Now Velvet did not understand anything. Now he did not know what to do. Hedgehog in the fog, a blind musician in the darkness of the night, he did not know and did not understand whether to move his hand, move to the right or left, and if you move, for what purpose.

Yesterday everything was very clear and simple. Everything lined up in the simplest logical chain of events and phenomena; the chain had the smallest number of branches and nodes. In the morning the sun was shining - ominously black glasses were hoisted on the forehead - the obstinate tram easily caught up - the lectures stretched long and cloyingly, like a candy-toffee - the crowd to the disgust of the tasty-smelling canteen enveloped the hungry bee hoop of a hungry student - in a quiet lilac alley, they went to the page. in an unnatural superman grin on a friend's lip — it was difficult, despite the heat, to swallow a bad, watery beer in a dirty, but extremely hospitable pub in the back of the universe — a few The earmuffs in colorful envelopes, leaning against the player tiredly, caused an incomprehensible despondency from the impossibility of decisive choice of music (it was all equally good) - a cool gray evening creepingly crawled onto the balcony - and finally, about the long-awaited moment at the approaches to midnight! stunning size of marine binoculars with a pleasant weight filled his palms.

Velvet was waiting for this minute. I waited daily and hourly. The sacred minute entangled in its drowsy viscosity took on tangible, albeit unintelligible, forms, and when falling asleep, in his thoughts he held her close and sank into the weary languor of sleep with her. All night he dreamed of this minute, she swam over him in the syrup of the night, tickled her light down of wings. He woke up from a joyful premonition of an inevitable and joyful meeting with her, with this minute, the arrival of which represented the same rigorous law as the alternation of day and night.

Therefore, the velvet's eyes were flung open themselves, without any effort on his part, and the severity of the upcoming day cares had no power over the sure delight of inevitable happiness. Therefore, Velvet was not frightened by any Komsomol meeting or a trip to the dentist or something else of an unpleasant need. Therefore, neither the upcoming exam, nor the next explanation in the dean's office because of the missed seminar did not put a shadow on his face, which is always glowing with an even gentle light. Therefore, neither rain, nor snow, nor even a tornado outside the window could destroy its always upbeat mood, like that of a Spartan or a village idiot. However, a fool can take away some wretched, but dear to his heart toy, the Spartan grieve faint-hearted companion. Put the velvet noticeable and tangible for him the fate of the difficult. With a nondescript minute invisible to others, a grain of sand of a crushing time stream, he was protected, like a spacesuit, from all adversity.

If he were asked to say what he sees his soul, he would not hesitate to call his soul a wonderfully sparkling substance that constantly warmed his solar plexus from the inside. The very substance that turned around the desired moment, its moment, in a drowsy run-up to its beginning, after which nothing in the world existed except a powerful optical tunnel connecting its inflamed eyes and those two, merged in the perfect ballet of love.

- Well, Byron Verlenovich, (pause, an attempt to look into the eyes) - today again?

He needs to answer. But, Lord, I do not want! How tired ...

- What's again?

- Will you watch again? (you need to be a cobra to make such a somersault of the cervical vertebrae).

- Having eyes yes smelled.

What can you say? Have to laugh it off. Idiotic. In another way will not work. The idiotic question is an idiotic answer.

(A trickle of smoke melts beautifully against the azure sky).

- So you will ... (sigh is heavy, like fate itself).

Ariana - a girl of heavy thoughts, match your physique. It is impressive, convincing, monumental. Especially the hips. They convince once and for all - yes! man is the king of nature! With such powerful hips, having pushed (or simply strangled) all the other creatures of God, one cannot help but stand on top ... And at the same time, Ariana is the second cousin of Velvet, which in itself means little. If not for one circumstance: Ariana without memory is in love with Velvet. Such a bad luck.

But even the fact of her love would not be terrible if she had not experienced the cruel inner need to constantly monitor the object of her passion. Watch so that he constantly feels her caring look, and even better and hot excited breath somewhere in the back of the head. She could sit for hours on the contrary, behind the back of Velvet, contemplate his hairstyle, ear maze, folds in trousers, without uttering a word. When you are scrutinized hour after hour - it is painful, but when, in the midst of the fourth hour of observation, suddenly out of nothing, and most importantly, in the middle of silence, a stupid, stupid question is born - any one will go mad. But Velvet can not afford such a pleasure.

Spring days they spent in the alley, near the temple of science. Velvet leafed through a thick textbook on copromatics, carefully memorizing giant formulas. Ariana sat side by side, quietly, almost not dragging on, smoking Bulgarian cigarettes ... Sometimes she could not stand it.

- It would be better if you got yourself a normal girl, went to the cinema with her, prepared for exams, gave flowers or bought ice cream.

- Preparing for exams with you is the sweetest thing, no one can compare with you in turning the educational process into a quarantine. - The unread page turns over, because nothing else can be done with it. - And ice cream ...

Another in his place would have long used the thick brick of a textbook for the most correct purpose, dropping it on Ariana’s head. Her head looked so strong, the volume of the "Opromat", with all its desire, would hardly have caused her any appreciable injuries, and the educational goal would have been achieved.

- Hold 15 kopecks, ice cream is sold around the corner, you know.

The worst insult for Ariana would not have been invented by an alcoholic, Uncle Lesch, who lived with her in the same staircase and had a disgusting habit in a state of easy drinking. Offer her a blatant, disrespectful form of ice cream! Like all sweet ice cream in its concept belonged to the category of poisons. Nicotine, on the contrary, was not only not harmful, but also a substance useful for losing weight. Very, very.

“You are a pig, Alexander,” in such cases, the offended Ariana always switched to “you,” even in communication with relatives.

- Well, why? - A discreetly affable smile that made the Velvet look like, as it seemed to him, the American president, gently slid over his face. - Madam, I give a nail for clipping - you are mistaken. The bet is ready to hold that what you said is completely unfounded. And what's more, you are dangerously mistaken. And your delusion is especially dangerous because of the nature of a naive and sincere character, Madame ...

Everything. The cops were out of work. Now it’s his lot - to serve as a similarity to the Gospel, on which the fingers of velvet tightened in an impetuous prayer gesture.

- Madame, the leaves are already falling ...

A cigarette drops onto a lawn - it means a stranger has appeared nearby, who may be confused by the look of a young, well-bred, but smoking girl. Turning his head, Velvet actually sees a battered peasant, perched nearby on a bench. But the little man is completely detached, and Ariana’s addiction to nicotine worries him just as much as the amount of steel produced in the country. It seems ...