Читать книгу Where time meets truth - Argo Järve - Страница 5

To understand, why that restless soul is constantly on the move and in search for himself in this big world, we have to dig in the past. Hans was born in the seventies in a small settlement which was then under USSR1 & was from a family with many children. He doesn’t remember much from his early childhood. The first memories come from the last group of kindergarten and starting school. In school, he studied as he found fit. He did get some good grades once in a while, but he was not interested in grades, as he loved to say. There were other kids in the family as well beside him. At one point it came out, that the man raising him up wasn’t Hans’ biological father. His parents were divorced and did not get along. They got divorced when Hans was only a baby, and he has no memories about that either. He started to understand only when he was about six or seven years old & realized that the other kids in the family had different surnames. Hans didn’t get an answer at first, why it was like that. His mother bulked from answers and well to be fair, he didn’t understand what a biological father is. Was he too young for these kinds of questions & answers? His life was great until he became about twelve or thirteen. There were often conflicts, in particular with the stepfather. Of course, there had been smaller conflicts and arguments, but now for some reason, they started to happen more and more often, especially when they were alone together. Why? Hans couldn’t answer that question for years. Over time more and more children were born into the family, and the wind of change was in the air. The older the boy became, the more difficult the situation became - the paterfamilias obviously made a distinction between his own kids and step-kids. Nobody but him knows, what changed him. The children were there before as well when he joined the family and took the responsibilities of being a paterfamilias. He had to consider and love them all equally, or he just desired the single woman with kids so much, that he didn’t think sober and just didn’t take the kids into account. Did the desire blind the senses? Or was there something else to it? A chance to put someone in one’s place? Hans got the opportunity to be an October and also a boy scout. Done everything, what one school kid & boy does in their childhood: fooled around, fought, stood in the corner and behind the door for bad behavior. Picked on the neighbor’s cat and plucked the girls’ braids. Had the chance to cry and laugh. There was also a time were finished the 8th grade and had to decide, who and what he was going to become. At the time, there was a psychologist-adviser, who was doing individual tests with the students. It was to get to know, which worthy occupation shall the student get in the USSR. Hans, like most boys at that time, was interested in engineering and space. The matter of honor for every honest and ambitious Soviet Union citizen was to become a cosmonaut or at least a pilot. Militia and chauffeur were ranked right below. Some even wished to become Lenin.2 The psychologist-adviser made it very clear to Hans that he will never be able to get into a cockpit, not to mention into the cosmodrome. His grades and possibly also abilities were far below average and besides, the results of the tests and exams, it came out that engineering wasn’t even fit for him. The boy should instead become a librarian or a gardener. “Eww,” thought Hans to himself and left the office frowning. “You can become a damn gardener yourself,” he mumbled and slammed the door. The summer was close, and there was plenty of time to think about the future. Hans got the hold of his real dad’s address from the back of a card, he had stolen from his mother and also managed to contact his father via a letter secretly. Later during the summer, Hans visited his father’s home and new family several times. They had also met a couple of occasions in school as well, but to keep things cool at home, he didn’t tell about it to anyone. Even though mum suspected it, but she never asked. No one noticed when Hans went on those visits - he had spent nights before, without anyone knowing where he was and without later asking, where he had been. It was easier for everyone that way. Visiting his dad, he found out that on top of the step-siblings he already had at home, there was more, at his father’s place. They were step siblings, but still siblings, as his father loved to say, who was still distant and a stranger to him. The active life of the capital attracted Hans so much that he would have loved to move there immediately. Solely thinking about the life in the city gave him goosebumps. Hans began to look into studying opportunities in the capital. He had to start learning a profession in the autumn, as he wasn’t going to waste time on high school. Unfortunately, the suitable schools didn’t have available rooms in the dorms, and the thought of moving to his dad’s place was too scary. So there was no other way, but to go to a vocational school near his home. At least the dorm there was decent and the thought of being independent comforted him so he filled in the application to enter the school. He was sure that he would get in without much trouble. There were some entrance exams, but Hans had no doubt in his capability of doing those. Summer slipped away, and it was just the time to challenge himself. Hans