He had a fit of coughing; he sat down on the ground. When he felt a bit better he stood up, but he was scared. By the other side of trash cans two persons dressed in shreds and tatters were rummaging sweepings of food, empty bottles and put them into their sacs. His started coughing again. The two persons heard the sounds of his coughing stopped rummaging and looked at him. The older one nudged his friend and took steps back from the trash can. His friend understood nothing, and stopped rummaging, went back. At any case they were homeless. The homeless vagrants who lived in the account of sweepings of food they gathered from the trash cans. Their faces looked bluish. They even had traces resembling the color of moldy bread.

Suddenly the older vagrant said without moving:

– How do you do, mister Masud? Do you need anything? We are leaving now, we shan’t return here anymore.

He was surprised seeing that the old vagrant knew him. – Do you know me?

The old vagrant had a puzzled look, he combed his dirty hair with his hand, said: – Well, when we came here yesterday, – he showed the second floor, a woman shouted at us: – “What are you doing there? We can hardly sit at home because of the stink”. You were passing near by. She pointed at you and said: – “See, mister Masud is coming. He is a policeman. I will tell him and he will take you away”. Mister Masud, we left this place yesterday. Today we decided to come here for the last time until we find some new litter-boxes. Now we are leaving.

He didn’t know what to say to them. He looked towards the porch and window of the second floor where as the old vagrant told him the woman lived.

He turned to that vagrant and said: – That woman is mistaken. I am not a policeman anymore. I have retired. The old vagrant made a circle around the litter-boxes and ran towards the back of the building with electric generator. He brought a chair from there; without doubt he got it from the litter-boxes. – “Sit down, mister Masud! Don’t stand on feet!” Then he looked at his younger pal. – Let’s go, the woman from the second floor will shout at us. We must leave this place. Mister Masud, we are at your service. We won’t come here anymore. My name is Huseyn, his name is Fateh, he is Tatar” – he said and was going to leave.

The captain breathed deeply. His heart wasn’t beating fast as it did awhile ago. He felt hale and stood up. He felt better.

–Where are you headed now? – He asked Huseyn.

–Mister Masud, today we have gathered only a few bottles. We can’t buy even a small bottle of vodka. We shall see what the day has prepared for us after this

– He said

–Okay, leave the bag in your hand, and follow me. – He leaned the chair on the acacia tree. – Let the chair remain in here, let’s go.

Huseyn was perplexed – Mister Masud, please don’t take us to police office. We are leaving now.

–Come on, I told you, I have retired on a pension. We are going to my place, follow me.

***

Unopened bottle of vodka was left in the fridge from New Year holidays. He took it out and put it on the table along with a couple of tangerines –Well, now the borsch will warm up. And you go and take a shower meanwhile. Put your clothes into this bag in order to throw them in the litter box when going out. Then he opened the wardrobe, took out the suit he wasn’t wearing for a long time and a shirt and passed it to Huseyn.

–Mister Masud, we can’t wear these. Before, all homeless vagrants lived in the empty blind alley behind the “Azerbaijan” hotel. But after it was demolished we moved to stay in the yard of new building at the port. If I go there dressed like this, my clothes will be stolen over night and then exchanged to a bottle of vodka.

–Well, we shall discuss where you will spend the night. The suit is yours. He reached out to Fateh and passed him a sweater and trousers saying: – And you can wear these

Firstly Huseyn, then Fateh took bath in the bathroom and then they dressed up in clothes which Masud gave them. Masud packed their old rubbish smelling clothes, opened the front door and threw them into the litter-box through the rubbish chute. Freely breathing he returned to the flat. When Jannah returns home in the evening she won’t understand what’s going on if she sees Fateh and Huseyn in their rags.

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