Standing in line for currency

The special correspondent of Znak.com Ekaterina Vinokurova followed the people and went to buy currency. She reports to us about what she saw there.

I hate to stand in lines: I, as always, are late everywhere, begin to get nervous, and if buyers begin to bicker with the saleswoman, then even an internally animal. Even in lines, people call on a mobile phone, clarifying whether the required number of kilograms of potatoes is bought, listen to music - to my misanthropic taste, they are too loud - they are slow, shout ... I don’t like the queues and I am always nervous in them.

This time everything was different. There were ten people about us and sat. Having settled with my coupon on the couch, for some reason I immediately straightened my back. No one was talking, the phones called, the neighbors did not consider each other and did not look around at all. We stood in line in the exchange of currencies in order to pass the rubles cheaper in our eyes and buy dollars “for everything”.

Approaching the window, people did not scour their pockets, did not ask for certificates of exchange of currency and did not even call the desired amount of purchase. It just gets a small pack of money, disappears in the window. The rustle of bills, the clang of glass - and now the person leaves leisurely, hiding in the bag, which was very losing weight, but a pack of eyes in his eyes.

Suddenly I realized where I was. I was again in Bolotnaya Square. I know these expensive coats for our sleeping area, discreet makeup in women, well -groomed hands in men. Only we were all younger, we were twenty -five, and they still had funny posters in their hands like "stop swinging the boat, our rat is sick." Then we did not see each other for a very long time after the rallies gradually lost their meaning. My next date happened at the hearing about the reconstruction of the Izmailovsky forest park, during which it was proposed to replace the paths with tile paths, and some of the lands were generally removed from the protected area. For the first time in my life, I decided to get off my work and go to hearings as an indignant resident of the district, but it didn’t work out: there were almost a thousand people like me, instead of the hearing, I got an unauthorized rally, and I had to work as a correspondent.

I remember how everyone met joy and repeated to each other that they were not so happy from those rallies when there are like -minded people around, and you believe that you can win. Yes, at those hearings, the majority were by no means indignant old women, but slightly matured from the time of Bolotnaya, but, of course, not yet quite adult people with smartphones, trying to simultaneously solve working issues and pronounce the head of the council, who, among other things, stated that "no one would ask people at all."

It was a local victory: the project was withdrawn. The rallies were somewhat crushed. I saw these people again at the headquarters of Alexei Navalny in the elections of the mayor of Moscow, and then suddenly abruptly - at the procession "in support of the Crimea." Since then, we all, it seems, only did that we cursed in social networks, and, of course, there were no more reasons to get together.

Now we stood in line in the exchange of currency. Absolutely adults who do not know what will happen to us next, and hiding confusion and fear behind this gaze right in front of themselves.

My turn. Gloomy cashier. The depreciation of my small savings has been temporarily stopped.

I'm leaving, looking in front of me. The queue does not end.

From the editorial office: Here you are, children, a good song. Do not be sad!