Chapter 15We were still in Izma when father left his mistress Olga. Olga was a very unhappy person. In 1937 she lost her husband who disappeared after being recalled from a diplomatic position in Vienna. Her only child was placed in an orphanage. In 1938 Olga became a prisoner in the GULAG. My father was her protector. She was moody and demanding. Father worked hard to please her. He was a gentleman and a ladies’ man. I did not like Olga. I decided that if father had to have a mistress it has to be a woman with a sense of humor. I wanted him to have a good time. He did not have it with Olga. One day a new person arrived to Izma. Her name was Sofia Ivanovna Jakobi. She came as a new manager of the pharmacy. She was an Estonian married to Max Jakobi, a Jew with roots in Bialystok, a town in Poland. The couple was employed by the system of GULAG since 1927. They volunteered to work within the system from fear of being arrested. Max was mobilized to the army and Sofia was having a good time flirting around. I found her to be gay, with a sense of humor, very feminine and felt that she will light a sparkle in Father’s life. I encouraged both of them. Father was smitten. The romance started in Izma and lasted until our departure from Tashkent to Poland in June 1946. In the meantime Max returned from the army. It was a happy menage a trois. I do not know anything about the relationship between Sofia and Max, but I know that he not only tolerated the affair between his wife and my father, but also came to us to ask father to spend a night in their apartment. This was in Tashkent. Max and Sofia joined us in Tashkent shortly after our arrival.
The day of our departure to Yaroslavl was almost there. Suddenly father informed us that he is being transferred to Kozva. The reason for the sudden transfer was that Max was returning from the army and should not face his wife having an open affair with my father. I was very upset because it meant that Sam would remain in Izma. Sam assured me that I should trust his ability to manipulate the superiors and that we would not be separated.
In reality, few month later Father was relocated back to Izma. Ella and I packed our very few clothes. The most important items in our luggage were a supply of flour, cooking oil. The food supply was very limited. We were not hungry while we have been living in GULAG, because we were able to eat in the cafeteria or to take our meals within the zone. Although it was not legal, bribery was very common. Father’s position of a medical director made it easier.