This is me with my first wife, Olga Kalyusskaya, and our son, Edward. This photo was taken in Kishinev in 1956.
I married Olga Kalyusskaya, who came from Vadul-Rashkov, in my second year in Bucharest. She was a midwife. We met at one of my friends’ place. She was an extraordinarily kind person and people liked her. She had many friends. Actually, we didn’t register our relations, but started living together. Later, when the Cuzists came to power we registered our marriage in the town registry.
During the Great Patriotic War we were in Uzbekistan. In the evacuation agency we obtained an assignment to the kolkhoz named after Stalin of the Savat kishlak. Olga went to work as a midwife in this kishlak. Some time later a crew was formed from those in evacuation and I was appointed its leader. Olga gave birth to a baby in this kishlak. It died and we buried it in the kishlak. In 1944, when we moved to the Ursatievskaya station railway junction, our second son Edward, Edik, was born. In fall 1945 we returned to Kishinev.
Everything was fine at my home. My beloved son Edward was a cheerful and quiet boy. He went to the kindergarten since we both worked. At the age of seven Edward went to a music school. I wanted him to become a musician. My friends recommended me the best violin teacher for younger children in Kishinev. His name was Veschkautsan. He auditioned Edward and said he was a gifted boy. He taught Edward for four or five years before Edward went to study with another teacher. He spent a lot of his time playing the violin. His first teacher demanded that he played a few hours per day. I had to sign up his timetable and his teacher made sure that he followed it. Edward had all excellent marks.
