St. Nicholas cemetery was huge and we walked a bit until we reached the grave…
I saw his grave monument at once. In black marble Fedor looked strange. He was wearing his parade uniform with his beret on. During our army service, we wore this uniform no more than twice. It is obvious, that enthusiastic young Fedor sent to his parents a photo from his army training and this photo became a prototype for his grave monument designed by a famous architect. I knew another Fedor who was wearing a different uniform and had a higher rank.
Thank God that Lyoha left me alone: he decided to visit some relatives’ graves while he was here. He pointed out to the monument and moved into a different direction looking for other graves.
I recalled the last time I saw Fedor. That is right, I had not seen him since Dick’s burial and in my memory Fedor stayed as an unhappy crying kid on the hill conquered by tanks.
You can say, he had proud parents… mother and father… Forgive us, fools, Lyoha and myself, for questioning the glorified memory of your son. You are very wise. You knew your son’s heart. You looked to the very bottom of his tormented soul… and you had the wisdom to understand all of it and forgive him.
A twisted spasm crashed on my face, my eyes became cramped and watery…
I felt that my heart is melting, that I am softening and my skin of thick army roughness is peeling. My animal brutality of war is gradually disappearing and I am becoming a different person, not a quite boy with Kalashnikov, neither an insane army machine with a dancing machine gun.
Washed in the cruelty of war, drenched in my own tears, my eyes became clear, they received a crystal vision of the life in front of me, and all of these overwhelmed me…Thank you, my Lord! It was your blissful touch I felt! It was you who brought me here.
I looked again at the marble Fedor. At the bottom of the stellar, Dick was laid down stretching out in his full length. He was carved with remarkable accuracy: the smallest details, even individual hairs have been recreated. It was a masterpiece of drawing and of marble carving.
Without any doubt, it was Dick, or Dusya, as we gently called this half-bred Caucasian Sheppard, the beautiful, strong, and healthy creature. He placed his powerful head on outstretched paws, his ears attentively pricked with eyes looking directly at the bottom of your soul.
I am not Temur, I do not know Tatar, and I cannot sing…. And you don’t need any song now, brother… Above you is standing your master. He is handsome, strong and confident as if he never cried in his life. You waited for him too long but at last you two have met…
Now you are together for ever. Nobody — Trubilin or Stepan neither the Hindu Kush or Pamirs or vodka-animal — could separate you, pull apart you, place you on different banks of the same river. You are together now… Side by side…
…It is all good now… You both have a rest… Sleep well, boys… Everything is good… It is time for you to switch off the lights.
Life is good…
Terminology and slang used in the book
A
Afgashek, or afoshka — a slang for Afghani money.
AGS — automatic grenade launcher.
AK, or kalash — abbreviation for or a 7.62mm assault rifle designed by Mikhail Kalashnikov.
AKS — Featured a downward-folding metal stock similar to that of the German MP40, for use in the restricted space in the BMP infantry combat vehicle, as well as by paratroops.
AN (s) — a reference to a type of military aircrafts, designed and build by Antonov Aircraft state enterprise, the main activity of which is the development, production and repair of An-series aircraft.
APC or “the armor”, — armored personnel carrier
Arbat Street — a famous pedestrian street in Moscow.
ATAs — Armored Transporter of the Airborne
B
BP — backpack of a paratrooper
Bacha — a Persian word meaning kid or brother, very close friend.
bai — a very wealthy person.
Baksheesh — see Bakshish.
Bakshish, or baksheesh (slang) is a small sum of money given as alms, a tip, or a bribe; a payment for a help.
Banya — a Russian traditional wet steam sauna,
Bertzy — modern combat boots are designed to provide a combination of grip, ankle stability, and foot protection suitable for a rugged environment
Board (army slang) — a military airplane
“Boer(s)” — a name for the rifle designed by Lee-Metford Mark in 1902 and adopted by the British Army during the WW1.
Brezhnev Leonid (1906–1982) was the Soviet leader from 1954 to 1982. During the war he was a divisional political commissar with the Soviet armies in Ukraine. Malaya Zemlya, his vainglorious memoir of his involvement in the operations around Novorossisk on the Black Sea in 1943, became the object of much cynical humour among ordinary Soviet citizens, as did he himself in his last years of physical decline.
Brownian motion (physics) — erratic movement; bumping each other.
“Bukvar” — is the text book for the 1st schooling year that introduces the Russian alphabet in order to learn simple texts
Burbahayki or barbukhayka has come to the Russian lexicon from Afghanistan with changed from original meaning in Farsi “wishing you a good journey” Soviet soldiers started to call these home-made trucks that were assembled from assorted parts, hung from all sides with bales.
C
Cascade, or Kaskad was one of the musical groups that was named after a KGB special forces unit. During the Afghan war, a number of groups emerged which performed songs about the war written by the soldiers themselves Many of their tunes, and some of the words, originated before the war. Most were written at the beginning of the war. But as time went on, the mood evolved. Patriotic and optimistic to start with, they grew more disillusioned towards the end, to the dismay of the authorities.
Chirchik — a city of Chirchik located in Uzbekistan.
Chifir — a drink obtained by digestion of highly concentrated tea brewing; has psycho-stimulating effect.
CK — abbreviation for a combat kit.
“Crocodile”, “tank”, or “twenty-four”, “MI-24” (army slang) — MI-24 fire support and attack military helicopter.
D
Dembel(s) (army slang) — experienced soldiers servicing the army after a demobilization order. Every spring and autumn the Soviet Minister of Defence issued an Order, naming the conscripts due for demobilisation. From the date of the order to the soldier’s actual departure for home could take between two to over four months. During that period the lucky soldiers were known as “dembels”, and were allowed a number of departures from the approved style of dress and other privileges. The conscripts as a whole were informally divided into categories according to their length of service. Next down from the “dembels” were the “Grandfathers”, conscripts in their last six months. Then came two more junior categories: those in their second six months (“Elephants”), and those in their first (“Ghosts”). Each group bullied the one more junior, and expected personal services from them.
Dembelya, — or dembels soldiers listed for ending a military service.
Dembel photo album — a compulsory attribute for any soldier who was sent home after army service.
Dukh aka Dushara,(army slang) — a fighter of the Afghan armed opposition
Dukhan(s) — small private shop(s).
Dushara, or dukh(s), or dushman (Army slang) — a fighter of the Afghan armed opposition.