense (for blood) paid with a grace.

This is a concession from your Lord and a kindness.

He who transgresses in spite of it

Shall suffer painful punishment.

In retribution there is life (and preservation).

O men of sense, you may haply take heed of yourselves.

(Sura 2 The Cow, column 178, 179 from the Koran)

Zaurbek was amnestied in 1953 after Stalin’s death. He got married, then his first child Said was born. It seemed that his life returned to its routine path when one day comes after another.

But then his mother died, she couldn’t survive the unbearable nostalgia and pine for her husband who died as a hero in 1941 defending the Brest Fortress. She kept a faded triangle, his letter from the front, as a memory of him.

Many Chechens defended the Motherland during the Great Patriotic War on the battlefields. In the first days of the War, at the Brest Fortress alone, more than 200 Chechens perished as heroes. But dying for their Motherland they didn’t know that on February 23, 1944 all the Chechens and Ingushes were declared collaborators of the Hitlerite Germany and were deported to Siberia, Kazakhstan and Kyrgyzstan.

Bekisat was buried on the next day. The funeral procession with mournful prayers set out to the cemetery. There was no dear, kind, and careful mother anymore.

Despite the relatives’ and friends’ help, Zaurbek couldn’t bury his mother according to his predecessors’ traditions. The funeral repast was poor. Instead of a proper tombstone they put a small simple stone at Bekisat’s grave. Her ashes still rest in Kazakhstan soil. But of course her remains should be brought to her motherland and reburied according to the traditions. But there is neither strength nor money for this. Zaurbek hopes that some time he or his sons will do it.

In 1957 the Chechens and Ingushes, like rooks missing their native land after a long and severe winter, set for the Caucasus, elated with the upcoming meeting with the motherland. With a sad feeling Zaurbek was seeing off cheerful crowds of his compatriots. His return was impossible for him since the threat of the blood revenge was more realistic there. So, he stayed where he was. Life was hard, but the experience that he got at the labor camps and his diligence helped him to survive. Zaurbek’s family lived no better no worse that the others. Said’s progress in school gladdened the hearts of the parents, then their daughter Zargan was born and then – their son Ibragim.

Zaurbek got reassuring news from the Caucasus. His relatives there, through the elders, were negotiating with Alikhan’s relatives about his fate. According to the law of adat Zaurbek could not return home because of the blood revenge thereby showing respect towards the offended side. Years were passing by. Having received permission from his clan’s elders Zaurbek and his family secretly moved to Chechnya. But not to his native village at the foothills but to a village in the steppes on the right bank of the Terek river. There he lived modestly and imperceptibly; he worked on land without a let-up. His children grew up. Said finished school and later – graduated from a law department. Zargan became a doctor and got married. The younger son, Ibragim, studied at school. He was tall, athletic-looking, kind and a good helper to his father. Of all Zaurbek’s children Ibragim was the kindest and the most responsive one. Even now he is stealthily watching his father and seems to be absorbing all his pains and worries.

Zaurbek has never told anyone about his special attitude towards Ibragim. Still from time to time he betrays himself.

Reconciliation of “blood enemies” in accordance to the law of adat has its own strict ritual. According to the agreement, representatives of the offended side are the first to come to a set place. The place should be far from the populated area, preferably in a field. After the arrival of the relatives of the dead man to the place of reconciliation, the mediator goes there. He appeals to them in a very respectful way and announces that their “blood enemies” are ready to hear their verdict. After getting the permission for the guilty side to arrive to the place of the ritual the mediator returns. Having received the news from the mediator, the representatives of the side that shed the blood begin their procession.

They have to walk to the meeting place. The “blood enemy” surrounded by his closest relatives (his father, brothers and sons) is in the head of the procession. He wears a long coat with his head and face covered. His relatives depending on to the degree of relationship follow him. Then the representatives of his teip.

Few meters before the deceased person’s relatives the procession stops and a long dialogue between the elders of two hostile sides starts. The elders either be in holy orders or have an indisputable authority among people. If there is no such person in the family then an authoritative representative from the teip or a man from the same village is invited. As a result of this dialogue a compromise is reached which is announced to both sides. The “blood enemy” obtains mercy but the process of reconciliation doesn’t end at this point. The elder of the offended side starts speaking. He appeals to the gathering. He addresses mostly the young. In his speech he quotes suras from the Koran on the greatest value of human life as an irreproducible phenomenon of nature created by Allah, the Most High creator of everything existing on Earth. He says that only Allah has the right to take a man’s life. He speaks about the respectful attitude toward the elders and about the respectful attitude of people toward each other, gives examples from the life of the Chechen society. In other words, this speech is about moral and ethical norms of people’s life. In the end he announces to those gathered the decision made and finishes the speech with a thanksgiving prayer to Allah for giving brains to those gathered to strictly observe the main testament of the Koran. Its essence is the following: “death for death of a killed innocent, but if the judges’ function is given to the hands of Allah, Allah will see this as an act above praise which deserves His reward”.

Then an elder from the guilty side starts speaking. He thanks the offended side for the great mercy and nobleness showed by it in the name of Allah. There is absolutely no arrogance or haughtiness in his speech and it is also very quiet. Then they start shaking hands. Both sides come to each other and shake hands. All the representatives of the guilty side when shaking hands thank the representatives of the offended side for the mercy displayed. The ritual is over.

Then follows the last and the most decisive act of this humane process. Recent enemies form a circle, a chair is put in the middle of it where the “blood enemy” sits. The closest relative of the deceased approaches him and opens to the world the head bent in the humility. He has a razor-sharp dagger in his hands. He will shave the head and the face of a person who was his blood enemy only half an hour ago and who he would have definitely killed at that time (if Allah wanted it). But now the circumstances have changed. Allah didn’t allow the devil to settle in their souls, sent peace between two feuding clans. Now the man with the dagger in his hands standing opposite to his enemy has the role not of the avenger but of the peacemaker. With the name of Allah he starts perhaps the most difficult work in his life. He takes the upper hand over the devil, he takes the upper hand over the beast and the savage in himself. He proves to himself and to the people around him that he is an Allah’s humble slave and the word given by him is firm and eternal and that he and his relatives forgive the killer once and forever. Legends say that there were several incidents in history when the hand of the one who shaved had the misfortune to “shake” and covered with blood. Then both sides clashed in a deadly fight and were fighting each other not sparing their lives.

The history probably knew such black sheep since these legends exist. May be it’s not without reason that the presence of women is forbidden at these places, and junior or the only sons do not have the right to participate in the reconciliation ritual. They stay at home or in a shelter. However the history of the last 100–150 years does not have any examples of the breach of the word given to “blood enemies” and the gray-bearded elders, the keepers of people’s memory are the witnesses to it.

Morning started. The village woke up. Bleating of sheep, bellowing of cows, barking of dogs could be heard from every corner of the small village hidden in the steppes on the banks of Terek. Suddenly Zaurbek came out of his reverie. Preparations for the long-awaited event were almost over. Having discussed all the details of the forthcoming event the elders once again gave instructions to put a three-year old bull-calf, two sacks of flour and two sacks of sugar on the truck. The bull-calf and provisions were destined for Alikhan’s family. They also prepared five thousand rubles as an immediate compensation for Alikhan’s relatives. Material compensation is also envisaged by the adat and depending on the agreement between both sides it may reach this or that amount but it cannot exceed the cost of forty cows. Since this was a matter of long standing and having taken into account all the circumstances, the relatives of the deceased refused from the material compensation. However the representatives of the guilty side rendering homage to Alikhan’s family decided to bring and to offer this symbolic compensation once again. Having finished all the preparations the men went to the agreed place, the one which could be conveniently reached and where the representatives of both sides could gather.

According to the law of adat, Ibragim, Zaurbek’s youngest son, had to stay at home on that, important for the whole family, day. In case of misfortune and death of the men in a possible fight Ibragim had to be the transmitter of life in Tasuyevs’ family. Although it was high confidence it seemed to the young boy that his role was not that worthy at a moment so decisive for the fate of his father and his relatives.

The column of numerous cars and buses started off. They had to cover 150 kilometers. People who saw them off wished Zaurbek and his relatives a happy deliverance.

A black “Volga” car approached the gathered just few minutes after the arrival of the procession to the agreed place. A Chechen of imposing appearance, obviously somebody from special services got out of the car and asked someone from those who had arrived to come to the car. The elders said a few words to each other and decided to send Said, Zaurbek’s son, to negotiate with the supposed KGB official. Said approached the car and after a ritual greeting he and the stranger got into the car. Negotiations seemed to last very long though not more than twenty minutes passed. Said got out of the car together with two KGB officials. One of them, senior in rank, was a Russian. In Soviet times Russians held all high positions in power structures and every assignment carried out by a Chechen was always controlled by a Russian.

The men from the car said goodbye to Said and left. Said returned to the procession and when asked about his conversation with the uninvited guests by the elders explained to everyone why the representatives of special services had come. The KGB officials’ appearance in places like that was neither a secret nor a surprise to anyone. Though in most cases their visits ended up with just a conversation like this time, sometimes they made quite a lot of unpleasant and unpredictable changes in the procedures of such processes. Within the framework of the struggle against the institution of blood revenge, which was proclaimed by the Communist Party, each case of blood feud among numerous Chechen clans was known to the KGB. This body did everything to uproot the institution of blood revenge in the Chechen society.

First of all, the aim of that visit was the demonstration of power and omnipresence of the Committee as an all-knowing and all-powerful body, for which nothing remains unnoticed. Indeed, in Soviet times it was a powerful organization whose networks covered every town, every tiny village in the country. It had agents everywhere. For the population of the Chechen-Ingushetia it was inevitable evil, to which they did not get used use but tolerated it. Quite recently, about sixty or seventy years ago secret cooperation with the power and reporting were considered a disgrace in the Chechen society. A person noticed in denouncing and his whole family were condemned by all and were kicked out from their village forever without any right for forgiveness. The Borshchikovs family from Kharachoi can serve as obvious example of this. They were kicked out for the betrayal of Zelimkhan Kharachkoyevky, the famous abrek. Up to now, no one from the family has had an opportunity to visit his native land. Friendship with this family has always been and is still a disgrace.

In the period of anti-colonial wars “noble work” of a secret agent could lead to enormous damage and death not just of one person but of the whole village. Now, denouncing a person who stole a sovkhoz’ (state farm’s) haystack or who dared criticize the Soviet system resulted in “just” two or three years in prison. Of course, the fact of denunciation was widely discussed and if the informer became known the relatives that suffered from his denunciation tried their best to take revenge upon him. Everyone tried to live within the framework of the law since locust years led people to the idea that they don’t have enough strength to struggle against the Soviet power, and that is why it was better to live in peace and accord with it. Because despite it’s obvious drawbacks, the Soviet system wasn’t that bad for common people.

When the KGB officials learnt that Said was not only the son of the “blood enemy” but also worked for the Ministry of Internal Affairs in the commissioned officer’s rank and moreover a Communist, they began to criticize him for being involved in an event like this. They reminded him of the Party’s guidelines on this matter and warned that his participation in this ritual contradicts the state’s ideology and system and will be made known to his employers and the republican Party leadership and threatened to disperse them by force. Said explained to them on that day they were going to put an end to a conflict the echo of which had been looming over these two clans for more than a quarter of a century. That day’s reconciliation was of educational character for the young and for all of Chechen society and that is why it had to be considered useful from the Party’s point of view. Said had to show maximum diplomacy during negotiations with the representatives of the special services. He agreed with the fact that an event like that was a holdover from the past, but at the same time he managed to convince them of its usefulness taking into account its peacemaking character. Said told them that the Soviet system of the execution of punishment was not perfect and most of those who served their term in prison commit crimes again. But history does not know a single case when a man, after being forgiven by the adat for a murder, committed a crime again, even a minor one. Thus statistics speaks in favor of adat. But of course in a socialist society, despite the seeming advantages of adat, there should be no place for holdovers from the past. And the negotiations ended on this optimistic note.

The elders approved of Said’s behavior not forgetting to mention the importance of education in a man’s life and moved on to the business that had brought them here.

