Alla Sergeyevna arrived at her daughter’s place at the crack of dawn. She was in such a hurry that she forgot to ring the doorbell and started pounding on the door with her fist: “Lena! Open up! I’m telling you!” “Mom, what’s wrong with you?” sleepy Lena looked at her mother in surprise. “Let me … Read more
Sofya set a vase of flowers on the table and critically examined the result. Everything was perfect. A pristine white tablecloth, crystal glasses, expensive champagne in a silver bucket with ice. In the kitchen, a duck with apples was baking in the oven, and in the refrigerator sat desserts from the city’s best patisserie. And … Read more
Semyon Markovich, an elegant elderly gentleman with an impeccable reputation in business circles, sat in the police chief’s office with his head bowed. He wished he could sink into the ground—he was being reprimanded like a child! The police chief, unable to contain his emotions, raised his voice: “Dear Semyon Markovich! This is now beyond … Read more
From this moment on, I’ll tell you more in detail!” Nastya murmured with interest, carefully wiping dust and cobwebs off her face. True chaos reigned in her temporary hideaway. Sitting in that awkward position was extremely uncomfortable: she felt like sneezing, and her legs had long fallen asleep. But even such discomforts she was willing … Read more
The aroma of fried onions wafted throughout the apartment. Lyuda mechanically stirred the gravy while glancing at the clock. Valera was supposed to return from work in half an hour, and dinner needed to be served hot—her husband couldn’t stand cold food. Lately, Lyuda found herself more and more thinking that she was cooking like … Read more
Hello?” Tatiana picked up the phone. An unfamiliar number appeared on the screen. “Tatyana Vasilyevna Kuznetsova?” “Yes… It’s me.” “Your mother, Elvira Stanislavovna Kuznetsova, has passed away. Come to Moscow. The funeral will be next week,” the voice on the other end was cold and emotionless. Tatiana froze. She definitely did not expect such news. … Read more
The day turned out to be extraordinarily quiet. Marina sat on the veranda of the summer cottage, sorting through herbs for drying. Her entire life had been measured like the ticking of a clock in a hospital corridor—second after second, day after day. Twenty years of marriage with Andrey had turned into a habit, like … Read more
Today, from the very morning, the weather was magnificent. The bright sun, as if missing after two rainy days, generously showered the city with its rays. Perhaps that was exactly why Alisa decided to drop by her husband’s workplace. Alisa was a cheerful and impulsive young woman. She adored surprises and often arranged them for … Read more
With Zakhar, our meeting took place at a book presentation by an author. We started talking then and soon delved into a discussion about literary works. Zakhar left his phone number, and I shared mine. We continued communicating after that. Our interaction didn’t develop too fast, but that pace suited me. A year after we … Read more
Masha finished the remaining coffee and tossed the disposable cup into the trash can. Grabbing her purse, she strode energetically toward the crosswalk. “What a wonderful morning!” she thought, feeling a surge of joy from the first moments of awakening. And for good reason—the day had started exceptionally well: she had woken up earlier than … Read more