“Do you know, do buses go from Artemovsk to Svetlodarsk?” — my friend Anechka calls to me. Anya with her family removed from native Debaltsevo in a neighbor Svetlodarsk on August last year, when there began to bake in every sense.  In time of “Debaltsevo caldron“ i January, thrown into the husband’s car everything that was at hands she went to Svyatogorsk with son and sick mom. There was a refugee camp. She is in Debaltsevo now, but in Svetlodarsk stayed refrigerator and washing machine in a rented apartment. It’s normal, but the apartment’s owner continues to count paying, while her things still there.

There was only 15 kilometers between Svetlodarsk to Debaltsevo in a peacetime. Today deaf frontline border lay between Ukraine and “DPR”. Taxi costs 600 UAH, cargo taxi — 2000 UAH. Transport make a hug through Horlovka and Artemovsk, plus margin for nerves and risk. If you get to the town by your own method and call the car only in one side, you can economize. That’s why Anechka is asking about buses.  2000 UAH is for ride into the town, where earlier you get by bicycle — it’s a cosmic money! Tour in Hungary of 4 days is suggested in June for such a sum.

***

Belgian Georges Simenon, the “father’ of the famous Maigret, lived in the United States nearly 10 years, collecting material for his hard, as he called them, novels. Especially he liked desert lands of Arizona. A peace near border, where boiled not so simple life in a surroundings of Mexican Nogales.

Leafing through the novels of Simenon — with contrabanda and illegals — in hot Donbas August in usual hospital of Svetlodarsk, how could I know that soon on Donbas will be its own “Mexican border”? But except Nogales everything twisted around Volnovakha, the town on a border of fightings. Locals called it fatefully Volnovegas a long time before all events.

***

Mariupol. A call to a good acquainted from Donets. Aim: to transfer the cure — in a “capital of “DPR” is very bad with pharmacy assortment.

There was only two hours of driving between Mariupol to Donetsk in a peacetime. Today there is a border and checkpoints between this two cities, the most scale from them is Ukrainian near Volnovakha. Mariupol is Ukraine, Donetsk is “LPR”.  Conditions of transfering of box with with ampoules for patient with hepatitis C begin to remind the complication of thriller.

• It must be enough for 5-6 hours — explains pharmacist and gives the box, topped with two ice packs. For that time I already know, that at home I must put packs in freezer and medicine into refrigerator and “give it in hands before the departure in Donetsk”.

Everything is not right in a scheduled for the special operation day May 8. Ukrainian checkpoint in Kurakhovo was closed, because of morning fightings near Mariinka. Through this block-post was run all traffic from Krasnoarmeisk into Donetsk. All cars were run through Volnovakha and there appeared a huge traffic jam from the morning. Acquaintant called from South bus station in Donetsk and reported that buses weren’t pushed out from the city.

Appeared a risk, that 6 hours wouldn’t be enough to deliver and medicine could be spoiled. Next car to Donetsk only after a week, but medicaments needed to be there on May 10. We decided to risk.

• Will I have arrest for them? — asked Vovka (Vladimir) and took the cold box.
• I don’t know, it seems that you can’t transport medicine inside.

Great thanks. If something happens, I have acquaintance in Volnovakha, we can leave it into refrigerator. There is 4:30 pm on a clocks.

On 6 o’clock I’ve already known that car was clutched in 3 km traffic, where it couldn’t force away. Twilight came.

• In what time are the “curfew” in Donetsk?
• It seems that at 10 o’clock pm.
• They can not be in time. There won’t be any possibility to enter the city after 10.

I phone to acquaintance, who came back that day into to Donetsk from Kiev through Konstantinovka, for feeling the atmosphere on a block-post in Volnovakha. Train stopped earlier in Druzhkovka. Driver of a bus waited for them on a platform. Transport was booked in advance by 30 passengers.

Everybody were asked to go out in Volnovakha. The bus was searched and under the seats the products, which driver carried by smuggling, were found.

Bus was arrested, driver was denied. Passengers, hanged with bags, started to go along the roadside, braking the cars on their route.

Rides didn’t want to stop, but after an hour acquaintance grab the tail of the luck  and went to Donetsk by bus. He had his own mission. He planned to come back later, but he was afraid of beginning of shells on May 9. His wife stayed in Donetsk too. In anticipation of Victory’s Day everyone waited for something bad.

• Everything is simple — on Kurakhovo checkpoint he had somebody tamed and here everything went wrong — he explained the fail of the trip.

Number of telephone of “smb-from-block-post” became a big value. More than number of good auto specialist, barber or doctor in a peacetime. Such numbers of telephone are carefully passed from hand to hand.

***

Watches are always near me.

9:20 pm — I know that Vovka with package finally passed the block-post near Volnovakha and he was passing Elenovka, which is on a territory of “DPR”. One hour remained. One of my acquaintance I asked to send an SMS when medicine will arrive.

I think, how well, that I don’t have a refrigerator, and that’s great that I don’t have hepatitis C.

Everyone freeze in waiting of fightings on 9th of May. It is really strange to pass by working shops with brands of new series tiles, exhibited on a street. Somebody builds houses and makes repairs, but there is a shells almost everyday in Shirokino in 20 kilometers from that place. I would not risk.

For a year, I evolved into an ideal for Arizona prairies of Donbass life form — tumbleweed. I don’t have house, children, pets, valuable property. Only remote work, which I all the time carry with myself.

***

I woke up at 1 o’clock am from rumble. The alarm wailed on cars.

“It means that it’s too close and this is already “incoming”.  In the morning I knew where shells fall down. That’s good that medicine was taken out, because maybe exit will be shut”.

Then it repeated again and again. I had to climb into internet and there in a total roll call

inhabitants of Mariupol calmed each other: it’s only May thunderstorm.

I open the balcony and really — there is softly raining in a darkness.

SMS received: “ Everything is alright, thanks!” Sent in 10:04 pm,

Oksana Oklahoma for informator.lg.ua