detail from: KRK Art dizajn

A CHILD OF FIRST LOVE

A NOVEL IN INSTALLMENTS-3

The future has begun

A completely new life began for Boris. He received a good scholarship, the largest in the entire university. Many students were envious of him. But as he made a promise to the director, he started keeping his word from day one. He attended classes regularly, for all subjects, he began to study intensively and solve tasks, even many in advance. When the time came for the first colloquiums, he attended all of them regularly and successfully passed each one. Most professors and assistants noticed him. By nature, he was withdrawn and did not stand out enough among his friends.

One day, it was still warm autumn, the leaves from the trees had not yet begun to fall, the buzzing of insects could be heard everywhere on the flowers, and the autumn rains had not yet begun to fall. There were a lot of walkers in the parks, and among them some of the students. Boris is also walking like that, head bowed, thoughtful, when he has met by his colleague, a part-time student who worked in the same company where Boris came from, Branko.

- Hello Boris, Branko answered him, and Boris greeted him. They continued to walk together, and Branko asked him:

- You seem somewhat worried to me, what's going on?

- Nothing serious, answered Boris, and when you ask me, I'll tell you. - I had a girlfriend, very beautiful and handsome, she is from my area, well-bred and good-natured, she suited me in everything and I hoped that she would be mine forever, because I will never meet a better and more beautiful one. But her mother tried to get her married as soon as possible, so when I told them that I was going to university, she realized that nothing would come of marrying her daughter and forced her to give up on me and urgently find someone else. We both took it hard, but in the end I accepted that it should be her way, because I will not leave the university.

- How old is that mother of hers and what does she look like, does she have a husband? Branko asked.

- Her mother is now about forty years old, maybe a little more, and she looks very well, she is handsome and beautiful like her daughter. Her husband had been kild early in the war, so the two of them were left alone.

- Well, that's the point, as I think, and Branko was ten years older than Boris, married and already experienced enough in life.

- That woman is now in her best years, she has been without a husband for a long time and she needs a lover, and she stays away from her daughter to bring them home. That is why she hastened to adopt her daughter to someone else, so that she could freely satisfy her demands. It didn't matter to her who her daughter would marry, and what her marriage would be like, and she had thus fulfilled her obligations and could enjoy herself freely. Those things are already known to me and that's for sure. Look at your life, you can't change anything there. The time will come when you will see for yourself that I was right.

And so the two of them went to the exercises that started in about ten, fifteen, minutes. And Boris still remained in his thoughts, thinking about everything that Branko had told him. He understood that it could all be true. Some memories of Dunja passed through his mind, why she was so withdrawn in her behavior, and yet she never told him anything about her mother. However, it was a home upbringing, you couldn't even think anything bad about your mother, let alone tell anyone. Dunja was her only child, she lost her father too early and therefore completely obeyed her mother's intentions. -It's a shame, I lost her to her mother, which I never would have hoped for, and she lost me too, she may regret it for the rest of her life. And who knows if we will ever see each other again in our lives. I still want her to be happy and to remember me as I often remember her.

In the first year of study, several students who graduated from secondary chemical-technical schools pretended to be important, as they know chemistry better than other students. Boris, who graduated from technical high school, but with a degree in mechanical engineering, felt rather uneasy, thinking that he would have a hard time there. He immediately agreed to study in advance, which soon paid off. At the end of the first year, he equaled all of them, and perhaps overtook some of them. With that, he convinced himself that hard work pays off. He did the same with higher mathematics. They were taught mathematics by a professor who was a regular member of two world Academies of Sciences and acted very strictly. Boris accepted solving mathematical problems every day and at the end of the year he passed with a very high grade. He even successfully solved an integral, which the professor asked him how he knew about, and he only answered where he found it in Russian literature. That suited the professor, on the basis of which he was convinced that Boris was doing assignments from good literature. In the first year, he passed all subjects in the July deadline and treated himself to a three-week trip to the sea. As he had a good scholarship, material expenses were no longer a problem for him.