The ritual of reconciliation was carried out in full compliance with the traditional scenario without any violations of the established rules and norms. Alikhan’s relatives as they had said before refused the offered material compensation. They were assured immediately that Zaurbek would use the bull-calf, sugar and flour for godly purposes and as aid to low-income and orphans in memory of Alikhan.

All the worries and troubles of the previous day and night were left far behind, as well as all the worries that had lasted for nearly a quarter of a century. Zaurbek and his family saw the world around them differently, the world where they could live without fear and anxiety for each other and what is more important, for Zaurbek. The peace between them and their “blood enemies” gave freedom to all of them and a possibility to return from the steppe to their father’s home in the foothills of the Caucasus. Now Zaurbek would be able to live in it and light the hearth that died out on the day of the deportation and which had never been kindled since then. His relatives looked after the house but the fire was not lighted until there would be peace with the “blood enemies”. What can be more valuable than a man’s life? Only honor, health and freedom! Now Zaurbek felt the caressing sunrays that bring warmth to people differently. It seemed to him that they warmed him more tenderly. His perception of the mountains that could be seen in the distance was also different, as well as his perception of the earth that gave its harvest in exchange for a peasant’s care. The world was beautiful and it was worth love, sacrifice and suffering for it. Zaurbek firmly believed that a happy life with his children and grandchildren awaited him.

He knew that he would do everything in his power to keep his family away from evil. He believed that starting from that day when he finally relieved from the burden of guilt for a murder, his family and especially his sons would also see the world differently. Five times a day he asked the Most High in his prayers to forgive him this sin, because even in the next world he will have to answer for it.

The same evening, considering the importance of what had happened, they went through the ceremony of sacrifice according to Moslem custom. Young men took big cuts of meat to the neighbors inviting them to share their happiness. After a moulid, (a prayer during which some special verses for the Koran were read) took place in their home. The guests left. Women shed a lot of tears of joy. The light in Zaurbek’s house was on till late at night. Since one has to get used to happiness, one has to realize it. They went to sleep late but with deep faith in a happy future. That night only two men of all relatives and guests didn’t sleep – Zaurbek and Ibragim, his youngest son.

Honor

Chechens used to pay two mens’

lifes for a woman’s one

I

Each nation has its own traditions, customs and mind patterns – unwritten laws. The Chechens call it adat – “the code of laws – the rules of life, ethics, morality – the code of honor and the dignity of mountain people”.

Ibrahim’s sister, Zargan, asked him to go with her to the neighboring village as she wanted to visit her school friend, who was preparing to her marriage. Zargan’s husband, Movsar, being very busy, could not accompany her himself, and Ibrahim responded favourably to sister’s request. The brother understood how badly his beloved sister wanted to join the pre-wedding party with their other classmates. Ibrahim didn’t dare to take the car given him by his father because he had no driver license.

They were waiting at the bus stop, when a passing by dark-blue “Volga” stopped and the driver suggested to pick them up. There was a man sitting next to the driver, who looked like a person who serves in a high post. Ibrahim gave way to his sister, took his place and only then saw another passenger sitting near the opposite window. But the car got moving and it seemed to be inappropriate to ask for stop and changing places, so Ibrahim dealed with the fact his sister was sitting that close to a stranger. Zargan huddled to her brother trying to take as small space as possible. The reasons of foregoing gesture stay unclear: it could be Zargan’s shyness, immature appearance of her companion, senior position of the driver’s neighbor, which let him feel unpunishable, or just an extra doze of alcohol. Suddenly, the man turned back and grabbed Zargan’s hands. Shocked and confused, the girl exclaimed and took her hands away.

(“The most terrible insult for a Chechen, is an insult given to his mother, sister, wife. It is enough disrespectful to touch to a woman to inflict a mortal insult. The Chechens always shone with pride and never trembled before the demonic essence of fear and horror. The adat of the Chechens is the most precious internal property of the people, which leads makes them feel pride, and if the law is broken – unbearable shame. Chechens have never been poor with a sense of pride, being conscious of the responsibility for their name – Chechens. This is a totally national historical value that awakens in the people a sense of ethical and aesthetic reverence, along with its religious consistency. It is necessary to have a stable state before responsibility – NOHCHALLA (Chechen). Once we blissfully say what we are – Nokhchi (Chechens), we never go back – not like Nokhchi. Two-facedness is like a double-dealing, and does not correspond to the image of a righteous, one-sided Chechen. The onslaught of the demonic forces on our way of life, culture, religion, adats, traditions, of course, stagger our foundations, the value of which is the same ‘emblematic’ image – NOHCHALLA (Chechen). Every nation, every nation in its metaculture has its own unique identity, that sometimes goes beyond the limits of understanding by other peoples. ‘Hand’ that violates, destroys the ethical morality of our identity must be defiantly punished and stopped. And the act of the middle-aged man was not easy outrageously indecent, but so monstrous and shameful, that it was possible to wash off such a resentment with blood only”).

At the first moment, Ibrahim was lost, as he did not expect such a disgraceful act from seemingly well-mannered people. As a wild beast, he attacked the offender and clinged his teeth tightly to the hand he hated, he covered his sister with his body from further insults and touches. He struggled to find the scalpel, which he always carried in his pocket. Ibrahim liked the laconic shape and illusory fragility of his weapon, which was sharp as a razor and strong as a dagger. He usually used it for cutting his nails or other purposes. This time his scalpel was not with him. Perhaps Zargan has found it when she was ironing her brother’s suit. If so, she saved her offender’s life by taking this weapon out of harm’s way.

The car stopped and the opponents unclenched their arms. Ibrahim jumped out of the car, pulled his sister out and opened the front door. He grabbed the scoundrel and started pulling him outside.

He was ready to strangle the offender with his bare hands, gnawing at his throat. Blind fury overwhelmed him, eclipsed the mind, and if he managed to pull the enemy out of the car, no power would free himself from Ibrahim’s dead grasp, who suddenly felt an inhuman power. But he was hampered by his sister, who was frightened for her dear brother, kind and shy, but at the same time strong-willed and fearless, raised in the harsh traditions of his people, who was ready to commit the most terrible sin – to kill a human being. She huddled to her brother, trying to confound him, to explain that she was fine, to calm him down. At the same time the second passenger was pulling his companion back to the car, screaming to the driver:

— Go, go, forward! He will kill Ahmed! Go faster!

Ibrahim did not want to listen or to understand a thing. He roughly pushed his sister away and got free, grabbed his enemy with new strength, striking his face with one hand. He almost managed to pull him out of the car when the car jerked. Up to the very last second tried to struggle, but the forces finally left him, unclenched his fists and fell heavily onto the road, miraculously rescued from getting hit by a car. He raised his head and saw the car’s number – 90–44 CHIS, such numbers usually belonged to state officials.

It was painful and humiliating. It was hurting for the sister and it was humiliating to admit that the scoundrel went unpunished. How will he now look into the eyes of his father, mother, brother, relatives, sister’s husband??? Suddenly a car, a truck, braked nearby. A young driver, five years older than Ibrahim, shouted through the open door:

— Quickly, quickly, get in!

And then, on the way, he explained that he involuntarily witnessed the last scene, clearly understood that something was wrong, and how a true Chechen offered his help. Ibrahim was infinitely happy and grateful for the support. He briefly explained what happened. After hearing it, the driver said from the bottom of his heart:

— When I arrived, I saw you trying to get someone out of the car, I saw this young lady’s hysteric. Now you have a reliable man standing besides you, I will do everything to help you. We will catch them.

Ibrahim thanked him for his help, but he still didn’t want to involve a non-relative in such an unpleasant business, so he asked only to catch up with the car and not interfere. Even in such situation, Ibrahim did not want strangers to interfere in order to protect the offerer from unforeseen consequences. Turned out that the truck driver knew the parents of Ibrahim and Zargan and deeply respected them. The driver, gritting his teeth, tried to reach the maximum speed.

Soon a familiar car, which was driving the scoundrel away, appeared. A railway crossed the road. The red lanterns of the semaphore lit up, as the freight train was crossing the highway. The fugitives had to stop, and after a while the truck of the pursuers braked next to them, almost ramming their car. The sister, in hysteric, was trying to stop her brother, but Ibrahim was already running towards the bastard’s car, and a truck driver with a mount in his hands jumped after him punish the offender. Ibrahim opened the front right door, punched Ahmed’s face with his fist and began pulling him out. Ahmed was a 40–45 years old man, who wore an expensive suit and a tie.

Another passenger jumped out to help his fellow traveller, only the driver remained behind the wheel. The second one called himself Rahim and asked not to do anything wrong with his colleague: “Otherwise you will get to jail”, – he repeated to Ibrahim, trying to calm him down. Ibrahim, holding the bastard’s breasts, asked the second:

— Who are you? His relative? If not, get out, don’t bother me. He should get what he deserved.

— No, I’m not a relative, I’m his colleague, working with him. We’re sorry, he is just drunk, talk later, I’ll give you an address …

— What? Address? Stand aside, out of harm’s way, otherwise you will be cripple, colleague, – Ibrahim scathingly yelled at him. He noticed the lorry driver with a tire to stab a sneak behind him. Immediately, another car drove up and stopped, from which Ali, neighbor and former classmate of Ibrahim, came out. The situation was accumulated to “impossible.” In one jump Ibrahim blocked the way to the driver so he couldn’t strike these scum. Ibrahim had no right to Involve outsiders in the personal drama of the Tasuyev family.

He remembered the words of Zaurbek, his father: “Remember! Anger pushes a person to a rash step, about which he will regret later. In the struggle between the heart and the brain, the sanity of the mind wins. “Ibrahim felt responsible for the truck driver, who offered his help disinterestedly, and for a classmate who was ready to follow him to the end. The fury has passed, on its change the real understanding of an event has come. Yes, he insulted his sister, insulted him and his family, the husband of his sister and their relatives. The offender must take the merited punishment, but not now and not here. Nobility and reasonableness have won a victory over the momentary wrath. He could not push innocent people into the crucible of blood revenge. As if shaking off his last doubts, he said, looking into the eyes of his opponent, who, from the fear of what was happening, was mumbling something incomprehensible:

“If you are a man, you understand what you did. How can I find you? And then fate decides who will live with shame or will not live at all. I do not want people of other families to interfere in this matter – mine and yours. But I know who you are, I’ll find you! Remember, I’m Ibrahim, son of Tasuev Zaurbek, and you can not hide, you, dog”.

His opponent paled, blushed, his jaw jerked, he could not utter a word. Hemothomas have already appeared under his eyes. Again, his companion, the colleague, intervened. He pulled out a notebook, wrote down some address and held out his hand to Ibrahim saying: “This is a misunderstanding, you will necessarily negotiate…”. ‘Maybe you want to negotiate with me?’, – Ibrahim interrupted him, -" if so, come aside and I’ll show you how to negotiate with me! And if not, get out of here before I change my mind, critters! I’ll find you, sooner or later”.

Ibrahim thanked the truck driver, shook his hand, wished a good journey, and asked his neighbor Ali to take them with his sister home. Of course, the meeting of girlfriends was canceled because of the moral and psychological condition of the brother and sister. The night was “hot”, everyone who were relatives to the Tasuyevs were raised to their feet.

From early morning, the search for the blue “Volga” and its passengers began. The elder brother Said and Ibrahim went to the Central State Automobile Inspection of the Republic, but, to their surprise, no Volga 90–44, as the State Auto Inspector on duty explained them.

The scoundrels managed to hide, even the address given by Rahim, was false. The search has continued for four days, until at least Said noticed a “Volga”, which slipped on the opposite direction at one of the intersections of the city of Grozny. Said drew attention to the numbers of the white “Volga”, which were almost identical to the numbers of the blue “Volga” with a difference of one digit: 90–45 CHIS. So, there is an auto-number 90–44 CHIS, despite the false assurance of the inspector on duty at the central traffic police of the republic. After two quarters, Said caught up with the Volga at high speed and asked to stop by using the headlights.

