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“Dema, did you use my card?” Lida was studying her bank statement with a tight, focused expression. “There’s a four-thousand charge from some cosmetics store.” “No, of course not,” her husband replied. “And here’s another three thousand at ‘Golden Thread,’” Lida went on. “All these purchases were made during the day—while we were at work. … Read more

— Take this dump out in the sticks! I don’t need it anyway! — Yuri slammed a set of keys onto the table so hard they bounced with a sharp jingle and skittered across the linoleum. — Consider it my divorce present to you! Sofia picked the keys up and studied them as if they … Read more

You must take money from your parents. We’ll pay off my sister’s debts! my husband announced. When Maksim said that, I set my mug of lukewarm tea aside and looked at him carefully. He was slumped at the kitchen table, buried in his phone, not even bothering to raise his eyes. The knees of his … Read more

The minibus kept lurching over the potholes on Leningradsky Prospekt, and I’d already started regretting not just taking a taxi. Inside, the air was sharp and ugly—a mix of exhaust, cheap air freshener, and human sweat. The driver mumbled to himself, occasionally spitting out curses at other cars. “Stop after the light,” an elderly Roma … Read more

Andrew checked the children’s first-aid kit for the third time, even though he knew perfectly well I could handle things without his instructions. My brother always turned into a broody hen whenever it came to Sonya. “Measure her temperature only with this thermometer,” he said, showing me the electronic one. “She won’t let anyone use … Read more

“Leave him, Oksana. Before you fade into a shadow.” Sveta—my only friend I was still somehow “permitted” to see—was looking at me with such naked pity that I wanted to slide under the table and disappear. We were sitting in a tiny coffee shop on Oktyabrsky Prospekt, and I kept my hands with their chipped … Read more

“You’re useless, Alisa! Completely useless!” Tamara Igorevna’s voice rose to a shrill pitch, making the fine china cup in her hand tremble. “You’re as helpful in this house as a goat is in a dairy. You do nothing but take up space and eat through the groceries. My son must have married you during some … Read more

“Get that filthy mutt out of here this instant before it brings disease into the house! Honestly, what were you thinking, dragging some flea-ridden animal inside?” Zinaida Petrovna declared sharply, standing in the doorway to my living room with her lips twisted in disgust. She had no idea that this rain-soaked spaniel was about to … Read more

Lena stood by the kitchen window, watching the first December snowflakes drift slowly beyond the glass. In her hand was her phone, its screen lit up with a message from her mother-in-law: Lenochka, my dear, my fridge is barely working. Could you help me get a new one? I already found one I like — … Read more

Marina learned about the relatives’ visit three days before New Year’s. She was in the kitchen, stirring sauce for a casserole, when Oleg passed by wearing the unmistakable look of a guilty man, muttered something under his breath, and slipped into the bathroom. Marina knew that move well. Twelve years of marriage had taught her … Read more