Rita’s phone vibrated in her hand. The voice of an unfamiliar woman, quiet but clear, echoed in the background. Just a second ago, she was expecting to hear her husband’s usual voice, but now this strange whisper was there instead. “Where are you?” she wanted to scream, but Rita gripped the phone tighter, held her … Read more
“Boryslav!” Borya flinched. He didn’t like being called by his full name. All his colleagues knew him as Borya and never addressed him formally. The person who called him that now must have been looking at his passport. Borya turned around. In the doorway stood Vera Igorevna, the accountant. She had only been at the … Read more
Look, she’s dragging that bag again! See how hard it is for her!” waitresses out on a smoke break laughed. One of them shouted: “Dishwasher! Baba Val, just don’t hurt yourself, leftovers are heavier than food!” The elderly woman looked back, smiled sadly, and, switching the hand holding the bag, headed towards the bus stop … Read more
Irina had just put her daughter, Alice, to bed a few minutes ago. She was about to lie down herself to enjoy the quiet of her cozy apartment. The soft light of the table lamp created a warm atmosphere in the living room, where the walls were adorned with landscape paintings and photographs of happy … Read more
Well, son, tell me, how’s the city?” the mother bustled about the stove, occasionally adding hot pies to the plate. Nikita smiled, looking at her gray hair. Always the same – forever moving, forever caring. Only now with more wrinkles and a slightly more bent back. “Slowly, Mom. We finally finished the renovation.” “And how … Read more
Pathetic! Hey, pathetic!” Sasha doesn’t turn around; he knows it’s Volodka from the fifth floor. It’s better not to respond. Maybe he’ll leave him alone. “Alexander!” Volodka persists. “Look how hardworking he is. It’s New Year’s Eve, and he’s still working. Right! Fools love work.” “Leave Sashenka alone! Why are you picking on him?” And … Read more
Elvira didn’t like to remember that place, but the gray institutional walls of the orphanage, the dreary, dirty courtyard, and the worn swings and benches would never be forgotten. Like many children from the orphanage, she never knew her parents, and no one ever visited her. She was left at the gates as an infant, … Read more
Christina knocked on the familiar door on the third floor. The doorbell had long been broken, but her mother-in-law, Anna Petrovna, was always alert to knocks—she said that sounds carried especially well in their old building. Indeed, within a minute, shuffling footsteps could be heard. “Kristinushka! What brings you here?” Anna Petrovna greeted her warmly, … Read more
Zoya had worked as a teacher all her life, and now, due to a small pension, she was forced to sell vegetables at the market. Her son-in-law brought a new wife into his apartment, and her daughter returned to her mother with a child. Zoya helped her as much as she could. “Mom, I feel … Read more
“Again, that dog is sitting there,” grumbled the woman in the colorful scarf as she walked past the bus stop. “What is it waiting for? It’s long past time to realize that no one is coming for it.” “I feel sorry for it,” her companion responded quietly. “It comes here every day, in any weather. … Read more