Day 17

Today was a good day money-wise. Sunday and folks were in a good mood. Can’t remember much too exciting, but I had fun. Walked over to where Valentine hangs out. We started talking about various musicians. I mentioned Sonny Rollins and we started singing the melody to St. Thomas, Monk, we sang Straight No Chaser, then to the Russians, Tchiakovsky, whom I didn’t really know, so I sang one of Brahms Hungarian Dances, and Brahms wasn’t even Russian, but I figured, geographically speaking they were somewhat close. We go into the writers. Gorky. Tolstoy. Checkov. Mayakovsky.

“America #1. Good country. Best schools. Musicians up here,” Valentine says raising his arm up high. “Russia no good. President no good. All KGB. No money. All musicians leave Russia. No good music.”

“My English no good. I take all tests long time ago. I’m citizen, but English no good. Only talk to Russians, no English, you understand me? You understand?”

He tells me he’s getting good practice by speaking English with me. He teaches me some crazy sounding Russian words, ones I can’t remember, but that means horrible looking face, something not just ugly but that you hate and despise. He makes an Icibob Crane face as he does this. I’m not sure why but I teach him the Spanish phrase, “Manana, manana.”

As I leave he says, “See ya Set’. America #1. Ah yes, America #1.”

His arms are raised and a big smile displaying very old jagged teeth is painted across his face. A little kid walks by him and he plays, “Twinkle, Twinkle, Little Star.”