'Dasha Drinks' - Limited Edition of 15 Photograph

One day when I was nearly newly arrived in the Ukrainian cihy of Dnipropetrovsk , feeling lost and friendless, I was photographing mostly youths in the city center. where most hung out. A McDonald's restaurant abutted the square next to the Central Department store, a feature of most major former Soviet cities. Unlike the United States where McDonald's is known for overcooked, burgers kept too long in the warmers, throughout Ukraine and Russia a McDonald's burger is cooked fresh -- often it is the only beef residents can afford and the only restaurant most can buy a meal in. It is often a favorite of dating couples and youths and in Dnipropetrovsk (now Dnipro) and Kiev,, a McDonalds long has been one of the central meeting points in each city, almost always full and very busy. It is a traditional place to take a date to a McD in each city as a way to splurge in a cash--starved economy. A poor but proud mother might buy a 2 liter bottle of Coke I(less gthan $$1) at a market and buy her daughter and two friends a 'Happy Meal' (and eat nothing herself) as I have seen, so the daughter could to have her birthday celebration with friends. Such a splurge can strain the monthly budget of a poor working mom, and it shows in the ordering, but Ukrainians (*and Russians too) take great pride in their kids and kids' welfare and happiness. Generally in major cities of Ukraine and Russia (in memorhy at least)( burgers are cooked hot and Russia, from memory) McDonald's has served hot food fresh off the grill with no warming ovens and thus fresh and tasty (for those who like that kind of food.) Just prior to meeting Dasha I had ordered a small burger and a diet Coke and placed my cameras on the table., arm through the straps as usual. A pretty young woman eyed me across the restaurant, and even then I was a great distance from being young; I had no illusions about young women being 'attracted to me' -- that was not possible. She was beautiful,l slender, and it seemed quite young, but she had her head on her shoulders -- her thinking was intelligent and mature. She came over and began to ask very intelligent questions; it was clear she intended to strike up an acquaintance. She and I got along well, and left the restaurant to walk a bit. I had ordered a Coke Lite which was served in a bottle, and had the remainder stuck it in a pocket. Together we walked past this poster. The young woman, Dasha (Daria), asked for a drink, just as I spied the poster. and we were walking by it. I told her to have as much as she wanted -- the day was hot and the Coke was still cool.. I walked away, turned around just as she upended the bottle and took this image. Dasha and I began that day began a platonic friendship which lasted the major part of a decade. At her request, she modeled for me a couple of years later. I met her mother and father, treated then as family at a gathering we alll and my female assistant from Moscow had in a local restaurant, and I received their approval of our somewhat unconventional friendship.. They were suspicious that anyone who was a friend of their daughter would be a 'white slaver', but such a thought never occurred to me. At that time, however, I have read that was a significant problem, an d they were smart to have questions, which were satisfied. In fact, thirty years ago, I learned a valuable lesson and since that time have not asked a woman for friendship or more; I only respond if a woman seeks friendship or more. and since have been more richly rewarded than I ever could have imagined. Dasha was ambitious but determined to keep good morals; her mother asked her never to post nude and during our friendshijp, I never asked her to and she said she never had for anhyone else. We just did things together and had a wonderful time, then she went to her boyfriend to spent time in a relationship. Our friendship was absolutely platonic. platonic. Dasha was a student of performing arts and after a while transferred to a more academic discipline. At one time she was mentored by an older economist whose plan was to transform Ukraine's society. I heard from a mutual friend she said she had dined later with the mayor or deputy mayor of Kiev, a city half the length of Ukraine away. She was smart, bold, and just a nice person, not selling herself, and engaging clearly not wishing to be stuck as her father as with a lifetime dream of 'owning a car' (Imachine) as he told me. Dasha and her family was not rich; she told me her mother, and she wore the same sweater, alternating who wore it to stretch the budget. She was not a girlfriend, but a smart person who was a friend and I did NOT buy her presents or engage in any male-female courting behavior -- we each knew the boundaries of our friendship. When a woman assistant came to this city from Moscow to live with me as a live-ion workers (again strictly platonic), she and Dasha were quite friendly and got along well together./ There is one photo of Dasha from a rare photo session she requested posted in this gallery. When photographing her in a rented flat, I was amazed how instinctively she moved as a model. She knew exactly how to move and how to present herself. I had worked with famous model agency cover girls at all stages of their careers - world class professional models -- some of the pretties and most photographed women in the industry. To my mind, Dasha was hands down the model who moved best in front of a camera. and worked instinctively without a lesson or tutoring - -she was naturally at home posing he few times I did photograph her, not on the street, as here, and always at her request. This is the day I met Dasha, the most natural model IO ever met and for a long time a fine friend. Dasha was snot only pretty but intelligent and a fine conversationalist. Based on a casual, long-lasting friendship over years it is clear she was not seeking gifts from me or anything monetary, as gifts were only given, and sparingly, on occasions mainly such as her birthday or for work done. I have felt for the last thirty years it is fruitless (for me at least) to chase women or any particular woman. I believe it best to simply '[be yourself', and if someone of the opposite sex, as friend or more, finds you interesting or intriguing they will make the choice, as in my view it almost always is the female who does the choosing. . I find that quite comfortable. I almost never have to guess how to 'please' someone of the opposite sex. I am just myself, take it or leave it. Unlike my friend and long-time model Rigta, whose boyfriend was eternally suspicious of our friendship and who sat outside in his car fuming when she came to visit for coffee and conversation, I absolutely believe it is possible for a man and woman 00 even a very beautiful woman -- just to be friends. © 2019 Photo and caption --'story, John Crosley/Crosley trust,,l rights reserved. No reproduction, rewriting, or other use of text and/or image and/or image without express prior written permission from copyright holder. john (John Crosley)

Photography:Color on Paper

Original:One-of-a-kind Artwork

Size:40 W x 26.6 H x 0.1 D in

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