“Come on for a meeting or something—Polka raises a glass of tequila, smiling broadly—Damn, Dasha, I'm so glad, you have no idea!

-I'm glad too.

- Well, shall we shudder?

- Let's shudder!

Having licked the edge of the salt from the back of my hand, I tip the transparent liquid into myself, burning my throat, and grimacing, I bite a slice of lime with my teeth. In the Almaz bar, where we happily settled down at a far table in the corner of the hall, there is an evening of live music tonight. A local group of young guys just breaks the stage with their driving hits and excites...