18 Stories on the Train. Алем Гулу оглу Кенгерли (Акперов)

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СКАЧАТЬ was recently hired as a watchman in the yard market. The Jabrail-Bahlul pair was considered the strongest in the quarter. Both were graduates of the University of Economics and were good at calculating moves, as well as guessing the result of the game. The first round passed at quite a pace. They won and took revenge for their previous defeat, but were unlucky in the next round. They hardly sat down when they had to get up again.

      The passions were burning. No one cared about tea anymore. Upset, Jabrail left the room. “Damn it, what an awful thing to happen,” Bahlul thought to himself and went out, following his neighbor. He had to solve his problem somehow. Having caught up with his neighbor, he began to apologize:

      “Excuse me, for god's sake, I tried my best. We were unlucky somehow…”

      “Take it easy, you lose once, you win later,” the neighbor tried to calm him down. These words made Bahlul-kishi cheer up, so he decided to move on:

      “Jabrail-muallim, you promised to give me a suitable job if the opportunity arises.”

      “I remember, neighbor,” Jabrail-muallim replied. “There’s no vacancy yet. Have some patience. I am a responsible person. If I promised something, I’ll do it.”

      “I know, brother. Heaven bless you,” said Bahlul-kishi, expressing his gratitude. It was cold outside. Bahlul-kishi decided not to hold back his neighbor, said goodbye and thought to leave. Seeing this, Jabrail-muallim, apparently remembering about something, turned to his neighbor:

      “Neighbor, what are you doing tomorrow?”

      “Why are you asking, dear? I can ask my son to watch over the market for me. I'm at your service.”

      “There’s no service. I haven’t travelled for a long time, I want to go on vacation to Kechresh, Quba, with my wife tomorrow. If you want, you can join us. Take your wife too. It will be more fun having a company.”

      Bahlul-kishi was very happy with the proposal of his neighbor. To be honest, he did not expect it and considered it an honor to set out on the road with such a respected person, so he was quick to agree:

      “With great pleasure. But I want to ask you for something. Just don't be offended, please.”

      “I am listening.”

      “I’ll pay my expenses.”

      “Come on, what kind of expense are you talking about?” said Jabrail- muallim. Bahlul-kishi answered quickly:

      “No. Please, don’t say so. I have to spend money as well, otherwise I will feel myself uncomfortable.”

      At 9 am, both neighbors stood at their respective entrance doors with their bags and spouses. Despite the insistence of Jabrail-muallim, Bahlul-kishi did not agree to get into his new Jeep. “I cannot be so impudent,” he thought to himself and turned to Jabrail-muallim:

      “Don’t you worry, neighbor. We don’t need to go far after all. Let everyone use their own car. It will be more spacious this way. And then, my Zhiguli needs a test drive as well. I have never traveled out of town on it.”

      Jabrail-muallim was not a fan of high-speed driving. He always said, “The quieter you drive, the further you get.” This characteristic was beneficial for Bahlul-kishi, since his car was old, but at the same time reliable, having never let his owner down on the way. Bahlul asked God to make sure that nothing happened to his car on the road. This might annoy Jabrail-muallim.

      They reached Kechresh. Then they went to the Ulduz hotel, located on a mountain covered with forest.

      The hotel staff went out to meet them. Jabrail-muallim greeted them by shaking hands:

      “How are you, daredevils?”

      “Thanks, dear,” the guy who stood in front of everyone said. “Everything’s ok, your rooms are ready.”

      Bahlul-kishi realized that Jabrail-muallim had called and booked rooms before leaving.

      In the hotel, the two good neighbors were also located next door. But the difference was that in the city they lived opposite each other, but here they lived side by side. Each family had their own room. About an hour later, Jabrail-muallim went out into the corridor and quietly knocked on the door of Bahlul-kishi. The latter, as if standing just behind the door, waiting, immediately looked out.

      “What can I do for you, dear?” he asked.

      “It’s time for lunch, neighbor, let’s go eat. The shashlik is great here,” Jabrail- muallim said.

      “I swear by Allah, brother, I am not hungry,” Bahlul-kishi answered immediately. “In the morning we left the house in a hurry and did not have time to have breakfast, so when we arrived, we began to eat immediately. Feel free to go and dine. Bon appetite.”

      Jabrail-muallim began to object:

      “What are you saying? Listen, we don’t eat shashlik every day, do we? Get ready, let's go. This one’s on me.”

      “Don’t insist, neighbor. We are not hungry. Otherwise, we would surely accompany you.”

* * *

      Although it didn't snow, it was still cold. Jabrail-muallim and his wife were sitting in the spacious, bright salon of the restaurant near the hotel and having lunch. The couple chirped about something sweetly, while contemplating the landscape.

      Jabrail-muallim was a busy man, and as such, he rarely could find the time to leave the city and somehow relax. This means that he was greatly enjoying his trip. He took a break from the bustle of the city and felt relieved. He decided to go with Bahlul-kishi thinking that he would have someone to talk to when bored. But he could not imagine that his neighbor would show his stubborn character. Such a person is not good for a company. At the moment, his role was assumed by Laman – the wife of Jabrail-muallim.

      Only the devil knows what Bahlul-kishi and his wife were doing back there in the room. They never opened their door until evening, and never left the room. When it was time for dinner, Jabrail-muallim knocked on his neighbors’ door again. Less than a couple of seconds later, Bahlul-kishi already opened the door:

      “Please, brother, come in. Welcome.”

      “Thanks. That’s not what I came for. You two did not leave the room today. I thought I’d ask what was happening.”

      “Nothing special, we’re just chatting here, me and my wife,” Bahlul- kishi replied.

      “Look, go out and enjoy nature, admire the landscape. You don’t have this clean air in Baku. You’ll have plenty of time to chat at home,” Jabrail-muallim advised.

      “To be honest, we were afraid to catch a cold, that’s why we stayed here. And you know how expensive the drugs are.”

      Shaking his head, Jabrail-muallim changed the subject:

      “Alright, get ready, let’s have dinner. You did not share lunch with us.”

      Bahlul-kishi took his neighbor by the hand and answered:

      “My dear, maybe you can be our guest? My wife brought excellent cabbage rolls from home, she prepared it herself.”

      Jabrail-muallim realized that the neighbors did not want to be a burden to them, so they were not a good company, and decided to be clear:

      “Bahlul, СКАЧАТЬ