July 9, 1993
Friday
11:00 AM
Zhorik gave the order to get dressed:
— Put on your suit and head to the «Terem.» Wait for me there. Kirill and Vadik have dug up an office, they’re launching today.
He vanished. I shuffled off to the kitchen. Poured beans into the coffee grinder, pressed the button, listened to the machine whir, released the button, drifted into thought.
Snapped out of it, brewed the coffee.
Settled into the armchair with the cup. Took a sip. Good.
Three days of idleness, overlaid with a dozen tapes of comedies, had relaxed me into a state of total couldn’t-care-less. Apathy, anemia, abulia and the rest of whatever they are… hard to concentrate. When will the caffeine start working? Perk me up, drag me out of the trenches of procrastination and throw me onto the embrasure of business!
Ah, seemed to be taking hold. What had Zhorik said about the suit?
Headed to the clothes closet, transformed into a businessman: white shirt, silk tie, black trousers, red jacket, gleaming dress shoes.
About twenty meters from the «Terem,» I heard from behind me:
— Ha ha, student! Bug-eyes didn’t let us down! Registered the company! Though the name’s idiotic. Some «Interbik.» Let’s tear off to Yuri Anatolyevich!
That was Zhorik shouting out the window of Bucephalus, which had pulled up to the curb. I understood lunch was off.
We tore off toward Nauchny Proyezd. Made it in about ten minutes.
In my mind, Tretyakovskaya and Nagatinskaya sat an enormous distance apart. Half an hour minimum to ride from one metro station to the other. By car we covered it like it was the next street over. A paradox.
As we went up to the director’s office, I strained to picture the map of Moscow. Couldn’t.
In Yuri Anatolyevich’s office I threw the guesswork out of my head. Took a seat at the desk across from the director and furrowed my brow importantly. Zhorik pulled a folder out of his briefcase, took out some papers, laid them across the director’s desk:
– The scheme of cooperation is coherent, as agreed. We have registered a Russian representative office, the firm «Interbik», that is, «International Business and Consulting». The principal document will be an agreement on joint activity between «VychMekh» and «Interbik». Paragraph forty-four provides for the use of your premises. There will be two more firms from our side that will commission research from you. The topics are up to you. In this way we’ll spread the rent payment across three parts…
Yuri Anatolyevich and I watched Zhorik’s maneuvering with interest.
About five minutes in I lost the thread of the conversation, and it looked like I wasn’t the only one. Yuri Anatolyevich concluded:
— In principle it’s all clear. No objections from me. Discuss the details with Rudakov. You can move in on Monday. Moving our furniture out is on you. We don’t have any movers.
— No problem! — Zhorik gathered the papers into a stack and returned them to their original spot, first the folder, then the briefcase.
We shook hands and left the director’s office. I headed for the exit, while Zhorik, crossing the reception room, winked at Lyudochka:
— So?
— Six o’clock! By the bus stop!
— We’ll be there!
