My grandparent, Vasiliy Panteleevich Nezhinskiy, was born in 1901. When hе was 16 years old he was called out as a private soldier in the army ( then tsarist). He recollected well of it. When the Grand Duke arrived in order to check up the unit, he took kin interest in feeding of soldiers. A ladle was put in the centre of the mess-kit with soldier porridge and God forbid, if that ladle could touch the mess-kit's border.
My grandparent was not at the front. The fratricidal war broke out. Presently we understand better ,what occured in the army in those times. Grandparent betrayed nobody, did not come over to smb's side, he simply served. About that time he told little, but emotionally. It was so interesting to observe him watching the film "Quiet Don". With enormous pleasure he took a sits to watch the first series about cossack, peasant life. But only he saw revolutionary events he was not himself. In spite of his severe appereance he was soft, kind person in usual life. But revolutionary moving of the conscious masses on the screen changed him in a furious and dangerous person. He jumped crying that it was nothing but lie. He threw chairs, TV-set was near to be thrown through the window. All domestics were banished from the room. At that time such a spectacle as TV-watching was an uncommon thing аnd to loose that opportunity was like the heaviest punishment. But nobody argued with him. The Television set was off to the film's end. Than grandfather cooled down. But later "Quiet Don" was showed again and grandparent with great pleasure sat himself to watch . And everything repeated over again. I was able to watch this film till its end , since my father got the apartment and we left the grandfather's house.
If grandparent served up to 1925, so his tales about those times were very poor. He often remembered the army commander. He called neither his name, nor surname.That person enjoed universal esteem in the army. But because of smb's denunciation he was condemned and executed (by All-Russian Extraodinarly Commission)
During the cossack's revolt on Don my grandparent was taken prisoner, as well the whole army. He stayed alive by a miracle. Captives were undressed to the underwear. War-dogs hid money under clothes. Such boys like my grandparent,did not hip upon that idea. Hungry and humble they were turned out through khutors. In one of the khutors they stole two sick slices of bread. It was the graviest crime for him in his life. I think so that those slices of bread were specially left on their way. There were executions. Grandfather asserted, it was the general, who chose him to show a demonstrative punishment . He stepped to him, took him by the collar by one hand and raised him over the ground with words: " Red bastards, you should be hung up!" Grandparent was not Red, espessially bastard. That was the bastard, who said that. Cossacks did not allow to hang up him. They were on sentry duty by grandfather's parents and upon their request they searched for him. He was found in time, thanks them for that.
After captivity grandparent went to the hospital, where he was unspeakably lucky. He was settled in the household unit. Grandparent told about Stalin's arrival in Caricyn. The tsarist staff coaches, the one armoured train was ahead and the one was behind. The well-armed guardians worn leather jackets. Nobody was passed in. It was unknown when the train arrived and nobody saw its depature. After departure all stores with rice were empty. There was hungry in the town.
In spite of his favorable duties, grandparent recovered with enteric, spotted, relapsing fevers and malaria. He got rid of malaria after a vaccination against typhus. He was unconscious and was laid up 24 hours with high temperature. A blessing in disguise: he did not suffer from malaria anymore. Not all people know that the young soviet country exist practically without army about several years. The whole rank and file was dismissed. Grandparent did not wait that happy moment .He got the letter from father, in which that wrote there was nobody to plow and sow . During war years all robbed, destroyed, ravaged. Folk was accustomed nothing to do, live for a moment. Grandparent reported before the appointed time and was retired from ranks of Red Army.
Before the war he married, during the war his first wife died. Grandparent would have to start all over again. The land was divided but nobody indeed wanted to work. Many liked the slogan "Rob the spoil!". Grandparent narrated , that many conscious peasants sold their acres and lived idling on gained money some time, but soon they turned to paupers.
During the service grandparent seemed to long for his acre and peasant labour. His nature was hot ,active and hardworking. He married Lukerja Zaharovna, my grandmother, with whom he lived long and happily to the rest of his life. Grandmother recalled that grandparent hurried afield earlier than others. On the way to field they used to catch up his cart with their bags. He did not drive them, but also he never waited. He was always the same till the end of life- proud and independent. Thas was the happiest period in their lifes. Grandparent was passionately fond of horses. Grandmother told that he took the prizes on horse race. He never told me about it . Everything that I am aware of that period of their lifes, I heard from my grandmother. Once only she afforded to tell about that life. The memory of the whole generation was a taboo.