When he finished his second year, the professor who taught him technology sent him on a summer internship in Germany. The fact was that in those days when Boris entered Germany, the Berlin Wall was erected and the Germans were enraged, it seemed to him that they were going to war. His first stay abroad did not leave a pleasant impression on him. Before going to Germany, he had to learn German, which Erica, his girlfriend, helped him the most.

After the third year, he again spent the summer at sea with the parents of his friend from the army, and after the end of the fourth year, he worked for two months in Poland, on an international student exchange. That practice left him with an extraordinary impression of Poles, as a people, and above all, of Polish women, as girls. After returning from Poland, he did his thesis and after three months graduated with an excellent grade (10). Soon after graduation, he started working in the company that sponsored him. And only a few months will pass when he published his first professional paper, for which he received his first congratulations from Natasha, who worked in accounting. In the company, he was soon noticed and well received as an associate. The technical director, who was German, was the first to show his due trust, accepting him as his collaborator. The two of them started to work on the project of an industrial facility, which a little later will place Boris among the already proven experts, and whose Institut for Food Industry will buy him from his first work organization. There, over the next few years, he will have the opportunity to design several similar buildings and to prove himself as a prominent independent designer, whose name will become known throughout Yugoslavia.

After three years of successful work on projects, he received a scholarship from Great Britain, where he went to postgraduate studies and spent a year there. In England, he meets a professor from Canada, who offers him a position to work on his doctoral dissertation, which Boris accepts and, with the recommendation of the director of the institute in England, receives a scholarship from the National Research Council of Canada.

Before leaving for Canada, Boris married his college colleague, spent an annual vacation at sea with her, and they traveled to Canada together. In Canada, they were received in an extremely friendly manner, and Boris's work was very successful. Their first daughter was also born in Canada, who automatically received Canadian citizenship upon birth, which will later lead them all to that country and whose citizens they will all become. And while Boris was spending very cold winter days in Canada, he occasionally thought about Dunya, imagining her in the arms of the husband she probably got, but not out of love. He had no idea where she lived at the time. When their first daughter was born, they both gave her their full attention and enjoyed being with her. As soon as she was a month old, they took her out for walks in the parks, which the city abounded in, and above all the surroundings of the university. That spring, linden trees bloomed in May in Canada as well. It's true that they didn't smell like ours, but there were a lot of bees on their flowers too. Some of the passers-by peered into the carriage to see the baby and commented pleasantly on her appearance, while she slept carefree. This is how the first summer will pass, when Boris arrived in Novi Sad with his wife and a newborn Canadian girl, where he stayed for about two months, and then left his daughter with his wife at home. He returned to complete his Ph.D.

After returning, permanently, from Canada, a successful career in the field of design began for Boris, which will give him the opportunity to travel abroad very often.

Boris visited the United States for the first time while he was doing experiments for his doctoral dissertation in Canada. In Chicago, he had a presentation of the results of his work at the International Congress, which was held at the Hilton Hotel. The work was well received and published in a scientific journal. In his free time, he visited some important places in the city, and he liked the Museum of Science and Technology the most. At the congress, he met several business people, and in the hotel he visited the stands of many companies.

During the second year of his stay in Canada, he traveled three more times to the United States, once he participated in an international meeting of experts in Minneapolis, the second time he visited Kansas State University in Manhattan, and the third time he traveled purely for tourist purposes, on which occasion was staying in New York City.

Soon after arriving in Yugoslavia, he officially traveled to Czechoslovakia, for the needs of the project in Titel. On that occasion, the official visit included stays in Prague and Pardubice. In Pardubice, they were welcomed at the state level. While working on a project in Titel, he was honored to represent the Titel Combine at the American Embassy, and to meet the then American ambassador. That same year, before the Christmas holidays, he contacted the Canadian embassy and met the Canadian ambassador Williams, with whom he would later remain in friendly contact for almost thirty years.

