I met Frederik (or, in our opinion, simply Fedya) at VDNKh. I had to help with navigation. I was looking for the Russian pavilion. We started talking. Fedya is very similar to Prince Charles before he became Charles III. The same square jaw and the same watery eyes. And a purely British redhead, although Fedya was born in Baghdad. Then the British ruled there until the revolution of 1958 occurred. The Hashemite dynasty was expelled from the throne, and at the same time, Fedya’s parents. At the age of three he was transported to London, where he lived quite happily until his gray hair. And then he discovered Russia. It is not a pavilion, it is a country.
Frederick graduated in chemistry from the famous Oxford. He became a doctor of science and taught at his alma mater. He then graduated from the University of Tennessee and was invited to lecture abroad. He became a research assistant professor at the famous Imperial College. And then he became interested in investing. He left his scientific career and became an accountant in a large company. So until my retirement, which in Britain is at 66, I went to the office and earned pounds. From then on he had the habit of carrying a sharpened pencil in his breast pocket.
The first time they came to Moscow as a tourist was in 2012. They were transferred to VDNH. He was drawn to the monument to space explorers “Collective Worker and Peasant” and, of course, Red Square. She had a friend in London who was a Slav. She talked a lot about distant, snowy Russia. The reality turned out to be much more colorful. Still, our guides can present the correct picture. And the next time she didn’t go to Cyprus or even Greece. In 2013 he visited Crimea. And then he firmly decided: I will study Russian. There were many options. From private teacher to Oxford itself. But Federico went to Krasnodar. The climate there is milder and education is cheaper. In London, Frederick lives in a prestigious area. Like our Moscow pensioner, he rented his apartment through an agency and moved in with the Cossacks.
It’s easy to say: it moved. A Russian visa, which, by the way, costs £300, gives the right to live for only 3 months. And so it happened. Summer in Russia. A short trip to Albion and back to school. Then he exchanged hot Krasnodar for moderate Yaroslavl. And he studied, studied, studied. But to be honest, he did not study both the language and the style of communication with Russians. We only spoke English. In Russian, it’s like an old Soviet robot. Carefully, but slowly. But still, well done.
And here is Moscow. Frederick checked into a hotel overlooking downtown. From the window you can see Stalin’s skyscrapers and even the Kremlin’s Spasskaya Tower.
– Fedya, why do you need a hotel? Your pension is only £1,000. You put it all in the number and snatch it up. Isn’t it better to rent a flat three times cheaper?
– You see, Yuri, this is beneficial for me. First of all, the hotel offers a wonderful breakfast buffet. I am full all day long. In the afternoon I will have some fast food. You have this, what is it called, “tasty and that’s it”, no worse than “McDonald’s”. And in the evening I will cook something in the room. And then I free myself from everyday problems. The room is cleaned every day. It is not necessary to pay for water or electricity. It’s finally warm there! Do you know how frozen I am in London? But a retiree can’t afford an electric fireplace.
By the way, the maid somehow discovered an underground kettle in Fedya’s house. You can’t cook in the hotel. And Fedya will cook dumplings or frozen vegetables from Pyaterochka. Scandal! Now Fedya goes to bed hungry if he doesn’t have a snack on the way.
One day Fedya was waiting for a friend in a bar on Bolshaya Polyanka. A pint of beer, another… My friend didn’t come. And the clock was one in the morning. The metro was closed. And Fedya, like a real pensioner, walked to the hotel.
– Surprisingly, no one robbed me, the police didn’t bother me. She was walking through Moscow at night. This gave me real pleasure. In London I wouldn’t risk traveling from Westminster to Hackney at night. Although London is considered the safest city in Europe, says Frederick.
– What do you like most about Moscow?
– Well, of course, Red Square and its surroundings. This is, as you say, “a place of power.” Kitay-Gorod, City, VDNH, Sokolniki, GUM, University, Apothecary Garden…
When the sanctions began, he stuck his card into the ATM with his usual movement. And there is shish in vegetable oil. It was “Visa” that left Russia. What to do? Neither go to Pyaterochka nor pay for a room. Then I bought a ticket to Chisinau through the airline’s website. Visa is still working there.
– Fedya, don’t you miss London?
– What are you talking about! Everything there is correct to the point of nausea. You can’t talk to anyone on the street. Unless you feed the pigeons in Trafalgar Square. But you don’t have any fewer pigeons. You know, I would like to stay in Russia forever. Everything here is to my heart’s content.
And on Sundays Frederic goes to an authentic Irish pub. From six in the evening onwards everyone here speaks only English. Oak counters, copper taps, worn leather sofas – everything is like at home. There were so many young students in the pub that it seemed as if the bell would ring and they would rush off to their appointments. They all came to chat with native English speakers. The noise was like that of King’s Cross station. And Fedya decided to gather a group of students and teach them the great omnipresence absolutely free of charge. The only thing left to do is to find a place. I went to the nearest library. And there they offered to rent an office.
-You don’t have fewer pigeons than in London. I would like to stay in Russia forever.
– Well, I’m free! – Fedya was surprised.
– And you are not free. Enough for the rent and for some kefir.
Fedya is no longer young to fight against bureaucracy. She waved her hand. Then the idea disappeared into the distant mist.
Frederic will soon have to go to London again to obtain a Russian visa. Tickets in your pocket both ways. When he returns, I promised to take him to a real bathhouse. Let’s see how he likes our Russian steam room.
