Komekbay. What frost, a-a? It’s only the second of November today!..
Rysty. So what?! December will come with blizzards before you know it. It’s winter! Don’t you think so?!
Komekbay, who was hanging his jacket on the coatrack at that time, gets wide-eyed and casts a meaningful look at the woman.
Komekbay. When will you quit this stupid habit you have? As soon as I start a serious conversation, you start opposing me at once. You simply can’t act otherwise! Anyway!! Who is the man in this house – me or you?
Rysty. Oybay, you, of course, you are the man! What happened? Can you explain it so I could understand?!..
Pause. Komekbay catches his breath, goes all limp a little, steps up to the korpe * on the tor, sits downtailor fashion, sticking out his chest.
[*Korpe is Kazakh style blanket]
Komekbay. Is there any kozhe*?
[*Kozhe is cooled rice soup with kefir]
Rysty goes to the closet, pours rice kozhe from an enamel bucket into a bowl and brings it to her husband. When she gives a bowl to her husband, she keeps rolling her eyes, and carefully looks into her husband’s pupils, as if trying to find out something.
Rysty. So, what’s the point?
Komekbay. The point is that I got into a serious fight with this bastard Nietali, and I’m sure there is no turning back. The fact is that I delivered two vans of potatoes, 6 tons of pumpkins, 3 vans of watermelons and melons to the cooperative store the day before. And he gave me lame 120 thousand tenge, without the flicker of an eyelash. “That’s it?..,” I asked. “Yes!.. That’s it!.. We spent the rest of the money to pay for transportation, to pay resellers, that is, illicit dealers, to pay taxes, to pay everyone else,” – he said. Well, now you tell me. It’s a real rip-off, isn’t it? I couldn’t stand it anymore and began to swear in dirty! Damn this cooperative society to hell! I’ll quit it all! So, if we don’t get out of this aul, we’ll kick the bucket one fine day! We must leave! Do you get it?
Rysty. You should’ve threatened him that you would turn to the authorities, to akims*
[*Akim is the head of the district administration]
That you would make a complaint.
Komekbay. Do you think I didn’t threaten him?.. He only grinned: “You can turn to whoever you want, even to the devil himself!” Or do you think that this rogue doesn’t know that hawks will not pick out hawks’ eyes. They are all in this together! Cut it short, this is my last word! We are moving!