did the exams and after a few-hour-long waiting got the results. He became a fully fledged student of this vocational school. The day before the beginning of his independent life his parents brought him to the dorm. He was packed with some food, a bag of potatoes and a few rubles on top of that. Then they warned him how to behave and gone they were. The dorm was silent at that time. It was still early, and he was presumably the only person in the building. Even the crooked commandant had left and was pottering about in some nearby garden. Hans clattered around in the dorm, checked the kitchen and just wandered around in other rooms. He sauntered back to the chamber and lied down on the bed. He imagined what will his roommate be like, where is he from and what are his hobbies. Having this on his mind he fell asleep. He woke up due to some loud clatter. He squinted his eyes and sat down. Some 2-meter-tall thug stepped into the room. Rasmus, he said and lied down on the spare bed. They had a moment to introduce themselves. Hans agreed with the guy on the positive side of not having to see the parents and listen to their whining for at least 5 and a half days of the week. Rasmus was interested mostly in heavy metal, motocross and girls. As he was telling, he just had a plenty of them. He took some pictures out of his wallet and gave them to Hans for checking. As he bragged, everyone was crazy for him. The new roommate inspected superficially examined Hans’s life and started unpacking. He drew a big double cassette radio out of his big backpack that Hans thought to be a luxurious item. Because his parents were had a sweet spot at work, he couldn’t complain about the incomes, and the only child in the family got all he wanted. You could see this by the huge bags he as the only kid had been packed with. He stuck the cassette into the radio, and it filled the room with noise. “Judas Priest” yelled the long-haired guy and performed some weird moves he considered as dance moves in the middle of the chamber. Hans could understand this kind of music. He saw it as pointless shouting torturing the instruments. He preferred a mild rock and pop music. “I’ll let my father bring the TV,” said Hans and inspected the room while he thought where he could place it. “We could use a fridge too; I’m not going to store anything in the shared fridge.” These scrubs will stick it up their asses. This finished the topic. Hans liked his roommate. At least he wasn’t cocky he thought. They kept on chatting for about an hour and then it was the time to go to sleep. Even though the official silent hours started at eleven everyone had to already be silent at ten. The tall guy found the switch with his leg and switched the lights off. In a few hours, the room was filled with the loud noise of snoring. The first September started with someone loudly knocking on the door. “Wake up you lazy maggots!” screamed the commandant and moments later he was yelling the same thing behind the next door. Young vocational students left the beds and swiftly went to the common bathroom-toilet. You snooze you loose principle applied. The bathroom was divided in 3. It was meant for eight rooms so it could fit at least eight people at a time. Luckily no one else from other rooms had come so the boys could finish their deeds quickly. They had at least one hour before the first school day began. Both were eating something from their bags. For a few minutes, you could only hear some crunching, chewing and coughing from times to times. The first festive breakfast in the dorm was finished. The hallway kept on filling with more and more noise, racket, running, ramming the doors and swearing. Rasmus and Hans looked at each other and headed for the door. The school was just a few minutes of walk from the dorm so they didn’t have to hurry and they both took a cigarette. The same moment they took a few good muffs the commandant stuck his head out of the window and started yelling. “Freaking idiots! You brats don’t smoke like this in front of the dorm, get the hell out of here!” Boys ran behind the corner blushing because of the shame. They both thought they could do what they want now. “Damn old hag. Thinks she can come and start messing with us,” said Rasmus in anger. Hans started laughing as this was only funny for him. “My parents allow me to some at home,” Rasmus kept on playing a tough guy. Hans couldn’t boast with that, as he had to do that secretly and after that, he had to chew on spruce needles to get rid of the stench of smoke. The front of the school was packed with old and new students. The first-course students kept their distance, and the older boys were showing off in front of girls and shouting. Hans and Rasmus sneaked into the school from the main door and stopped by the bulletin board, to read, if there was something useful for them. “Hans!” shouted the tall one. “Lets go to the chemistry cabinet on the second floor; there’s our course.” They walked up the stairs and were trying to find the correct door. The class was already packed, and there were only a couple of free seats left. Roommates found themselves free seats and looked around with curiosity. A few students came in from time to time and filled up all the seats. Suddenly the school bell rang and filled the air with a cutting noise; the school day had begun. In a few minutes, an older man with a moustache, a beard and who was wearing a plaid suit, entered the