English Summary
Editor’s Letter
Sphere of Influence
As you enter the courtyard of my apartment building, there is a tiny house by the gate. It’s not even a house: more like a cubbyhole. How it appeared in the very center of Moscow and by what right people live there is another question. An amusing couple is lodged there. He is about a meter tall with a hat on, but he is businesslike: an alpha male, no less. He is joined by a lady: large, tall, with hair incinerated to white. She leads a rakish lifestyle, but not to excess — just with some slight evening shouts. I don’t know whether they work, but they do play a role in the community. They help the residents about the building and look after the cars. And this couple has a big influence on me. They are on my personal list. At first I didn’t fully realize what was going on. You park, walk up to the building entryway, and the short alpha male is sitting on the threshold, twiddling with some pieces of wood (he is something of an artisan). As a person who has been well-raised, I say hello, but he — zilch, he keeps putting one stick on top of the other. And it is truly unpleasant. I have been trained since childhood to be polite, and am accustomed to people reacting to it. And it’s not about my self-esteem — I don’t need anybody’s attention, I can manage without. He ruins my mood and every day he is in my direct line of sight. I had to get out from under his influence. It wasn’t easy to rid myself of those childhood habits, but I soon learned not to notice that little runt. To ignore