"I didn 't feel like going to Zvornik, so I asked Mama why Dad couldn 't come here instead of us going there." "She said it was a cheaper place to live and would give us a fresh start." "Grandpa said, "They're shoving him off again. "" "Mama said they call it "resocializing. "" "I just kept quiet." "I was sorry to go, but glad we'd be together with Dad again." " Here, take this." " I've got enough." "Take it." "There are better days ahead." "Mesa will be angry, Hamdo." "Then let him send it back." "Right, boy?" "Come on, take it." "Take it, Sena." "Give my regards to Mesa." " Have you told Grandpa?" " Just a minute." "Dad." "Come here." "What now?" "Fahro's letters." "Give them to Natasha." "Oh, I see." "Those two are planning to..." "Oh, who's this I see?" "The general's up early." "Don't make fun of me." "Lucky you, dear girl." "Be a good boy now." "Let's get going." "Good luck, and, God willing, I'll come visit you." "I'll write as soon as we're settled." "You father was buried long ago" "Buried in the damp earth" "Your brother went to Siberia long ago" "Long ago, clanging in shackles" "The Baikal vagabond went back" "To his mother" "Greetings, Mama" "Are Father and Brother well?" "Your brother went to Siberia long ago" "Long ago, clanging in shackles" "In the wild..." " Where are you going?" " T o Zvornik." "The road's closed." "Wait for the ferry." "I drove here yesterday." "Ah, my friend." "Yesterday was yesterday and today is today." "Got a cigarette?" "Dad!" "Doctor, this is my wife." "This is the doctor, a great man." "Evgeni Alexandrovich Liakhov." "Your wife's lovely." "So what's wrong with me?" "Glad to meet you." "Welcome to Wetland." "You're Russian?" "Yes, but I always say I'm a native of Zvornik." "See?" "I'm a Yugoslav." "I was just asking." "My mother, rest her soul," "like all Russian emigres, used to say," ""Ubi bene, ibi patria."" "Really?" "Isn't it so?" "Yes." "You two ride inside." "I'll stay with the children." "Ride with your wife." "She's so scared." "That's why a doctor should be with her." "Come on." "Hurry up." "We'll capsize, Dad." "No, we won't." "The Drina's calm." "In our new economic and social system tourism has been opened up to working people." "Take that end." "What'll we do with this?" "Throw it into the Drina." "Gentleman from Sarajevo." "That's right, boy from Sarajevo." "Get washed." "Dad, was your school big?" "Yes." " What color was it?" " Yellow." " What color is my school?" " Pink." "Good morning." "You're up early, doctor." "Malik, this is Masa." "Shake hands." "Shake hands." " I'm late." " For what?" "For work." "We should popularize our tourism abroad." "It could play a much greater role than before the war." "Lift your arm." "That's right." "Excuse me, again." "I can never get the waist right the first time." "What?" "It's fine." "It was quite a job to organize resin collecting, to train the workers to get the most resin without impairing the quality of the wood." "Many workers have mastered the job." "Goodbye." "Hello, hello." "How are you?" "Fine." "And you?" "No rest during the reconstruction." "Jole, bring me a tablecloth!" "Private room?" " Your idea?" " Yes, the Union committee." "We'll find a room later." "Not bad." "We'll make a report on it." "Shall we knock one back?" " During work hours?" " I'll take responsibility." "I fell in love on September 2nd, 1 951." "That day, we beat Sweden 2-1." "The goals were scored by Bobek and Ognajanov." "I love doing homework with Masa." "I would love it to last forever." "Not the homework-- I hardly know what I'm writing-- but to rest my head on her shoulder." "I make a move, my heart starts beating wildly." "I quickly put on a straight face and go on writing." "If she noticed something, I'd be embarrassed." "Get Daddy." "Doctor!" "Doctor!" "Quick!" "Mesa!" "Hello, Doctor." "Come on up." "Come and have a drink with us." "I can't Ostoja." "I'm in a hurry." "Have a drink." "I'd rather get going." "Micko, is the car ready?" "Ready an hour ago." " She hasn't a chance." " The girl?" "They're changing her blood." "She won't last long." "Why him?" "It serves him right, having a child at 50." "He lost his country." "Let him at least have a child." " You know what?" " What?" "You're a bullshitter." "I just thought..." "If you'd been thinking, you wouldn't be here." "I never heard of any boss