Mary and me, Part 4

Sleepy me

Have not told you yet about my 36th birthday, where she, Mary, was the only guest. The guest of honour so to speak. Well, it might be too intimate to tell. So you´ll have to wait. I´ll ask Mary first.

I hope I ain´t gonna hurt Mary in any way. Once, when we were supposed to go to Uspenski Cathedral, I didn´t go, nor did I answer her calls. She left some messages in my answering machine. I got back to her the next day. I was so ashamed.

I had been sleeping whole Saturday. My rhythm was gone for five days or more. She took my apology more than well. But still I think she was at least a bit hurt.

Sometimes my rhythm comes and goes. But I don´t mean to hurt anybody. Still I´ve done it several times in the past. When I was studying, when I was working. I think it is the way I am, sometimes.

I just counted the pages of my miniature silver-colored note book. 41 pages. Let´s see, that´ll make four stories for my blog. It has been good company for me on lots of lonely nights and days.

Lots of coffee drunk, some cigarettes smoked. I hope some of you, my readers, haven´t felt too bad about these stories. But still that´s just the way I am. Luckily it is a free blog. So there will be no refund.

Mary and me, Part 3

Winter time

It is winter, about two three degrees minus. Some snow on the ground. Drinking coffee at night and writing to you. Won´t tell about the birthday yet.

Thinking of you, Mary. I am sure you play the flute well. I think I would be fascinated by your play. You said you like Bach.

Haven't heard a note yet, although we've known each other for some time now. No hurry, no worry. I'm willing to wait ´till you are ready for it. Sometimes it is better to wait a while before the good will come. I´m sure it´ll be great.

About some music: I've been listening to Classic FM and Radio Helsinki about fifty-fifty lately. Now it is Helsinki time. They are playing fifties-sixties rock´n´roll. This song is played by Fatman Robinson Quintet: 'If you take my advice, don't drink. Don't drink.'

I've been without alcohol for about two years now. My engine is run by coffee. I think we could quit smoking together, if she agrees. But coffee, well, that's another story.

Mary and me, Part 2

2 pm

I am listening to Radio Helsinki. A man is singing: 'Don't walk away in silence.' She will be here at my place in about two hours, I hope. We´ve been seeing each other almost every day for some time now.

I've met her mother and she's met my father. Still I don't think we exactly know where we are going right now. Anyway I am more than happy that I have a good friend now. Who knows what the future will be like?

2 am

Nice day, yesterday. We watched a movie called Lost In Translation. Had some pastries with lots of coffee.

While lying on the bed, I wanted to hold her hand, hug her real tight and kiss her. But I didn´t make a pass yet.

Well next Saturday will be my 36th birthday and she will be the only guest. Who knows what will happen?

Yesterday I asked her permission to use these texts for my blog. I don't have an idea how readers will feel about it. Thanks to her we might find it out.

I really do hope these short stories will never end...

It is 3 am and I would like to be in touch with her. Maybe I'll just make some coffee and stay up the rest of the night.

Tomorrow will be another Helsinki Café day for me. I think I'll take these texts with me. Let´s see what happens. Today, I mean.

Mary and me, Part 1

Rendez-vous

I hope this is a short story, which will never end. It was one Tuesday morning at Helsinki Café, when Jim felt something new. Sometimes it is better not to try to explain one´s feelings afterwards, but I hope this ain´t one of those times.

Well, back to the story. Jim did not know what it was; was it the warmth of the moment, a ray of a bright light of morning sunshine or just an illusion in his head. Six months ago it would have been an angel in paradise. 18 months ago just a devil in disguise.

All the same there she was, Mary, sitting in the same room with him. To tell you the truth Jim still at this very moment does not know what his feelings for her were. Maybe that could be called one in a billion chance moment. Sorry, I apologize, that would not do her justice. But I am trying to tell you, what truly happened.

It was one of those moments, when you are kind of afraid you will break the illusion, which will probably not come true anyway. Will illusions come true sometimes? Hopes do, don't they - sometimes. Hey, hey... but this is no illusion: there she was alright. This is what
I am trying to explain to myself. I mean he was. And still is. Jim, I mean...

Excuse me, I needed a cigarette break. Oh well, it is six am. Another cup of coffee. See you next time.

Tonight at ten past twelve I went to the balcony for a cigarette. Out there I heard a nightingale sing. Another answered. It was beautiful. And I thought of you. Now I am writing this with shaking hands...

My first "poems" in English and then the story goes back where it started from

I do repeat myself quite often. As some of you know I started this blog with a Mary and me story last Spring. Originally I wrote it in fifteen chapters about 12 months ago. When I wrote it I did not have any experience in writing in English.

As I now have studied some creative writing, I shall rewrite those original fifteen chapters here. This is not because there are some new readers but because there are no readers at all.

At my writing course I was forced to write a couple of haikus as well, my first "poems" in English. To give you some examples what a stinking writer I still am, here they are.


First a tradional one:


A bird is singing.

Squirrels are playing wildly.

A dark cloud gets nearer.



Then a modern one:


Nothing much to say.

Trying to write another.

Cannot do it right.



Right after this Mary and me stories go on again...

Tournament, Part 4

I've got some news. Did not make it to finals. Predrag and I have beaten Paul in our last games against him. So now Predrag is leading with two wins, I am second with one win and one loss and Paul is the last with one win and three losses.

I got still two games more to go against Predrag. Predrag just made a brilliant move with his black ones and I shall lose quality. So practically that is over for me now. He wins the section and gets through the finals.

I got one more surprise to show with my black ones. I sacrifised a pawn in a complex situation to get advantage. Meanwhile I´ve blocked all his officers. As far as I know I shall get an easy win from it.

All in all I am very happy with the result of the tournament. I am the fourth from 65 players and I made it to the third level, which is the highest. A tough job well done. Had lots of fun too.

The pearl of the Black Sea

Ave Maria, I could say. I spent last week with a guitar man on the coast of the Black Sea. We found a fine terrace bar with great personnel.

During daytime we spent some lazy days in sunshine listening waves of the Black Sea and smelling the salt of it. It differs a lot from the Baltic Sea.

I offered a drink to a young lady on our first day. Maria is her name. She is like an young Lady Venus. Chatting to her was like being in paradise or in heaven.

Now I've found the pearl of the Black Sea. Ave Maria.

Tournament, Part 3

I had lots of fun with a guitar man in Bulgaria last week. My third round in chess tournament got a little bit complicated. Serbian Predrag had beaten Irish Paul in one game. In my games against Paul I exceeded my time limit because my flight back was delayed 32,5 hours. We got onto local newspaper in Finland. Finally I got back to Helsinki yesterday midnight.

I sent a message to Paul asking him to restart one of my lost games. I felt it had been my mistake anyway and I would have been happy to continue just one of those. Irish are great, I tell you. Paul answered he knows how it is to have forfeited a game and told me I should have asked to continue both of the games. I was more than happy to get to continue one of those lost games. I told Paul I shall ask a million pound refund from airline for the other game. Service was not that good either.

So now Predrag is leading with one victory and has three more to go. Paul has got one loss and one win. I have one loss and three more to go. There is a lot to do in my recent games. Situations are even in every one of them. I do hope they will be interesting games in the future as well.

The best thing in it was that I had a nice chat with Paul about Irish pubs and Guinness. Some of the best things in the world, allthough I prefer Bulgarian women. I'll be getting back to you.