Boris officially stayed in Russia eight times, all eight times he worked in Moscow, and on one occasion he visited St. Petersburg. Working on projects, he achieved professional recognition as a meritorious designer for Soviet projects and was recognized by the Soviet Academy of Sciences. During each visit, he stayed for a week and had free time to visit cultural sights. Among the more important ones are the Tretyakov Gallery, Borodin Battle, Bolshoi Theater, Ostankino, Sjezdov Castle, and the Moscow subway Metro is especially outstanding.

The most impressive event is a visit to the exhibition of the painting of the Borodino battle, located in the round hall, the length of which is 118 meters in length, on which you can see the armies of the two warring armies, the attacking Napoleon's and the defending homeland of General Kutuzov. The picture shows landscapes in the distance of about 20 to 30 kilometers, with grain fields on fire and burning houses. Burnt wooden beams are placed in front of the visitors, where charred fire and sheaves of grain can be seen, and the smell of burning is constantly resounding in the hall, which all together wonderfully evokes the real situation of the battle.

At the time of Boris's visit, the Tretyakov Gallery had 2,000 exhibits, of which 1,362 paintings, 526 drawings and 9 sculptures, all works of celebrated art masters, of the highest class.

In Moscow, the Moscow Metro is particularly impressive, with a huge expanse of stations, painted walls and ceilings, unique in the world. Smoking is not allowed in stations and trains and passengers adhere to regulations on maintaining cleanliness at the highest level. The trains run absolutely punctually, and the longest stay between two trains on the same line is 90 seconds. He enjoyed the small lake of the Ostankino Hotel, next to the famous television tower of the same name, and in the Sjezdov Castle he watched the ballet performance of Lake Labudov, on a stage that can accommodate 2,000 actors and extras.

In St. Petersburg, Boris visited the largest exhibition of paintings, the Hermitage, where over 3 million paintings are exhibited. And the halls of the Hermitage are works of art of the highest value, in and of themselves. In addition, he saw the ship Aurora and the Orthodox Church of St. Asaka. During Boris's trips to the Soviet Union, the Soviet security services had information that he was staying in Canada and the United States, so they not only followed him, but appointed a general (General-lieutenant colonel) Vladimir Ivanovich Zhdanov, as his host, who was the commander of the tank units during the liberation of Belgrade in 1944. and national hero of the Soviet Union. The beautiful girl Elena participated in his spying, who confessed to him what her duty was.

World trips for Boris began to line up almost one after the other. He traveled to Denmark ten times during those years. Each trip was related to the completion of one of the projects. He also stayed in Canada several times. And trips to Canada were usually connected with trips to the United States, most often as visits to various industrial facilities, where Boris led groups of experts from Yugoslav industry.

An unforgettable stay for him was in South America, during which he worked as a United Nations expert in Peru, and on that occasion, on the way, he visited the island of Curaçao. The island of Curacao is a true paradise on earth, with an average daily temperature of 27 degrees and 360 sunny days a year. In the city of Williamstadt, he visited the oldest steel bridge in the world, the Queen Anne Bridge from the 17th century, and learned a few language phrases of the Papiamento language.

In Peru, he lived in the flowery district of Miraflores, and worked at the Conaps institution. During his stay in Lima, he enjoyed the beaches, where Pacific waves up to 5 meters high are constantly breaking, on which young men and women, black-haired, wonderfully shaped Peruvian women, in Tango costumes, demonstrate their skills on the boards. In the Peruvian sun, he acquired a tan that he had never had before in his life. That year he experienced two summers, Peruvian from October to January. He also visited Cuzco, the city of the Incas, and climbed to the very top of Huayna-Pićhu, the city of Maćhu-Pićhu, from whose nine-hundred-meter-high slopes he listened to the terrible sounds of the raging Urubamba River and the cries of wild animals from the surrounding parts of the rainforest. He lived in the house of the general, commander of the Peruvian air force, and was a frequent guest of the Yugoslav ambassador. And in Peru he had the opportunity to learn a few expressions in the Quechua language. When he arrived in Peru, flying over the Cordillera in a DC-10, the pilot took him into his cabin and showed him the instruments. They flew over Venezuela, Colombia and Ecuador, landing in Quito, whose airport is at an altitude of 2830 m. In Peru, he visited the sights of the Inca civilization, which forever remained an enigma to the civilized world as they were built by the Incas with the techniques of the time. From Peru, he brought his love for that world, which left him with the impression of honesty and sincerity, and because of which he suffered so much throughout history. And that love, love for the Inca civilization, was etched in his feelings that will remain with him for life. The Incas were a nation that abounded in gold objects, which is why they unfortunately suffered, and they were the first in the world to have the technique of combining gold and silver by forging. In the remote mountain villages of Peru, Boris visited the town of Pisak, where people still live the same life as their ancestors, making handicrafts that are valued as exceptional unique souvenirs. Peru is a country where you go with incomplete knowledge about the people and their life, and from which you return full of love for that world and their culture.

