My school friend Anka prohibited me from befriending other girls. Svetlana Kolesnikova was a classmate of ours. Despite her academic struggles, she earnestly sought friendship with me. One afternoon, when Anka invited me to her place after school, Sveta intervened, insisting I join her instead. "Shut up, you cripple," Anka retorted sharply (Sveta was limping). "Ladies, I am capable of choosing my company. However, if there's discord, I shall opt for solitude. I am proficient enough to study by myself." With that, I departed. Despite Sveta's limp, she managed to catch up to me, persuading me to accompany her and I agreed. With no one waiting for her at home, she promptly set up a gramophone for our enjoyment, boasting an extensive collection of records. As I listened to the music with heartfelt enjoyment, I reflected on the various gramophones I had encountered in my life – the first in Obsharovka (belonging to its owner), the second at Mahota Styopa's, and now the third at Sveta's.
Though I never revisited her, I proceeded to teach my female peers to dance the tango individually, whether in the school corridor, on the street, or in the schoolyard. It was then that I realized the folly of assessing individuals solely by their academic performance. Despite the Latvian girls' average scholastic achievements, they proved far from mediocre. They exuded warmth, did not quarrel, remained obedient, attentive to one another, honest, and dutiful. While Lyudka Kalashnikova excelled academically, her character fell short of virtue.
This realization solidified my understanding that one's worth cannot be measured solely by their academic grades. It took me a year of schooling to comprehend this truth, by the time I reached the sixth grade. Leafing through an old album, I encountered photographs of both fifth and sixth-grade classmates. Regrettably, amidst the faces captured in the frame, including Kolka Rodin (who incidentally appeared in the photo with the milkmaids), there was no sign of Styopa or Sasha Vertiy – both personal favorites of mine.