The driver of the Volga stopped the car. Said and Ibrahim came to him and Said asked the driver:

— Hey, friend, don’t you know the car with numbers 90–44? He promised me an old battery when we accidentally met at a car wash.

— Yes, of course. My friend Vitalik owns it, we drove the cars from the Gorky Automobile Plant together and work in the same garage, we serve the Rayskomovsky. He made Ahmed the second secretary of the district party committee. The garage is located in Zavodskiy district of Avtokombinat. Vitalik himself lives in Leninsky district, along Livandovskogo street 29. By the evening the driver was found, and the brothers forced him to give the address of his “boss.” Ahmed’s house was almost in the center of the city.

The solid mansion was surrounded with a high fence and wrought-iron gates, in which Ibrahim was already knocking, followed by a barking dog. Through the high fence Ibrahim saw a very pretty girl in her 17–18 looking out the window: “Who’s there?” – “Ibrahim Tasuev. I’m looking for a two-legged dog named Ahmed in this house. Calm the four-legged dog and release the two-legged!”. “Get out of here. No one is home. I’ll call the police right now”. “Pass it on to your furious dog, I am stepping on it’s tail.”

When the brothers returned home, many people from the Tusuyev family were at home, as well as relatives from Zargan’s husband. More authoritative people from among relatives, including several people from the family of Zargan’s husband, gathered in Zaurbek’s room, and the discussion of further actions in relation to Ahmed began.

This kind of insult to the girl or woman was punishable under the laws of the adat: forcibly removing pants from the offender, or, if he voluntarily admits his guilt, he should publicly take off his pants. That is considered to be a recognition of his own shame, which spreads on seven generations of his descendants. Another way was to inflict an equal resentment to one of the female relatives of the offender. The last option was blood revenge.

The relatives of Zargan’s husband firmly insisted on bringing revenge themselves – since Zargan is a member of their family, being married to a man of their teip. Ibrahim replied: “That happened when my sister was next to me, and I was responsible for her. And you are responsible for her when she is near you in your family. I do not try to disgrace your pride. But I can not transfer this revenge to your responsibility, although you have this right no less than my family. The main thing is, we found the scoundrel and we know where he is and who he is, and if he expects to hide behind secular laws of Soviet power, he will not succeed. My sister will stay in our house, until my family completes its duty. My father, the head of my family, agrees with this decision. And if the husband’s side believes that my sister, who has experienced such shame, does not deserve to be a member of your family, then we will gladly take her back to our family, because she is and she will always be a member of our family – daughter, sister”.

Zaurbek thanked everyone and asked them to go home and gather again in the morning. Zargan closed in her mother’s room. She almost didn’t eat or drink for a day. Her mother, Heda, was exhausted, inconsolable, suffering because of this endure for her children, her husband. Late at night the lights in Zaurbek house went out, but only two persons in the house were not sleeping…

II

Early in the morning Ibrahim was woken by an unusual noise in the yard. He was very tired these days. He looked out of the window and saw several elder people emotionally arguing with his father, brother Said and relatives. Ibrahim quickly got ready and went out into the courtyard, but by this time the visitors, Zaurbek, Said and several seniors from the Tasuyevs’ family went to the second house where Zaurbek’s room and the living room were. In the courtyard Ibrahim was informed that Ahmed’s senior relatives had arrived.

It was quite a while before Ibrahim was summoned to his father. In the living room gathered his father and closest relatives, those strangers he saw in the yard and several people from the family of Zargan’s husband.

Both his father and Said did not hide their frown. It became clear that the conversation was serious and ended not in Ibrahim’s favor. The father began the conversation with the face like thunder:

— Well, how do you explain your behavior? Can you explain what you’ve done these days? You beat a man, you pursued him, everybody is up in all corners of the world, – his father looked at him sternly.

— I can once again explain everything … – Ibrahim began, as his father interrupted him.

— No, that’s enough. We have already explained everything to people wiser and more authoritative than you. The boy! Did you decide to play the knight? And did you think about sister’s honor? He did not understand, did not understand, and there he wanted revenge! Do you know what that is?

— Do not scold him so severely, Zaurbek, – one of the visiting representatives of the Ahmed family intervened. It’s a young boy with a hot heart. Well, he made a mistake, but who never did mistakes? The main thing is that everything is clear now, thank Lord. After all, such a tragedy could happen because of simple misunderstanding.

Ibrahim was looking at the window, turning away his face from those present in the room, lowering his head slightly. In the courtyard of their house a lot of people gathered, mostly they were relatives of the Tasuyevs. Even those who lived outside the republic, relatives of Ibrahim, came considering it to be their duty to protect the honor of their kind and relatives. There were many men, senior and middle-aged. It was too crowded, so they decided to go all out to the yard to end the discussion as they have reached mutual agreement.

Ibrahim was separated from all the others and brought to the center of the crowd. He stood surrounded by everyone as a guilty boy. His face showed that he was suffering from a storm of raging emotions. He preserved his decorum and “patriarchal” sedateness before his elders, before his father, before his relatives, before his “guests” – Akhmed’s relatives, who violated the patriarchal chastity of the adats of their fathers and descendants. The blood was boiling, emotions grew, his eyes reddened with treachery, the flow of blood in his head pressed a tear, which he was shy about as if his helplessness would be given to everyone.

According to the rules of adat, he had to show maximum subordination and respect in front of the gathered people. And what was surprising! Those who came from the opposite side brought with them a man named Abu-Haji who once influenced the outcome of the reconciliation of Father Ibrahim with the bloodshed. This highly respected “old man” again involuntarily entered the reconciliation of the Zaurbek family, as he was asked by “noble” people, and Zaurbek’s family could not refuse this benefactor, the great diplomat-humanist. He and all the people gathered here regarded the whole episode as a misunderstanding: “Because of his young naivety, Ibrahim took a mere coincidence for a terrible insult” said the guest from Ahmed’s side. “You see, the man in the front seat was drunk, he sat with his hand on the back of the next seat behind the driver, and when on the bump, his hand involuntarily slipped from the back and accidentally touched the girl’s hand a little, which was interpreted by Ibrahim as an attempt to direct insult and violence against her sister. But, even if Ibrahim believes that he was insulted, which happened accidentally without intent, then we are ready to pay a ransom for the offense”- in the crowd there was a rumble of discontent. The guest went on: “We respect the youthfulness of the guy’s pride and are ready to take the first step towards reconciliation, to pay ransom. Secondly, we agree to negotiate on this matter with the side of the girl’s husband, since she is a member of her husband’s family. And we will bring an oath of allegiance on the Qur’an, supporters of the husband’s family, that it was not a mismanagement to defame the honor of the girl. Therefore you take off all the questions of this misunderstanding. Thirdly, we, on our part, will not bring this case to the Court: remember, you’ve beat an official who holds a high post in the Communist Party. We have a confirming medical report given at a traumatological medical station. And besides, there are two witnesses: the driver and colleague of our person’s work”.

There was a pause, then the father of Zargan’s husband said: “It’s been several years since Zaurbek’s daughter crossed the threshold of my house as my daughter-in-law. Thus, our families became related, Zargan became me a true daughter, and I know her purity of goodness. I would give much for this would never happened to her. Perhaps you think, that if Zaurbek transfers the solution of this issue to the reins of my power, it will become easier for you, but you are wrong.

Any decision taken in Zaurbek’s house be kind enough to take it as a decision of my family”.

— Then let Zaurbek say his word, – said a man, who represented Ahmed’s family.

— No! – Abu-Hajji retorted. – It will be fair if we listen to a witness of this situation, and the other witnesses, as I understand it, are only ready to give testimony of Ibrahim’s abasement, insulting his sister, – that sounded like a sign of Ahmed’s loyalty and support od Zaurbek, despite the fact that Abu-Haji was brought by Ahmed’s people. People always heard good rumors about Abu-Haji’s incorruptibility and justice in the proceedings of complicated cases concerning the laws of Sharia and Adat.

Said still believed in his brother’s correctness. He quietly went to his younger brother from behind and stood beside him. It was a sign: hold on, I’m with you. Ibrahim furtively looked toward his father, trying to catch his gaze, and at that moment Zaurbek looked at his son. In Father’s view, Ibrahim read the question: “What should we do, what should we do now?”.

— Good. Thank you for the opportunity to speak …

— Speak on the merits, and only the truth! – interrupted Ibrahim Abu-Haji.

— Then I speak to the Ahmed’s elders, first of all. Why are you here, if you do not see any guilt in the act of your relative? Who invited you here? Why did you wait until we find you? Although, have already found. But, you came with explanations and excuses, that’s not what innocent do. In addition, you have found and brought with you a nationally respected Abu-Haji, to whom my family owes very much. So, you came prepared. Perhaps, you know only what your relative told you. Allah is a witness, I know what my eyes saw, what saw my sister’s eyes, the eyes of two other witnesses who were with us. Unlike you, I do not have to justify myself or other members of my family, besides, I don’t have to disturb so much respected Abu-Haji. Obviously, you have a reason to worry for your man and his family. But if, as you think, Ahmed is innocent and you are ready to confirm the lie of Ahmed on the Quran, we are ready to take this oath in another context: as it is customary for us, Ahmed’s closest relatives will swear on the Quran with the following words: “We swear on this Quran, if a girl or a woman of our family was treated like that, we would not regard it as an insult”. After this vow, me and my family will bring you their apologies and moral costs. And if with such a condition you do not agree, then your Ahmed should publicly put off his pants, assuming a reciprocal shame. If this option does not suit you, then you must give us to scold Akhmed’s daughter or another woman of your family. But if you are not satisfied with these three options, then we reserve the right to force you to take the last two options. And I swear by Allah, besides these three options, there are no any other compromises between us. Use your money in a different place, but not here. We do not sell for money the honor of our women and the honor of our women is more precious than the lives of our men. The right to make final decision belongs to our father, but I am sure that he will never condemn his descendants to eternal dishonor.

When Ibrahim finished speaking, cheers were heard in the crowd, and for a moment, there was a silence about the gathering. The elder of Ahmed’s clan violated her:

— If here are no more serious and wise people, who actually know life, I consider it my duty to say that there is nothing further to talk about with this young man who has become so embarrassed. But keep in mind, we will not tolerate this kind of statements. We live in a Soviet country where there are laws and the right to protection.

— Then you, Saidbek, needed to come here with the representatives of the Soviet government, and not with me, – expressed his disagreement Abu-Haji, – the young man quite rightly and fairly expressed his demands on behalf of this whole decent family. But believe me and my experience, this is not a brazen arrogant young man, he tells the truth. You should listen to it, so that no blood is spilled. You, Saidbek, should understand why Zaurbek, the head of the family, was cilent. As we all know, there were blood on Zaurbek, as he participated in blood revenge. According to the etiquette of our traditions, he should not take part in these discussions after that case. And I now began to respect him even more, because he did not allow himself to object to your attack, Saidbek. Saidbek, return the debt of honor the family of Zaurbek. Chechens used to pay two mens’ lifes for a woman’s one. You have three options. But I’m sure that the first option -the vow on the Qur’an- will not be given to the use by worthy people of your family as it will mean that it would be possible to encroach on the honor of your women. Consider this tip to be my gift. And now, I want to tell the youth gathered here a story for edification: ‘Once upon a time in the mountains there lived a poor, lonely youth who met a very nice girl, raised in a well-bred family. The girl had already promised this young man to marry him. There was another, young jigit, self-assured, bold and selfish, from a well-to-do family who repeatedly sent matchmakers to the girl’s parents, but they were refused, because the girl had already been struck by another. One day, while hunting, the poor guy fell off the cliff, rolled into the abyss under the rockfall. The young man was crushed by stones on the bottom of the cliff. To escape, he had to cut himself his arm and his leg. He climbed out and stayed a ringer, but changed his mind about marrying that girl so that she would not become a victim of his burden. And he sent her a messenger, who told the girl that she could marry another man. The girl replied that she would become his wife, that would not have happened. And somehow the young woman returning from the spring barred that rich young man’s way. He grabbed her by the hand and said: “Now you have nowhere to go, I took your hand and you can not now marry another but me, I dishonored you!” The girl snatched the dagger weighed on the scoundrel’s belt, cut off her hand with his dagger and sait: “I do not have a hand which a nonentity touched”. People, remember! Verily, as one sage said, the heaviness of obedience to the righteous life will pass away, but there will remain a reward for it. And verily, the sweetness of sin will pass away, but the punishment for it will remain. And now, Saidbek, I appeal to you, tomorrow by noon pray you must finish this unpleasant incident in our people. Be reasonable. – Abu-Haji finished his speech.

