|
Chapter 6 - The Ross/Fisher Station.Nicolai seemed to have developed a special regard for Heather after their bold exchange about the troubles of the world. In this sense, Heather may have helped to change the world. She may even have helped Nicolai to change. Nicolai was a powerful man with high level connections. Also, there was one important area in which Nicolai excelled above everything else. This was his ability for making speeches that enabled a general audience to comprehend complex interrelationships. I wasn't surprised therefore, when he called us back three days later and told us that he wanted to set up a lecture tour to present the essence of what he and Heather had discussed, to Russia's government and the military. He told us that he would love to have Heather participate. I told him that an approach like that might even get the ball rolling in the USA, if the subject was well presented by a high level official like him. Nicolai promised that he would think about an American tour. He even said that he would come for a personal visit the next time he was in the area. He enquired from Ross what the water levels were in front of our bay, at low tide. He said he might bring the Typhoon if clearance can be arranged. Nicolai gave his lecture a trial run in New York, without Heather participating. Naturally, we were all invited. In fact, he wanted us to come so that we could offer "suggestions for improvements." Unfortunately, one of us had to stay behind to man the surveillance station since Dag and Al were still in training. Ross volunteered. He pointed out that there wasn't much point in going to the lecture since we already knew what Nicolai was going to say. Of course, he was correct in a naive kind of way, because he forgot to realize that Nicolai had a talent to explain the most extraordinary idea in the simplest fashion, so that anyone could understand what was involved. That was more than evident that day. We could hardly recognize that some of what Nicolai presented originated in the discussions he had had with Heather. The whole thing had become his thing, his show, and he was proud of it, and rightfully so. He was also proud of Heather for "contributing valuable ideas," as he put it, and he acknowledged this before the whole world. He even invited her to stand up in the audience and be recognized. This time around, when the lecture was finished, Nicolai didn't vanish as on previous occasions. Instead, he expressed a keen interest in meeting all of us on Ross' rock "where the real thinkers" are, as he put it. Since he had already obtained clearance, he gave us a ride home the next day in one of the submarines that in previous years had patrolled the area. Evidently, Nicolai had the power to do this, which probably violated every security protocol in the book, but then he was the naval security chief who probably wrote the book in the first place. That's just the way Nicolai was, a bit of a dare devil and a show-off, and I loved him for it. He even stayed for supper that day. Before we ate supper I asked him to join me on Ross' balcony. I wanted to show him where the fishing trawler was sunk after the launching of the cruise missile. I brought a small dish of olives with me for a special reason. "Would you like an olive?" I asked. "Yes," he said and helped himself to one. "Does the world, olive, mean anything to you as a name?" I asked. "I don't think so," Nicolai replied, "but why do you ask?" "I knew a woman once by that name, a very gentle person, a beautiful soul. I met her in Russia a long time ago, in a resort town at the Black Sea. The name of the town is Sukhumi. I remember this woman as a very dear person who was keenly interested in making our world a better place to live in. She was a music student at the time. I remember that you were giving a lecture there, at a peace conference on the second last day. I just thought you might know her. She was as keenly aware of what was going on in the world, and what needed to be done, as you were. So I thought you might know her, because of her political involvement?" || - page index - || - chapter index - || - Exit - ||
|
