The Professional (Profesionalac)

Belgrade, October 5th 2000

OCTOBER EVOLUTION

THE PROFESSlONAL

-Roger! -Hawk! Hawk, come in! Over!

ls there anyone aIive? What shelI we do, people? Over!

This is the end, foIks!

ONE YEAR LATER..

What are you Iooking at, you idiot!

What do you want? Get out!

Teja, please..

PeopIe, go back to the printing shop!

l'lI get the distinguished manager to the printing shop!

This firm is 1 50 years oId and he wants to put it out to a.

What was it? -Tender -Yes, tender!

He wiIl selI this firm onIy over my dead body!

He wants to drive us out on the street,

to rummage through the trash cans tiIl the end of our days!

What are we going to do with the chiId?

l'm asking you for the Iast time.

-l don't want to see the child -You don't?

Where to? Where do you think you're going?

You don't! Eh, you wilI not, even if you want to!

The workers are waiting for you.

They want to go on strike.

lt's okey They haven't had a strike in 60 years.

lf you don't go to the meeting, they wilI come here

To come in through the door and to go out through the window.

A man is Iooking for you. He's Iooking a bit strange.

You have lipstick aIl over you as though you kissed a vampire

Who is it? -lt seems to me he's not a writer.

He certainly is a writer. Everybody writes these days

and nobody looks Iike a writer anymore.

-What shouId I telI him? -TelI him I'm out

l've already toId him so. He said he knows

that you're out, but that you should see him anyway.

-He didn't come for his sake. -For whose sake did he come?

l don't know. He's carrying a briefcase and a big suitcase.

The Iunatics were bringing their manuscripts in foIders tiIl now

He Iooks like he arrived by train a IittIe whiIe ago

Maybe he is some cousin of yours. -That's very nice!

He Iooks strange, wearing a black suitcase

and he might be my cousin? -You didn't understand me

A man couId live in this town for a hundred years

and someone wiIl always teIl him he's a stranger, a peasant.

My grandfather was a peasant and l Ioved him more than anyone

He asked me, if his oId buddy Teja was here

Let him in, but caIl me in five minutes

Make a lunch reservation for half past two.

After lunch we're going to my place, for dessert

Please, come in

Good afternoon

Good afternoon

Sava is a great painter after alI

lf l was a painter, l wouId paint just Iike that.

What can l do for you?

You don't know who l am?

-You don't know me? -l don't. l'm realIy sorry..

Can l put the suitcase down?

-Of course Take a seat -No, thank you I'm in a hurry

-Are you maybe. -A friend from the army?

Do you remember your story ''My friend from the army''?

-My story? -Yes. When a man came to you on the street,

hugged you and asked, ''Do you see some of the boys?''

You were confused, as you are now, and asked him,

''What boys''? ''WelI, the boys from the army.''

You felt better, at least you had some information

So you said, ''Of course I do.''

''And who do you see most frequently?''

You said, ''I often see Marko Sedlar.''

The man looked at you, Iowered his eyes and said,

''I am Marko SedIar''

An interesting story, but unfortunateIy it's not mine

Yes, it's yours. You just forgot it

Excuse me, but who are you? What's your name?

My name is Luka Laban

lt seems it doesn't ring a belI?

Mister Luka, aren't you by any chance mistaken?

There are severaI men here caIled Teodor.

But onIy you're calIed Teodor Teja Kraj.

Only you are from Sid and your mother

is from Sumanovic's family. Sava is your cousin.

l'm not going to keep you very Iong

l know you have a meeting with unsatisfied workers

They don't want their firm to operate in the private sector

-To be put out to a.. -Tender -Yes.

And after the meeting, if you survive, you're going to Iunch

with your secretary and girIfriend Martha

-How do you know that? -Today is your 48th birthday

lt is

Mister Luka, you had bound those manuscripts by some book binder?

l didn't dare. My daughter did that and l wrote the titIes

They often Iose or ruin manuscripts? -Even more

They sometimes denounce you to the police,

if something is ''especialIy interesting''. -They do

The police shouId work for the peopIe, not otherwise -Right

What are those books about?

This bIue book has the title ''Orations''. Short and sweet

-AIl four books are Orations? -The green on is a colIection

of short stories ''Stories from the Iost home''

The black book is a coIlection of urban stories.

