Sonny? Grishenka… It’s me, Mom…” Galina Pavlovna’s voice trembled like an autumn leaf in the wind—fragile, lonely, full of quiet hope. She pressed the old telephone receiver to her ear, as if afraid that even this invisible bridge between her and her son might break at any moment. Silence. A click in the receiver, then … Read more
Olya watched with visible pleasure as his self-confidence evaporated. It seemed that during the time they had been talking, his face had gone through the entire spectrum of human emotions — from superiority to obsequiousness. How wrong she had been about him, how petty and insignificant he turned out to be, as soon as the … Read more
Elina put the cezve with coffee on the stove and listened to the sounds from outside. A new day was already beginning beyond the window, and in the apartment there was that special kind of silence that only exists in spacious rooms. The two-room apartment in the city center was her pride and the result … Read more
Victoria stood by the kitchen window, watching the neighbor children playing in the yard. Sunlight fell onto the wooden countertop where samples of wedding invitations lay. In two months, her wedding with Kirill was scheduled, and each day brought new concerns. The three-room apartment on the fifth floor of a panel building had been her … Read more
In a small but picturesque town, where every passerby knew each other by name, lived a young woman named Anna. This town was quiet and cozy, as if frozen in time — with narrow streets, old lanterns, and houses surrounded by blooming flowerbeds. There was always a sense of peace and mutual support here. People … Read more
“Is he alive? Is he really alive?” Stephanie asked, trying to see the newborn behind the backs of the doctors. “Yes,” replied Dr. Hilary Rumez. “He is alive. But he is… unusual.” When Stephanie and her husband Duke Crudz were leaving the maternity ward with two girls in their arms, no one — neither the … Read more
Congratulations on your promotion!” Dad raised his shot glass, but his smile never reached his eyes. I looked around the festive table. Mom was carefully slicing the Olivier salad as if it were a duty, not a joy to be together. My brother Maxim was picking at his plate with a fork, as if he … Read more
Mashenka, be a dear and pour us some tea,” asked my mother-in-law, not even looking up from the phone screen when I entered the living room after a long day at work. Her friends had already settled on the couch, like three crows on a wire. Something was gleaming on the coffee table. I froze—it … Read more
From this day on, you’ll eat outside!” Dasha couldn’t stand the pushiness of the rude relatives any longer. “Dasha, come on, what are you doing?” her husband Mikhail tried to calm her down. “I’ve said my piece! Period!” Finally, summer had come to the city. The forecast promised a heatwave for the May holidays, and … Read more
— Where do you think you’re going? We can manage without sour cream!” the mother-in-law tried to stop her. “Come on, I’ll be back in fifteen minutes on my bike!” Dasha was already rolling her iron horse out onto the porch. “Who eats borscht without sour cream anyway?” Anna Vasilyevna smiled, shaking her head after … Read more