Russia, Day 13

 

 

 

 

Day Thirteen 

I got up at 9 AM after a pretty good sleep.  I walked outside to say ‘hello’ to Timour.  He was already in the banya.  I walked back into the dacha and had some breakfast.  Then, I went back upstairs and lay down with Kade for some more sleep.  A couple of hours later, we got up, took showers and then went outside.  Shaslik was on the menu again.  This time I had the honor of cooking it.  Lunch was pretty good. 

In the early afternoon, I walked back out to the banya to check on Timour.  This time he was lying naked, flat on his back.   He was outside the sauna room door and was drunk as a skunk.  His dad and his friend both knew of his condition, so I didn’t worry much. I did bring him some water, though. 

In the house, I watched some TV.  The comedy Airplane was on.  I also talked with Timour’s papa.  We even sang some lines of a favorite dinner tune in Russia (or at least their household):  Strangers in the Night. 

We thought for sure we'd be staying another night.  Timour was wasted.  However, things changed.  Timour came alive and asked me to drive us home.  Yes, I drove back.  The stick shift part of driving was the most challenging.  We said our last goodbye to Timour’s father and Sasha and then I drove away.  A side note:  Someone in a pickup truck was out surveying some property right next to Timour’s.  They said they had heard that a lot was costing up to $50 thousand.   

Much to everyone’s surprise, not the least being my own, I drove back without a hitch.  It was a pleasant experience, and perhaps it was a lot safer than it could have been under Timour’s supervision – drunk or sober.  On the road, we even gave Uncle Jim a call.

Back in Moscow we picked up some ingredients at a supermarket.  Kade and I went in by ourselves and had no problems.  Again, I was surprised at the variety of things you could buy.  It was like anywhere in the US or better.  We got home and Kade made a noodle dish.  Timour and I watched a weird movie and then he went to sleep.  Kade and I ate, took baths and then went to sleep.  We were relieved, in a way, to be back in the city.  The rest we had gotten really rejuvenated us; it made us look forward to seeing some more sights in the city.