One attack in the morning—not very long though.
Lenic came to the club with the news about the competition announced by the government. They wanna have a nice design for the Republic's coat of arms. Lenic showed his drawing and launched an agitated harangue about that double timer – his sham partner. The lowgrade buster burned the road racing to the Special Jury and presented this inimitable design as his patent idea executed by a painter of no account.
(…"Negroes system" of Dumas-perě is still alive and kicking…)
In her comment, Rita said the meanest thing was to keep people down here. All those self-proclaimed ministers and the wide specter of half-criminals putting their hands on fire-arms might like to stay, but why should we?
After the Club I carried the envelope with Sahtik's letter and Ahshaut's photo in it to the Main Post Office.
In the afternoon Etehry, a young girl from the Underground, came to our place to trim Roozahna's and Ahshaut's hair.
I puzzled out one more version of the gas jet. This try seems to be more successful. It burns bright enough and there's no gas smell, only I could not tame its darn flickering.
One page by Joyce translated.
At times Roozahna becomes simply ungovernable, eager to rip-roaringly butt her finger into every pie whatsoever. Today I decided to punish her by completely ignoring for at least ten days.
Sahtik washed the kids. Then she and I played backgammon.
At the water-walk the handcart behaved quite fine.
The mother-in-law is baking breads. Ahshaut will be left to sleep home. Roozahna keeps to the Underground.
Sahtik, perhaps, will also stay home – she has been getting better today and the recovery process should be backed up.
Good night.
February 5
…walking along a completely dark road I encountered a dozen of Afro-Africans discernible only by the scanty streaks of gleaming of their skin against the solid pitch-black background and one of them was advancing like a panther on his fours with another one riding on his back and then their cold coal faces showed up in a sudden flood of light rushing through the glazed lattice in our hall-aka-kitchen door and for the second time in my dreams I beheld the miraculous view of a lighted electrical bulb and the TV-set got alive pouring forth a stream of richly colored pictures and I called Sahtik and she awoke unable to believe in the reality of what was happening and holding back happy tears and this very moment…