class and said: “Well then ... I mean ... khm, khm ... I am your new course tutor, boys.” You could hear giggling from here and there in the classroom. “Quiet!” shouted the home room teacher and made clear a few rules to the whole class and gazed at students who were thinking about arguing. During the day the timetable was also made clear for everyone and which classroom is where. There was no studying during that day. Everyone got tonnes of different study material, and the boys were freed halfway through the day. It seemed that many of the students in this course, where local and you could also see it from their behaviour - they were different from others by their behaviour and slight arrogance. I mean, the others had intruded their territory, and they had to show who’s the boss. There were already some smaller scuffles here and there. Rasmus and Hans were walking back to the dorm along the long alley, threw the study material on the table, which they got from school and were now planning on going to the local shop. A group of older course students had gathered in front of the dorm, who were checking out and judging the new students. They didn’t bother us though, probably because of his size and height. A smaller boy who came behind them was caught by the big guys though. He was meager, with curly hair and with huge glasses. If Hans remembered correctly, he was in the room next to theirs. Hans and Rasmus stopped and watched curiously in the distance, what’s going to happen next. “Einstein, smack me,” commanded the older course students. “What do you mean?” he asked the bullies with innocent eyes. Loud laughter filled the air. “Where the hell is this idiot coming from?” asked someone and the air was filled with laughter once again. Googly eyed young Einstein was quickly reminded, how he should behave from now on. “He will have a tough time here,” Rasmus said and continued walking. There was nobody, but an older shopkeeper in the shop, all of the shelves were empty, and the room was filled with the smell of fish and laundry facilities. “We should have a couple of beers to celebrate the first of September,” offered Rasmus and looked at Hans with anticipation. Hans still had some money left he had earned in the summer so he could spend some, and besides his parents had given him some money for food. “You think they’ll give it to us?” he doubted. “Of course, just follow my lead!” whispered Rasmus, filled the basket with Žiguli3 beer, and headed towards the counter with a deadpan face. “Two packs of Rumba and matches please,” he said to the shopkeeper while trying to make his voice sound lower. The woman barely raised her sight and just put the wanted items on the counter, counted the bottles and swiftly clunked the abacus. Rasmus paid the bill and stacked everything into his backpack. Hans followed him, hands in his pockets, and a big grin on his face. His roommate did seem like a grown man already, besides he had a moustache growing already. When they got out, they lit their cigarettes and started laughing hysterically. “What did I tell you!?” cheered the tall one. The plan was to go near the lake; the weather was beautiful and quite warm for a September. In the dorm, it was made clear on the first day, that there’s no bringing alcohol there and they won’t keep drunk students there for long. Those, who get caught, will be expelled and the matter will be handed for discussion in a certain committee. Of course, the parents had to be informed as well. That’s why the boys didn’t want to break the rules right on their first day. Walking down the river, they found logs that were on the ground for sitting and a campfire spot, which was surrounded by small stones. This showed that the place was popular and that people visited this site quite often. The grass was recently trampled. “What if this is made by the locals and we could get into trouble,” Hans worried. “Ah, nobody will come here - the summer is over - and what could they do to us anyways. We’ll fight them if necessary and smash their skulls with stones,” bragged Rasmus and reached for a dusty brick in the fireplace. “Take it easy, motherfucker, lets drink some beer and enjoy our freedom!” astounded Rasmus with his English phrases and pulled out a couple of beers from his backpack. He opened both of them with ease and gave one to Hans. The boys took a comfortable seat on the logs and spoke about life for hours while enjoying their beer and smoking. The sun was setting, and it started getting colder and colder. What else to expect from September. They had finished all the beer and now they had to get back to the dorm, but before that, they decided to hide the tare near the place. For the rainy days. So they set off to get back to the dorm. As the commandant’s window was right next to the dorm’s door, then they had to scout a while to make sure, that there was no movement. Supposedly there were several commandants, but even the cruel lady right now was scary enough, that the young didn’t want to get caught. They moved swiftly along the long corridor to their room and locked the door. “Damn it, I am soo hungry,” whined the tall one. “If you’d like, I can make some soup,” said Hans. Even though cooking was prohibited in the rooms, they decided to ignore it. They didn’t have a stove in their room, but they could manage well with the immersion heater. They had to clean it later on with a brush for a while so that they wouldn’t