When we needed an electrician, we called number seven before someone took pity on us. We crawled as best we could. We were almost on the verge of replying, “If you give me one more compliment or say ‘please,’ I won’t go.” But he said he would come. Logically, one thing is to say you’re going and another thing, perhaps the other way around, is to actually go. Theory always gives a soft beauty. Ultimately, “I’m Coming” represents a roundabout way of gaining time and not leaving. In fact, two months passed before this Monday really came.
I was surprised that he showed up with a young assistant, and although I heard it from Cangas or Arteixo, I found an accent that was very different from the Galician I was accustomed to. I asked to get rid of doubts. “I’m Russian,” he said, not interested in small talk. I didn’t see that plot twist coming. But I liked it. Russia is a fertile and vast country, full of general ideas, easy to remember, capable of engaging in the common imagination and staying forever.
It is a homeland no less than a magnificent factory of clichés in which reality, fiction, parody are mixed. A Russian electrician fits perfectly there. There is already a Russian revolution, a Russian ballet, a Russian intellectual, a Russian tsarism. There is Russian backwardness and Russian progress, there is Russian cold, Russian espionage and Russian counter-espionage. There is always an autocratic and arrogant Russian president. There is Russian vodka for every moment and for everyone. Of course, there is Russian literature, Russian satellite, Russian mafia, Russian beluga. There is a Russian tanker, a Russian assassin. We have Russian gas, Russian dissident, Russian poet, Russian made car, typical poisonous Russian, Russian roulette, Russian exile who won the Nobel. There is a Russian missile, a Russian scientist, a Russian assassin, a roller coaster, a Russian peasant, a Russian salad, a Russian submarine or a Russian vaccine. Finally, we’re talking about a country that is brutal yet fascinating, full of anti-heroes but too many idols. Maybe an electrician will balance it all out.
Source: Informacion
Ben Stock is a business analyst and writer for “Social Bites”. He offers insightful articles on the latest business news and developments, providing readers with a comprehensive understanding of the business world.