Mom, what are you doing?” Pavel stood in the doorway, holding Vera Nikolaevna’s hand as she determinedly headed for the cupboard with the dishes. “I’m helping your wife with the table setting. Fifteen people—it’s no joke. Everything needs to be beautifully organized,” the mother-in-law attempted to free her hand. “Fifteen people?” Alina froze with a … Read more
I’ve gone home, Denis! I don’t want to listen to your mother’s complaints anymore!” Nina replied to her husband, putting on her shoes at the doorway. “Nin, she didn’t really say anything bad! She was just pointing out your mistakes! If I were you, I’d listen and try not to repeat them!” The man stood … Read more
An elderly woman in an old woolen coat walked down an empty evening street, struggling to move her legs from fatigue. Her brown hair, prematurely silvered, had escaped from under an out-of-fashion beret. A heavy bag, as old and worn as her overall appearance, habitually shifted from one hand to the other. Boys at the … Read more
Why did you come home so early?!” the husband exclaimed in fright, instinctively closing the door in his wife’s face. “What do you mean?” Svetlana managed to wedge her bag in the doorway to stop the door from slamming shut. The situation resembled a cheap joke. Only, in this anecdote, the role of the ‘traveling … Read more
When I heard the lawyer’s words, it felt like the floor disappeared under my feet. ‘Your father left you an inheritance.’ I stared blankly at the man in the formal suit sitting across from me. My father had passed away more than twenty years ago, when I was just a little girl. How could he … Read more
Today was a big day for Ksenia – a meeting with the company’s management. She took a deep breath, trying to calm down. For the past few months, she had worked tirelessly on a new project, and now the moment of truth had arrived. The meeting went by in a blur. Ksenia could hardly believe … Read more
Impossible! It can’t be!” Nadezhda thought, looking at a photograph where a young pregnant girl was hugging her husband’s neck, sitting on his lap and smiling joyfully. Twenty-five years of marriage… was it all going to the dogs now? Her heart painfully clenched as she stared at the photo, forgetting that she had logged into … Read more
Olga knew all too well what poverty was. Her father had left their family long ago when she was just seven years old. Years later, she wondered what had caused it. Perhaps it was because her mother had been his “youthful mistake.” They got together when they were both seventeen during a summer of beaches … Read more
Denis decisively pushed the plate of borscht away from himself and, with an indifferent, careless tone, as if even solemnly, announced: — Svetlana, I’m leaving you! The words shocked the 45-year-old woman so unexpectedly that she dropped the cup she was holding, which shattered into pieces as it hit the tiled floor. Svetlana looked at … Read more
Tanja, why do you always scream so loudly!” Marinka burst out laughing, and her friend Valya joined in. It was hurtful to the point of tears. Tanya had been working here for over six months, and her colleagues constantly teased her. Understanding why Marina and Valya had chosen her as their target, Tanya could not … Read more