Now that was a New Year’s, alright. Olga would later remember it like a very bad, very cruel fairy tale—one where she wasn’t Cinderella at all, but some useless, dusty thing they’d forgotten to throw out of the house. They celebrated, as usual, at Galina Petrovna’s place. A lavish table, set so heavily that the … Read more
“Did you buy those pasta again for a hundred and twenty?” The voice from behind the door sounded as if Yulia had messed something up somewhere. “I told you—in ‘Pokupochka’ they’re eighty-five!” Yulia froze in the kitchen with the grocery bags—she had only just set them on the table. Her hands were trembling with fatigue, … Read more
“Where’s the money?! The card won’t work!” Marina held the phone a little away from her ear. Dmitry’s voice slammed through the speaker—sharp, demanding. She was sitting in her office on the twelfth floor. Outside the window: a construction site—cranes, concrete blocks. “It works. Just not for you anymore.” Silence. She pictured him at a … Read more
Marina’s phone chirped, vibrating against the tabletop. A message from Sergei: “Want to go to the dacha together this weekend?” Marina stared at the screen in such confusion, as if he’d suggested flying to Mars. In twenty-five years of marriage, she had almost forgotten what their dacha looked like from the inside. Sergei had always … Read more
The sterile whiteness of the hospital room made his eyes ache. The sharp smell of bleach and medicine—the constant companion of any state-run clinic—seemed to have soaked into his very soul. Dmitry sat on the edge of the bed beside his ten-year-old son, Kirill, forcing the most carefree smile he could. This year the spring … Read more
The next contract for the delivery of medical equipment blurred in front of her eyes. The numbers and clauses had long since merged into a monotonous mush. Elena rubbed the bridge of her nose and leaned back in her chair. The phone call from her husband came at just the right time. “Len, hi. Listen, … Read more
— “Are you seriously saying this right now?” Raisa set down the comb she’d been threading pearls into and slowly turned toward her husband. Her voice was quiet, but there was steel trembling inside it. “Sell my apartment to pay off your mother’s debt?” — “Well what else are we supposed to do?” Andrey stood … Read more
The tea at their place was always suspiciously strong. It wasn’t that Dmitry knew how to brew it—he simply believed you had to soak the bag until it turned into dark crude oil, and then boil it again “so the flavor opens up.” Olga usually added lemon to somehow neutralize that “inky brew.” But this … Read more
Misha slammed his cold cup of coffee onto the table and clicked the button on the coffee machine. Five minutes until he had to leave. Their old apartment had become a cramped box for him, where every corner reminded him of twenty years of marriage— a marriage he’d decided to end three months ago. “Did … Read more
“Mom, why are you just standing there? Everyone’s already in the hall.” Valentina Sergeyevna adjusted the pearl necklace—a gift from Viktor for her sixtieth birthday—and gave a smirk. “I’m wondering whether Roman will come.” Viktor snorted. “Why did you even invite him? You stayed silent for eleven years and everything was fine.” She shrugged. She … Read more