On January 14th, the last day of Vitka's stay in the city (his flight was at 6 PM, so he had to leave the house by 2 PM at the latest), I suggested we visit the University of Cape Town again. I liked it so much there, and I gathered he did too, as he didn't object at all to my suggestion.

So we did. We went. We swam in the pond. We spent time on the green square in front of the main upper building.

Time flew relentlessly. We had to return. We needed to eat and pack.

At 1:40 PM, Brian, an acquaintance of Ira's, arrived for Vitka. I had called him in the morning and asked him to take Vitka to the airport.

We said goodbye. The two weeks flew by unnoticed. But a lot happened. There will be plenty to remember.

And today, as I write this post, it is already January 22nd.

I have returned to my former life. I go to work. I am writing a book. What happened this week? Well, I saw Ira a couple of times. Three times with Kristina. Last week we went to the movies together. I try to go every Wednesday now. It's possible it's useful for my far-from-perfect English. Also, on Wednesdays, the ticket price is just fifteen rand all day, whereas all other days it's thirty-three. So I see no point in missing such a wonderful opportunity.

I saw Stas and Anshen a couple of times. And Kirill and Sveta took off to Kimberley to Kirill's mom. I don't know if they've returned or not. For some reason, I can't get through to him.

We can't reach Katya either. Ira and I know she made it home safely and has been there for two weeks now. Maybe she's completely immersed in her studies to distract herself from memories and somehow re-adapt to her once-familiar life?!

And yesterday evening around 9 PM (it was Wednesday), I went to the Waterfront to watch a movie. Irinka couldn't join me, so for the first time here, I went to the cinema alone. The movie was "Anywhere But Home" starring Reese Witherspoon. However, as it turned out, I had to wait more than an hour for my screening. I went for a walk. It turned out that on a Wednesday night at 10 PM, the Waterfront is almost deserted. But it is unimaginably beautiful! Everything around is in lights. And it reflects in the ocean water, which seemed thick like molten glass and was so peaceful yesterday evening. I strolled slowly along the railings. All around, cafes and restaurants were illuminated by myriads of shop windows and Christmas garlands that hadn't been taken down yet. Music was playing here and there. Sometimes live: artists were performing, and sometimes it was coming from speakers. In one place, a choir of black people was performing, likely singing national folk songs.

Something gurgled in the water. Something large, about a meter and a half, shiny, smooth! It was amazing to meet a seal at the pier. It turns out some of them can appear here at night in the calm.

The screening for the movie I chose started at 10:45 PM. I bought a ticket and went into the hall. And imagine! I was the only one there!!! What a joke! ? In the largest hall of the local cinema, the movie was being shown for only one person — me!

I had a blast! For the first time in my life, I was honored with such a privilege: I was alone, and the screening wasn't canceled! Back home, they say in such cases: "The screening is shown for a minimum of two people!"

So my mood yesterday was super, and the day went accordingly.

January 22, 2009

Night Cape