Chapter 12. The fight continues. Who will win it?

After waking up in the morning and having a quick breakfast, I headed to the beach in the hope of seeing my girlfriends and in their company dispel my gloomy thoughts inspired by the breakup with Lena. Picking up a few cans of beer on the way and buying dried fish from a peddler, I settled down in the shade of a large spreading tree on the edge of the beach and sipped beer with a fish with pleasure. The girls hadn't appeared yet, and I pulled my cap over my eyes and fell asleep unnoticed. I was woken up by some kind of midge crawling on my chest. I shook it off and continued to lie half asleep. But the nasty fly began to crawl over me again, I slapped it with my palm and opened my eyes and instead of a midge I saw Tatiana's laughing face. She was jokingly running a blade of grass over me.

"Hello, minx," I said to her. - You're having fun. You're going to get it from me now. And where is your girlfriend, did you lose her or did you quarrel with her again? - No, she said she would come later, went to the city, she needed to buy something, but I didn't go.

- And why do all women like to wander around various shopping malls and shops there. Don't feed them bread, just let them look. They can walk for two or three hours and they won't buy anything worthwhile. And I can't stand it. What's the good of hanging around and staring at the windows. And you can't get them out with ticks. They love shopping almost to the point of insanity, you might say. Their eyes run away at the sight of rags and various trinkets and trinkets there. If I don't buy it, at least I'll try it on... You're all ragpickers, in a word. What to take from you.
- And I'm not all.
- That's how it is. Interesting. So you're special here, not like everyone else.
- Yes, I am. - She said defiantly.
- Yes, it's noticeable. You are very wayward and you love to mock and make fun of everyone. You especially like to make fun of me. You'll finish playing someday, you'll piss me off and then you'll get it, you mockery, you won't be happy. I told her, smiling jokingly.
- What will I get? She asked with a sly smile. - Say it in my ear. I'm burning with impatience.
- What would you like? Berries, raspberries, or good candies, or maybe some delicious pies. So this is us in a flash, and you won't have time to blink an eye. For the sake of your beautiful eyes, we are ready for anything, just say the word. I don't feel sorry for anything.

- What would I like? She said thoughtfully, repeating my question.
- I want a lot of things...
- Well, for example. - For example? "What is it?" she asked, looking at me. And, after thinking a little, she began to write on me, running her finger over my chest. "I want to be your girlfriend," I read, and, extremely surprised, not at all expecting such a confession from her, I was confused and did not immediately figure out what to answer her. But then he still found a way out of the awkward situation in which he found himself, and in order not to offend her, he decided to pretend that he had read what she had written incorrectly, and began feverishly selecting approximately similar words, and then, after a short pause, he said: "I could hardly make out what you wrote, but I think I understood everything. Well, as the ancients said, a woman's desire is the law. Let's go to the bazaar." — What bazaar? She stared at me in surprise.
— Yes, there is a small market nearby.
- Which market? Tanyusha asked me questioningly with perplexity.
- What does the market have to do with it? Oh, what do you want there... there? She asked in confusion, her eyes wide open in surprise.
- Well, what is it? You said it yourself. I also pretended to be surprised, I told her. - Well, rather, I wrote it. There I will fulfill your wish, and you will get what you want. I will give you this pleasure, with pleasure. I laughed at the pun. - It's just a little strange to me, you could have told me about it a long time ago. What a problem, Tanya. And how is Masha? Maybe we should wait for her. I understand your wish. Let's find out from her how she feels about this and what she will say. I think she wants it too. In short, let's deal with her. And now let's have a beer for a jerk and complete happiness, as they say, let's have a good time. Take the fish, too, I handed her a can of beer. Let's have a little fun with you. And then let's go and buy some more fish, they sell such a cool fresh, salty sprat or whatever they call it, hamsa, or something. I love it, and we'll buy all sorts of things at the same time, some fruits and something else, boiled corn, I really like it. Do you love her? And some other nonsense.
- What kind of corn, what kind of nonsense? Tanyusha asked in surprise, almost opening her mouth. I don't understand anything.
- What do you mean, which one? An ordinary one. You didn't try it.
- I don't understand anything. Why do I need it?
- Don't you love her?
- What are you talking about, I don't understand anything.
- Well, you wrote yourself what you want, so we'll buy you a melon there.
- What kind of melon?
- Well, you wrote that you wanted a melon. I said with an innocent expression, looking at her. Tanyusha looked at me with undisguised surprise.
- So did you write something else, I didn't understand you, did I read it wrong? That's why I was surprised about this melon. She looked at me blankly, and then she realized that I had misread what she had written to me, and she attacked me with a laugh, and we jokingly began to fight with her. But it was clear from her that she still doubted and did not fully believe me. It's good that I realized in time and pretended not to understand her. I thought. It would destroy the lightness and ease of our relationship and our carefree and cheerful company. I did not even think about a serious relationship with Tanyusha, absorbed in thoughts of my wayward mistress, who won my heart and continued to torment my soul. When I read what she wrote to me by the movement of her finger, I was surprised to think: wow, this is the number. Is she joking or is this serious?