By the night everyone dispersed, except the family of Zaurbek. There was a hard day ahead. Everybody went to sleep, but only two were not sleeping in the house. Zaurbek was reading Ibrahim Qur’an and preaching. Only late, in the dead of night, Zaurbek let Ibrahim go.

Ibrahim was laying down on the bed in his clothes on, the cool night breeze sometimes flew into the room through the open window, and he gurgled Ibrahim’s wavy hair playfully, chilled and gently caressed his face. Ibrahim substituted his burning face and closed his eyes peacefully, yielding to some extraordinary feeling. He already understood, felt that he shoulded do tomorrow, and he was now ready for this … Night conversations with his father, reading the Koran and father’s wise stories about the life of the righteous, gave him new powers. Before he left, his father told him a few words:

— Ibrahim! You looked like a wounded beast. “People are like animals. They turn into people-foxes, when they meet people-wolves. And to not become an animal – remain a man. In order to not be afraid to live, do not be afraid to die!”.

III

In the morning, in the yard of Zaurbek, gathered dozens of relatives. Mother Heda, trying to occupy herself with something, was busy in the kitchen, treated her guests with food. Sometimes, forgetting what she was doing, she aimlessly entered and exited the room. Zargan was hiding in her mother’s bedroom, trying to calm herself, but that was not easy for her because she became she was the main reason of this incident.

On the broad street in front of Zaurbek’s court, many relatives and fellow-villagers gathered. The rumor went round all neighborhood. Soon, the big courtyard and street were full of people who were waiting to see what’s going happen next. Women stayed in their houses, they were not allowed to visit “ceremonies” of this kind. Many people were angry because of the offense put to their honor.

In front of the house, opposite the road, the space remained free, like an empty scene awaiting the main characters. In case of the arrival of the opponents, this place was intended to occupy it. Ibrahim came to his peers and stood a little apart with his hands behind his back and his head down. He was pale and calm, slender, smart, young – almost a boy, and only his eyes could give out his true feelings. For these days, the inquisitive, his eyes, usually full of joy, have become thoughtful and serious – the eyes of an adult man, a man, experiencing his personal drama.

Ibrahim stood in the same position when several cars stopped near them. Out of them came unfamiliar men, they were those who were so eagerly awaited, but it was not known with what they came. There was a dead silence! Suddenly, those who arrived opened the back door of one of the cars and brought out a very young and very beautiful girl whom Ibrahim saw in Ahmed’s house.

Ibrahim was standing in the same position when several cars stopped near them. Out of them exited a few strangers, they were those who were so eagerly awaited. There was a dead silence! Suddenly, those who arrived opened the back door of one of the cars and pulled out a very young and very beautiful girl whom Ibrahim saw in Ahmed’s house.

Zaurbek’s family gathered in the courtyard as a team, standing in a semicircle, looking towards the visitors. One of the accompanying girls showed her a place where she should go and should become, the rest remained at their cars, not daring to raise their heads with shame.

In the crowd was heard a surprised exclamation: “What are they doing?”.

Meanwhile, the girl went to the place indicated to her. Without looking back at her attendants, she reached the center of the free space and stopped. Dressed in a black robe, as if in mourning, she stood, biting her gurgling tears that choked her. Suddenly, a middle-aged woman jumped out of the same car with which the girl came out, not submitting to the calls of her companions, pale and trembling, but with firm determination in her eyes she pointed towards the girl.

The woman was beautiful in her determination and outwardly, and although her face was distorted by inhuman mental anguish, it was not difficult to find out from her resemblance the mother of a poor girl in it. In the most painful, in the most difficult moments of her daughter’s life, the mother became next to her, so that if not even take her, then at least on an equal footing with her accept the disgrace that fell to her child’s share and at least give her support.

Zargan, looked out the window, saw the girl and rushed to her mother:

“Mom, help me! Mom, I am begging you, help! This girl that was brought, don’t let her to be touched by ours … Mom, I’ll kill myself, Mom, I’ll do something, “Zargan shouted in hysterics.

Heda embraced her daughter, looked into her eyes and said to her daughter:

“My silly little daughter, there are no such vile men in this house, and your father will not tolerate with such abuse of an innocent person, especially a girl. I know your father and your brothers very well”.

A whisper swept through the courtyard and the girl lowered her head even lower. She could no longer restrain herself and tears streamed down her cheeks, lips trembled, hands trembled, as she was fingering the corner of her shawl. And the boys were whispering around, the old men shook their heads disapprovingly. Young guys whispered with each other about the daughter, the mother, then yielding to each other, arguing to get right to them, but so that they are not heard by the elders. It was terrible and scary … A single Zaurbek’s glare was enough for everyone to calm down the hotheads, who were whispering among the crowd.

Zaurbek turned to face the crowd, pushed aside the hem of his beshmet and grabbed the dagger hidden under the hem:

— I swear, I’ll cut off the head of anyone who dares to approach the girl. In spite of everything, I will kill anyone who at least in one movement dares to scold women in my house. Men are born to protect the honor of women, and not to insult them violently.

Ibrahim’s mother, Heda, came out of the house, went up to the poor girl and wept, hugging her, holding her to him, as though hiding herself from curious gazes, from misfortune, from this evil. And that chocked and already crying sobbed, kept repeating:

— Oh please, let them do what they want with me, but do not touch my father. I agree to everything, just do not touch my dad …

— Do not worry, my daughter, nobody will hurt you here, do not cry, and your father will not be touched. Everything will be fine. I accept you as my guest, and my guest is protected by the men of my family, if they remain the men who ate from my hands…

In this space, before the gaze of men, gathered in a thirst for vengeance, there stood two mothers and one girl, trying to keep sobs and tears. In the domain opposite, another girl sobbed, hiding her face in the pillow. Their tears, their pain are known only to them and to the Almighty. The hardest moments came for all the visitors with women here, men did not know what to do with shame, they were ashamed to raise their heads, embarrassed to meet the eyes of those opposite. But the men from the Tasuyevs felt the bitterness of what was happening in front of them. Many, especially the elders, had tears of regret in their eyes.

Everyone in his mind went through all his actions in life, and thanked God that they did not have to experience such humiliation. The lesson was instructive for everyone, for those who saw it and for those who hear about it. The man, who voluntary surrended his daughter to be shamed and tortured, the girl’s father still found herself in disgrace. But alas, the stricter the law, the less immorality among the people. It would be better for the girl’s father to pay his debts with his own blood than to find her daughter in disgrace – the witnesses of this drama thought.

Courage, nobility, power, mercy and wisdom of the family Zaurbek won a victory over anger. They did not touch the girl, having the right to revenge, because the revenge over the defenseless girl did not raise them in her own eyes. But this humiliation of the girl did not become less, her own father humiliated her himself.

Zaurbek gave a sign to the elder from some kind of Betersolta, so that he let visitors come to the women and free them. Betersolt went to the women and told them to follow him. He led them to the men standing near their cars and said:

— You are free, and we are free.“We have no more questions for you, your way is free.

Less than a half-minute, as the guests disappeared around the corner at the end of the street, taking with them shame and humiliation. At some time, silence continued, many old men and young people wiped their damp eyes with their hands. This tears came from the depths of their hearts, the moisture of grief is insane, and on the other hand the courage of nobility. There were no words to describe the situation, the participants dispersed in silence, at first the old men moved from their places. And one by one the young began to disperse silently. Ibrahim stood in the same pose and looked in the “nowhere”, as if he wanted to see something shorthand in a misty veil.

His brother Said approached him, embraced him and thanked him:

“Thank you for your patience. I was sure that you are noble and sensible.

Ibrahim went to his room and slept until deep night, and when he woke up, he went to his father’s house. Everyone was sleeping, except Zaurbek and Ibrahim. They had something to talk about.

Army

I

It was the time when the Soviet Empire was fighting for “peace in the whole world” extending its “steel arms” to all corners of the globe. It was a seesaw struggle – NATO countries stood in the way, especially The USA. Nevertheless, the struggle didn’t fade away because of failures; on the contrary it was always on the rise.

Fraternal assistance to Africa, Asia and America was a continuous flow mainly in the form of arms, which were produced in enormous quantity, participation of military advisors in conflicts and financial aid. The allies accepted fraternal assistant of the USSR with gratitude and did their best to struggle against the “bloody imperialism” represented by their domestic enemies. The struggle went on until there was another opportunity to ask the USSR for the next part of aid because the struggle was so intense that they ran short of the aid. Until the flow of the soviet fraternal aid was gone the regimes that cooperated with the USSR struggled zealously under the Soviet slogan of the “struggle for peace in the whole world”. But as soon as the aid stopped, the yesterday’s allies of the Soviet Union became its enemies and moved to the capitalists’ camp.

There were even more unfortunate “failures” in the USSR’s foreign policy. Those were revolutions in Hungary, Czechoslovakia and other socialist states. In case of these countries, the Soviet Union was not alone to render the “fraternal aid” to the shaken regimes, but did it together with other countries, participants of the Warsaw treaty. Revolt or revolution, to be more exact, in a socialist country was brutally suppressed.

In 1978 it was Afghanistan which became the next victim of the peacemaking efforts of the Soviet Empire. It was declared all over the world that the situation in Afghanistan threatened southern borders of the Soviet Union and that our country was obliged to help in any way to the “poor” Afghans to get rid of anti-popular regime. At the party congresses and meetings the statement of the party and the government was taken with enthusiasm by the broad masses of the working people. The intelligentsia with the gentleness only it possesses was modestly keeping silence and the grumble of the dissenting individuals was not and could not be heard in the massive choir of the nationwide approval.

In 1979, under the noisy approval and almost unheard whisper of the opponents the USSR descended upon anti-popular regime of Afghanistan with all its might. Hundreds of thousands of Afghans as well as thousands of soldiers-internationalists were killed and wounded during the war, but the aggression against Afghanistan ended up ingloriously for the Soviet policy and for the Soviet arms. The cause of the defeat of the USSR in the war against Afghanistan, which was on the stage of feudalism, is a complicated subject that needs a thorough study.

It’s worth noting here that first of all it is Afghanistan itself and the countries that helped him during ten years of war who are “to blame” for the victory. But all of this would be later. At that time the war was just starting.

On the territory of 1/6 of the earth called the USSR the informational propaganda started. Powerful, well-tuned propaganda machine of the USSR began to work with all its might influencing the conscience of Soviet people. And it has to be given justice, it performed its task brilliantly excluding the silent minority amounting to about 5–10 percent of Soviet population, people took black for white and supported the aggression of the USSR against Afghanistan. This support went so far that even mothers of the soldiers who died during the war accepted that s war as something unavoidable.

No wonder that Ibragim’s inexperienced and weak mind took for granted all that was written in the Soviet newspapers and magazines about the situation in Afghanistan. Brought up on Communist ideas, Ibragim, who believed piously in the infallibility of the Soviet system couldn’t even think that the Soviet Union was waging a brutal and unjust war in Afghanistan. When his elder brother Said tried to explain it to him he didn’t believe him, he thought that his brother was trying to protect him from a danger. Although he didn’t agree with his brother inwardly, Ibragim pretended he accepted his reasons and would follow them. But for himself he decided that he would never refuse to do his duty byстраной and would surely go to the army, not to kill anybody but to defend his great Motherland – the USSR.

That autumn Ibragim was supposed to go to the army. He didn’t want to go to the University right after school. He explained his unwillingness to the parents by the fact that the graduates from institutes of higher education are drafted anyway and by that time he would be 22–23 already. But at his age it was much easier to endure the difficulties of the army life. Moreover one could quickly give a good account of himself in the army and join the CPSU ranks.

