I was embarrassed about her predictable failure, about her parents' trust in the magic power of the teachers and of the presents that can lure them, but I was stupefied and euphoric at the same time to concede that I had a certain power and brought the family a certain fame?

When I first entered her house, I realized the cultural prestige: it was a peasant house with obvious signs of customs welfare kitsch. When trying to enter the first room in front of me, I was invited to enter the library.

Just like a palace, the house had a room specially designed to be a library. In the family's opinion, the lessons were supposed to be taught there. It was a room surrounded by shelves filled with volumes of "Everyone's Library" Publishing House. A table with wrought-iron garden chairs, like in summer restaurants, lied in the middle.

When I was still working, the director of the Computer Center wanted to help one of his friends, in charge of oil distribution all throughout Tulcea county: his daughter took the faculty entrance exam. To avoid any suspicion, we organized collective lessons. She would come with her class from Tulcea to the Computer Center where I gave them private lessons together with some colleagues of mine. When she passed the exam, all her tutors were invited to a trip in the Danube Delta, on a special ship. I accepted the lavishness of fish specialties, of all goods and services with the same embarrassment and guilty pleasure. I was ashamed to "cooperate", to take advantage of the power of a local big cheese, but I did it after all?I also gave private lessons to a girl whose parents worked at the fridge factory in Gaesti. She was awfully good and we already had a fridge. We thought one more would do. But on 21st of December 1989, at noon, I taught her half of our last lesson. I saw the girl off the station about the crowded town and then we went to University Square to see what was happening?(87)

I gave private lessons in chemistry. I had a student nicknamed Simina Ficatel (Liver Simina) Simina Pieptisor (Chicken Breast Simina), Simina Pulpita (Chicken Leg Simina) because the girl used to bring us chicken liver, breast and legs instead of money. She brought us double-yolk eggs from a farm of the Central Committee.

We also received Galbena de Odobesti[1] and Kent cigarettes. (S.A., 154)