The wedding party continued, but everyone felt something very strange and extraordinary had just happened. The only person who felt that something else, something more important, was still to come, was Gega’s mother Natela. She kept searching, constantly searching, for her son. Tired from the wine and noise, Gega sat next to Irakli Charkviani looking sad.
He had his arm around Irakli, whispering to him. Irakli was smiling, though it seemed to Natela that his smile concealed something very important, but she also thought Gega was simply saying goodbye to Irakli. In any case, Gega didn’t look like a sentimental drunk proclaiming his love to a friend. Natela didn’t know what was really going on and blamed her own curiosity.
Consequently, when Gega was saying goodbye to his friend Dato, Natela didn’t pay attention to a packet of cigarettes Gega gave him as a gift. Only afterwards did she remember the conversion they had about the packet of American Camels, which were quite rare in Tbilisi at the time, and Dato’s refusal to take them.
“Take them, as a memento from me,” said Gega, putting the packet in Dato’s pocket.
“I don’t want them, I’ve already got some,” said Dato, as he took the cigarettes out of his pocket.
“I’m giving them to you as a memento,” Gega repeated with such an expression that Dato smiled and looked at the packet. The packet clearly had “Turkish” printed on it.
“I thought they were American,” he said to Gega as he pulled a cigarette out of the packet.
“They are American, they’re simply made in Turkey, with Samsun tobacco.”
“I know Samsun, there’s an American military base there, close to Batumi, only on the other side of the border…”
“Keep it as a memento from me,” Gega interrupted him and even seemed embarrassed, but tried not to show it. He hugged Dato for the last time.
It was already very late when the guests left and the tired restaurant staffwere slowly clearing the messy tables. The newlyweds’ table stood separately, on a dais, and there were only two people sitting in the empty hall—Tina and Gega; left alone after the noisy party. And in this silence Gega whispered to Tina, who looked very, very beautifuclass="underline"
“We’re leaving in the morning.”
“I know.”
“We’ve got several hours left.”
“I know.”
“You’ve got to make up your mind. We aren’t coming back.”
“I already have.”
“I’m talking about something else.”
“I’ve decided for myself.”
“But you didn’t want to.”
“I still don’t want to, but I’m coming.”
“Why?”
“Why what? Why I don’t want to, or why am I coming?”
“You don’t want to, but you’re still coming.”
“I don’t want to, but I’m coming with you.”
“Why don’t you want to?”
“Because what you intend to do cannot be justified.”
“Why?”
“Because anything that might cause human death is unjustifiable.”
“There will be no fatalities. We’re taking the weapons only to frighten the pilots.”
“There are fatalities where there are weapons, and those people who may die have done nothing wrong to us.”
“We’re going on a small plane. There’ll only be a few passengers besides us.”
“Even if there is only one, they are innocent.”
“If you’re scared, it is better to say so now and everything will fall through.”
“I’m not scared.”
“I still think you’re scared, a little bit.”
“I’m not scared. Not of flying, or dying. Nor of what you’re going to say and are what you’re unable to say.”
“What do you mean?”
“That I have to take the gun onto the plane.”
Tina touched her belly and very carefully, stroked her future child lovingly. Gega was silent for a very long time, but finally asked Tina:
“Why aren’t you afraid of anything?”
“Because I’m not afraid of love…”
In the morning Gega was very cheerful. Natela thought he was more delighted about going to his beloved Batumi more than on his honeymoon. After being in noisy Tbilisi and having the wedding party, the late autumn sea and peace and quiet awaited him. The only thing that surprised Natela was Gega’s strange farewell?. Gega always used to kiss his mother when leaving home, and then raise his leg in the street, without looking back, for his mother to see from the window.
That morning, she stood at the window, but Gega didn’t lift his leg nor did he look back. He just walked away and disappeared…
Amidst the crowded airport, it was hard not to notice the beautiful couple, accompanied by their friends, headed on their honeymoon. The crowds didn’t surprise anyone. The newlyweds, however, were surprised by the announcement of the Batumi flight. Instead of a small plane which, as a rule flew between Tbilisi and Batumi, that morning, for some reason the flight was with a large airplane flying to Batumi and then continuing to Leningrad. Such a change startled several passengers so much that their faces clearly showed hesitation. Finally, considering it was only an unlucky coincidence, they went through ticket and passport control like the rest of the travelers. The only person who didn’t go through the regular registration was the pregnant Tina, for whom it was already dangerous to pass through the magnetic arch because of the radiation. The airport employees complied with Gega’s request with pleasure, even congratulating Gega and Tina on their marriage. Then someone opened a bottle of sparkling wine and those with a hangover drank with obvious enthusiasm and toasted the newlyweds several times with such fervour that they almost missed the flight. Finally, everyone took their seats in the plane and the flight attendant explained the safety rules to the careless passengers, who never listened to flight attendants.
Then they took off…
However, there was an unplanned disturbance before the flight, which caused a delay. An extremely drunk passenger was out of control and the crew had to call the police. As a result, passenger 59 was marched off the plane.
What the fifty-ninth passenger didn’t know was that very soon after takeoff, the remaining fifty-eight passengers would be envious of him.
It was already noon, but Natela was asleep because she had been cleaning the house all night. In the morning she saw her son and daughter-in-law off to their honeymoon and set to wash the dishes, but she was very sleepy. She was so tired she even found it hard to remain standing, so she left the dishes. Deciding she’d take a short nap, she made herself comfortable in an armchair on the balcony. Though quite drowsy, Natela was never able to say afterwards whether she was really asleep, or simply had her eyes closed, when there was a timid knock on the window. It was right next to her and the first thing she felt was fear.
At first she was simply frightened, since there was a bearded man with extremely expressive green eyes, standing under the window in clerical garb.
“Hello,” said the monk, apologizing to Natela for disturbing her.
“Hello,” said Natela. She had no idea what business this monk or priest could have with her.
“Gega lives here, right?” the stranger asked.
She calmed down a bit at the mention of her son’s name.
“Yes.”
“If he’s in, could I see him for a minute?”
“Gega isn’t here. They left today.”
“Where to?”
“They’re on their honeymoon.”
“You must be his mother.”
“I am.”
“Where have they gone?”
“To Batumi.”
“Can I ask how they went?”
“Excuse me, but who are you?”
“I am Gega’s spiritual father.”
“I didn’t know my son had a confessor.”
“Gega didn’t know himself.”