Black Knight in Red Square by Stuart M. Kaminsky

Author:Stuart M. Kaminsky [Kaminsky, Stuart M.]
Language: eng
Format: epub, mobi
ISBN: 9781453266304
Publisher: MysteriousPress.com/Open Road
Published: 2012-09-19T21:35:00+00:00

TEN

“I DON’T LIKE MOVIES,” SAID Lydia Tkach as she sat down in the Zaryadye cinema hall in the Hotel Rossyia. Most of the theater’s three thousand seats were full, and since Lydia Tkach was almost deaf and had spoken very loudly, many of those present were aware of her sentiments. Sasha gave an apologetic look to the well-dressed man sitting next to his mother and shrugged at Maya, who smiled sympathetically, having grown used to her mother-in-law.

Lydia was a proud woman of sixty-five. During the day, she worked in the Ministry of Information Building, filing papers and telling anyone who would listen that her son was a high-ranking government official. Lydia was not a popular woman in the Ministry of Information Building. People avoided her because she drew attention to herself with her loud conversation. This tended to make her more lonely and crotchety, which in turn made her turn on her captive audience at home, her son and daughter-in-law.

Sasha had more than once urged her to get a hearing aid, but Lydia had stoutly refused, insisting that there was nothing wrong with her hearing. Nor, she insisted, was there anything wrong with her common sense, which was why she disliked most movies.

“Mother,” Sasha said in a normal voice, which he had little hope his mother would hear, “please.”

He handed her the headphones attached to her seat and urged her to try them. Maya put hers on and played with the switch. The translation would be given in six languages on six separate channels. Nothing came through on the headset, so Maya put it down.

“I understand this movie has no words,” Maya said to her mother-in-law, mouthing each word carefully. Lydia nodded, trying to get comfortable in her seat and staring down a woman in front of her who turned to indicate that she would allow none of this chatter to continue after the film began.

Sasha was pleased that everything had worked out so well. Willery sat in the front of the theater, wearing a jacket and tie, looking about nervously. In spite of the jacket and tie, he still wore faded jeans. Tkach knew that Kirslov was at the door of the theater to pick up Willery after the performance. The program notes Tkach had been given made the film sound suitable for his mother. It was, he discovered, silent. There was no need for her to hear anything. To the Left was also dedicated to the great silent film director Eisenstein so it might tell a story his mother would like. In addition, it was made in America, so they could see a glimpse of that elusive country.

“It’s about America,” Maya told her mother-in-law, leaning close to the woman’s ear. Sasha and Maya had flanked Lydia for their own protection as well as hers.

“I don’t like movies,” Lydia answered emphatically.

With this second assurance, a small titter of laughter erupted from some young people who looked like students sitting to the far right. Sasha urged the second hand of his watch to move more quickly.

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