Shortly after returning from Peru, Boris received an official trip to India. Immediately before leaving, he was required to receive a malaria vaccine, and immediately afterwards he boarded a plane to New Delhi, where a Yugoslav representative of the metal industry was waiting for him. Accommodation was reserved for him at the Intercontinental Hotel, and he had his first working meeting with the president of the largest Indian company, Tata, which included all Indian steel companies and the Air India airline. In New Delhi, he managed to visit only the India Gate, the Qatar Minar, the house of Nehru and Indira Gandhi and the fort. He had the opportunity to visit the famous Taj Mahal in Agra, and he officially traveled north to the city of Chandigarh, which was designed by Corbusier. Returning to New Delhi with a representative of the Yugoslav metal industry, he traveled to Bombay, also as a guest of the Tata company. During their three-day stay in Bombay, they slept in the house of the famous Indian philosopher Mahatma Gandhi. He had a chance meeting with the President of Ireland at the Sheraton Hotel, with whom he shook hands, who was staying in India on that occasion. While they were having lunch at the Taj Mahal Hotel, from the terrace they had a beautiful view of the island of Elephantine, about which he had previously read the descriptions of the Swiss Denniken. At the end of that visit, he was received by the Yugoslav ambassador. And when he returned to Belgrade, according to health regulations, he was placed in quarantine, due to possible tropical diseases. From India, he brought impressions of a populous country, whose population was increasing at an enormous rate, and a country where uncontrolled dirt reigned, but a country that was developing quite well economically.

This was followed by several official stays of Boris in European countries, Russia, Denmark, Germany, Czechoslovakia, Belgium, Holland, Spain, Austria, Switzerland and others. Cooperating with the famous Swiss firm Biller Brothers, during a visit to their facility in Spain, he noticed a detail that he drew their attention to in order to improve it. And when they returned to Switzerland, the hosts considered it, accepted it and gave Boris a written confirmation that for that suggestion, their offer was reduced by 264,000 Swiss francs, as a contribution and recognition for the innovation.

In those years, Boris was considered the leading designer in the country.

***

Ever since Boris announced to Dunya that he was going to study, he never received a single letter from her. He wrote to her twice since then, but there was no reply, so he too realized that the relationship was over and had to accept it as a fact.

During those two following years, Dunja finished high school, while he served his military service. And when she graduated, mother Branka was all happy, she started making plans:

- Well, now you can get married! She informed Dunya as soon as she returned from the party they had at school.

- Mom, what's wrong with you, are you normal? Why should I get married? If you turned me away from the one I liked, why should I be forced to marry anyone now that I've finished school? Even now, I don't even have a boyfriend and I have no intention of marrying the first person who offers to me. You force me more for yourself than for me. It bothers you that I'm still with you, I would like you to be free, to be able to spend time with whoever you want. Am I right? You got married young, so you think I should too. I won't, and forget it. It will be my decision when I will and for whom I will. You are free to take care of yourself and spend time with whoever you want, and please leave me alone with your suggestions from now on. I will get a job and I won't be a burden to you, and this house we are in is as much mine as yours, it was built by my father.