Ibragim’s arguments were quite reasonable and though they were not unshakable, his parents and his brother Said decided not to stand in his way.

Ibragim finished secondary school cum laude. During his last five years at school he attended several circles, went in for judo wrestling and was already a candidate master at it. But he attended a literature circle with a special interest. Beyond all doubts Maria Vladimirovna was “to blame” for his love for Russian literature.

Once when he was in the fifth grade the school principal entered their classroom with a Russian girl who seemed to be hiding behind his back. The principal introduced to the class Maria Vladimirovna, their new class master and teacher of Russian language and literature. Maria Vladimirovna was sent to work here after graduation from an institute in Astrakhan. Since then her life has been tied up with this school and this stanitsa. Ibragim studied here living at the boarding school because there was only an elementary school in the village. When he was in the fifth grade his parents put him into the boarding school where he and other children could get by a special bus. Children lived at the hostel, studied at the local school and went home on weekends.

With years, for Maria Vadimirovna Chechnya became her new Motherland, which she loved with all her heart. Although she had some knowledge of Chechen traditions and their way of life from works by Tolstoy, Pushkin, Lermontov and other writers, at the beginning Maria Vladimirovna had certain difficulties to mix with Chechen life. The stanitsa of Ishcherskaya in Naursky district was situated on the left bank of the Terek river. Picturesque and vast spaces attracted everyone who came here at least once. Both Russians and Chechens lived there, lived friendly, sharing all their joys and sorrows. Isherskay is one hundred kilometers from Grozny, the capital of Chechnya. During school holidays the administration of school arranged trips to Grozny for good pupils and Ibragim was always among them. Pupils were taken to the Grozny reservoir to bathe, to parks and museums of arts and regional studies.

Maria Vladimirovna was renting a room at a house owned by a good-natured Tagibat, a Chechen woman where they both shared coziness and warmth of this small house. Tagibat’s family – her husband and two children lived in the same house. Her children studied at the school where Maria Vladimirovna worked. The boy was in the second grade and the girl – in the seventh. Maria’s work and life were getting normal. Her colleagues respected her, her children loved her very much.

She got good education and loved her work and her subject. She told the children with enthusiasm about writers, their works, about the immortal characters of Dostoyevsky, Tolstoy, Walter Scott, Fenimore Cooper, Alexandre Dumas. It seemed that her knowledge was endless. There was time and place for everyone in her stories – for Karamazov brothers, for Chatsky, for Pierre Bezukhov, for Robin Hood and Jack London. Children were sitting with their mouths open when listening to her endless stories from the lives of literature characters. Silence was interrupted only when some pupil splashed out the held back emotions. From time to time one could hear: Oh, well done! Oh, well said!” For Maria Vladimirovna these exclamations were the best reward for her work.

Thanks to Maria Vladimirovna Ibragim came to love literature and having loved reading he got better and better command of the Russian language. It should be noted that although the Chechen language and literature were among the obligatory subjects at schools, but in the schools on the left bank of the Terek River the Chechen language was excluded from the obligatory program. In the mountain and foothill areas of the republic it was taught as an optional subject since most of the Chechen population lived there.

Ibragim started to read a lot. By the ninth grade he had already had his own library which had about three hundred books. Ibragim’s mother with all the tenderness, which she was capable of, told everyone whenever she had a chance how she took him to the market when he was five. She gave him twenty kopecks for an ice cream. Ibragim rushed to a kiosk and bought two children’s books: “Dyada Styopa” by Mikhalkov and “Moidodyr” by Kornei Chukovsky. Despite their shabby condition Kheda still keeps them.

Teachers at school held Ibragim up as an example to the pupils. They were sure that the fact that he studied at a village school would not prevent him from entering a teacher’s training college.

And all of a sudden such a turn of events. Instead of going on with the studies he goes to the army.

When Ibragim finished school and received his school-leaving certificate his family moved to their village at foothills. He turned 18 and in several months he was to go to the army. His father bought him a car thinking that it would distract him from his plans. But Ibragim was inexorable. He was persistently preparing himself for the army spending most of the time on sports.

II

The day of leaving for the army came. Ibragim as other draftees had already passed the military-medical commission and listened to the instructions of the military commissar. Every draftee after passing the final medical commission in Grozny was a given subpoena which obliged him to come to the district military commissariat for a call-over the next morning at 8 a.m. and get military identification card. The subpoena was dated November 02, 1979. Every year the Chechen-Ingushetia always exceeded the planned targets during autumn and spring drafts. In the Caucasus, evasion from the army service was considered a disgrace among youth. Every autumn and spring trains with draftees were leaving on schedule.

On the first of November the farewell ceremony for the youth was held at Zaurbek’s house. In the evening, the elders had a moulid prayer after sacrifice of a ram. Those who couldn’t come on the next day to say good-bye to Ibragim did it today. Everyone wished him luck and told parting words. The elders advised him not to panic or lose his reason under any circumstances; they wished him a happy journey and a happy return home after the end of the service.

At night the family stayed on their own. A lot of people promised to come back in the morning to say good-bye to Ibragim. They went to sleep late at night. But as usual, on alarming nights, only two of them didn’t sleep. Kheda’s sleep was also troubled.

Early in the morning, Zaurbek after a Morning Prayer went to the courtyard to meet people from his village who wanted to say good-bye to his son. People were coming to Zaurbek’s house, women were bringing presents and food – it was usual among Chechens. Ibragim made a joke in reply: “You’ve prepared food for the two years’ service. It will be enough for the whole army, how am I going to carry all this? We should ask the Defense Minister to order the whole train”.

Ibragim’s mother, his elder brother Said and his sister Zargan some of boys – his relatives went to see him off to the assembly point. When they all came out to the courtyard and were about to set off on two cars, Zaurbek stayed in the house. He knew that his son would come to his room to say good-bye in private, secretly from others. It’s not common among Chechens to express their feelings towards their children openly, especially towards their sons.

When Ibragim came to his father he was sitting on a wooden trestle-bed saying a prayer, asking the Most High to give his son a happy journey. Ibragim stood silently waiting when his father to finish the prayer. Zaurbek stood up and told his son: “Ibragim! I hope that everything will be all right with you. Don’t forget to write to your mother about yourself. You know that she loves you very much and worries about you.” “I know it and I will always remember it”, said Ibragim. Zaurbek made a step toward the exit. Ibragim stepped aside immediately to let his father pass toward the exit. He was brought up this way – to give way to elders.

When Zaurbek came out to the courtyard he thanked everybody who had come and told his elder son Said: “Go slowly, be careful on the road, don’t drive hard, let your way be free (marsha goila, in Chechen)”. It meant that Ibragim and those who were going to see him off could get into the cars and set off. With these words Zaurbek turned back and went into the house.

At the district military commissariat where the draftees of the Urus-Martan region had arrived, the military commissar of the region formed them up in front of the building. He took their subpoenas presented their military identification cards to them and delivered a traditional farewell speech about the high duty of serving the socialist Motherland and about the noble mission of Soviet soldiers in the world. Then as if with a wave of a conductor’s baton a military brass band which stood at some distance began to thunder, the trumpets played the famous “Slav’s Farewell” march to drums accompaniment

A high brick fence with a barbed wire on top surrounded the assembly point. It was made so that the drunken locals who had come to see the draftees off would not be able to get to the territory belonging to the Ministry of Defense. Soldiers and sergeants of interior troops guarded the entrance to the territory of the assembly point. That was a border between the civil world and the world of the military. Along the perimeter of the assembly point there were high poplars. In front of the main entrance there was a well-groomed garden where those who came to see the newly drafted off were sitting on the blankets and newspapers. There was sorrow and worries in the eyes of the adults: what if their child will be sent to Afghanistan? And the young ones enjoyed themselves. The youth does not know the feeling of fear and their sorrow does not live long. For the youth life seems to be a constant holiday with singing and dancing, with jokes and funny stories. Maturity and old age grown wise with experience know that the life is not a bed of roses, that one comes across thorns as well, and sometimes there are more thorns than roses. At last all the necessary formalities were done with and those who had come to see the young boys off were given a chance to say good-bye to the draftees on the territory of the assembly point. A crowd rushed inside. Everyone tried to tell his son, brother, relative or friend the most important, necessary and innermost before the long parting. Everybody, laughing and crying, make an effort in vain hope to recall and say the most important, the most necessary words. Ibragim’s beautiful, tender and already gray mother stuck to him before parting. No, she wouldn’t recall and wouldn’t tell her son those innermost words and during long days and long nights for the following two years she would be sorting them out not finding the ones she needed. She would tenderly touch and stroke all his clothes he used to wear at home. Only mothers can truly love, but her tongue is not capable of rendering the trepidation of her heart, her soul’s outcry, her pangs and worries of every cell of her weak feminine being. It is beyond her power. But her attentive and loving son can read in her eyes everything that she couldn’t express by words. Her eyes ranges over the crowd and stops at Ibragim. She sees several mothers crying embracing their sons. She promised herself that she won’t let her son, her drop of blood, see her tears on such a difficult day for him; it will be hard for him to see them. He has always been kind and tender with her and if she doesn’t hide her sorrow, he will reprove himself for being guilty of her tears and sorrows. She won’t upset him, she will show herself strong and then it will be easier for him to serve. Though it will be hard to conceal anguish from his shrewd eyes. Suddenly she roused herself and her strained eyes stopped at something. She saw a familiar figure. Kheda recognizes Khava, a black-browed beauty, daughter of Akhmed from their village. Slender as a doe, with a swanneck and a beautiful face with blushes on her cheeks. She was a real beauty. Kheda has always dreamt she would become Ibragim’s wife. But when she made hints to him he laughed the matter off. Khava was seeing her brother off to the army.

Having noticed that Kheda was looking at her, Khava, like frightened bird, flew away and mixed with the crowd. Kheda smiles and tells Ibragim: “Did you see that prude that was looking at you till we noticed her? Poor girl, she got confused and flew away”. Ibragim flushes and makes a weak effort to justify himself, but not being able to control himself under the laughing eyes of his mother, Zargan and Said he turns away. Kheda noticed aloud: “Khava is a beautiful and a smart girl from a good family and a respected clan”.

When choosing a fiancée it was very important which clan she was from, and it wasn’t just a caprice, it was a tradition formed on the basis of life experience. Life confirmed the rule, which says “like father like son”. And age-old observations by people not acquainted even with the fundamentals of genetics led them to a conclusion that only a good seed can provide a good harvest.

The form-up of the draftees was announced. Ibragim embraced his mother tenderly, embraced his brother and kissed his sister on the cheek, took his bag and ran to the formation.

People who had come to see the draftees off were asked to leave the territory of the assembly point. The clock began to count time of Ibragim’s army service. And all other people who knew that the draftees would be taken to the railway station rushed there. Ibragim, together with hundreds of other draftees, was taken to the railway station. They were put to the railway cars, a call-over was held in each car and a command to the locomotive driver was given. People were running after the train waving hands to the boys who were looking out of the windows, putting parcels with sweets, cigarettes and food to the draftee’s hands reaching out of the windows. And the train, gaining speed, began its endless wheels’ clicking on the endless rails leaving behind, kilometer after kilometer, the boundless spaces of the land of Soviets. Landscapes were changing. Trees were delivering themselves from summer attire; yellow leaves were falling one by one on the ground covering it with their golden blanket. The train running into the gloaming dusk was going and going, outrunning fields and rivers, sometimes stopping at small stations to let other trains pass on red signal posts.

According to the instructions of the Ministry of Defense a draftee was to be taken away from his native places as far as possible. Thus, youths from the Caucasus served in remote and border areas of the USSR whereas the contingent of soldiers that served in the Caucasus consisted mostly of Siberians and Ukrainians. At first sight there was no logic in such an expensive “castling”. Only many years later Ibragim understood that it was a thoroughly thought over and tested by experience policy. This understanding came to Ibragim when he started watching on television the events that preceded the fall of the Soviet Empire. Those were the events in Baku, Tbilisi, and Vilnius, where clashes between the army and local population took place. There were only locals among the defenders and there were only soldiers from other regions of the Soviet Union in the ranks of the offensive army.

