Memories of the border area

In Russian times, you couldn't go to the sea whenever and wherever you wanted. On the Great Sea side, opposite each village, there was a band of a certain length of a few hundred meters, outside it was not allowed to appear. Time was also limited: from May to early October, from nine in the morning to ten in the evening.
Many times it happened that when they came from the hay meadow tired, sweaty, people wanted to cool off at sea, but - too late! - may not. However, I never looked so finely. It happened that the soldiers did not hit, but if there was, we tried to explain what was going on and we could often get along with them. But, how many border guards felt great at that time, but the local natives - humiliated! This is evidenced by this event.
Once I came to Mazirbe with a goat, took it on my breast and drove along the forest road to the house. At the border guard point outside the fence, several soldiers dug a large hole, and the boss himself, the major, also changed. He was a Latgalian, fluent in Latvian, but spoke only exceptionally. My mood was awake, a thought came to my mind. I stifled the torment, tied it to the roadside by the pine tree and went to the green ones. Approaching the major, trying to take some military stance, but swaying under the influence of drunkenness, not very cleverly smashing some Russian syllables, I reported: “To-varišč, major! Razreski obrakitsya! ” The soldiers all turned as one and watched, say, 'what is this drunken private person doing here? In a slightly pitying voice, I told the officer in a Russian lie that I had a pretty serious skin condition, that it was good to treat it with sea water, but, lo and behold, the season would end soon, and I wouldn't be able to go to the seaside anymore, to bring home a bucket… Major listened carefully to me, pushed his hat higher, put his hands on his back and said strikingly leisurely to walk here and there, as if thinking about something important and not just repeating to himself once and for all: Finally, he had made a decisive decision and asked in Russian: “What was your last name? Oh, Anchevich! Then, behold, Anševic, exceptionally we will meet you and help you! You can go to the seaside at any time of the day. But next to the soldiers' footprints, where they walk, put the capital letter "A". And with a slightly outstretched booted foot, imitated the lettering. All this reminded me of the times of the barons read in books and seen in movies - if the gentleman was asked, he was generously allowed many times.
I have been dealing with soldiers many times, almost always in connection with taking my passport. Because there was a restricted area here, there was often document control on the roads. I have probably been disembarked from a traffic bus about ten times, both in the restricted area and on its border. I always cause some inconvenience to the other passengers, but especially to the relatives who drove with me. Nothing bad has already happened; while the border guards called, found out, the bus waited for about five minutes to release me.
Once I got into an absurd situation, I was seated very close to the house, at the Sauna. At that time, there were some poisonous young people who wanted to stand out. We were kept there for three hours, I was well acquainted with most of the soles, because we often played volleyball, football with them. I felt almost at home among the coma, but detained… Finally, after some formalities, we were released at home. It was a dark, late, rainy autumn evening. When we got to Pitrags, we were wet and soaked like shepherds, but one of our trio was still up to Mazirbe.
When my daughter Sanita was three or four years old, on a dark, late evening we went to the seashore to secretly watch as the border guards, arriving by special car, slowly let a very strong ray of light over the sea. Suddenly something broke, the dog's barking sounded, and in the darkness of the night, against the background of the sky above the sky in a warlike position with hand-held machines, two floors emerged, next to the dog. Probably the newcomers really thought that the dog had shown a border crosser. The darkness was shattered by a bright beam of light, we were taken to the car, for a while I talked to the major on the phone, I didn't have to go to Mazirbe just because I had a child… I was told never to make such beats. In the dark of night, people with guns can happen in every hurry and fear.
I have never in my life tried to consciously get into situations of risk, but, carrying a passport was an exception. Unless I needed a passport, I almost never had one with me. In the workers' bus, where the documents were also checked often, but usually they did not sit outside, everyone already knew: when the soldiers go to Gunnar, there will be more or less trouble, because he will not have documents… I had it this stupid, humiliating system: I am a local, my ancestors have lived here for hundreds of years, and I have to show my passport to a stranger at every step! It was like stubborn stubbornness and pride - I don't have a passport with me, and that's it! I never got tired of this game, even more, the further I went, the more I liked it.