Nadya stood in front of the mirror, looking at her reflection. Red eyes, trembling lips. Tears again. “Nad, what’s taking you so long?” Oleg shouted from the kitchen. “Mom’s waiting!” She wiped her eyes with the sleeve of her robe. Yesterday Anna Petrovna had thrown another fit over the borscht. Said the salt was wrong, … Read more
Zhanna smoothed her hair and looked at Max’s parents’ house. The two-story brick mansion had always seemed too big for two elderly people. “Well, ready?” Max pulled the bags from the trunk. “Of course,” she smiled. Fifteen years of marriage had taught her how to hide awkwardness. The door was opened by Irina Vasilievna. Made … Read more
— Lyuda, my mom is going to stop by for an hour today, you don’t mind, do you? — Ruslan poked his head into the kitchen, where his wife was chopping vegetables for a salad. Lyuda froze with the knife in her hand. It took her a moment to look up at her husband. Everything … Read more
Klavdiya stood by the fresh grave, unable to believe what was happening. “Lyoshenka, how did it come to this? You said we’d always be together. How am I supposed to cope on my own now?” She dropped her head into her hands and burst into tears. She had held herself together all this time—when Alyosha … Read more
— Well then, dear daughter-in-law. Listen here, girl. You can think whatever you like about me, but you still won’t be able to prove anything. You don’t have any witnesses, and Yegor believes me. So if you want to stay in our family, you’ll have to accept it: clean my place, cook for me, and … Read more
— You’re not holding the knife right. The blade should face away from you, but you’re pulling it toward yourself—you’ll cut yourself, — came Anton’s nauseatingly familiar voice behind Marina. She pretended not to hear, keeping up a steady rhythm as she chopped the onion. Fine, almost transparent half-rings fell in an even layer onto … Read more
— “Olga, has your son gotten married? I saw him with a woman and a little boy. Did he take one ‘with baggage’ or what?” a neighbor asked Olga. — “He hasn’t gotten married yet, but I’d be only too glad,” Olga replied in surprise. It was unexpected news for her. Her son Andrei lived … Read more
Aleksey was looking at his phone to see where so much money had gone on the credit card while Marina washed the dishes after dinner. His mother’s call caught him off guard—she usually phoned on Sundays, and today was Wednesday. “Alyosha,” Valentina Petrovna’s voice sounded especially sweet, which always made him wary, “I’ve been thinking … Read more
— What was that? — I stopped midway to the station and held my breath. A thin, persistent sob drifted from the left. February wind licked at my neck and worried the hem of my coat. I turned toward the tracks, where a dark, abandoned switchman’s hut cut against the white of the snow. Right … Read more
An elderly man shuffled toward the grand entrance of a fashionable restaurant, pausing beneath the glittering canopy. His suit, carefully pressed yet undeniably dated, carried the weary sheen of something pulled from a closet after years of neglect. Wisps of gray hair strayed across his scalp, uncertain of their place, as if memory itself had … Read more