This understanding began to get stronger when Ibragim saw what was happening in Russia during the formation and strengthening of Boris Yeltsin’s power. He was sure that a Muscovite couldn’t be behind the controls of a tank, which was roaring along Moscow streets, and a Muscovite couldn’t aim the muzzle of the tank at the snow-white building of Parliament and shoot at it. This understanding strengthened at last in his consciousness when he witnessed the “murder” of Grozny, the capital of his republic. The malicious intent of the military command was not to send a draftee as far as possible from his small motherland. Having studied and knowing the psychology they foresaw the possibility of an unordinary situation, the settlement of which demanded use of military force. In this case material expenditures of the Ministry of Defense on transportation of the draftees from one end of the country to another one, from one republic to another one were compensated immediately. A soldier, if he, or course, is not crazy, won’t shoot at houses and streets, trees and monuments of the town where he used to run about in his childhood, where he was born, where his relatives and friends live. No, Grozny was not shot at by people from Chechen-Ingushetia and even if there were such people among these butchers then the name to them is not “people” but some other, unknown.

III

On the eleventh day the train with the draftees arrived to the Far East, to the city of Khabarovsk. Right from the railway station the draftees were put on the trucks that had come to meet them and were taken to a blank unit.

Ibragim got to sergeants’ school. After finishing it he was going to be sent to serve as a sergeant to some other unit. The study in this school took six months of the army’s two-years’ service.

Ibragim’s soldier’s life flew monotonously as it usually flows in peacetime in the army. He communicated with his commanders and comrades as much as his army duties demanded it excluding the conflicts among soldiers of different periods of service that happen in any army. Everything happened, but Ibragim had dignity and courage to stand up for himself and for his friends.

Sometimes senior soldiers beat them but they were given as good as one gets. Once during tactical exercises one of the senior soldiers, a sergeant, decided to show everybody his superiority above Ibragim. But having received a strong punch in the jaw he lost immediately his snobbism and contemptuous attitude toward young students.

Permanent exercises, studying of military service regulations, physical training – military service was not easy. Ibragim who received good training before the army and excellent knowledge at school, could stand all the difficulties of military life with dignity. Neither strict day’s routine nor exhausting military exercises could shake his will, on the contrary they only tempered him. He tried not to take too close to heart cavils of commanders and sergeants of the school, painful for his pride. It seemed that these commanders and sergeant watched the students waking or sleeping caviling to different trifles. And the students tempered themselves more and more, repeating to themselves: “What does not kill us, will make us stronger”.

At first Ibragim couldn’t understand why commanders are interested in such trifles as, for instance, if the soldier’s blouse is all buttoned up, what student do in their leisure time, who he mixes with, what this or that students talks about. There were people of different nationalities in the sergeants’ school. Ibragim was the only Chechen. Students divided into groups according to the area they were from and together they defended each other’s interests. Ibragim understood the importance of it when there was a fight between Azerbaijanis and Armenians.

The cause of a dispute that led to the fight was the refusal of an Azerbaijani named Arsen to clean a toilet. He motivated his refusal with the fact that sergeant Samvel, an Armenian, was biased towards him and trying to humiliate him sent him, and not an Armenian from his platoon which was on duty and had to clean the toilet. Because of this Samvel punched Arsen in the face and his countrymen stood up for him and beat Samvel. Armenians stood up for Samvel and the incident developed into an inter-ethnic group fight. After the interference of an officer the fight was held up but only for the time being because both sides threatened to revenge upon each other till final victory. Thus the conflict could run into bloodshed. Ibragim was the one who found a way out, he suggested that opposing sides should have an honest man’s duel, face to face. Culprits of the conflict – Armenian Samvel and Azerbaijani Arsen had to take part in the duel.

Despite the fact that sergeant Samvel had already served for a year and three months and Arsen – only three months, Ibragim saw the rightness of Arsen and his readiness to defend it at any price.

Arsen, like an animal driven to a corner, posed a real danger for Samvel but the latter couldn’t conjecture it and felt himself protected as a senior. He counted upon the unwritten laws of “dedovshchina” – phenomenon common in the Soviet and Russian army, which means hazing of the newly drafted soldiers by the senior soldiers.

Moreover, Arsen was very frightened by that offer of Ibragim. And that made him stronger, which could not escape the eye of such an experienced fighter like Ibragim. Resolution in Arsen’s eyes and fastidiousness on Samvel’s face evoked sympathy for Arsen among many people. After the evening retreat when many were already sleeping, four people – Ibragim, Arsen’s “second” and Samvel with his “second” Tolgat who was an Uzbek entered the washing room, the size of which gave much space for the both fighter, almost like on a boxing ring. They agreed to fight only with hand and legs. The blows could be delivered with both feasts and legs all over the body, with only one condition – not to beat the one who fell down. If not consider this case mystical, in five or six seconds after the beginning of the duel, Samvel was knocked out by Arsen’s punch in the jaw.

On the next day the unit’s officers, strange as it may seem, pretended not to know anything about the night duel. However, they always shut their eyes to the shadow side of the army life.

Only at political studies the deputy commander for political work said, as a matter of fact: “If everybody could solve international conflicts the way Ibragim Tasueyev does, then there would be peace all over the world.” It was obviously said with sarcasm but Ibragim pretended not to understand what it was all about. Unfortunately, the incident was not over at this point for Ibragim and many others. Samvel again set his countrymen against Arsen and they ambushed him in a dark corridor of the barracks after which a group fight started between Armenians and Azerbaijanis. As a result almost all the participants of the fight got injuries. The investigation of this incident was conducted by a military investigator during one month. Samvel, Arsen and Ibragim were considered culprits and instigators. The commander of the office of the head of studies being afraid of publicity confined himself to a light punishment of Samvel, Arsen and Ibragim, who were put in the guardroom for several days.

Despite the fact that Ibragim kept aloof, his independent temper and his ability to stand for himself when it is necessary were noticed not only by his colleagues but also by commanders and officers.

Only those can be relatively independent who is either very rich or who has great power. Ibragim was convinced of truth of these axioms “on his own back”, as the saying goes.

Everybody, who served in the army, the more so in the Soviet army, knows that officers do not like independent soldiers. Commanders’ task is to “subdue” a young man, to place him under the command, as they say themselves “to break them of civil life” and turn him into an obedient creature who implicitly and blindly carries out all the demands of the regulation and of the commander.

The deputy commander for political work of the companies, Captain Litvinov undertook Ibragim’s “re-education”. He caviled at him in every way possible. The youth was about to break down and his colleagues noticed it and prevented a coming drama.

Sergeant Anatoly Luzgin by the time of the draft to the Soviet Army had expelled from from the Moscow Road-transport University after the third year. Anatoly didn’t like to speak about the reasons for his expulsion and nobody knew the details. Anatoly stood out for his refinement and smart appearance. He was called up for military service six months before Ibragim and had already finished that school. But the commanders asked him to stay there and train young students. He was an interesting interlocutor, could play guitar and joke wittily. In other words, he was “one of the lads” in any company or situation. A non-incidental conversation between Anatoly and Ismail was a long one. Anatoly opened Ibragim’s eyes on many things, offered his support and friendship which was taken by the latter with pleasure and gratitude. Starting from that day they communicated a lot, it turned out that they had many common interests.

Six months passed in students’ work and troubles, in monotonous life, which was sometimes varied by minor squabbles among students. The last week passed in preparations of the unit’s territory for а gala event devoted to the students’ graduation ceremony. From morning till retreat students were rushing about the unit’s territory whitewashing borders, painting fences, sweeping. Everything was shining even without it but those were the rules of the “game” among military.

What if military inspection from the region’s headquarters comes unexpectedly and this is why there should be no limit to cleanness and order. At last everything is ready. The military settlement is decorated with different transparencies, banners, everything around is clean and neat. Sergeants’ school’s command and students are ready for May Day holidays. All the exams on all rules and points are taken under strict eyes of examiners. The promotions and decoration of the students with different chest hardware for merits in the service, encouragement of sergeants and officers with various presents, promotions, leafs with a chance to go to Motherland are scheduled for the next day – for the 1st of May, the day of the World solidarity of working people. At 10 in the morning, a military parade and working people’s demonstration will take place in the central square named after Lenin.

All over the USSR similar parades took place in each major town of the country, all capitals of Soviet republics and not only on the first and the ninth of May but also on the 23rd of February, the Day of the Soviet Army and the Navy.

IV

The parade took place in the morning of May 1 despite the drizzling rain. In the evening a gala event with all the pomposity which servicemen are capable of was held at the officers’ House of culture on the territory study unit. After the official part of the evening a gala concert with the participation of the unit’s ensemble and local variety actors was to take place.

The concert is going on with verve. The graduates and officers’ families enjoy the event very much. The graduates are the happiest of all because they will become commanders in a few days. They are going to have an independent service, people’s fates will depend on them and maybe even their subordinate’s lives. And now they must relax a bit after a six months’ military studies. And the concert gives them a great relaxation, a charge of energy and an influx of fresh forces.

Attendance of similar entertainment became a tradition for the families of the military. Like other members of officers’ families, the wife, Vera Stepanovna and the daughter Olga of the deputy commander for political work of the unit came here. The company’s deputy commander for political work officiously thrust himself upon them. Unlike other junior officers, platoons’ commanders and companies’ commanders, Litvinov was a single. He liked the daughter of the Lt-Col Tarasov, the unit’s deputy commander for political work; he tried to please her and her parents in any way possible.

Litvinov was a noticeable personality. He finished military college with honors two years ago. His father held a ranking position at the headquarters and Litvinov graduated from the college in the rank of a senior lieutenant and in two years already he was promoted to the rank of captain. It should be noted that nature didn’t deprive him either with height or with beauty and vanity. Prestigious Moscow schools, high-ranking parents apart from noticeable knowledge developed in him such qualities as high self-conceit, arrogance, vainly hidden under the mask of the call of duty. The captain looked down on everybody and it seemed to him that everybody around – students, sergeants and officers must implicitly fulfill his whims.

Despite his intellect and attractiveness the captain had few friends among colleagues. But those who called themselves his friends didn’t do it disinterestedly. Litvinov saw himself with general’s shoulder straps at the General Staff surrounded by complaisant subordinates ready to fulfill his immediate wish. To be completely happy Litvinov needed a beautiful fiancée like Olga Tarasova.

Being the only child in the family, from the very childhood Olga was surrounded by all-round care, attention and love of parents. As they say, her parents doted on their child. They did everything that depended on them for Olga to have plenty to live upon. Thanks to her parents she received musical education, went in for swimming and tennis with enthusiasm. The problems in school education were solved with the help of tutors. It helped this clever and talented by nature girl to enter the economy department of the Khabarovsk University without any pull or backing. Though Olga wasn’t strikingly beautiful, her well-knit figure, her eyes shining with life and youth didn’t let men pass her by without paying attention to her. Besides after a few minutes’ talk one couldn’t but notice that she had a sensible and responsive soul, which was hidden behind the mask of an everlasting scoffer and a jolly girl. Usually, the excessive love of parents spoils most of the children, makes them egoistic, but Olga, on the contrary, managed to borrow all the good, so that in the future she would embrace her chosen one and her future children with it and would reciprocate her parents’ feelings.

The “superman” Litvinov couldn’t deceive Olga’s sensible and tender soul. This is why she declined all captain’s efforts to have a corner in her heart.