Thoughts about Lena haunted me and pushed such a revelation from Tatiana into the background. And most likely, it was another of her jokes and jokes. She really likes to prank me. And I deliberately, as best I could, changed her words by telling Tanyusha:
— You wrote to me yourself, as far as I understand you: "I want a big melon like this."
Which, by a stretch, roughly coincided with what she had written: "I want to be your girlfriend."-

So did I misunderstand you? What did you write? I asked her when I saw Masha coming up to us.- Okay, never mind. Tatiana answered vexedly, looking at Masha.

- And here's your girlfriend. Hi, Masha. Have you lost us and can't find us?

- Yes, I got a little lost. Masha answered in the same tone as me. - What are you keeping a secret about?

Where were you going to go? At her words, Tatiana, blushing a little, answered her:
- Yes, Vlad promises to treat us with melon. So big, so big that you and I can eat our fill. And they didn't want anything else. And also a low-salted corn called hamsa with boiled sprat in addition, she said and laughed stiffly. - And what did you buy there, show me and unceremoniously reached into Masha's bag.
- Well, since you found us, then have a beer with a fish, help yourself here. I suggested to Masha.

- What are you rummaging through, you're searching my place. Masha shouted at Tatiana, blushing slightly when she began to take out of her bag the things Masha had bought: tights, underwear in transparent packaging and other small things. Nervously snatching the laundry bag from her.

- Oh, my. I found a problem. She was shy. Vlad didn't see any women's panties.

- Maybe I should try it on too. Masha said nervously.
- And try it on, there's a locker room, and Vlad and I will evaluate your taste and whether they suit you.
- You'll get over it. Go try on your underwear on the beach yourself.
- Well, I can try it on. — Vlad, will you help me? She burst out laughing. The beer was strong, and I, just like Tanyusha, felt slightly intoxicated.

— I would love to help you, Tanyusha. But the three of us can't fit in there, the locker room is too small.- And why the three of us? Tanyusha was surprised. Masha also looked at me with undisguised surprise.
- Well, of course. You will try on your underpants, and I will try on mine. Ha ha ha, everyone roared with laughter. And Tatiana, pushing me slightly, said, "Well, you're a humorist."
Having laughed a lot, sipping beer, we silently looked at the crowded beach, at the azure sea spread out in front of us, sparkling in the sunlight, and everyone was thinking about something different. Then Tatiana suddenly asked: "But tell me, Vlad, what do you like most about women?"
- I don't even know, you won't answer right away. Probably a lot of things.
- Well, for example, in Masha, what do you like the most, Tatiana asked, smiling slyly. I looked at Masha, her cheeks gradually began to turn pink, but she was not indignant as usual at Tatiana's remarks concerning her, silently waiting for my answer, like Tatiana.
- In Masha, I thought. "What I like most about Masha is that she doesn't bother me, like some curious Barbarians who got their noses pinched at the bazaar because of her too much curiosity," I laughed.

- That's right, you noticed it, Vlad. It's high time for her to pinch her nose so that she doesn't stick it where she's not asked. Masha said happily. And that Barbarian at the bazaar had her nose torn off, not pinched, as the saying goes...

