The hazard only wanted me to be born and raised at Perimeter Zero. It was the area in the north of the city, extending from Arcul de Triumf to Teheran street, an area inhabited by the members of the Nomenclature. This neighborhood presented some disadvantages in the ?50 when I stayed for a whole year with my luggage packed and ready, hidden under the bed, because we expected to be evicted overnight; in the ?60, when I was seriously bitten by the dog Dax, not just any dog, but a guardian trained to kill, whose owner was the sister of the president Gheorghiu- Dej; in the ?90, when our house was hit by bullets and decorated with the poster: ?HERE LIVE SECURITY AGENTS!?

In the 80 though, the Perimeter Zero was an oasis placing you in a utopia city, provided that one didn?t go too far. Early every morning, the streets were washed with foamy and very perfumed detergent, in the evening cars would pass, having brightly colored little brooms, collecting the small amount of dust that had gathered during the day; the lawns in the middle of the street were planted with season flowers ordered as a carpet with ? national? geometrical motifs and at the end of each little street there was an immobile armed militia man. At night all the street lamps were lighted, so that one couldn?t sleep unless one drew the blinds down. I sometimes felt very free and powerful, because I could wander at ease in the district no matter how late, under the protective look of the militiamen.  I understood rather quickly though that I wasn?t the one they protected, when a neighbor of mine nearly got raped in the street by the son of those who were really protected.

On the evening of 21^st December, the same militiamen tried to prevent us from going to the University Square; they had suddenly become counseling, rather than oppressive. (125)

After I left the vocational school, I went on to work for the National Phone company. That?s what somebody had advised me to do and I acted on the advice with best results. You were asking me about the 80?s. I made some good money. Most of the day I was away visiting customers at their homes, bag on my shoulder, just as I do now that I am a cable guy. As early as that there were people so scared they gave me money even before I opened their phones to look at them. Their greatest fear was that I might plant some bug in there, you know, for tabbing the calls. So they thought that if they gave me a generous tip I would just fix the problem without putting in a bug. What can say? I never told them I had nothing to do with that kind of business. I just said nothing, took their money, fixed the phone and left.