Captain’s courting were not a secret for Olga’s mother. She saw the brilliant career of the captain; she countenanced and urged her on being closer to him. This time only Olga’s unwillingness to hurt her mother made her come to that event. It’s not that she was bored but she didn’t feel extremely enthusiastic over the military ceremony. At that moment a sergeant to whom she paid attention at the very beginning of the ceremonial event preoccupied all her imagination. When looking at him Olga thought that she had never seen such a handsome man. She paid attention to his spontaneity, to the fact that he didn’t plum himself at all and that he didn’t even feel his attractiveness. Olga made her involuntary comparison between Captain Litvinov and the stranger sergeant and it wasn’t in Captain’s favor. Of course, their height and figure were alike, Olga thought, but in the rest they were completely different. The Captain was a fair-haired blue-eyed handsome man, but there was some incompleteness in his face, some negligence of the nature whereas in sergeant’s face everything was perfect, a fine aristocratic face, sensible harmony and completeness in all his appearance. He, all from black wavy hair and brown eyes to refined hands with long fingers, was a real perfection. “It can’t be so that the sergeant doesn’t realize how richly he was endowed by nature”, Olga thought. But he behaves himself so simply. The new object of her attention was taking the girl’s imagination for a long time and only the end of the concert interrupted her dreams. Accompanied by her mother and the Captain, Olga went home. The Captain politely forced his company on them at the moment when the lieutenant colonel told his wife and daughter that he had to stay behind at the unit for one more hour. At the entrance of their house Litvinov gallantly bowed out with the ladies and went back to the unit. Standing close to her mother Olga was listening absently to the Captains’ flow of words and sighed with relief and when he left and showed his back.

The next week of Olga’s life passed in dreams and fantasies connected with the sergeant.

The image that began to fade away emerged again as unexpectedly as it happened first time. Later when the parting came Olga understood that it was fate that guided her, the only desired and the happiest one, which a woman can have, the fate which is a dream of any woman. Unfortunately, the real happiness can’t be a long-lived one.

The study unit’s command offered Ibragim to stay at school to train new draftees. Anatoly also wanted his friend to be with him. Ibragim agreed and in fact he was glad to stay. He became a deputy commander of the platoon in the rank of sergeant. Anatoly was already a sergeant major of the company, which included Ibragim’s platoon. Service was going on – thank God a day has passed, as soldiers say.

The acquaintance of Olga and Ibragim took place soon and it was a romantic one in the best meaning of this word.

V

It was August. For several days there was not a single cloud in the sky, the sun shone unbearably and warm wind was blowing since morning. Grass and trees in the town were covered with a thin layer of dust. One could save himself only in town parks near to beautiful ponds and flower beds where mighty trees protected from hot sunrays giving shadow and coolness to people.

In the afternoon, after a long sleep Olga and her friend Galina after a phone call decided to meet and take a walk together in the park. Few hours later they got quite hungry and dropped into Café “Uyut”. During holidays when there was nothing to do the friend often spent their leisure time there. However, they didn’t manage to rest and have a snack there. It was troublesome attention of two drunken youths that hindered them. The girls decided to leave. After coming out of the café and going for a considerable distance away from it they sat on a bench. But it did not work. The drunken youths followed them immediately offering to get acquainted and to have a smoke together. The girls didn’t know what to do. The retreat was cut off. The only thing left was to call for help but they didn’t know how their persecutors would react. They could hit or offend. These anxious thought were interrupted by new characters that put an end if not to the coming drama then, beyond any doubt, to a big trouble for the girls.

Those who came up were in military uniform. Their strong athletic figures didn’t make the hooligans want to dispute with them. They quickly retreated. Having recovered from the shock Olga recognized in one of the saviors “her” sergeant. It was Ibragim.

Being on a leave, Ibragim and Anatoly were looking for a place in the town to have a good time. They didn’t want to go to discos or concerts. Nor did they want to go to some town movie theater because of unbearable heat. They decided to go to the park where they could walk quietly, talk and have rest.

However the meeting with hooligans made considerable changes in the friends’ plans. After the drunken youths retreated Olga and Galya sincerely thanked their saviors. For such an experienced young man as Anatoly it was obvious that the girls didn’t mind getting acquainted with them. But Ibragim who wasn’t experienced in such affairs thought that their mission was over and was ready, with all his modesty, to accept gratitude from the girls and go on with the walk with Anatoly. The latter with the help of different signs and a push in Ibragim’s back, unnoticeable to the girls, let him understand that he intended to continue their conversation. Ibragim assented to his friend’s wish. Anatoly in a proper way offered his company to the girls. The girls accepted the offer, they all introduced to each other. Anatoly began his attack on the girls’ hearts and he was perfectly coping with this role, using erudition and experience in his tactics. Ibragim shyly kept silent and it discontented his friend but excited Olga’s interest. Anatoly expressed his discontent with a joke: “Don’t be angry with him, girls, he has recently come down from the mountains to fetch some kerosene and someone forgot to lift him with a rope this is why he is a bit savage. But he’s a good guy and to understand this he needs to be stirred up”. Olga who was interested in Ibragim began to take up the running and began to put him out of his abstract state. At first Ibragim confined himself to one-word answers but slowly he became more sociable and open. The conversation with Olga began to interest him. It turned out that Ibragim was a Chechen. Olga told that she knew almost nothing about Chechens. She had an idea of them only through works by Tolstoy, Pushkin, Lermontov and from her father’s stories she knew that they had been deported. He told about it when all the family was watching a TV program about the great master of dance Makhmud Esambayev.

She asked Ibragim to tell her about his motherland. At first Ibragim didn’t know what to say and wanted to confine himself to a few words. But then he was carried away and couldn’t stop. Memories that had been slumbering in Ibragim and had been tormenting his heart with anguish woke up, started to boil and demanded a way out. He started to tell Olga about the fantastic feeling that he had always had when he was meeting morning in mountains. Despite his getting up early every morning during all his short life and seeing the same picture every morning he couldn’t stop adoring this beauty. “The morning in the mountains is always clear, fresh with the wind tenderly filling your lungs. When you inhale morning coolness it seems tangible. If you look up above the roofs of the houses of our village, – Ibragim continued, – first you see green foothills with thick tender grass and rare trees amidst this green ‘sea’, then the picture gradually changes for the wooded high mountains. The green kingdom of mountain forests is woken up by birds singing and bright sunrays. When you look at the forest it seems the sun greets every tree, every human being, as the sunrays one by one fall on this endless number of trees. Behind the wooded mountains, over the clouds you can see contours of snow-white mountains, which seem to float in the sky next to the clouds. It seems that these clouds left their faraway and endless sky to play their eternal game with their beloved mountains”. While telling all this Ibragim seemed to fly away on the wings of his memories to his hearth and home and standing on the porch of his house he seemed to contemplate this picture and adore the enchanting beauty of his native land. In his story one could feel the bewitching music in which joy gave place to sadness and sadness – to the solemn ode to nature. That music charmed and excited as if it was composed by the mighty mountains themselves. The genius of nature is immeasurably higher than the genius of a man. And probably no great composer can render in his music the sounds of air or the endless rustle of leaves, the sound of a creek and the tender coolness of a mountain spring. Or the roar of the boiling avalanche of the Argun river rushing down from the mountains in the Argun gorge for which there was not a single barrier to reunite in the mouth with the turbulent Terek and flowing into the blue Caspian Sea. Even a painter is not capable of rendering this despite the abundance of colors and rich fantasy. Though Ibragim’s words began their path at the bottom of his romantic soul and flew off his lips with solemnity he lacked words to describe all the beauty of his native mountains. Having realized that he couldn’t fully render in words all bright rhythmic of the mountains worth poetry, Ibragim stopped and fell into thinking.

The story thrilled Olga, it seemed to her that he sang a solemn ode to his native land and that song was wonderful. The conversation of the young men was long. They were learning each other’s world and that meant that they were learning each other. Ibragim’s and Anatoly’s leave was coming to an end, but by the young men’s eyes one could feel for sure that their meeting is not interrupted forever but until the nearest convenient time. The guys had to return to the unit but before that they offered to see the girls home.

Having seen Olga and Galya to the corner of their house Ibragim and Anatoly asked for their telephone numbers and promised to give them a call as soon as they could. The young men didn’t know when they would get the next leave and so they couldn’t set the exact time of the date.

The sun was shining brightly through the window. It was struggling its way through the thick jalousie on the windows. The ventilator was slowly buzzing spreading some coolness in the room. Olga unwillingly half-rose in bed. If it were not for the heat she would have slept for another hour or two but the heat made her get up. The girl’s fantasies and a sultry night prevented her from sleeping for a long time. Only several hours before dawn were given to sleep. Olga wasn’t in a good mood because she didn’t sleep well and moreover she didn’t know what she was going to do in the daytime. She took her usual morning shower, brushed up and went to the kitchen. Having finished her simple breakfast she went to the living room turned on TV and sat on the couch. Programs were flat as usual. They showed the annoying to death struggle for fish in their region, struggle for coal on the threshold of the cold season and other rather boring things. She switched the TV off, languished a little, sat at the telephone and called Galina. The conversation that started with weather and boredom gradually turned to yesterday’s acquaintances. The subject turned out to be interesting both for Olga and Galina. The phone call took more than an hour and by the end they decided to meet. Having met in the evening the girls walked a little and then sat on a bench and began to discuss their new acquaintances. Each of them thought that her choice was better and more perfect. Both of them obviously enjoyed the subject. They began to guess when the guys might call them and whether they would call at all. The girls decided that the guys would surely give them a call and would try to meet them during their next leave. Galina suggested Olga that they should go to the unit if they didn’t appear on Sunday. There could be any pretext – either visiting Olga’s father for urgent need or a simple visit to Captain Litvinov.

The poor guys couldn’t even imagine that one of the girls, Olga, was the daughter of the deputy commander for political work of the unit, Lieutenant Colonel Tarasov. Absolutely nothing was said about it at their meeting.

The sin of Love

The adeltury is punished with the power of prohibition

I

Olga didn’t want to go to the unit and told her friend: “I can’t go there, I am sure my father won’t like it”.

A week passed but nothing was heard from the guys. The second Sunday passed in lingering waiting for the call. At last Anatoly called Galina and said that that on Saturday they would come to the same place in the park where they first met. Galya was in the seventh heaven with happiness and seemed to be looking for a step to the “eighth”. She decided not to call Olga but ran to her place with happy news. Galina rang the doorbell but Olga didn’t open for a long time. Galina was so impatient that she kept pressing the button. Suddenly she heard the noise of the lifting elevator and thought that it was Olga coming home. She was right. Olga and her mother came out of the elevator. Galina started kissing and embracing her friend as if her mother was not there. Olga guessed the reason of her visit and joy. The mother was standing silently looking surprisingly at the girls. But then she couldn’t contain herself and said: “Well, behave yourself or I will take the father’s belt and whip both of you.” Despite the strict expression on mother’s face the girls couldn’t stop laughing opening the door to Tarasovs’ apartment.

The date was on Saturday as they had agreed. The young men came with flowers and such attention filled the girls with admiration. They nicely smiled to the young men as if they had always known each other. They went to a café. They ate some ice cream and had a bottle of champagne. After that they walked in the park and talked about everything and about nothing as it usually happens among people to whom the feeling of love is approaching inexorably. This pleasant companionship went on till evening. There were several more dates like that, which were non-committal. Ibragim and Anatoly while discussing an upcoming date came to a unanimous conclusion that it was more romantic to walk in pairs than when there were four of them.

That is why having met for the next time at the agreed place they went for a walk in pairs. Ibragim and Olga decided to sit on a bench at an isolated place. It’s in the youth’s way to hurry in their feelings. Intimate conversations about the past and the present, talks about the films they had and books they had read couldn’t satisfy the wakening hunger of lovers. They were taken by the whirlwind of desire that inexorably demanded a way out, first shyly but then stronger and more persistently. Ibragim took Olga’s hand then he put his arms round her shoulders and pulled towards him. Olga put her head on his shoulder and looked into his eyes. These eyes were calling, caressing, there was love and tenderness in them. Their lips moved towards each other and met in a tender kiss. For the first time in his life Ibragim’s lips touched a girl’s lips, inflaming all his body with the ardor of unknown sensation. He avidly swallowed her hot breath. The first kiss intoxicated, burnt and drove mad. She shuddered from passionate touches of Ibragim’s lips. He was so tender with her, with this sweet, fragile girl who awakened in him the feelings he never knew.