- And you shut up, Masha, they're not asking you, don't bother, you'll comment later when we finish the interrogation and bring this sub out into the open. He's so nimble, you can't get a hold of him. Maybe he's a marriage swindler of some kind. He insinuates himself into the confidence of naive girls like Masha and me, and then lo and behold — no money, no suitcase. Ha ha ha, I laughed.
- So marriage scammers don't steal suitcases, Tanyusha.
- yes. What a smart guy, but where do they hide their money and jewelry when they run away? Eh?
- Come on, admit quickly where you hid everything. Masha, check the bag. Your tights and new panties are in place. After her words, we all almost fell over laughing again.
- Okay, now tell me what you like about me. Not expecting such pressure, slightly intoxicated  Tanya, I didn't even know what to say to her.   
- Yes, I like you all, Tanyusha. Unless you're too strict. And too sharp on the tongue. I'm even afraid of you sometimes.
- You understand, Masha, who we contacted. A conman, and even a coward, it turns out. And we laughed merrily again. As I continued to joke with the girls, I still felt some kind of anxiety. Some vague thought was bothering me. But I couldn't figure out what it was. And suddenly it dawned on me, and I realized what was bothering me and what led me to this idea, which arose immediately after the girls' altercation, when Tatiana began to dig into the Car bag. Masha's bag. "A search," Masha said then. That's it. How did I not think of that right away. He can easily arrange a search of Lena's room in her absence and find this record. I need to warn Lena to hide it somewhere else, just not in my room. How did I not think of that right away.
After fooling around and swimming a little more with the girls in the sea, I, citing urgent matters, left them, deciding to talk to Lena. When I called, Lena was there. I told her my thoughts, and she agreed with me. You can expect anything from him. She said to me, "Come to my place at four o'clock, I'll call him, and you'll back me up again, like that time. Can you come?" I promised to get to her by that time. Well, that's great, I thought. I'll see her again. When I arrived at the appointed time, I discussed our action plan with her, and she called him. About twenty minutes later, he knocked on the door. I went into the bedroom and listened to their conversation.
- You will tell me everything as it is. And don't you dare lie. Lena told him.  - Now I have you in my hands, but if you tell me the whole truth, then I probably won't touch you and won't take revenge, although I should after your disgusting behavior and the trouble that you caused me. But why the hell did you give up on me? But I can do it. You know. I have only to whisper to Pavlov that you are spreading all sorts of nasty things about him, which I have heard from many people, and even in my presence, they say, you spun a lot on him while drunk. You know, unobtrusively, fleetingly, as if by the way, when talking to him. And this immediately alarms and changes the attitude towards a person. And it's very easy to believe, my dear, since I seem to be a disinterested person. To whisper to his wife and to some of his inner circle. And I'll also share it with my hubby, too, so casually. And Kolya, then these rumors from different sides and from different people will quickly grow into confidence and conviction in your hostile attitude towards him and that there is something behind it. Someone is digging under it, and you need to be dealt with and neutralized. Get rid of you. And it's not difficult for him to do that. He'll just make you write a resignation letter or stick you in some kind of hole, and even with a demotion. And you'll get drunk out of frustration there, and you'll be kicked out like a dog just for drinking. It is easy to throw mud at any person, but sometimes it is very difficult to wash yourself, especially when you have a lot of enemies and envious people, they will stipulate in such a way that you cannot justify yourself in any way. There was silence. There was a puff of smoke, he lit a cigarette and suddenly said:
- Don't you think, Lenochka, that I can, just like you, present everything you say in a slightly different light, and interestingly, you confirm this with your own words. I'll just put it all a little differently and more plausibly. After all, we think differently. And then it turned out just, you can say, just a small misunderstanding. We just didn't understand each other. Well, here, of course, the devil confused me a little, not without that, it happens. I'm a man, not some kind of monk. I saw you when you were running half naked down the hall. I knocked that jerk out, and you threw your arms around my neck and hung on to me. I was confused even at first, not understanding what was happening, and after your fervent hugs and such a stormy expression of your feelings for me, I thought that you wanted to mess around with me, that this little guy didn't satisfy you, apparently. But I had no intention of forcing you to do that. You provoked me by snuggling up to me half naked. Who can resist here. If I didn't agree, I wouldn't lay a finger on you and wouldn't climb up to you, knowing who you are and who your hubby is. You'd have to be the last idiot to do that. And when I saw you with this jerk, drunk and undressed, it flashed through my mind that this slut would not refuse me, especially as if to her defender, drunk and warmed up by this jerk. And for no reason at all, you hit me in the head with that ashtray. So trust me, any man can understand me. It turns out to be a whole joke. The circus is simple. The wife of a high-ranking official who came to the concert with her and who is present in the hall, runs naked along the corridor of the concert hall during a festive concert, and her lover chases her. They decided to play hide-and-seek, or role-playing games on a sexual