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Sofiya sat on the cool edge of the bathtub, unable to move, unable to tear her eyes away from the small plastic window where two clear, distinct lines had appeared. Her heart was pounding somewhere in her throat, drumming in her ears, every beat shouting the same thing—she was expecting a child. At twenty-three, with … Read more

Marina stood by the window, watching the autumn rain drum against the glass. Voices sounded behind her—Oleg was explaining something to the kids, his voice calm and assured, as always. He was like that when he talked to Dima and Katya. With them, he was a patient father who could laugh at a joke, help … Read more

— Katyusha, dear, open up! It’s me, with a little treat! The voice behind the door was so cloyingly sweet that Katya’s teeth ached for a second. She slowly wiped her hands on a kitchen towel, took a deep breath, and went to open it. On the threshold, beaming a carefully practiced smile, stood Svetlana … Read more

Lera sat on the floor in the small room, moving baby things from one box to another. At eight months pregnant her back ached, her legs were swollen, but she didn’t want to stop what she’d started. Tiny onesies with bunnies, soft swaddles, rattles—everything lay around her, waiting for its time. The nursery was small … Read more

Everything started with the shoes. As always on Saturdays, Oleg was getting ready to go “fishing.” Methodically, he packed his huge canvas backpack with tackle, a thermos, a camouflage jacket. Vera had watched this ritual for ten years; it was as unchanging as the seasons. But today something was off. “Are you taking your city … Read more

— Oksana! What do you think you’re doing?! Viktor didn’t enter the apartment—he flew into it, as if some malicious force had hurled him inside. The metal keys he threw onto the hall stand clanged with spite, shattering the evening quiet. His boots left dirty, melting tracks on the clean floor—disgusting blotches of city slush. … Read more

— “You’re sixty—what job?” my son-in-law Vadim chuckled, tossing his car keys onto my perfectly tidy entryway. “Go babysit the grandkids, Galina Sergeevna.” He always called me by my first name and patronymic, as if to underline the distance and my age. As if hammering nails into the coffin of my professional life. My daughter … Read more

Emma Nikolaevna had been bustling around the kitchen since early morning. Cutlets sizzled in the pan, and the oven breathed out the smell of apple pie. Olga followed her husband into the apartment, immediately caught the familiar aromas, and sighed. “Vit, something’s definitely up. Emma only bakes pie for special occasions.” “Oh, come on, Mom,” … Read more

Irina stood on the porch watching the evening sun paint their brand-new frame house in warm peach tones. Sergey was fussing with string lights, carefully hanging them along the fence. For three years they’d saved, scrimped, skipped vacations—and here it was at last. Their very own dacha. — Sergei, maybe that’s enough? It’s getting dark, … Read more

The apartment came to Sofia from the people closest to her—the ones who gave her life and taught her to cherish every moment. The two-room place, on the fourth floor of an old brick building, held within its walls the echo of the past, the whisper of former conversations, and the warmth of parental embraces. … Read more