The force of love is a divine capability to understand, to feel each other without words. Love always brightens with the light of tears, hopes, passion, egoism and offences. Love penetrates lovers from bones to brains, from toes to the hairs’ tips. Lovers float over an abyss, give everything and do not demand anything, beg each other to be and not to disappear, not to leave, not to abandon. And everyone, who has ever felt it sinks in these feelings, gives his soul, his tears, and his heart. Love and death are incompatible. And only the overpowering love makes death speak the language of love and only love like this is called human love. And only a man endowed with this divine gift is capable of high love. Only a man with a kind soul can treat every human being with love.

Relations between Olga and Ibragim became stronger with each day. They were preoccupied with their feelings and didn’t notice anything around. The met whenever it was possible and used all the free time they had for meetings. Despite different native languages, different religions and different social status of Olga and Ibragim they unrestrainedly loved each other.

The thunder broke out after Ibragim had visited Olga’s home. Her parents went to the south on holiday. She stayed alone.

Olga couldn’t bring herself to inviting Ibragim to her home at once, she was afraid to cross the line that distinguished a noble girl from a frivolous woman, despite the fact that she loved him madly. But passion prevailed. In the morning she bought all necessary food. She prepared a good dinner. She laid the table. Her efforts were not left unnoticed or unappreciated by Ibragim.

He enjoyed the meal, especially the apple-pie. Quiet and tender music was playing. They were sitting on the sofa enjoying music and each other’s company. Ibragim reached out for Olga and at this moment she put her arms around his neck and his hands clinched behind her back. Their lips met. Her lips, lively, warm and so desirable answered his kiss. She threw her arms around him as if she would never let him go.

It seemed to Ibragim that she was like wax in his arms and all his desires are interlaced in her. The exhausting inner struggle, futile efforts to save the soul pure and suppress desire with the help of the willpower were in vain. The time ceased counting the seconds, it just overwhelmed him. It lost its sense.

He felt her, but not like a separate being but something united and integral with him. He would never in his life forget the responsive impulse of these lips, all secret wrinkles of her body as though made by a sculptor. He got to know what it is to be a man and what it means to possess a woman. She felt herself immeasurably happy. She didn’t regret anything. For the first time in her life she had minutes of such complete immeasurable happiness that she had just received with him, beloved by her.

Happiness is like a dream, happiness is like a lightning. The time of its possession fleets. The time of separation came. And there was pain of separation in the lovers’ eyes. She saw him to the door. Holding her by the waist he lifted her high up to the ceiling and said: “You are the most tender and wonderful creature that I have ever seen and touched. You are my tenderness”. He put her back on the floor, kissed in the lips and left.

II

The day when Olga’s parents returned from holiday “compassionate” neighbors told Vera Stepanovna, Olga’s mother, about her dates with some Caucasian. Vera Stepanovna knew her daughter’s character and secretly learnt everything about this Caucasian. Further investigation led her to a conclusion that that affair could go too far and she decided to share it with her husband. Nikolay Petrovich thought that the easiest way out of the situation was to send Ibragim Tasuyev as far as possible away from Khabarovsk. Lieutenant Colonel Nikolai Petrovich Tarasov, deputy commander of the unit for political work, was a tough person, demanding towards himself and his subordinates. However he valued his daughter more than the CPSU membership card and was ready to do anything for her well-being and happiness. But sometimes blind jealousy towards one’s relatives, “excessive’ love for children spoils all life of one’s nearest and dearest.

Tarasov knew Ibragim in person as the best of his soldiers but could never imagine that her daughter may like this Chechen. His daughter, his Olechka, fell in love with some Caucasian that had no prospects and moreover his predecessors were deported for collaboration with the Hitlerite Germany. He couldn’t allow that.

In two weeks, staff sergeant Tasuyev, in accordance with an order, was included in a list of volunteers who were preparing to leave for Afghanistan. Ibragim learnt about it two hours before the departure and it deprived him of a possibility to say goodbye to Olga.

Having told Anatoly about his grief he asked to tell Olga the parting words and assure her that he would sure come back to her or for her. Anatoly looked in his eyes with regret and said: “I’m sorry, I can’t fulfil your request as I’m also going with you. We’ll ask Sergeant Yuri Krutov from Moscow, he will do it at any cost”.

Ibragim took off an amulet from his neck, a silver coin. He cut it into two parts, each looking like a half-moon. He made a hole in the second half, hung it on a thin string and put it in the envelope with the letter and hung the first half on his neck. He gave the letter to Krutov and thanked in advance for the favor. His mother gave the amulet to him the day he was leaving for the army. She kept it from her youth up and even retained it through the deportation to Kazakhstan. Ibragim’s mother Kheda got the coin from her mother. Ibragim’s grandmother, Kheda’s mother pawned it many times for a bottle of milk in foreign land. But every time she got it out of pawn as soon as it was possible.

Anatoly and Ibragim left for Afghanistan. After receiving the letter with the amulet Olga suffered a lot and cried despite the consolation of her parents. They told here: “You see, if he loved you he wouldn’t have gone as a volunteer to this hell”. Olga never knew that it was her mother and father who separated her from Ibragim. Olga was hoping and waiting rereading his letter sent before the departure to Afghanistan. She couldn’t understand many things. Nevertheless she believed, believed and loved. She read in some book that ancient Greeks thought that vehement love was a sin against Gods, that Gods become jealous and separate lovers. Olga was inclined to blame herself for this separation as she thought that she was vehemently in love with Ibragim.

Some time later she began to realize that some processes were taking place in her body that told that she was about to have a child. She firmly decided that she would keep it. Olga was determined to protect, to keep the child, her and Ibragim’s son. For some reason she was sure that she would have a son, whom she wanted to have so much from Ibragim. No matter how life turns, she knew what and whom she would live for. Her son would certainly become a teacher or a doctor, just as Ibragim dreamed of becoming a teacher. She believed that everything would be fine. Ibragim, her son’s father would surely come back. She was absolutely certain of that.

Olga was sitting on the couch reading a book, Ibragim’s present – “Caucasian poems” by M. Lermontov. She was reading the poem “Ismail-Bey”.

And those wild gorges tribes

Their God is freedom and their law is war,

They grow covered by the brigandage,

The cruel and extraordinary acts.

And even their mothers’ lullabies

Frighten them with the names of Russian children.

The envy wouldn’t be impressed by any harmful act:

Their friendship’s strong,

But their revenge is stronger.

There good’s for good and blood’s for blood,

And their hatred is as strong as love.

Olga’s eyes filled with tears and suddenly she began crying because of resentment, injustice of her fate. “What for, why the fate separated me from my sweet-heart?”- she was wailing.

Olga had Ibragim’s picture, which was taken during his oath of allegiance with a machine-gun the unit’s banner in the background. She kept it as a bookmark. She looked at the picture and went on reading, tears falling down on the pages. She liked an extract from this poem and she copied it in her diary where she made some important notes. The extract said:

Oh, my beloved, be brave

Put faith in fate

Be prophet’s eager son

And I will love the one.

The one who bares

Love to death

Can’t suffer from envy

Can’t ever regret.

The one who betrays

Will die as a slave

He’s weaker than birds

And beasts are more brave.

III

Afghanistan is not a friendly country. And who is going to welcome you if you came to sow the seeds of strife and death. Ibragim remembered his dispute with Said and understood that the latter was right. Talks about the international duty, about aid to Afghans at their request were aimed at middlebrows. It became obvious in just a few days. Carpet-bombing of Afghan towns and villages, killing of civilian population had nothing to do with the propagandized noble mission of the Soviet soldiers. Medieval towns and villages, poor life, wild nature, all this was native to Afghans and foreign to the Soviet warriors. That explained the fact, which seemed incredible at first sight that all Afghans, peaceful in the daytime, became not peaceful at night and went to fight against their enemies. Of course there were those who welcomed and supported the Soviet Army but they were in considerable minority of all population.

Vague and not yet completely realized feeling of injustice of what he was doing didn’t prevent Ibragim from showing himself as a good soldier. He courageously faced the danger, easily endured the difficulties of the military service at war. As a Caucasian, he more easily endured many-days marches in the mountains and heat.

In a severe battle Near Kandahar the squad under Ibragim’s command distinguished itself. They didn’t lose a single soldier while defending a height for six hours. Ibragim was decorated with an order for courage and granted a short-term leave for eight days. It was a high award. Ibragim declined the leave as his best friend and brother-in-arms was wounded. Anatoly served in the same battalion as Ibragim but in the reconnaissance company. His platoon got into an ambush, Anatoly was wounded in the chest by a bullet, which went right through the back and hit his left lung. He lost much blood and only a miracle saved him. His brothers-in-arms took him out of the ambush. After Anatoly’s injury Ibragim was appointed to his post as the deputy commander of the reconnaissance platoon.

During the year spent by Ibragim in Afghanistan much happened. There was pain of loss when brothers-in-arms died in battles. There was joy of finding new friends. There was blood and death. All of this was more than enough. It seemed that this hell would never end. Ibragim wrote letters home and received answers. But there was not a single answer to his letters to Olga and he suffered a lot about that. Moreover, there were no answers to the letters that he sent to his friend who stayed at the study unit. Ibragim didn’t understand what was going on. There were no replies to Anatoly’s letters to Galina either. Anatoly, when talking on the subject tried to calm down Ibragim explaining that the deputy commander for political work of the unit Tarasov did his best to isolate his daughter from the undesirable company of a Chechen. They decided to check that on Civvy Street. After wounding and treatment Anatoly was demobilized at once for health reasons.

Ibragim was decorated with one more reward – “Medal for Bravery” after a light wounding in a battle. Having spent one month at a hospital he was checked out. Then the end of the service came and he was demobilized in the rank of sergeant-major. He flew to Moscow from a military airfield near Kabul with officers, sergeants, soldiers and the wounded. This military cargo plane was flying hard as if it was carrying a death load. People on board were gloomy as if they had left something important for them on the foreign land, maybe part of human kindness and maybe many of them left there all their humanness having retained only spite and callousness for themselves. Each one of them thought how he would meet his nearest and dearest. What he would tell those who had been waiting for him so long. They had been waiting so long for the moment when they would be able to leave that foreign land where they sowed the seeds of spite and death. And some of the officers would have to return there at duty’s call to loose their lives there. They were flying to their motherland devastated despite the fact that before the departure they were told on the parade-ground that they had fulfilled their international duty with dignity and nobleness and that their Motherland – the USSR – would never be in debt to her heroes, the warriors who fulfilled their noble duty. At that time they all felt pride. But as soon as their plane took up in the sky and they saw accompanying fighter planes, people on board stopped looking into each other’s eyes. Almost all of them hung their heads, dropped their eyes, and started to think coldly about something. Some of the officers took vodka and snacks out of their bags and tried to dissipate the atmosphere of alienation, warm up the steel-like coolness by jokes. But everyone stayed reserved and cold.

Fathers’ Land

I

Having come off the “Mosow-Grozny” train to the platform of the Grozny railway station, Ibragim came up to a taxi driver and told him where to go. It seemed that there was no end to his joy of seeing Motherland. He was going in a taxi in autumn-morning Grozny and was looking around with wide-open eyes. He seemed to see for the first time these streets, houses, people hurrying to do what they planned for morning. They passed the town. Along the road there were fields and in front as if blocking the way there were mountains. The closer they came to the village the more clear was the panorama created by nature that was opening up. Woody mountains covered by golden-yellow autumn nap began to be seen more clearly. Behind them towered snowy rocky mountains. Quiet peaceful Chechnya was meeting Ibragim in all its beauty. His family didn’t know exactly that he would come that day but they were waiting.

Ibragim was going home and rejoicing that he would finally see his parents, his brother and sister, his friends and relatives, but accompanied with sadness that hadn’t left him since Anatoly’s Moscow apartment. After and enthusiastic and joyful meeting with the friend he told him very sad news that he had learnt from Galina’s letter. Galina wrote terrible news. She and Olga didn’t get Ibragim’s and Anatoly’s letters, apparently thanks to Olga’s father and the girls themselves didn’t know where to write. In despair they even applied to Capatin Litvinov and his firm promises fell short their expectations. Olga was expecting a baby, Ibragim’s baby. No persuasions or threats could make her get rid of the baby. During childbirth she died and doctors couldn’t even save the baby. Olga’s parents moved to Leningrad for the new place of service.