no, no. I love Kristina, too. And I intend to part with it against my wishes. This is the Holy truth. Just, I say, the same… My conscience is bothering me.

LENYA (with a twist): Conscience? Or Kristinka?

SEMYON (excusing himself): No, no… Kristina is a beauty in this regard. Everything is top-notch, without headaches, hassle, unnecessary conversations and brain drain.

LENYA (admiring): Not even mine! Why did you clip your own wings, you fool? Oh, Yes… conscience. Internal conflicts and all that… Yes, Yes … I remember.

SEMYON (seriously): You shouldn't take it so lightly, Lenya. At a certain stage of life, you begin to understand that the main thing in life is not money, not social status, power or the number of sexual relationships…

LENYA (mockingly): Curious!

SEMYON (seriously): Well, we'll talk about it some other time. It's hot (fanning himself with the edges of his jacket), and there's no time…

The guys wave their jacket flaps, blowing themselves out.

LENYA (supporting): I agree. So we'll meet in… let's say a week. We report on the results and state of Affairs.

Lenya takes a piece of paper from the table, folds it, and puts it in the inside pocket of his jacket.

SEMYON (seriously): Officially-Yes, in a week…

Lenya freezes in a kind of incomprehension.

SEMYON (explaining): Well, in fact, we will certainly not once watch each other this week, and protect, so to speak, from under the floor, for compliance with the agreements!

Semyon pats the inside pocket of his jacket, where Lenya has just put the signed piece of paper.

Lenya gets up from the table, zips up, and is about to leave.

LENYA (moderately sad): Ah, Senya. You started it… Yes, and on the eve of the New year. At least I would give you a normal holiday off. Well, nothing is sacred!

SEMYON (moderated)): Norma-a-a-a-LNO. The sooner you sit down, the sooner you get out!

LENYA (moderately sad): Well, it happens!

They say goodbye by the hand. Lenya leaves first. Semyon also gets up from the table, zips up as he goes, and stealthily goes in the same direction that his friend has just left.

ZTM.

SCENE 3 BOUTIQUE

In a stylish jacket, boots, and an elegant scarf tied around the head and neck, Semyon's wife Alina enters the stage with a swagger. She looks at the Windows, something attracts her eyes, she looks for a product.

Leni's wife, Nora, comes out from the other side of the stage. She is dressed much more richly than Alina, although she looks quite good.

In the hands of the burrows of four large bag with clothes and food. She reaches the visitor's couch, puts the bags on the floor, and with a loud gasp, sits down on the couch.

Alina turns to "Ah", and recognizes a friend in the Hole.

ALINA (pleasantly surprised): Nora?

Nora doesn't immediately turn to Alina.

NORA (pleasantly surprised): Alina? What a meeting!

ALINA (openly, sincerely): I haven't seen you in a thousand years!

NORA (located): Yes at all! I didn't even recognize you right away. Sit down next to me and we'll chat!

Alina sits down next to Nora on the sofa, putting the product that interests her back on the shelf.

NORA :Well, tell me! What's up? How's life? Our husbands see each other all the time, and we hardly ever see each other at all, that's an omission!

ALINA (openly, sincerely): Don't tell me. My Senya only goes somewhere with Lenchik. I have already sinned to think that they have love there.

Laugh.

ALINA (kindly): Well, what to tell… Live. Normally. Home-work, home-work. Here. I broke out in a boutique, I haven't pampered myself with new rags for a long time. Why do you carry such heavy bags yourself? Where's yours? The day off is today.

NORA (with a wave of her hand, calmly): Yes where… Went snowboarding (makes a gesture of quotation marks, bending two outstretched fingers index and middle)

ALINA (not understanding): What does it mean?

Nora smiles modestly, but her smile is telling.

ALINA (carefully): Are you implying that he's got someone in there?

NORA (quietly): I'm sure of it one hundred percent. He has a mistress. I'll even say more. He doesn't have one, but at least three. One permanent and two temporary, updated periodically.

Alina is in shock.

ALINA (after a pause, extremely surprised): I Don't understand. But why do you need all this? You know everything and you're still with him?

NORA (calmly, even a little complacently): Yes!

ALINA (extremely surprised): But why?

NORA (calmly, even a little smug): Because I'd rather have twenty-five percent of a good deal than a hundred percent of a bad one.

Alina is stunned. She leans back on the sofa, thinking, and puts her fingers to her lips.

ALINA (in prostration): Curiously.

NORA (calmly): What's so curious about that? This is life. This is happening every step of the way. There, look (he waves his hand around the auditorium), how many such stories there are. Everything is here, everything is near. Just like everywhere else. So that… nothing new. You can say – gray days.

ALINA (in prostration): Do you think that all men cheat on their wives?

Nora makes a childlike face in response.

ALINA (doubtful): Well … no, I don't think so. Take my Senya, for example. (Sure) Your Lenya – I don't know, I won't speak for him, although theoretically… (carefully) Theoretically! Yes, he's a good-looking uncle, a lively little Sparrow. And for a word in the pocket will not go and … well… in short, such women love. But! Again. Love something let them love, no one is immune from this, but to reciprocate who does not get – this is a matter of consciousness. Here everyone makes their own decision. Well! Take my Senya for example! He is a thoroughly domestic man. Such a prototype of a loyal family man. I'll bet he'll never get mixed up with