Agreement with the Enemy - New Year's Eve (10.)
Young families with children made up the majority of all new residents of the house. Perhaps because of this, the first New Year's Eve became an important bonding element. Every door was open that night. Selected apartments were used to house children en masse (with an adult volunteer, of course), and the lower floors were used for toileting and also functioned as an emergency store of drinks, sandwiches and other snacks.
The ground floor was then a drying room, which we managed to turn into a dingy pub of the fourth price category during the night, the corridor turned into a dance floor and the street into a launching pad. Of course, all in a good way and in all honesty. All in all, a very jolly get-to-know-you party.
At midnight, we went around all the entrances and apartments in order to get to know those who were a bit more reserved and stayed away from the mainstream. It was, in short, a night of rare human togetherness and understanding. No one was angry, no one was swearing, and everyone was smiling and happy. And because there were so many of us, there were queues at the apartments. It was funny. Until then I had only known the ones for bananas or tangerines, but this one could easily compete with the ones that formed in front of Tuzex. The fact that it was the year after '89 must have played a part, too, so the relaxed atmosphere engulfed the whole company.
A lot of kids had a toy that was very popular at the time, a TATRA truck. Quite a sturdy durable product. They still make them today, but it's not the quality or the size. At midnight, someone had a brilliant idea. To have a race. The traffic in the street was minimal, the sloping terrain ideal, you just had to be careful to pick the right fairly sharp bend to avoid the construction marquee. It sounds simple, but after midnight the participants were fed up and the racing enthusiasm was pushing them to reach the highest possible speed.
I don't remember who won at that point, but a good portion of the fleet took their lumps. In the heat of the battle, wheels fell off, bodies cracked and fenders shattered, which was to be expected given the physical proportions of some of the competitors. I think that few children's eyes remained dry in the morning, as the sight of the individual cars must have been very traumatic for some fragile children's souls.
The second day was marked by resting and nursing the wounds that had been sustained so that the evening could be resumed, as there was still plenty and plenty of alcohol supplies left. Even the children had lost their shyness. All day long they continuously moved from one apartment to another and no one minded. We understood that some individuals have a somewhat more physically demanding day after a sleepless night.
That New Year's Eve laid a solid foundation for the coexistence of all the residents of the house, which was built upon for the next few years, and the dryer parties, including open house days, became very popular. Much to everyone's delight.
Only the ceiling had to be painted. There was champagne on it in every colour. A small tribute to the most beautiful entry into the New Year I've ever experienced.
8. I'm sorry. We had a lot of happy times together. Thank you for those. Too bad it all had to be, as they say, wall-to-wall. Maybe I shouldn't have given in so much. It made you notice I'm a big girl now and don't need to be led around by the hand. I should have told you to put your fatherly advice behind you.
