July 16, 1993
Friday
Having performed wonders of ingenuity and groveling, by Friday noon Vadim and I had registered two limited liability partnerships. Felt like, if not lords of the universe, then at least successful cooperators. After lunch we headed to VychMekh to report in.
Zhorik grumbled that it wasn’t a bad start, but the business was stuck. Companies ready to operate, that was good. Bad, that there were no ideas for what to do with them. Better to get back to basics, meaning the office renovation. The renovation was nearly done, furniture needed hauling, and there were no movers. Not good.
The hint was clear.
While Zhorik whispered with Vadim, I went back to the Taurus and told Fedotych to head for Moskvorechye Street, building nineteen, block one. In half an hour I’d made it to the dorm and back with four hulking guys, barely squeezed onto the Taurus’s back seat.
At sixteen thirty sharp, the five of us got our orders: carefully carry and arrange in the offices the furniture bought over the week and stored in a building next door to VychMekh: there’s the gate, past the gate to the right a hangar, security’s been informed, they’ll let us through.
I conferred with the guys and sent Yurik off in the Taurus to the dorm for reinforcements.
Zhorik handed over the office floor plan with two sheets of notes on where everything went. Nothing complicated. Zhorik jabbed a finger at the squares marking future offices, then at the sheets listing furniture and office numbers. Finished up by bragging that the furniture hadn’t been stored in just any hangar, but in Metallsnab’s hangar. A solid outfit, tons of empty space, would come in handy later. Should’ve gotten in with the metal guys from the start, instead of us suckers hooking up with the mathematicians. A truck could turn around easily in that yard over there, unlike here. If we’re lucky enough to get into imports, that’s the only place to do it from!
I listened to Zhorik’s chatter with half an ear. The moment the first piece got hauled out of the hangar, an enormous writing desk, I ran off to the office and, checking against the plan, took charge. Meaning I ran around the offices with the plan, pointing out where everything went.
By eighteen hundred, the institute’s official closing time, VychMekh’s security was outraged that we’d only moved a little more than half the furniture. They handed us an ultimatum: at nineteen hundred sharp the premises would be closed and sealed, no exceptions, until morning.
There you have it!
On Yura’s tip, I ran to the kiosk by the bus stop, bought two bottles of Royal spirit and five Snickers bars, one per guard. Made it up to them for the trouble.
For the next three hours we carried furniture and set up the office thoughtfully, without any rush or fuss.
At twenty-one hundred I called Zhorik to report: «Furnishing process complete, no casualties!»