basis, getting drunk or stoned to the point of stupefaction so that they even forgot where they were. The circus is simple. And your fable about some kind of haute couture rag doesn't sound very convincing, go prove what you had with him there. Who would think of interrogating your major how much time you've been playing with him? And about this rag that you allegedly tried on there, so maybe he gave it to you himself, and as a sign of gratitude you decided to please him there on the spot, without leaving the cash register, so to speak. Yes, you didn't share something with him there, apparently, or you just decided to have fun and not immediately get down to business, but play a little foreplay, my dear. After hearing this story, anyone will laugh at you, my dear, and will never believe your, sorry, pathetic babble about some kind of couture lampshade. And you will disgrace yourself and your husband for the whole city. And the colonel himself will laugh to tears when he hears this anecdote about you.
Just look at what a scoundrel he is. How he deftly arranged everything and got out of it. I thought indignantly, but a shadow of doubt crept into me. Yes, who will sort them out there, these insidious and cunning creatures, these beasts in female form. Yes, her attitude towards me, which has changed so dramatically lately, directly indicates that I mean little to her, and she easily changes her lovers. It's even surprising that she didn't get rid of this scoundrel in this way, because she's not used to such adventures. And she lives with her husband, whom she does not love and even hates and despises in her heart. I began to get angry at her and suspect her of hypocrisy and lies. As if she somehow resembles the treacherous woman described in the famous novel, this heartless and calculating hypocrite who will step over anyone. Yes, it's not for nothing that I probably nicknamed her My Lady. I was getting more and more excited about myself.
- Yes, you put it well. I heard her voice. - It's not for nothing that you seem to be held in high esteem in your office. But you forgot the main thing...
— No, I haven't forgotten. And that's exactly what I don't really care about. And where are you going with this record of yours? Do you want to embarrass yourself and your family? You cheat on your husband left and right, change lovers like gloves, and sleep with just anyone. You've gotten to the point where you're sleeping with a scumbag hired for money, and, wait, you don't know who else. Maybe even with someone's agent. And you'll have to explain what you've said there, or maybe you've already been recruited, too, dear, and if I report this to the management, this record won't help you, but on the contrary, you'll worsen your situation. That's what you're trying to blackmail me with, trying to pressure me into giving false information up there. And what I was talking about is really not known only in the bazaar, and the top management will not allow anyone to touch me. And he'll check everything I said. And it's not going to be me who has to explain about this, as you understand. And then the question arises: what exactly is my fault? That I suspect my superiors of something untoward there? But these are just suspicions, and they are not blamed on anyone, and they need to be checked. And then it will be revealed that everything I said is true. The pure truth is just that. And as an honest employee who did not succumb to your provocation, with which you are trying to hide your connection with someone's agency, no one will EVEN think of reproaching me for anything. On the contrary, they can also reward you for your vigilance and professionalism. And she'll check on your husband along the way. And then everything will come out. And maybe people will come to ask you questions soon, my dear. And you will have to explain yourself not here, with me, but in another place. You've gained a good reputation for yourself. Yes, after such a scandal, your husband will either have to divorce you, or leave the city for nowhere, forever ruining his career. And your high patron, to whom you are going to go with repentance in order to cover yourself with it and then thank him in a certain way, which you yourself confessed, will probably not be well either, dear. He will also have to answer unpleasant questions from his superiors. And he has plenty of envious people and contenders for his place. They will happily devour and not choke. There was silence after his words. They both fell silent. What a U-turn. I thought. He incredibly turned things around so that she turned out to be an ordinary whore, and he himself is generally a hero, and he should also be rewarded for his meanness and meanness. And he, in fact, got away with it.
- What, Kolenka, do you think you've won? Did you beat me, put me on my back?
- I haven't put it down yet, he grinned. I'm waiting for you to lie down on your own.
- Look out, dear, so that you don't have to lie down yourself.
- It's interesting. How is this possible? Do you prefer the top? He laughed.
- Literally, and not at me, but at the bunks, dear. I forgot that you were talking to me while drunk about your friend, the trace of this, as you called him. And what you did to him.
- It still needs to be proved.
- They will prove it, don't worry. It's not difficult. You know how it's done. You blurted it out yourself. Have you forgotten? They fell silent again. Well, Lenka, well done. You can't knock her down that easily, that's what she gives you. She's just a smart girl. She pushed him against the wall again. I admired her resourcefulness, forgetting about this episode from their previous conversation. How will he get out this time and what will he do, I thought tensely. And soon I heard his surprisingly calm voice.
- I'll tell you what, Lenochka...
And what he said to her next surprised me very much...

                For the continuation, see Chapter 16.