“Did you hear? I sneezed three times. Let it be four, I will sneeze again… Father, let’s compete with each other in counting.”

And he begins counting: 1, 2…11, …29….34. He does it so quickly that one can’t help laughing. And then suggests that I count backward.
I begin counting: “34, 33, …20, …,19,…” And then he begins counting backward: “10, 9, …0. What is beyond 0, Father?”
“There is another world of numbers beyond 0, Davit.”
“What world is it?”
That world is still to be considered by Gevorg and me. I myself don’t know how to open the doors to that world when they are knocked on…
New questions are raised. Davit wants to know the explanations to all the words.
“Pavements are for pedestrians, for walking people, Davit, ”
“What does a pedestrian mean, Father? Let’s unravel the word by detaching it and then putting the parts together.”
While walking we unravel the word by detaching it and then putting the parts together.

A chess lesson wuth Davit. Photoes by Zaruhy Araqelyan

We left the rally in Azatutyan Square. Davit had insisted on joining me. He also wanted to take part in the rally. Eating ice-cream we went down Yeznik Koghbatsy Str up to Aram’s crossing. Then we went into the yards of new- built blocks of flats. I wish we hadn’t done so…. What misery of the rich!… What a poor exchange with my old Yerevan!…Everything is not pleasing here… the buildings, life, care…
“Why do you come here if everything makes you angry, Father… Let’s get out of here”
We walk past the building of unreconstructed Children’s Department Store and move to Republican Square to drink water, breathe fresh air and wash Davit’s icy hands and face.
“Father, we wish we took a dive in the pool, didn’t we?”

June 19, Azatutyan Square. Photoes by Armine Topchyan

But we are in a hurry because Shushan has just telephoned and said that she is coming to see us. Shushan is so much thrilled by my bicycle that she doesn’t even notice that I have had my hair cut. … I am seeing Shushan off on my bicycle demonstratively riding a short distance after the taxi Shushan has taken. Shushan’s and my main concern is to fix the date and form of her jubilee solo concert… My delightful daughter is becoming 20 and she is determined to mark the day with a solo concert.
“Shusho will sing, and we will applaud, Father”, Davit likes to repeat. I am trying to reinforce his expectations.

Our primary school summer camps are becoming more important day by day and they attract and entertain me more and more like the reviews in June on their fifth termination day, on the 19th of June… What a busy day Friday turned out to be! …meetings, discussions, concerts one after another.

The success of our High School-gymnasium Experts’ Club team in the intellectual contest “Awakening Generation” was a good present for us from Vahram Tokmajyan. Come on, Experts!

Nara Nikoghosyan and I had a good walk around New School summer camp territory. The campers have changed so much with my favorite Gayane Sargsyan. In this case the campers are both Sebastatsies and non-Sebastatsies. I imagine the camp life as a sort of tournament. Our camp tournaments are to start next week. They will also be open to other camps in Yerevan… Competitions in swimming, running, cycling, gymnastics, chess, intellectual games, Mathematics, beach technology will be held. One of the summer camps of the Educomplex may become the center-organizer. The Mother School may become the center with its Experts’ Club, with the group of learners preparing for the “Knight” Camp, with the group of learners preparing for the International Space Camp in Izmir, with the “Space Club”, and of course with Arnold Michaelyan’s Chess Club. Seven 6-10-year-old members of the club were able to meet the requirements of the fourth-class chess player and got their certificates.

I have promised the summer campers swimming in indoor swimming pool and educational country studies trips. The power system of the indoor swimming pool has been mended, and the Houndai has been repaired. Come on, summer 2015!

Yards and beaches of the schools are being improved. Photoes by Anahit Melkonyan.

Shushan-Arevik have brought smart toys from Vienna: a box of chocolate cars, an aeroplane that gives off soap scum.

“Put it into the fridge, let it melt. I will see.” He opened the door of the fridge several times to see if everything was all right. He wanted to have a bath with the plane. On waking up in the morning he ran up to the fridge, took out the box and admired it.
“I will swing, eat one of the chocolate buses and then go to have a bath.” He was enjoying himself. “Shusho and Arevik have brought it for me…”

Photoes by Armineh Abrahamyan

The aeroplane filled the bath with soap scum, and Davit sank in it… Only his voice was heard, “Father, Father”, trying to prevent me from running away on my bicycle.