who does the purchasing." "Neither did I, but this one does." "He does." "You think I'd give money to those fools?" "Don't lose your hanky." "What does it say here?" "Just read it." "Is that whoring around?" "Three cases of rum, 70 kilos of lamb, 500 eggs." "Is that whoring around?" "Yes, it is." "All of Zvornik goes whoring at Koviljaca." "Malik, get ready!" "You're going with me." "If you don't believe me, ask your son." "Three whoremongers three whoremongers..." " Don't tip us over." " I won't." "Just drive." "We'll do the singing." "He was only joking." "All's well that ends well, right?" "Comrade Mesa!" "Malik's gone, Comrade Mesa!" "Malik's gone." " What's all the shouting?" " Malik's gone." "Find him, you idiot!" "Where's my son, you half-wit?" " I fell asleep." " You fell asleep!" "How did it happen?" "I just turned around and he was gone." "Nothing stops you, does it?" "I'd never go whoring with Micko." "Yes, you would." "He's no different." "He'd sell out his own mother." "Don't play the saint, you bastard!" "Do you take me for a fool?" "Cekic was with you." "Micko won't give you away." "Here, see?" "No hanky!" "You can't lie to me anymore, damn you!" "Don't go through my pockets." "What have hankies got to do with it?" "Shut up." "Did I spend two years crying for this?" "Did I leave my job for this?" "I sew like mad to give us a decent life... a normal life." "And for who?" "For a shameless whore-chaser and a drunk." "What's happening to me?" "What have I done to deserve this?" "It'd be better if you hadn't been released from jail." "Shut up, you bitch." "You should've killed yourself like Vlado!" " Shut up, bitch." " You scum!" "Fuck you!" "Screw you!" "Leave me alone!" "Leave Vlado out of this!" "Shut up, you dumb bitch!" "Leave Vlado out of this!" "Take them off." "You'll get them wet, and you'll have to wear mine." "My friend Joza can put a stone in it." "I can't." "My amidja circumcised me." "I know." "Jews do it, too." "What's an amidja?" "He's my dad's brother." "A barber." "A doctor can do it, too." "It's all the same." "It's not." "It's better if a doctor does it." "To reward me for my excellent grades," "Dad took me to a bakery and said," ""Order what you like. "" "I had four pies and was almost sick." "Dad laughed and said," ""You see, it doesn 't pay to be excellent. "" "I knew he was only joking." "When I told him I was picked to hand the Pioneers' Baton to the mayor," "Dad stopped joking." "He stopped going on purchasing trips." "He kept pacing around the house, repeating," ""I hope to God he doesn 't mess it up. "" "Dear Mayor," "I present to you this baton with a thousand greetings from Zvornik... with a thousand cordial greetings from Zvornik." "Louder." "Dear Mayor," "I present to you this baton with a thousand cordial greetings." "Is your son a bit...?" "No, he's not." "He's going to present the baton." "The Pioneers of Zvornik vow again to study and work diligently and acquire new knowledge." "New knowledge..." "For the benefit and prosperity of our..." "Our... socialist community and keep walking on the..." "On the revolutionary path." "Path... that our nation is following..." "led by Comrade Tito and the Communist Party of Yugoslavia." "Good." "More tomorrow." "Now, off to bed." "Take it off." "When's the fitting?" "Right after the holidays." "Tomorrow, when you're with the mayor, the words should roll off your tongue." "And don't start fidgeting." "When you run up to him, stand proudly." "Don't be shy." "Let your gestures suit your words." "But don't overdo it." " You know?" " I know, Dad." "Go to sleep." "Dear Mayor," "I present to you this baton..." "Mesa, let's go play a game of chess." "Don't be provocative, Cekic." "What would Nikola say if he heard you?" "You'd go if it weren't for your son." "Let me hear him." "We, the Pioneers of Zvornik vow again to diligently... study and work... and acquire new knowledge... and keep walking on the path... followed by..." "Tito..." "led by the Party." "Comrades, today, on this festive day, the people of our district join in a day of great national joy." "we have gathered here to welcome the baton through which the people of Bosnia send their love to their greatest teacher." "It was the pin, Dad." "The pin's to blame for everything." "What pin?" "It slipped out." " Shall I repeat it for you?" " No." "Will