Kolja, Son of People's Enemy by Antal Halmos

Author:Antal Halmos
Language: eng
Format: epub
Tags: love, kgb, revolution, hungary 1956, imre nagy, beni ferenczy, communist party of ussr, hungarian intellectuals, lajos hatvany
Publisher: Antal Halmos

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New scene: residence of the narrator

- Narrator (again down, on the ground, sitting in an armchair, in front of the crouching teenage grandson): Imagine, my son, I was fired from the university. No one told me why. I was waiting for the aircraft structure professor to start the first examination of the spring semester. He said later to the ones who stayed there that he would take me for candidacy. It would have been great deal, since he was at the same time leader of an experimental research institute. I might have participated in designing moon rockets as well.

So I was waiting for my turn, when the cute little secretary to the dean came to me. She was an interesting little woman; there had been rumours about her aristocratic descent. She was always very nice and polite as the short Jewish math professor who used to greet everyone – even his pupils - in advance. Well, she asked me to go up to the dean after I passed the exam.

I went up and was immediately met by the dean.

- Dean (looking at me with searching eyes): “Why do you want to leave us?”

- “Me? (I sort of ask him back, of course): I don’t want to leave. Why?”

He pushes a list of paper in front of me. I watch, I watch, command of the Soviet Union’s Ministry of Education to the rector: to exclude me with immediate effect.

- Dean: “What's this then?” - He asks me, looking straight into my eyes.

I knew immediately that I got this marching order because of my written remarks to the colonel. I tell him.

- Dean: Explain the essence of it.

I summarize the event for him. I expected him to lash out at me defending the system, protecting socialism. Instead, what happens? He thinks a bit, and then asks: “How many more exams remained for you to pass?”

- I reply: “Four.”

- Dean: “For how long would you be able to complete them?”

- Me: “Well, maybe I’ll need slightly more than two weeks.” (I calculated three or four days by exam.)

- Dean: “That's too much. I should exclude you now, here, and I play with my job if I do not.”

Upon my word! He said this to me, to the excommunicated one there, in the Great Soviet Union. In the centre of terror! You see, you see, yet there are people ... brave, true men.

- Dean (he says in low voice): “I can give you ten days, consult with your examiners. And try to look up the case. Inquire in the ministry. Discuss with our secretary of the Party, he is of sound mind, will try to help you.”

I could not believe my ears; my head was going round on the way out. Well, this is what happened. I indeed completed my exams of four difficult technical subjects in ten days in a foreign language.

In the meantime, I went into the ministry. I was received by a low level official: „Yes, we have to exclude you.”

- There is no way to revise the decision?

- No, it was the request of your organs.

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