have a weird taste in their coffee or tea in the morning. Hans had learnt those tricks early on in his life already. Some specialists were using two razors for that, but you had to switch them very often, and there was also a possibility of getting electrocuted. The lamp cord was disconnected and attached to the razor. Then you had to stick it in the water, plug the cable in, and then the razors went warm and started heating the water. It was extremely dangerous, and they wouldn’t dare to use such a weapon. There was already a line in the shared kitchen, and the older students went there to grab the food from the younger ones. They just went there with a gang, and simply took the student with his food. You were lucky if you got your pot back the next day, they had thrown them out of the window the previous day, so they were just lying in the trash. It was only the second day. Nobody had the guts do go and tell on them, nor did anyone have the strength to stand up for themselves. The unity among the students of the first course was also non-existent. Everybody was still strangers to each other. Hans pulled out some potatoes, a couple of onions and vegetables, that he had taken from home. Rasmus, on the other hand, took out a piece of smoked meat and started cutting it into big chunks. He stuffed his mouth with it and started walking around the room, while loudly chewing it. “Should we throw in some noodles as well, what do you think?” he asked and burped. “You seem to be pretty good with this,” Rasmus said and put the smoked meat under Hans’ nose. “If you need anything else, then ask me, I’ll be lying down for a bit,” continue Rasmus and then lied down on the bed. In a moment you could already hear him snore. The potatoes were boiling. Hans threw in some sliced vegetables and onions. Thought for a second and then also added some noodles. He diced the smoked meat and put it in the boiling water. As soon as the soup was ready, Hans woke Rasmus up. They happily finished the soup and started packing for tomorrow’s school day. Both of them were quite exhausted, and neither of them was very chatty that evening. Rasmus’ head was aching and talking was too much for him. The second day drew to an end in the dorm. The boys got undressed and went to bed. “I wonder if the commandant will come for another round?” asked Rasmus. He could barely ask it when they already heard a cutting voice from the corridor. “Time to go to bed, everyone shut up now, lights out!” Boys giggled and started thinking their thoughts. The next day was pretty boring, as nothing special happened in school and on Friday evening everyone started getting ready to go home. Hans liked school, not because of studying, but because of just being there. Even though there was still a few hours, before the classes were over, some had already sneaked out, including his roommate. Hans sat on the edge of his bed and dwelled on what’s going to happen next. He had no desire to go back home, but he couldn’t stay here without the commandant’s permission either. Besides, he needed money for the next week. Hans was directed from a state farm, which meant, that he was given scholarship and after graduating, he had to go work there. The scholarship was sent to her mother, so he had to go back home either way. The bus departed in an hour, so there was no rush. Most students had left the dorm by now. There was absolute silence in the house. The boy packed his bag in silence and counted the money he had left. The bus ride cost sixty-nine kopecks in total; he put the money in a separate pocket. He also had some rubles left, but he decided to keep it a secret at home - going to need the money on weekends anyways. Hans took his backpack, threw a quick glance in the room, locked the door and made his way towards the bus station. When he got there, he still had half an hour left. He sat down on the wooden bench and stared at people while thinking his own thoughts. The sun was shining very brightly. Suddenly someone tapped on his shoulder. “Give me twenty kopecks, or I’ll kick your ass.” Hans got scared and looked up, to see, who’s threatening him like that. There was about a twenty-year-old teddy boy in front of him. “Screw you,” said Hans and stood up. “Oh boy, don’t bark at me,” said the bully and took a couple of steps back. “We’ll show you!” he shouted waving his fist and then disappeared behind the corner. Luckily the bus came, and Hans stepped in uneasily. In an hour, he was already home, eating fish soup and told his mother about the first school week. It didn’t happen very often when he and his mother could talk alone. He did some homework and then went away. Hans had to meet up with his friends. Usually, they gathered in abandoned storehouses on the weekends, which they had occupied and had even decorated one room for themselves. When they didn’t want to be at home, they could spend time over there. There was also an old ping-pong table, which needed some adjustment from time to time, so it wouldn’t collapse and also some tables and chairs. Sometimes they even had a bottle of liquor, which they would share with each other so that everyone could get a sip. After that, the older guys who had more money went to a bar. The rest, including Hans, stayed there and played some ping-pong. At midnight everyone left and Hans went back home as well. The sneaked up the stairs and tried to open the door. Locked. “Fuck,” he cursed and went back