Branka understood the lesson she could have expected and accepted that her daughter's decision would be according to her will. She sat down at the sewing machine and continued sewing the dresses she had ordered. Dunja went to her room, took a book to read, and in the desk drawer she kept more letters from Boris, which she hadn't even read in a long time. She liked the sound of the river that flowed under their house. She decided to meet her friends at the beach in the afternoon, where they always say goodbye and tell each other what they intend to do. There are certainly stories about boyfriends, who have courted whom lately, stories accompanied by laughter and gossip. On the beach, they spend more time talking than swimming, but those are also the best times of their youth.

It was the month of August, the market and shops were full of ripe fruit of all kinds, the days were sunny and warm, it was lovely to swim in the river. The friends are all in a good mood, and while they are laughing uproariously, several young men, all from the same school, approach them and join in the girls' stories. Each of them explains where they will go, someone will go to further education, someone will get a job, and one colleague plans to stay at home and get married soon and start a family. Everyone laughs at that and asks him who his trial partner is. He accepts the laughter and asks the girls:

- There you have an opportunity, which would be happy to get married, let it be offered to me, and I will think about it. To that, Milica, from the fourth-B-grade, will:

- Dunja's mother is forcing her to get married as soon as possible, ask her!

- No one comes into consideration, replied Dunja. Marriage is too early for me and I will get a job, at least temporarily, until I decide what to do. - You can get married and get married, whoever wants to, good luck, I can only promise that I will come to your wedding.

During those days, Dunja read on the bulletin board in the municipal hall that the Health Institution was looking for new employees. She told her mother and went to inquire the next day. At the Health Center, the director's secretary told her what kind of employee they intend to hire, what their main duty is and what kind of documents need to be submitted. She already had a school certificate, she requested a baptismal certificate from the registry office, and since she had no work experience, it was enough to buy an empty workbook. She brought it all to the secretary after a few days. And he accepted Dunja, as an administrative officer, who started working in the first week of September. On the first day, they took her through all the departments of the institution, with brief explanations of what was being done where and what her tasks would be. From the next day, she had her own workplace and started her work, which was supervised by the head nurse of the Health Station. By nature, she was good-natured and professional in her work, so her explanations were both benevolent and professionally useful. Dunja liked the first days of work, and when she even received her first salary, she boasted to her mother: - Now, you see, I also contribute to the household budget.

She decided to treat her friends from the first salary, so she informed everyone who had not already left to meet in the park in front of the supermarket on Saturday afternoon. It was October, an extremely pleasant day for spending time in nature. The sun is still high above the surrounding hills, and the blue-green river seems never more beautiful to them. When everyone gathered in the supermarket, he took what he wanted, the girls jointly took a fruit cake with apricots, and the boys, some sandwiches, some kebabs, and for everyone they took several bottles of fruit juices. Two Muslims, Amir and Sejdo, took cheese pies. Dunja paid for everything, so everyone went to the fortress with what they bought. As the day was as promised, a real "Gypsy Summer", for which Amir said that his "Daija" told him that that time in North America is called "Indian Summer". - There, said Sejdo, everyone has their gypsies. Amir and Sejdo brought guitars. They usually played at school events and home parties. There were three other guys: Slobodan, Marko and Damir and seven girls. Everyone was as one, no one ever asked who their religion was and what their customs were. In no way did Sejdo and Amir differ from Slobodan and Marko, the Serbs, nor from Damir, the Croat. And for the girls, it didn't matter who was who. Everyone was equally dear to everyone. While the sun was still high and there was a gentle breeze on the hill above the city, it was a pleasure to look at the river waterfalls and the mill wheels turning lazily. There were also birds that flew over the fortress, expecting crumbs from the celebrants. Amir and Sejdo kept their guitars hanging on their shoulders all the time and played their favorite tunes at the time. The girls enjoyed the music more. Emina, Sejda's close neighbor, sang beautifully, so she complemented the atmosphere. Dunja felt happy and satisfied that she had arranged such a party for her company, although at the same time she felt that the days of their separation were slowly approaching, because each of them either got a job or went to study. She also remembered Boris, about whom she had no information for two years, and she would have liked it if she had him there with her. Several friends had already traveled to Sarajevo, Banjaluka or Belgrade to study. They stayed at the fortress almost until midnight, and at parting they all shared a kiss.

