— Three days have passed. I warned you. The door slammed shut. Irina stood on the landing, clutching her son to her chest. Dima was sobbing into her neck. Against the wall, bags were piled up — packed in a hurry, lopsided and awkward. A child’s snowsuit with a missing button stuck out of one … Read more
— Mom, do you have unpaid utility bills? I sent you money. The silence on the other end lasted only a second, but that was enough. — Oh, sweetheart, don’t worry about that. I sent it to Lidia Ivanovna… They’re in trouble again. Katya was standing in the hallway without even taking off her shoes, … Read more
“Twenty-five thousand is nothing to you,” Marina Andreevna said, setting her cup down so sharply that coffee splashed into the saucer. Early morning had only just begun in the dacha settlement outside Yaroslavl. The veranda of the old wooden house smelled of damp timber and strong coffee. Fog hung beyond the windows, and the wet … Read more
— Nadya, it’s me. We need to talk… about the divorce. And about the property too. The mug slipped from her fingers and shattered against the edge of the sink. Pieces scattered across the floor; one shard slid beneath the refrigerator. Nadezhda Petrovna stood frozen, the phone pressed to her ear, unable to move. The … Read more
— So, you’ve decided to buy a car, have you? Provoking Lera again? Lyudmila Petrovna stood in the doorway in her autumn coat, lips pressed tight, wearing that particular expression Ksenia had learned to recognize instantly over the years. It meant the verdict had already been passed; all that remained was to read it aloud. … Read more
— Lena, we need to talk. It’s urgent. Tamara Sergeyevna stood by the kitchen table, unable to bring herself to sit down. Her fingers kept worrying the edge of the oilcloth. In front of her lay a sheet torn from a notebook, covered in numbers — a column of amounts underlined in red pen. Elena … Read more
Igor’s voice bounced loudly off the kitchen cabinets. He was standing by the window with his arms crossed over his chest, every inch of him radiating unshakable confidence that he was right. Beside him, his mother, Zinaida Arkadyevna, was lounging comfortably in a soft chair. She slowly fanned herself with a glossy magazine, behaving as … Read more
“Here’s how it’s going to be, Nina. Tomorrow we’re going to the notary, and you’re transferring this house to me. I’m the head of this family, and I need to feel my status! Otherwise, I’ll pack my things right now, file for divorce, and we’ll divide all this property through the court. Believe me, I’ll … Read more
Dasha stood in the cramped hallway, unable to take her eyes off the heavy burgundy faux-leather handbag. From somewhere inside it, the phone kept vibrating insistently — for the fifth time already. Her mother-in-law, Tamara Vasilievna, had rushed out about ten minutes earlier, saying she was in a hurry to catch the bus. She had … Read more
In my spacious three-room apartment, every square meter of which I had paid for with my own exhausting work, there now hung a strange, sharp scent of suffocatingly sweet perfume. I had just come back from visiting my mother. For three long days, I had helped her put the country garden in order, plant seedlings, … Read more