Something like Chekhov's stories

-You like Chekhov? -And who doesn't?

Chekhov wrote the story ''Sadness'' based on my Iife.

That book is particuIarly interesting.

l see. A large book. -Pigs are Iarge, and books are voIuminous.

You used to telI that to your students

as a professor of literature. ls that right? -Yes.

Unbelievable. Splendid.

-Just one question, sir -But can l ask you something?

Don't calI me ''sir'', pIease lt doesn't suit me welI

l've been a comrade, Mister Teja, for sixty years

-AIl right? -AIl right, comrade Luka

l've told you he has a meeting and you can't come in

-No, he has a meeting! -What's the matter, Martha?

He's yeIling at me like l'm that wife of his.

-Why are you shouting, Jovan? -She won't Iet me in,

Iike you are The President of the United States!

And how do you think you could get in without an appointment?

Did you visit the ex-manager whenever you wanted to?

l did not -You've been seeing him once a year

And now you're bursting in here, yeIling your guts out!

You are Iate for the meeting. The workers are waiting

They've been waiting for sixty years,

now they can wait sixty minutes!

But Mister Teja, THIS is not THAT anymore!

Comrade Jovan, THIS is reaIly not THAT anymore

The workers are on strike as of today. l'm the president

of the striking committee. -Congratulation!

l'lI join you too. l didn't get my saIary in two months

This is about seIling seIling this building.

l know I'Il be there in ten minutes

-Don't cry, Martha -He's yeIling at me!

l didn't even touch her My wife doesn't cry when l beat her.

That's it! Get out of here!

Excuse me, you have a red spot on your coIlar.

What's going on here?

lt'lI be just five more minutes. -Five minutes?

Mister Luka.. Comrade Luka,

the workers are on strike, l'lI have to go down.

No probIem, l'm in a hurry too

But I'm Iooking at this painting. lt's Iike reaI snow.

One couId almost make a snowbaIl.

Comrade Luka, you're not a writer by profession? -No.

So, you did aIl this after your working hours?

Yes -WelI done. l've been a writer for 25 years,

and I've written only two books so far.

l've been working a lot.

My regular job in daytime and this during the night

Do you have perhaps more manuscripts in the suitcase?

No The suitcase contains Iots of stuff. -What stuff?

Lighters, keys, gIasses, gloves, caps.

Caps? Are there many of them?

-WeIl, about a dozen or so. -Do you like caps?

l've never wore them As you see, I'm wearing a hat.

l've coIlected these caps. And lots of other stuff.

The suitcase is so fuIl, that I bareIy closed it

Comrade Luka, l'm gIad to meet you

l'm going to read alI this

and you can come by in two or three weeks

-l'm sorry, I can't -Why not?

l'm going to have a surgery. They're scheduling it today

-ls it something serious? -No. If I survive

What shouId I do with your books? -They're not my books.

Not yours? - No -But whose are they?

Yours.

-What? -Yours, of course

-Those are my books? -Yes Those are your books.

-Take a Iook. -What are you taIking about?

Teodor Teja Kraj ORATIONS

Martha, just five more minutes. l'm a bit confused here.

Those are my books, comrade Luka?

Don't Iaugh, pIease

l just thought you're a serious man

and you're bringing me my books.

Don't Iaugh I'm Luka Laban, a retired policeman.

A poIiceman? -Retired major of the State Security.

You have been ''my case'' for ten years

l've been foIlowing you for ten years, every day

Those are your Orations, your stories and your encounters

and discussions whiIe you were a so calIed dissident.

l've been foIlowing you,

taping you, Iistening in to your phone calIs

and I've been ''taking down'' aIl this from the tapes

-And one day.. -What happened one day?

Nothing.

What happened one day?

After October 5th my daughter asked for your file.

From the fiIe she made aIl those books,

before she went to Canada Forever

Your daughter was working for the police too?

l asked if your daughter was working for the police.

-Anna is your daughter? -Yes

-Your daughter? -Yes, my daughter.

-You must be joking -Why shouId I?

-Where did you get these from? -l took them

Some in the Iine of duty, some privately.

-My God, Anna's your daughter -She was my daughter.

-What do you mean, ''she was''? -She went to Canada

and got married there I didn't see her since, she doesn't caIl.

Why doesn't she caIl you?