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Pathetic! Hey, pathetic!” Sasha doesn’t turn around; he knows it’s Volodka from the fifth floor. It’s better not to respond. Maybe he’ll leave him alone. “Alexander!” Volodka persists. “Look how hardworking he is. It’s New Year’s Eve, and he’s still working. Right! Fools love work.” “Leave Sashenka alone! Why are you picking on him?” And … Read more

Elvira didn’t like to remember that place, but the gray institutional walls of the orphanage, the dreary, dirty courtyard, and the worn swings and benches would never be forgotten. Like many children from the orphanage, she never knew her parents, and no one ever visited her. She was left at the gates as an infant, … Read more

Christina knocked on the familiar door on the third floor. The doorbell had long been broken, but her mother-in-law, Anna Petrovna, was always alert to knocks—she said that sounds carried especially well in their old building. Indeed, within a minute, shuffling footsteps could be heard. “Kristinushka! What brings you here?” Anna Petrovna greeted her warmly, … Read more

Zoya had worked as a teacher all her life, and now, due to a small pension, she was forced to sell vegetables at the market. Her son-in-law brought a new wife into his apartment, and her daughter returned to her mother with a child. Zoya helped her as much as she could. “Mom, I feel … Read more

“Again, that dog is sitting there,” grumbled the woman in the colorful scarf as she walked past the bus stop. “What is it waiting for? It’s long past time to realize that no one is coming for it.” “I feel sorry for it,” her companion responded quietly. “It comes here every day, in any weather. … Read more

The teapot quietly whistled on the stove as Elena sorted through tea bags. Chamomile, mint, black with bergamot… Vika had brought them from her last business trip to London. Elena smiled, remembering how her daughter had solemnly handed her these keys five years ago. “Now, Mom, you’ll have your own home,” Vika had said then, … Read more

“Well, Valyusha, are you going dress shopping with your girlfriends today?” Lev Zakharovich inquired, looking at his daughter. “If you need anything, just let me know, and I’ll transfer more money to your card, just in case.” “Oh, Dad,” Valentina chuckled, “I’m not planning to buy anything from Dior. We’re just looking for something unique, … Read more

Nobody remembers who and when built the house standing at the very end of the village. It was said to have been built at the beginning of the last century, possibly by a rich peasant, a revolutionary committee chairman, or a bandit who fled from Moscow—a murderer, or maybe even earlier. Its solid stone foundation … Read more

“Lida is divorcing her husband; he was living with another woman on his work rotation. She found out when she went to surprise him on his birthday,” Masha stopped Natalya just outside the store. “Did she?” “It turns out he did. She entered his trailer, and there he was celebrating his anniversary, not alone. That’s … Read more

Svetochka peeked into the private room where her mother was mopping the floor. “Mom, I’m scared to sit there alone,” she said. Olga turned around sharply and whispered: “Svet, you can’t be here. We had an agreement. Do you want them to fire me?” “Mom, I’ll just stand here quietly.” “No, go away.” “Let her … Read more