I was invited to a local entertainment event—a fair. To compare it to something Russian, you could call it VDNKh. The invitation was accepted from Susan and her boyfriend Steven. However, I still owed breakfast to my boss and his family. I spent the entire previous day cleaning and packing. I woke up very early, and while warming up the car, I drank a cup of coffee. In the seventh hour, I headed to my employer's house. Exactly! I forgot to mention—throughout the last work week, I had been driving (specifically driving) Ned's Tundra. It happened like this:

• Hey man, I'm tired of picking you up at restaurant and back at home. You have good driving skills. - and he threw me the keys to his Toyota Tundra, which had the restaurant's name on the license plate.

• Gotcha. Thanks, man! Be calm. You have nothing to worry about. - I replied with perhaps the most Hollywood smile on the planet.

I exceeded the speed limit repeatedly, but the cops just turned a blind eye to it. The reason was that they all liked our restaurant's food, and they often ordered it "to go" by pre-order and were well acquainted with the owner—Ned.

So what was I saying?! Oh yes, dawn was breaking, and I was driving on the freeway, barely understanding where the destination was. I drove past it, then came back. I sighed with relief when I saw Ned on the side of the road. They gathered the kids, and we went to an absolutely charming "breakfast spot." Everything was like in the best American movies: a cafe near a small airfield for crop dusters, a slightly plump waitress constantly refilling coffee, one of the planes landed, and they brought our order—ham omelet, toast, jam, butter, muffins, and a light salad. Some alarming news was reported on the radio, something about politics, and a heated debate began. At that very moment, Sue and Steve arrived, and the four of us (joined by their friend/neighbor) headed to the fair.

The journey took about 2 hours.

At the fair, I developed a terrible allergy to all things feathered, woolly, and cloven-hoofed. I saw all the livestock that Americans raise. I watched a horse race. I bought a number of souvenirs. I rode a crazy attraction that had 4 axes of rotation. I became the happy owner of a silver dollar and a rare 2-dollar bill. Quite unintentionally, we ran into Ned and his family.

Absolutely exhausted and tired, but happy, I headed back with the others. On the way home, Ned called Susan, and she handed me the "phone"—I was also invited to dinner. I was surprised at how close I had become with the boss (when he gave me money, I called him boss and often joked when receiving instructions, "Sir, yes, Sir"). On the way, I learned that my English wasn't that terrible; I had blamed it on American politeness, but later I realized my English had actually improved.

Upon arrival, excellent Chinese food was waiting for me. I hadn't tasted anything that delicious in Russia; the sweet and sour sauce was beyond praise, shiitake marinated in a sauce unknown to me, chicken, and traditionally prepared beef. I truly became friends with their whole family—open, soulful people; they often asked for my advice, even though they were older than me. And the little members of the family were delighted when I played with them. The evening came to an end, and I was given the car keys again. I decided to buy a few cans of beer; I wanted to spend the evening in reflection and enjoy the final night in the house we had been renting all summer. I need to get some sleep and rest properly; long hours of travel to New York lie ahead.