CRISS-CROSSING
Shortly before New Year, just a couple of weeks before we broke up, F. told Usenkova and Perova to stay after class. They sat in the second row, right behind us. F. delights in their beauty. Says they are like heroines in an American western, the blonde and the brunette. But I doubt any of us, heroines included, could really appreciate this compliment. F. also says Usenkova looks like Catherine Deneuve, only prettier. Anyhow, she called them both after class and the next day, one of them blabbed: F. gave us a scene from Twelfth Night. The fuse was lit. The news spread like wildfire, reached her ears two days later. Instant explosion: explosion with no explanation. F. called Lenka Blank and me after class – she happened to be sitting at my desk that day, Irka was ill. F. did
