WHAT a sad country Russia is. Even the success stories turn sour.
This is a tragic tale of talent wasted, of a mother agonising over her son. You will understand why I cannot identify my subject. Let us just call them Mother A and the young man N.
N was an inspiring example of a creative entrepreneur who made a fortune relatively cleanly by the dirty standards of Russian business. But now, when he has every reason to be happy, he is drinking it all away.
Alcoholism is the Russian national disease. N is killing himself with alcohol, his desperate mother believes. "Every night he is in the Up and Down club," she says referring to a new nightclub next to the Foreign Ministry press centre in central Moscow which is said to be one of the most expensive in the world.
These days Moscow is nearly as full of casinos and clubs as Las Vegas. But the Up and Down club where the wine costs $500 a bottle, is the place to be seen. It was here that the ultra nationalist politician, Vladimir Zhirinovsky had himself photographed with the Italian porn star La Ciccolina.
And N loves the nightclub too.
"He was there again the other night," said his mother. "I was talking to him on his mobile phone. After our conversation he forget to switch it off. For three hours I could overhear what was going on at his table. He was getting drunker and drunker. The waiters kept coming up to him and saying, `Sir, don't you think you've had enough'? `Sir, shouldn't you be going home to your wife?'."
"Quite apart from his health, think of the money he is wasting," continued A. "I think of the phone bill for that evening alone. His business is going to ruin.
Desperately trying to save her son, A has tried to take him to a hypnotist, as well as to a doctor for an implant intended to give him a revulsion to drink. But he says he does not need treatment. Now A - like many Russians, a superstitious woman - has taken N's photograph to a Koldun (a white witch) in the hope she will work on his image to stop him drinking.
The situation was so different only two years ago. N, a linguist by training, was not one of the "golden youth", the children of the former communist elite who have not only kept but added to their wealth and privileges in the new capitalist Russia. He came from an ordinary family. His father was an army officer and his mother a cook.
But he was brilliant at understanding the new free market. He imported small cheap items for which he knew there would be mass demand. In a matter of months, he had a turnover of millions of dollars. He did it without the violence of the Mafia, although like the majority of Russian businessmen he fiddled his taxes, thus contributing to Russia's present economic crisis.
At first, he enjoyed being rich. He bought the apartment next to where he lived to create a luxurious double apartment for himself and his wife. They travelled extensively, all over Europe and America, as well as to exotic tropical locations. He gave a little money to charity.
But like so many new Russians who have wealth without the corresponding culture he did not really know what to do with his money.
"He is sliding down the same slope as his father, who was also an alcoholic," said A. "He gets incapably drunk on wine, on whiskey, on vodka, anything. He is like a baby. He sits on the divan and - excuse me for saying so - wets himself."
He may be a difficult customer but the Up and Down club is still happy to take his money. So is the GATE (the traffic inspectorate). The other night, traffic police stopped his chauffeur driven limousine and, seeing how much cash N had, said Gen Lebed had introduced new currency rules which required them to "fine" him $500 on the spot. "The poor idiot, he paid."
I told the tale to a musician who has not received wages for six months. "I have no sympathy for him," he said. "He could help orphans, build a hospital or sponsor the arts, instead of living like a pig".
Resentment is building up among the mass of poor Russians towards the few who have become obscenely rich under President Yeltsin's rule. Some fear there could be a new revolution.
But I feel a little pity for N. After all, he was up and now he is down.