At work, Dunja was very busy every day. As new patients arrived regularly, she had to collect personal data from everyone, process them and keep a neat file. When she had free time, she self-initiated and helped nurses who worked in pediatrics and gynecology-obstetrics. She had a natural gift for children, for healing them, and also for newborn babies. The pediatric and gynecological-obstetric nurses soon came to love her and accepted her as a very valuable girl. They told this to doctor Maria, who recently started working there as a gynecologist. Maria's husband, Dragan, also a general practitioner, was accepted as it.

- I assessed your intentions, so I wanted to give you freedom. I understood you. You are still a young woman, full of life, so why not enjoy yourself. You left your husband too soon, and only now that I work in healthcare and read more of that literature, I understood you even better. Just enjoy yourself, it will be nicer for both of us. You will be in a better mood.

Branka did not really like her daughter's attitude, but she admitted that she is already grown up and understands life like she does. She changed the topic of conversation and moved on to questions about Dunja's thinking for the future.

-To tell you the truth, I have not yet decided what I will do, but it seems to me more and more that I could continue my education in this profession. I will ask our doctors what they can recommend, they know best, and I am good with them, so I believe they will give me the best advice they think.

Doctors Dragan and Marija Mitić informed Dunja about the higher medical school in Belgrade, which was founded in 1899, within the clinical center, which they said was the best and most sought-after in Yugoslavia, and at the same time had excellent traditions, with excellent experience. knowledge and with a superior professional tradition. Based on that knowledge, they recommended higher school for her, for a duration of four years. Medical High School "Belgrade" had majors for Pediatric nurses-technicians, for prevention and treatment of children, Gynecological-obstetrical nurses-technicians, for improving gynecological health and work with pregnant women, and Physiotherapists-technicians, who work in the fields of medicine and rehabilitation. In addition, in Zemun there was a school for technicians for anesthesia, resuscitation and intensive care, with specializations, as a fifth degree.

After learning about the given school, Dunja began to think for herself what would be good for her to do for her future. She didn't want to mention anything to her mother for a while. At home, she was more interested in her mother, how she spends her free time, who she meets and what kind of relationships she maintains. Her mother did not confess to her in detail, so they each lived their own lives. Dunja knew that her mother had a "friend", whom she did not want to call a lover, Mladen, who came to her house quite often whenever she needed to do something from "men's work". He was also a widower, so they were just right for each other. Mladen lived alone, and his children had already gone to higher schools and only occasionally came home.

Dunja worked hard at her job, she met with Dr. Maria quite often, and every time they passed by, they would exchange some information. On one occasion, the doctor stopped and asked her:

- Have you decided yet, do you want to continue your education?

- I think so, and most likely she could do it already from next September. I will also ask my aunt, who lives in Zemun, to live with her for a while until I find my way in Belgrade. I'll try to get a dorm, at least to start with.

- It's true, Maria confirmed to her, - If I can help you in any way, I will be happy to do so. We also studied in Belgrade.

Dunja decided to go to the Gynecological-Obstetric Nurse - Technician course, having information that they are a highly sought-after specialist profile, and she herself was interested in it at her job, and it seemed very humane to her. The next time she met with Dr. Maria, she told her about her intention, which Maria accepted with approval.

That summer, she spent many days off on the beach with her company, informing them of her intentions. Amir and Sejdo promised her that they would see her off with music, as long as she told them in time the day she would be leaving. When she told her mother about the final decision, her mother was neither particularly happy nor sad. She was indifferent. She found out about Dunya's contact with her aunt and knew that she would go to them first while she was sorting out the application. And when her last day of work at the health facility came, she said goodbye to everyone, and doctor Marija Mitić gave her a written recommendation, for everyone to listen to her. While leaving, she kissed her mother, and her friends from school and work escorted her to the station, accompanied by the songs of her friends.

To be continued

Petrovaradin Fortress

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