Restaurateur
Saveliy Libkin

Continuation, the beginning you can find here:

• Pаrt 1
• Part 2
• Part 3
• Part 4

And the city continued to change. The clubs like Skazka, Love Café and others which were intended for 3-6 months of active business have been opened. New momentary interesting projects-mixes like restaurant-lounge-bar-casino-club-sauna-banquets-sushi have been opened. The word «fusion» became a strategy, a flag and best-seller at the same time.  Even communists masked as reformers asked about «this» during business lunch at executive committee cafés and bars. Business has flirted actively first with the most depressed population with the help of sushi and discount, then with first hereditary or newly celebrities with the help of word combination luxury limited edition on the dark green background and in gold-filled frame always.

Arcadia became a branch of Thailand gradually and in its cheapest version. Middle class traveled actively because many residents of Odessa didn’t correlate themselves either with first or with the second ones and respectively preferred to spend their money in that place where people did their best for them. Exactly on this background the short menu from 14-17 steaks and ten salads-snacks in the restaurant at Deribasovskaya street has perceived oddly enough and successful. That is why Steakhouse has celebrated its first successful five years in simulated-endangered half middle class society. Meanwhile the first waitress of the restaurant already have bought cars and stopped to pay attention on foreigners.

Mariana, the star of that time with a huge breast and managerial voice still tried to find a candidate for a position of husband-friend-sponsor. Casting has taken place constantly, but the first tasting in the overby hotel Spartak indicated that Mariana has more luck with short-term suitors.  One of them, Ruslan by name, constantly came to the restaurant with one-meter-long dark red roses and as if by chance has left them for Mariana after a dinner. Even if it was another shift, the flowers were handed over to her the next day and her heart melted a little under such a flower pressure.  In a month approximately Ruslan disappeared from the list of everyday guests and that fact has been seen as regularity. And in one more month Mariana declared that she will marry, quit and move to the capital. In a half a year Mariana came back to Odessa and came to the restaurant again, but the staff was recruited and she was offered a job in another project. Ruslan became the regular guest again but he didn’t spend money for flowers anymore. Sometimes, when he was drunk a little, he asked about Mariana but he was rather afraid of calling her.

Meanwhile Sofia Akopovna has opened small café for children at one of the most depressed regions of the city. She stopped to drop in at the restaurant and listen to the criticism regarding usage of different foreign additives. Raya has taken a walk at Deribasovskaya sometimes and at that always in the elongated dresses, so that shin will be covered almost to the top of the shoes.  When Raya walked over an accidental prey she put on special waxen-pale mask and her greeting became restrained kingly. Dress code wasn’t changed. One day Raya has been noticed in the restaurant with rather interesting southerner, maybe Italian, and that time on her face was noticed uncommon for Raya extensively self-satisfied smile, as if it was saying – life is a success. Then Raya also disappeared from Deribasovskaya for a few years and at the same time from the lips of all-seeing staff.

That time hotel Spartak situated on the opposite street from the restaurant still gave a treat to foreigners and sometimes to local residents by the rooms without hot water and grey not bleached sheets at a price 12-15$. I doubt someone tried to bleach them, and the salary at the state hotel didn’t consider such carefulness. The name was justified by every detail and nuance of the hotel. The cost of room didn’t include a girl. And taking into account the fact that passports were registered, not many ladies dared to show their documents. A guard could drop his eyes and don’t notice a lady for about the same amount but only late at night. The rooms could be checked; at least it was said by grown plump ladies at the reception who has specialized in post soviet hospitality. Other hotels at Deribasovskaya, Passage and Tsentralnya, were oddly alike by ladies, services and conditions. The entrance to Spartak was just opposite the restaurant and staff enjoyed very much watching who exactly and with whom entered the hotel.  It was more interesting in winter, as there were more local residents. Sometimes but very seldom, could be observed a few couples from the guests. But it could happen only if quantity of alcohol turned off inner cultural-social qualification.

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