host and hostess arose through the fault of Sargel. If his wife did not pay attention to anyone, especially men, if she did not look at the sweets that were offered to her and defiantly sit down before him with the air of a woman who has cooled down, if she had not been fond of anyone for a long time, if she does not need anyone apart from her husband, Sargel’s mood would be great. But unfortunately, such moments were rare, especially in recent times. No matter how jealous her husband was, no matter how furious he got, Malika did not even think to restrain herself. She had long understood that her husband was incapable of action, that there was not even a shadow of determination in him, the ability to make any decisions, to act sharply, authoritatively, like other men. Sargel was well aware of his flaws. The consciousness of his own weakness corroded her from the inside, and sharpened his nerves and brain. At such moments, he literally fell ill, became frighteningly nervous, suspicious. Malika was the exact opposite of him. On long evenings, the husband would be shuffling soft room slippers, paced between the study, the dining room and the kitchen, muttering about something with displeasure, whilst Malika behaved in accordance with her mood, not even trying to change her husband’s state of mind for the better. At first, Sargel did not miss the opportunity to demonstrate offended pride, however, he did this as a rule, in silence. He understood that he could yell at his wife, even give her a thrashing, he knew that such behaviour yelling, even beating would not do him any good, on the contrary, mutual hatred would spill out, their confrontation would become open, and so to avoid a breakup – he keeps his hands back. And at this age, in which Sargel is, an open struggle could only promise him defeat. And he was forced to choose another kind of resistance – silent discontent. Over the years, this po- sition of his became completely helpless, and gradually he began to obey the wishes of his wife. To obey invol- untarily, with the hopelessness of a desperate person. But Malika did not consider this a victory, she was so confident in herself, as if she knew for sure that her will would triumph in this house, she was perplexed why her
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