1937- One denounced to my gpandparent. I read that. God, have mercy upon that man! Three persons judged him. Grandparent had his guardian- angel, who saved him through the whole life:
The one of them stood up for him. Grandparent and his family as kulaks and enemies of the native land were deported to Kazakhstan. My mother was one year old. Most valuable that they managed to take with was a samovar. Which rescued the whole family. When grandparent went to the mine, he wrapped warm the whole family around the samovar. When he returned, he found them freezing. He worked as a timber-man, he brought chocks and chips for kindling of the samovar. To dry diapers grandmother wrapped them around her body. They had luck to rescue my mother and my aunt. There was else a boy. He did not survive. Grandparent heavily grieved. The stem of the Nezhinskih was broken on his line.
Grandparent was traumatized in the mine, his crew perished. Beside grandparent got a spine fracture. His youth and practically no mooving helped him to recover. The fracture knitted.
Grandparent received a lighter labour - on the construction site. Grandparent often remembered the foremane Maslov. I don' t remember his name. He had many constructions in the town. During the day he went around those buildings. In summer he drove on the board of the lorry. In winter he ski, and in order to be lifted he clutched at the board. Maslov was transferred to build Alma-Aty, where he absurdly perished. Grandparent built Magnitka, New City. On sunday he dug a foundation pit under artificial lakes in the park. The Park was named of the name of VLKSM (All-Union Lenin Young Communist League), lakes were poetically named as Big and Small Rica. It managed to dig that foundation-pit, only when mashinery was droven up.
When grandparent was pensioned off, he continued to work as watchman. He toilled before to his dying day. The Pension was small, grandmother was payed next to nothing. They lived on that they grew in their garden and what they sold in the market then. There were no market relations at that time, they were called as speculators.
I often remember the house of the grandparent, which he built himself . Beside grandparent had his joiner's workshop, which I often visited. I could get it hot when I took his favourite instrument. But I was not scared. I liked to see the sunrise in the morning. it was possible to do between one-storied little houses. There was a steppe nearby. There one planted potatoes. When we came on field to help grandparent, generally the one third of the acre was dug or the one third of the harvest was dug out, depending on the season. Our family was big and I spent the whole summer with grandfather. Where I expected the freedom, friends and fling.
I often think, how it managed to my grandparents to survive. In 1937 grandmother was taken ill with pneumonia. My mother-in-law did not believe it was possible to recover under such conditions. She did not believe for she experienced herself that time. But I know why. The love rescued them. Grandparent was afraid to lose the family again, his loved wife, children. Grandmother was afraid too. Her first husband perished in the civil war. They were guardian -angels for each other. I never saw grandmother objecting to her husband or raising her voice on somebody. We, grandchildren loved grandparent, his word was a law. But tender word of grandmother possesed more magic power than grandparent's word.
The eyes of the grandparent became lacklustre, when grandmother died. He did not complain of his fate, did not shed tears. Onse he asked me to spend the night with him in the first night after funeral. He feared his first lonely night. I found a good reason to refuse. Grandparent did not persist.
Grandparent has lived up to 85 years. He toilled to his dying day. He dreamed to die a light death but he died very painfully ..Because of stroke he suffered from the black-out. Not always he realized what he did. Visits in prestige (for those days) clinics were for him like a long ordeal. One day I asked sharply my mother to stop that and let grandparent to die peacefully. He suffered from dehydration. His lips were dry, cheeks became hallow. We gave to drink him boiled water from the spoon. He ate nothing. Beside I had my young family. I was between work, family, datcha and grandparent. No time to grieve. But in the morning my pillow was wet. I an not shy to confess it presently.
I knew the minute of grandparent's death. My parents did not call me , but I knew, when that happened. When we buried grandparent, I did not cry. That was absolutely another person, or rather a shell, body. His soul left for wandering.
When I mentally imagine the line of human examples, so my grandfather took the first place. Next this is my father, having the front and FAR EAST behind himself. Than I am at tail-end. My dear sons, what place will you take?