He was already at the door. Not immediately realizing that his name was his name, he looked around the hall for a moment in bewilderment, then he nodded his head and went back. Seated himself in his place, he threw the deck back onto the table, and, in the manner of the preface, quit:

- If you have time and want to listen, order wine and devour something.

While I was transmitting the order, he silently and intently looked at the dirty nails on his short fingers of his right hand, which were blackened with oil and coal, and which featured a thick cast wedding ring.

When all that I ordered was already on the table, he leisurely poured a full glass of brandy and, slowly savoring, drank it to the end, then chewed the boiled pork for a long time, constantly wiping his mouth with his hand, and finally moved close to me, quietly spoke. ..

In 1945, after evacuation from France, I settled in the small town of Ebel, which was not far from Cologne, a year later I started my own business and already had enough money to start a family. Fortunately, a good opportunity turned up, I soon became the husband of little Eliza, the daughter of a military man who owned a factory in Cologne. I went to serve to the test and quickly went up the hill. A year later, the father-in-law sent me to Algeria on an important mission from the company. This is where miracles begin, which led me to a pitiful state. If you have time to listen to the end, then I am ready to tell you in order, and if you agree, I warn you in advance that I am not crazy and do not intend to lie to you, although the story I want to tell you is absolutely incredible, and even I myself sometimes just feel like a nightmare.

I gave my word of consent, and having drained another glass, he began to tell ...

Chapter 2

Two days later, after finishing all the work, I collected things, getting ready to go back. The steamer to Antwerp left the next morning. After finishing the fees, I went to say goodbye to the city. It was noon, there was an unbearable heat, the hot air even in the shade did not give a coolness. But I walked through the empty streets of dazzling white houses and each column was poured from head to foot with water, which instantly dried out. so I got to the long rows of canvas canopies, in the shadow of which, lounging right on the ground, lay the Algerians among the heaps of varied rubble. It was a black market. It was surrounded on both sides by high clay fences, which in long rows propped up the monotonous crouched figures in white and, as it were, made up with it a single whole. I walked through the rows, examining the goods. What is there just was not. Ranging from old holey shoes to expensive gold and silver vessels. A Hindu lay on the ground next to a pile of old, variegated rubbish, and with his tongue licked his dry chapped lips, he went over his rosary. When I caught up with him, he raised his hands and shouted in French: - Monsieur, do you want women?

I did not understand, but approached him. And he, deciding that I agreed, jumped up from the ground and, having fumbled in his pockets, took out a pack of cards wrapped in cellophane paper. - Watch this! - He said, holding out my cards. They were no longer new, but not very battered. Each of the 53 cards featured a woman and each was gorgeous in her own way. I looked at them with undisguised pleasure, and the Hindu, moving closer to me, whispered in my ear: - Monsieur, each of them will come to you at night. These women are created for love, and they know her in all the subtleties about which we, earthly, have no idea. I listened to his crazy chatter and looked at the cards. - You do not believe me?! - He asked, looking into my eyes, - I'm not lying.

He pulled me by the sleeve and, looking off into the distance with a crazy look, said in a muffled voice, stretching his right arm forward: “She will give you the sweetest caresses, the most pleasant kisses and the most fiery flesh.”It will make you forget the whole world and give you the opportunity to grasp the true pleasure in love. I did not believe one of his words, but I was amazed by the artistic talents of this market seller. And when I began to re-examine the cards for the second time, women seemed to me more spiritual and even more beautiful. I decided to buy the cards so that, if necessary, tell this strange story of the house and illustrate it with maps. As if guessing my thought, the Hindu threw, without raising his head: - Two dollars.

I paid off, hid the cards in my pocket and walked into the hotel. The receptionist told me that some gentleman was waiting for me for about an hour. I went up to the room and found my old front-line friend Karl Binker there. We happily kissed and showered each other with questions. When the first excitement of the meeting subsided and we had already expressed the most interesting things about ourselves, there was a minute silence. I looked at his sleek pink face and I clearly remembered the evening in Paris, when Karl and I were hungry, ragged and dirty, wandered around the empty and dirty boulevards of the war-frightened city and were looking for food and warmth, which we talked about before entering Paris . Is he such a womanizer now? And, as if answering my question, Karl said: - Do you want us to arrange this evening in your honor? There will be wonderful girls. I agreed. A few minutes later he apologized and ran away to make preparations for the evening, and I took a cold bath, lay down on the sofa and began to look through the maps again. The languid, voluptuous pose of the peak ace brought me into awe, and the mysterious look of the peak three promised so many pleasures that my heart began to beat faster. I was amazed by the virginal freshness of the bare chest of the nine of clubs and the grace of the six. Ace of hearts brought me into a sweet languor. My hands began to tremble finely and a chill ran through my body. For a long time, I looked at the charming figure of a lovely lady of the ace of acenee, and suddenly it seemed to me that she winked at me with her left eye, and I almost physically felt the nervous movement of her slim body in my hand. “This is some kind of obsession,” I thought, still not able to take my eyes off the beauty, and put her aside beside me. No one else has aroused my special attention, with the exception of a cherublide with its surprisingly sweet figure and long slender legs. I folded the cards, hid them in a suitcase and began to prepare for the evening. Karl drove me at exactly nine in his Buick. After ten minutes we drove to a small white mansion surrounded by a large garden. The narrow garden paths were strewn with yellow sand, which made them seem golden. There was a light in all the windows of the house and there were peals of music. Karl took me to a rather spacious living room, where about ten guests, men and women, were sitting on sofas and armchairs. Among the women were very attractive. Men of all ages, uniformly and elegantly dressed. With our arrival, everything began to move. I was introduced to each guest in turn, and then all by a noisy crowd headed to the next room, where tables were arranged for four people each. The mistress of the house came out, a slim miniature woman with pitch-black hair, flowing down soft waves on her bare shoulders. The sweeping neckline made it possible to see her pale pink elastic roundness of her breasts, separated by a narrow dark groove. She was wearing a black satin dress that reached to her knees. The dress on the right was so deeply cut that when walking, bare legs above the stocking were visible. She shone with jewels, beauty and youth. We met and I, as an honored guest, was invited to the table. Her name was Salina. Her father, a rich American, encouraged all the whims of his daughter, considering it the height of the originality of his last name. She was fond of exotic wild Africa and for the second year in this mansion constantly celebrated her youth with numerous friends. One half of the dining room was free, and there was located a small jazz.With us at the table sat best friend Salina Margarita Count and Karl. Dinner has begun. The glasses sounded, the toasts sounded, the music thundered. Salina invited me to boogie dance. she danced passionately ... Read more →