by Yelena Giamber

September 2001 was so hot and fruitful. The mountains of the ripe apples, fragrant melons, marble's watermelons, fuzzy peaches, and boxes and boxes with the red seedless grape ... Alayskiy market beckoned with the ripe flavors and not as snappy prices... She likes to buy everything. But the trouble, her hands come off the weight of bags. Do not get across. Nevertheless, She bought a few and that, and another ... Taxi, taxi. They are infested the entire capital of Uzbekistan, and not just here. Now in the CIS everyone who has a car, uses it as a taxi to earning a living and feed the family.
It works for her. She is the horseless; she never had any car entire her life. Such "taxi" brings up her and her bags, straight to the front of her apartments. And this is cheap. Anybody can afford it.

But how He was surprised to see such taxi industry! He is her American boyfriend. He came to visit his beloved over the ocean, and everything here is bizarre for him, if not to say crazy ...

- You are absolutely free to get up on the side of the highway and slow down the first available car? Unbelievable! I know, you live in a Muslim country and you wear the veil are not, I see vice versa ... I'm at a loss. How is it possible? Could never happen here some dramas or tragedies?

- What do you mean? Sexual harassments?

- Well, yes ...

- In my life of such incidents from happening. I never had this problem. I never heard that some my girlfriends say about such dramas. Of course, I can't guarantee you, that nobody was affected by some maniac. What I know exact, that all these men want my money, not sexy fun. Watch! - She went to the road and waved.

The first car which is passing, just stopped and the young driver, who was an uzbek, asked:

- Where are you going?

- Theatre "Ilkhom."

- Tyscha.

- Suitable - they jumped in the car and rolled through the city. She just motioned to him do not talk. And He immediately understood - why?

She earlier explained him - if He will open his mouth then will make it clear led, that he a foreigner. Then the price off one dollar, which was equal to the requested "tyscha" immediately rise up to heaven.

Later, when He touring the Bukhara and Samarkand, and even on the Alma-Ata, He never ceased to wonder of all this barbarism and cheapness. Everywhere She was negotiate easily and cheaply, even hired a personal driver for them with the coolest car of the USSR "Volga". After his sports Lexus He felt in this rattletrap soundly, as in the tank. But the roads, which are they drove, were such horrible, and needed exactly the tank, nothing else.

At this time of their week dating, He comes back to America in early September. He was not sleep at this flying, He was thinking about his life and about her: She is such a good woman. Nice, gentle.... It's just a miracle, but She understands him without words. And how much beautiful She is! Women like her in the United States we can see just on the TV-shows. She has everything nice: face, figure, dress, hairstyle and brain. It's so funny sometimes to watch how this real lady, with shoes with heels comes out of the front ... of the catacombs. He was always afraid to go to her building’s interior staircase - damage railing, no any light and a strong smell of gas. In his country residents of such a building has long been would be evacuated. But these people live in such nasty apartments and do not grieve: raise children, care old parents. Their parents live with them, not as ours in the nursing homes.... Fantastic!

The fact that someday He will take away this gorgeous woman from this wild country and He will show her a different life in his beautiful America, which is actually she deserves. Someday. But, not now. It's too early. They met each other only this spring on the coast of one of Europe's beaches. They are not young. Behind them a lot of life's experience, many some stuff, both of them have children, past and memories. Well... It was so nice to both of them to spend one or two weeks together in some beautiful European country close to the beach, especially there where She could enter with the Schengen visa.

***

Going upstairs to her apartment with bags of fruit and vegetables, She heard the ringing phone behind the door. Hurry, bustle.... After all, this could be Him - her American, such a distant and close man. He became her special in those short months dating. It's amazing how easy they understand each other without words. Her English is so poor that it's can be said, indeed, without a word. And He has nothing of Russian language. Just one word "zhimno" which came to him from his Polish mother. However, now they are so much aware of each other ...

- Oh, I'm late, I did not get it - she was upset. - But why He calls me today so early? There is probably just eight o’clock of the morning. He also did not get to work. Strange.

But the phone rang sharply again.

- Hello.

- Do you watch TV? - Asked a girlfriend.

- No, I just came home. Did you called me one minute ago?

- Yes, I did. Turn on the television ... Something happing wrong in America.

The first video news of crashing an airplane into a skyscraper, what She saw, caused a wave of indignation:

- Oh common, this crazy Hollywood again with some horror stories.

But all these shots were repeated and repeated, and then in the upper left corner of TV screen She saw the English word LIVE, direct inclusion. She was immediately realized that her girlfriend did not play with her. This is a real tragedy. Disaster. Something happened absolutely irreparable. She would never see him again. Him - her American boyfriend. Everything is stopped now. Life is stopped.

She frantically began calling him at work, at home... Calling his mother and daughter... Nowhere and no one lift the handset. She rushed to the computer and sent a message. As if He knew something when had bought her a computer and hooked up the Internet. No, He doesn't reply her. She is waiting more time, more and more... and more. It’s nothing back. Just a weird silence fills her room and all her life. She calls him again. Even his answer machine does not work. Tears flooded out of her eyes as a river and flowed down her cheeks, flooding and distorting the lips, as in a distorting mirror:

- Oh, Lord! Why? Why did you do that for me? I have not even had time to tell him that I love him...

Her heart ached, her head was buzzing, and her arms hanging limply over her body and legs would not obey her. Just her brain was working:
- Just one more time. I'll try... It's not possible like that... Not possible.

And again She calls him to his job, his home, his mother and daughter ... It's useless. She emails him again:

- What is going on? Please, call me! I love you! I love you! I miss you! Do you hear me?

And lo and behold ... Thank you, Lord!

- I hear your voice message. I got all your emails. I'll call you back as soon as possible. I'll do it when our phones will be working. I love you. Love you. I miss you, too ... I miss you so much.

***

A month later they were standing with the government registry office. She is as the bride, and He is as the groom. Their marriage is the same age as 9/11. And this is my greeting to them in their first ten year wedding anniversary. My dear He and She, I wish to both of you to keep and save your big love and happiness forever. I know that God blessed your union together for many long and beautiful years.