outside. It was totally dark outside, and there was nowhere to go. He gave it a thought for a couple of minutes and made his way through the garden. Behind the apple trees, there was a shed which belonged to them. As far as he was aware, there should be some old bags and a couple of blankets. He opened the shed door like a thief and entered the damp room. Hans took the matches out of his pocket and lit one. As he had thought, there were some potato bags in the corner, filled with cloth. He lied them all down, lit another match, and found a smelly horse blanket, which he had to use. His eyes started to get used to the darkness, and he looked around. The shed was half filled with logs, and on a wall, he could also see a broken bicycle. There were empty baskets and buckets hanging on the wall. The smell of rottenness and mould was awful. Hans cried because he was still a child and didn’t know what more to do in that situation. Eventually, he got tired of crying and fell asleep. He woke up very early in the morning, because of the cold and he couldn’t sleep anymore. After brushing the dust off his clothes, he sneaked out of the shed. He felt terrible, as his clothes were smelling and he was itchy. It was still quite dark outside, and he had no idea, what the time was. He had taken the watch off his wrist when he got home and had forgotten it on the bookshelf. The light was shining through the kitchen window. The boy went to the staircase and touched the doorknob cautiously; it was open. At the same moment, he opened the door; his mother started yelling: “Where do you think you’re coming? All you do is fool around.” Hans tried to explain that some smartass had messed with the door and had to sleep in the woodshed this time. His stepdad, who heard the loud shouting came out from the other room. This hair-loosing stinkbug made clear that the door must be locked during the night and brats like him who can’t be in time should be outside that late. The mother followed up like it was a practised sentence “This fooling around must come to an end.” Hans already knew that the step-dad was the one who closed the door. This had happened before. He was angry at his mother because she justified what his step-dad had done. Hans went back to the room he shared with his step-siblings with raging anger inside. He took some of his belongings out of the cupboard and put them in the bag. Changed the dirty clothes and took a few bigger banknotes out of his secret stash. He counted the money he had earned during the summer and put it in his pocket. He decided to go to the capital. Maybe he can spend this night at his dad’s place. On Sunday he’ll be able to go to the dorm early in the morning, and that should do it until Friday, he thought. Hans put on his jacket and left without saying a word. When he went out on the street, he heard how the kitchen window opened, and he heard his name being shouted. The boy didn’t bother listening and stepped on the highway. He understood, how much strength all of that took him, but he stayed firm. The bus station was nearby, but he decided to walk to the next stop. He knew that he had to wait many hours for a bus to come. The buses drove by only about three or four times a day. The weather was exceptionally abominable, it was pouring rain and the wind was blowing hard. The boy had taken a half empty pack of cigarettes Ekstra and he took one. He didn’t care about the chance of getting caught and then being told to his parents. By the time the bus came, he had smoked at least five or six cigarettes. Hans was so glad, when he heard the light buzz of the bus’ motor in the distance. It was cold and his clothes were wet. He entered the bus and bought a ticket. Then sat down and just stared at his wet feed. Thoughts of worry started gathering in his head. What if they’re not home? He couldn’t call from anywhere and in fact, he didn’t even know the number. yes, he could have found the number from the phone book, but he didn’t have it anywhere. No matter what happens, I’ll be alright, he thought to himself. There were many miles to go. Finally, the warmth did its job, and he was feeling better. When Hans opened his eyes, he was already at the bus station in Tallinn.4 Excitement took over his body, and he was also a bit scared of the unawareness. The boy only remembered the approximate way to his dad’s apartment. From the bus station, it was only a twenty minutes walk. Thanks to his excellent memory, he had memorised the way, since the last time his father sent him on the bus. He followed the street signs and repeated the address in his head. When finally arriving at the right street, he was jubilant and started to look for the right house. Within minutes, he had found the right house, and he rang the doorbell. Tirrrrrrr-tirrrrrr ringed the door bell from the inside, but nothing else was to be heard. The rang the bell a few times more hopelessly and got off the stairs. The wind was blowing, and he moved away from the house. Maybe they went to visit someone, the boy thought and decided to come back later. He was soo hungry that his stomach was aching. Hans went back to the bus station because at least it was warm there and it had a place, where you could buy food. It got quickly darker and darker outside, so the boy quickened his pace, as the unfamiliar town scared him as well. There was dead silence in the bus station. It was nine o’clock in the evening, and there were only