Camel from Kyzylkum

Another reason why I remember and love Dushanbe even now is because my love story with Nikolai Gelya started there.

Nikolai had just graduated from the same college that I was in and got his first job in a different geological expedition not far from Dushanbe. It was a tradition for all of us youngsters who worked in the geological expeditions around Dushanbe—to descend from the mountains and to meet in one particular restaurant in Dushanbe on Friday evenings to start a weekend of fun. I remember how I walked into the restaurant and felt someone's gaze on me. I looked up and, sure enough, a handsome young fellow with big greenish eyes was looking right at me. When our eyes met, he smiled at me, looking friendly, and I smiled back. He made sure to take a seat next to me at the dinner table. We talked, we laughed, we danced until it was way past midnight. Then we wandered around the sleeping city until morning, talking about ourselves and everything else in the world. After this day, we couldn't wait for the next weekend to come. When I was in the hospital after being bitten by the Akbash dog, Nikolai came to visit me. When summer and my internship were over, I had to return to Kiev, but at this point we decided that we were going to be together. Nikolai was transferred to work in the Kyzylkum Desert, and I joined him there just before New Year’s Day, 1969.