you be my little Communist?" "Comrade Cekic wants you to come at once." "Who wrote this speech?" "You know very well who wrote it." "You didn't, by chance, change anything?" "Do you think I'm crazy?" "Is the Party leading Tito or Tito the Party?" "It makes no difference." "But how would you put it?" "I believe it makes no difference." "The Party teaches us..." "Tito is the Party, the party is Tito and Tito is all of us." "Sounds great." "Would you like a drink?" "I've got this French shit." "Well, brother, congratulations." "Are you making fun of me, Cekic?" "Congratulations for what?" "Your Zvornik mandate has expired." " It's over." " Over." "You can go to Sarajevo or wherever you like." "Calm down." "Sit down." "You'll play one last game with me." "Masa!" "I knew you'd come." "I brought the bell." "But you mustn't read it here." "Why, Masa?" "You mustn't, that's all." "Do you promise?" "Whatever you say." "Say, "l promise."" "Now you're crying." "How do you know?" "Sometimes I know everything." "Your mom cries too." "Yes, she does." "She shouldn't." "That's what I keep telling her." "Give me your hand." "Do you love me?" "More than anyone in the world." "More than myself." "Stand back, son." "Masa never came back." "The doctor came to our house wearing a black armband on his white coat." "I was under the quilt and I heard the doctor say to Mama in Russian," ""Sister, what's the point of life? "" "Thank God your troubles are over." "What do you expect from a democracy?" "Don't talk about democracy." "The coffers are empty." "Don't worry." "We'll make money." "We'll print our own." "Money has nothing to do with democracy." "Some politician you are." "Everything on Earth has to do with money." "I'm telling you, if the coffers are empty, there's no democracy." "What's that?" "What about your uncle?" "Have you forgiven me?" "I can forget." "But forgive..." "Why did you invite me then?" "To talk, like two adults." "Do you still think the same?" "About what?" "That I was guilty?" "What I think doesn't matter anymore." "It did then." "Did you put me away for my words or my thoughts?" " I didn't put you away." " So who did?" "Your own tongue." "My own brother-in-law did." "During that craziness, it was brother against brother." "You should make up with your sister." "She's your flesh and blood." " The Pope's drinking?" " indeed he is!" "Come over here." " What?" " Sit down." "Why?" "I'm busy." " What?" " You go outside." "Sit beside Zijo and talk to him as if nothing happened." "Never." "You'll do as I say." "Never, Mesa." "Don't make me angry." "I'll die first." "Can't you sleep, brother?" "Not well, sister." "Where are the parcels?" "In the pantry." "Ask Ankica." "So, you're not sleeping well, brother?" "Hardly at all, sister." "What do the doctors say?" "That you can live to 1 00 with diabetes." "Does the brandy help?" "Temporarily." "It's not easy for you." "I understand you perfectly." "Oh, Zijo, you and your fucking brandy." "Why don't you cut yourself up at your own wedding?" "Mirza, come here." "My suitcase is in the pantry." "Go take it down for me." "Are you going somewhere?" "Just take it down and wait for me." "The game against the Soviet Union has begun..." "It wasn't my fault, Mesa." "I just said you said," ""Who loves anybody in this madhouse."" "I didn't know he'd arrest you, his own brother-in-law." "I just said... that you said that cartoon was overdone." "I love you, Mesa." "I couldn't wait for you, Mesa." "Why are you crying?" "I don't know." "All I need is you crying and I'll give birth right here." "My grandfather Muzafer left our house for a nursing home on July 22, 1 952." "I don't know if it was because he wouldn 't bathe or some other reason." "I only know he told Mirza," ""Tell them I said I'm sick and tired of their politics." "I'm too old for that crap. "" "And he added, "If you want to visit, Travnik isn 't very far." "It's all over!" "We've won!" "In its second attempt, the Yugoslav team has succeeded in qualifying for the quarter-finals of the Olympic competition." "Two days ago, we tied the Russians 5-5, but today we surpassed them in every aspect." "A richly deserved 3- 1 victory." "Those names will be forever remembered in the history of Yugoslav sport." "Beara, Stankovic, Crnkovic, Cajkovski, Horvat," "Boskov, Ognjanov, Mitic, Vukas, Bobek, Zebec."