TURMOIL

mutual honesty and dependence…” “So?” She felt like she was going crazy. “So, dear Malika,” he lifted his chin, clearing his throat, “I finally found irrefutable proof of my suspicions.” Malika’s heart skipped a beat, but she, without showing any sign, raised careless eyes to her husband. “This cigarette butt is the proof!” Sargel said, opening his palm, showed Malika a Medeo cigarette butt. “I remember well the last time you smoked in this house, it was a long time ago, but this cigarette butt was completely fresh. So, you smoked it in the house when I was in Moscow. But was it really necessary to throw the cigarette butt under the sofa?! What a lack of respect, what stupidity!” Malika sighed in exasperation. Well, that’s exactly what she was afraid of. While Sargel dangled at the capital, she, Bagila and Jasyn went out to a restaurant in Koktyube. It was there that Malika met Madiev. She took a liking to him immediately. He immediately fascinated Malika with his con- cepts, his pure assessments of people, his mind-blowing education, she had never even heard of such a person before! Well, it’s necessary to have your own opinion on any issue, to speak so freely, easily, raising yourself above the vanity of life. Yes, she was infinitely far from him! “Why aren’t all people like him?” she thought then. “Why? Well, maybe not all, but at least half, maybe one quarter of people could be like Jasyn. Why are they too lazy to rise a little higher above themselves, why do they love a grey monotonous life?” She mentally compared the best men she knew with Jasyn and laughed involuntarily. As soon as they left the restaurant, Malika really wanted to express her affection for Jasyn, to somehow prolong such a wonderful evening, and she invited him into the house. Everything was wonderful! However, one thing was not good: after Jasyn’s departure, she felt completely illiterate. Malika became bitter. She understood well that between them lay a gigantic abyss that she could never overcome. But no matter what happened, she would not hesitate to rush to him, but as soon as Malika began to think about it, Bagila appeared before her. That evening, while cleaning up after a guest, Malika accidentally spilled the ashtray. Then, shutting her bedroom door tightly behind her, she wept for a long time in bed because

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