My 20+ Years In America - Страница 10

For the most part, Tonya’s memories of college were masked by the intense Siberian cold. When it became intolerable and her body craved warmth, Tonya and her girlfriends would spend their last pennies to visit the beauty salon. That and the cafeteria were the two warmest places near the college, and the students flocked there most faithfully. Until they were caught and not allowed to enter the salon anymore, the girls would stand in line, as if waiting for their turn, but at the last minute before having to accept a service would pretend to check their watches and excuse themselves with being late for class. Although the cafeteria was also utilized as a place to warm up, it was impossible to spend as much time there because someone would undoubtedly stand behind those lucky enough to have finally gotten a seat and wait for their turn to eat and warm up.

Tonya lived in a single house without any modern conveniences. It had two adjoining rooms and a separate single room. She lived with four girls and two boys, three of the girls in the bigger room and two more in the adjoining room. The boys lived in the separate room by themselves. Tonya was the oldest at the time, 16 years old and straight out of high school. The others were fourteen years old, having had just finished the eighth grade. They were all from one town and from the same school of music. Tonya was the only pianist; two of the girls were violinists, the other two were choir masters and the boys were percussionists. Tonya’s house was cold as well, and in the winter, everyone took turns bringing water and coal from the barn into the house. There wasn’t really time to cook, and if someone was hungry, they would make tea and have either bread or a bun with the tea. A small convenience store was located right across the street, and the women who kept the store would often give away some food on credit. The students would pay the store back upon receiving their student stipend.

Tonya, however, never borrowed anything. She abided by her mother’s strict rule: “Live according to your means, and learn to make ends meet.”

Tonya never bothered with strict budgeting and often would find herself without money for two or three days. She preferred having a drink of water to borrowing money to be able to eat. It was not that big a deal to her, but simply a matter of temporary inconvenience. Actually, many students found themselves in the same circumstance and joked with one another by asking if one was “drinking or eating today.”

The classrooms were often considered personal property, and there were many fights between students to claim an empty classroom as their own for practice. Tonya had no other choice, consequently, but to spend many nights in the classroom gathering chairs from the lecture halls and placing them in a circular fashion around the stove, thereby making a makeshift bed. When she became tired, she would lie down for one or two hours, unable to sleep longer without a pillow and blanket. Tonya was glad that the rest wasn’t any longer because she felt that she never had sufficient time to practice her piano. During these nights at the college, Tonya would bring one or two pails of coal, depending upon her strength to carry them.

Sometimes Tonya would practice until midnight and then take the last bus at twelve in the morning, leaving a note on the door that she would be back to occupy the classroom at five. Tonya was always extra careful when leaving the college, listening for every rustle and watching out for anybody walking her way. If any strangers were walking by, Tonya would always hide and wait until they passed before proceeding. This precaution was a direct result of something that had happened to a fellow pianist who was once walking home at midnight after practice and, on the way, met a gang of young men. They raped and beat her to such a degree that Tonya and her classmates were unable to recognize her when they saw her in the hospital the next day. Her face was completely broken and bruised, and she was forced to spend the next two weeks in the hospital.

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