a few buses left, ready to depart. He went to a nearby booth, where the shopkeeper was swinging her hips to a song and sang along, while cleaning the tables. He didn’t even notice Hans, even though he had been standing there for a couple of minutes. Most of the food had already been put away. Only a few dry sandwiches and odd looking salads were left, where you could see a life of its own already. Hans finally decided to man up and asked, whether he could have something to eat. The seller looked at him sullenly, threw the cloth on the table and came to the counter while mumbling something.”We only have sandwiches; there’s nothing else left. I can also bring some cabbage pies. We’re about to close,” she added so that it almost seemed like an apology. The boy decided to get the pies and lemonade. Paid for them and then left the buffet. Sat on the stairs behind the door and ate all of the pies right there. Rinsed his mouth with lemonade and then stepped out of the bus station. It was completely dark outside, and the weather had gotten even worse. The rain was hitting the face; the cold autumn wind was swirling the leaves on the empty streets. Hans looked at the time with a sad face and decided to go behind dad’s door once more. He ran across the street, and soon enough was in a familiar neighbourhood, and then he reached the house. He rang the bell and waited. The only thing he could hear in the silence was his beating heart. It almost felt like it was about to pop out. He rang the bell once more impatiently and listened. Everything was still dead silent, and no lights got turned on in the corridor. Hans was helpless. Dad was not home. He took a look at the time and decided to go to Balti station5 - maybe a train will leave there soon and he’ll be able to be in warm for at least a few hours. Asking for directions from time to time, he finally reached the train station. Unfortunately for him, no trains were departing. The last train, headed to Viljandi,6 had already left about a half an hour ago. There were barely any people on the streets. It was so quiet and empty at the station. He just sat down on an empty bench and stayed there. Suddenly he saw someone’s shadow and shining boots in front of him. “Citizen, what are you doing here?” he was suddenly spoken to. The young man raised his head and saw a man wearing a uniform. Hans couldn’t come up with anything else to say but: “I, I ... missed the train and don’t know where to go now.” The officer looked at him and wanted to know, where he’s from, where he’s been and if he had any documents. Luckily he had. The officer took a close look at it and said: “Come with me, I’ll show you where you can spend the night. There are people like you here very often.” There was a police station in the same building which was connected to the waiting lobby. The boy was guided to a seat, and they let him wait there. “The doors will be locked soon, and nobody will get in or out anymore, in the morning, you’re going to have to leave.” Hans was left alone. It was definitely better here, then lying on the street, he thought to himself and got into a comfortable position. Took a sip of lemonade, took a deep breath and fell asleep. Soon enough he was in a deep sleep. In the morning he woke up fright because there were loud rumble and cursing in the station. The station was right behind the wall, and you could tell by the voices, that they had taken in a drunk man, who was trying to put up a fight to the officers. He heard a few dull bumps and then it sounded like something was being dragged along the floor, a loud door slam and then silence once again. The man got probably introduced to the baton, Hans giggled. He took a look at the time and got up. It was already the break of dawn. A couple of passengers left the platform. The first trains were about to leave. Boy sneaked silently on the street and ran behind the corner. Lit the last cigarette and did it as fast as he could. He wasn’t a real smoker before, but now it was like a cherry on a pie. Hans looked around and took a quick leak into the bush. There was only a stray dog, who was sniffing in the bushes. Hans looked at Toompea,7 which was above in the distance and started walking up towards it. Some people were already on the streets, and more came with each minute. Sunday. The day ought to become very sunny, at least that’s what the earlier signs referred to. It wasn’t that warm anymore, but still beautiful. Hans thought that it would be amazing if it were summer and warm all the time. His rattling stomach distracted him, however, and he didn’t have a cigarette to light anymore. He spent about half an hour in the old town and then headed towards the city centre. This wasn’t his first time here, so he knew a couple of places. His destination was the Viru hotel that he could see in the distance. From there he could go back to the bus station and also to his dad’s apartment. He also knew, that there was a booth opened 24/7 near the Viru hotel, from where you could buy food and cigarettes. Fried dumplings and hot tea were absolutely delightful. He cheerfully walking along the streets, jumped over puddles and played football with a rock. Hans didn’t even care anymore whether his dad was at home or not. He was already happy that he got into the dorm. There he could live as he found best fit for himself. When he got to the door, he rang the bell and waited. “Who is this?” asked someone from inside.