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Alina sat in the kitchen, feverishly gulping down bitter, long-cold, and tasteless coffee, quietly crying. The children slept soundly in their beds, dreaming interesting dreams and sniffling with their little noses, while she just couldn’t fall asleep. Everything that had happened had so drained her that tears simply rolled down non-stop, from despair and hopelessness. … Read more

“Daughter, pour some water for the old man into a bottle, please. Your tap doesn’t work,” said an elderly man in tattered clothes, leaning on the fence and extending a plastic bottle. Olga paused her work and turned toward the fence. “Yes, the tap hasn’t been working for two years now; something broke or was … Read more

Taxi driver Sergey sat behind the wheel of his old car, frowning at the blizzard raging outside the window. “What a weather!” he muttered, wiping the fogged glass with his hand. “You wouldn’t even kick a dog out on a night like this…” Outside, the wind howled, shaking the car so much that it seemed … Read more

Larisa was sitting by the window. Three months in the new apartment were gradually erasing the painful memories of her divorce. An unexpected knock at the door made her start. Standing on the threshold was the upstairs neighbor—Natalya, a brunette whom Larisa occasionally met in the elevator. Usually impeccably dressed, she now looked somewhat disheveled. … Read more

Marina observed her son, Ilya, as he tried on his new suit. He was tall and dark-haired, and seeing him dressed so elegantly made it hit home: her boy was getting married tomorrow. Ilya examined his reflection, pleased with the impeccable fit of his attire. “It’s quite the stylish suit,” Ilya commented, admiring the rich … Read more

Inna sighed heavily as she flipped through the newspaper yet again. Not a single job listing suitable for part-time work. Besides, she had been thinking about changing jobs for a while. Her continuous shifts left her children alone for entire days, and her salary barely covered the essentials. The doorbell rang. Denis hurried to open … Read more

Lisa was so often in the hospital that her husband lost count. Of course, he visited her, bringing all sorts of tasty treats and the necessary medications. His mother did not like her sick daughter-in-law. “She’s given birth to all these children and now she’s bedridden. You should have used your head first, then have … Read more

Veronika was returning from the dacha, which she had been unsuccessfully trying to sell for two months. As she drove onto the highway, she slowed down, noticing a pair of rural vendors sitting by the roadside. Reversing, she was surprised to discover that the vendors were girls around ten years old. They had arranged a … Read more

Valeriy walked through the restaurant one more time. Today, he had dismissed all the staff, and all that remained were some leftover supplies. He decided he would return in a few days to gather everything to donate to a shelter. His restaurant had been open for only five years. Initially, business was booming, and the … Read more

“Guess what?” Marina gripped the gift bag so tightly the plastic emitted a pitiful crinkle. “You… you just…” “Is there a problem?” Andrey barely glanced up from his laptop, his screen alive with graphs and data. “Problem?!” She flung the bag onto the sofa. “Your mom appeared yesterday wearing a mink coat worth two hundred … Read more