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Chapter 3 - Farewell to a Gentler WorldSteve was at home when we arrived. The balcony was closed off in the winter. He was working in the kitchen, the only room that was heated in the entire apartment. Wood was piled up to the ceiling against the back wall of his study where the bookcase had been. "Ah, my dear friend, the king of the fumblers!" he greeted me as we walked in. Then he grinned and embraced me in a tight bear hug. "I'm sorry that I disappointed you," I replied. He asked me to sit down after the usual small talk was dispensed with. "Alright, let's count up your sins," he said in a loud tone and laughed. He reached for a piece of paper and pencil. Then he looked at me over the top of his glasses. "Number one! You insulted Antonovna and all of Russia with your Byzantine speech. I suppose you know that. "Number two! You blew it with Antonovna, royally. I thought you would establish a level of freedom towards each other that would reflect itself throughout the whole conference and uplift it. "Number three! You have cheated humanity. Because of your failure, there may not be another peace conference for a long time to come. "Number four! You dared to put the entire assembly down by standing tall above them." Then he took his glasses off and handed me the paper he had written on while he continued to scold me. "We can't talk here, the apartment is bugged," he had written. I apologized to Steve profusely for my utter stupidity when he finished his ranting, now that I understood the game. "But, frankly, I don't give a damn that I insulted all of Russia with my speech," I added. "What I said was factual and correctly presented. It was the truth. Did you want me to smother them with wonderfully comfortable lies such as the western media spew out and put people to sleep with? I didn't go to Russia to dishonor the people there by lying to them. You taught me to honor people by being truthful with them. I was truthful with Russia by pointing out that we in the West are in much deeper shit than they are. I am not responsible for how people interpret the truth, or how they react to the truth, I am only responsible to myself for speaking the truth. They should thank me in Moscow that I gave them the truth honestly, even if they didn't like it. I am guilty of being honest with them, that's all. If they can understand what I said, they will grow thereby and uplift themselves as the result of it, provided they are willing to make the effort. Yes, I agree. I am guilty that I stood above the assembly and I urged them to wake up. But Steve, you can't accuse me of being a slave to public opinion. If I was, that would have been worse. Nor did I cater to the people's own slavery to public opinions, or even manipulate public opinion myself. I am sorry about only one thing, namely that I offended you by not measuring up to your expectations. Can I invite you for a beer to atone for my sins?" I added. "You better make it two or three," he replied, "because your sins are many." We had only one beer in a nearby pub and then went for a walk along the banks of the flood-prevention canal that had been built along the Elbe River. "Now we can talk," said Steve, "finally." We walked arm in arm like a threesome in love. We stayed warmer that way, being cuddled up together. The sun stood low on the horizon. A cold wind swept in from across the open space surrounding the river. "First I would like to thank you," said Steve to me. "I spoke to Antonovna. She came out of this with a new life, something had changed, she responded to some higher ideas just as I had hoped she would." He reached his hand out. "Congratulations my friend! You have helped a dear friend to rediscover herself. That was all I had hoped for. The rest of what you did, or didn't do, will likely be inconsequential. None of that really matters. The Soviet Union is doomed economically and will collapse shortly, and East Germany will collapse with it, or sooner. The Cold War will end by default." || - page index - || - chapter index - || - Exit - ||
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