Consequences Unforeseen

Msocow - June 12th 1991 - Ripples in time

 

Msocow – June 12th 1991 – Ripples in time

 

10.30am on a bright and gently warming Wednesday morning saw Vnukovo Airport, Moscow’s oldest and at the time most dilapidated airport, welcome the arriving President with total indifference. His return form the Crimea was unannounced and unexpected by all other than his immediate staff and advisors. The usual hubbub of departure and arriving planes was transpiring as usual, but it seemed uncannily quiet to Bill Douglas none the less.

He felt strange and out of place in the entourage as it descended the always steep stairs from the plane to the waiting limousines. Thinking about it later he realized that it was a tingling unease and the quiet voice in his head rather than awkwardness that was troubling him.

The two hour flight back to the Capital had seen both men relax to the extent that fun had been poked at each other and at the expense of the new British Prime Minister and at what Gorbachev considered a misguided concern for his own personal health and political wellbeing.

“You’ll accept yet another lift from me, will you indeed, after all that beating you and your government took from me on our journey?” Gorbachev chuckled as he ushered Douglas forward towards one of the cars. “It’s a bastard of a journey into the city from here, but you’ll be faster with me.” Douglas went along literally for the ride. He gave a fleeting thought that “God knows what I will learn on this one?”

Raisa was a forgotten ‘wife’ or so it appeared, but the reality was that she had other plans in mind than listening to more bullshit from her husband and was moving quickly ahead of them to the second vehicle and already yelling at the driver to “Get a fucking move on and take me home immediately.” Thoughts of a warm soaking bath and a firm relaxing massage were uppermost in her mind. She hated flying and was glad of the Scotsman’s distracting her husband and even now presenting her with a great excuse to escape the tedium of political discourse.

Gorbachev though had no intention of discussing politics overtly with his guest. The roads into Moscow had not been closed for his arrival and he knew that the journey could take almost as long as the flight itself. His ever active mind had decided on an amusement he particularly enjoyed, normally at his wife’s or visiting politician’s expense. It was a quiz of sorts; one in which he asked the questions and usually was the only one able to produce the answers.

Gorbachev had an encyclopedic knowledge and total recall of events comprising personal, historical and incidental. On past journeys such as this, he amused himself and amazed first time companions with his ability to recall what he had been doing on a specific day and date throughout his lifetime. More though, he was able to sprout what other items of note had taken place on a global scale on any specific day and date.

Elections were to take place today, Wednesday June 12th in Moscow to select the President of the Russian Republic. His preferred and sponsored candidate was Nikolia Ryzhkov and he intended to lend his personal weight today against the alternative contender Boris Yelstin.

In his mind this was to become another significant date in world history, and he had been called back at short notice because things were not going according to plan. Yesltin, despite payoffs and pressure both clandestine and above board against him, was edging ahead in predictive polls an opinions.

The big car was warm and inviting. The vodka laced coffee delicious and the journey was going to be tedious so he had a perfect set up for his revelry.

He began on a different tack however, hedging his intent with an innocent enough question. He nudged Douglas gently and asked, “So do you know what date it is today, Bill Douglas?" And he smiled, sliding his head to one side as he spoke. Douglas realized with the inflection that this was a rhetorical question and allowed Gorbachev to continue on.