“Get out. And I want you gone within the hour,” Viktor’s voice sliced through the vast living room. A dark leather travel bag flew to my feet. The air was thick with the sugary, suffocating scent of expensive perfume. Behind my husband stood a girl I had never seen before, nervously twisting a perfectly bleached … Read more
“Take your rags and get out, you provincial little nobody! I don’t want so much as your shadow in this house again!” Margarita Eduardovna’s voice rang with triumph through the vast entrance hall of the elite penthouse. Her diamond-covered fingers pointed with disgust toward the heavy oak door. At Alena’s feet stood a cheap plastic … Read more
A firm, heavy knock shook the entryway wall, making our cat Vasily leap off the ottoman in offended protest. My husband Nikita, still holding his coffee cup, walked calmly to the front door and turned the lock. I was in the kitchen, drying my hands on a towel, when a painfully familiar, strained cough came … Read more
“Get that crystal monstrosity off the table, Sonya. We’re not having some village feast here,” Sveta snapped irritably. My sister pushed my favorite salad bowl away from the elegant tartlets with obvious disgust. Then she adjusted her flawless salon-styled hair and admired her reflection in the dark glass of the expensive oven. I ignored the … Read more
“My mother’s neuralgia has flared up,” Sveta announced in a tone that allowed no argument. “She absolutely needs a proper orthopedic mattress.” She dropped her enormous checkered bag onto my fluffy pale hallway rug with a heavy thud. Her mother, Galina, a large woman with lips permanently pressed into a displeased line, was already taking … Read more
Margarita was wiping the kitchen table when her husband’s phone rang. Artur answered and stepped into the hallway. His voice was low and muffled. Then came silence. Margarita heard him sigh — heavily, wearily. “What happened?” she asked when Artur came back. “Mom called.” “And?” “She wants to move in with us. Says she’s lonely … Read more
“Windows overlooking the courtyard, first floor,” Dasha said briskly into the phone, pacing nervously across the wooden floor of the veranda. “Forty-five square meters. We’ll give only a small discount. The old woman will move into a studio on the outskirts, and we’ll keep the difference.” The rough fibers of the cheap country-house blanket scratched … Read more
— Three days have passed. I warned you. The door slammed shut. Irina stood on the landing, clutching her son to her chest. Dima was sobbing into her neck. Against the wall, bags were piled up — packed in a hurry, lopsided and awkward. A child’s snowsuit with a missing button stuck out of one … Read more
— Mom, do you have unpaid utility bills? I sent you money. The silence on the other end lasted only a second, but that was enough. — Oh, sweetheart, don’t worry about that. I sent it to Lidia Ivanovna… They’re in trouble again. Katya was standing in the hallway without even taking off her shoes, … Read more
“Twenty-five thousand is nothing to you,” Marina Andreevna said, setting her cup down so sharply that coffee splashed into the saucer. Early morning had only just begun in the dacha settlement outside Yaroslavl. The veranda of the old wooden house smelled of damp timber and strong coffee. Fog hung beyond the windows, and the wet … Read more