Today Masha’s husband upset her badly. And not for the first time. Anything that had to do with his mother had now become unpleasant to Masha. It plunged her into a state of gloom and made her feel unwell. She wanted to run away from this whole family as far as possible, and the only … Read more
living-room window, watching Lena get out of her car. Lena waved, smiling broadly, and headed for the porch. The third time in two weeks already. “Ol-ya!” Lena burst into the entryway with a bouquet of roses and a bag with wine. “How could I say no? Sergey insisted so much that I come for the … Read more
Sveta,” drawled her colleague and best friend Natalya, “are you by any chance pregnant?” Sveta came back from the ladies’ room, pale as a sheet. During lunch at the café next to the office she had suddenly felt unwell and, apologizing, had hurried off, leaving half her meal untouched. “Only if it’s by accident,” Svetlana … Read more
— How can this be, San Sanych? Pashka’s been your favorite grandson his whole life! And now this kind of twist at your age? Has something snapped? — fumed Pashka’s father and, at the same time, San Sanych’s son-in-law, Sergei Ivanych. — And what exactly doesn’t suit you, Seryozha? — San Sanych looked over the … Read more
Galina stood by the window and watched Viktor stride toward the neighboring entrance. Again. For the third time that week. He had some kind of little toolbox in his hands. “Where are you off to?” she shouted from the balcony. “To Alina’s! Her outlet’s acting up!” he waved and disappeared into the stairwell. An outlet. … Read more
Three days Maria scrubbed every corner of the house, as if her enemy weren’t dust but time itself—the time that had separated her from her son. She woke before dawn, even though the bus wouldn’t arrive in the village until after lunch. She still couldn’t sleep. Andrei was coming home after five years in Germany. … Read more
— Inga, I’ve been thinking… Basically, I’ve got an idea how we can get our life on track, — Stas’s voice, full of self-satisfaction and expecting praise, caught her in the kitchen. She was slicing vegetables for a salad, the sharp knife gliding confidently through the firm cucumber, leaving behind perfectly even, fresh-smelling rounds. … Read more
Hello, darling! I’ve got a big surprise for you! Make your signature dish for dinner tonight! “What happened?” Svetlana grew uneasy. “Everything’s wonderful! I’ll tell you this evening!” The call ended, and the woman looked doubtfully out the window. It was a raw, damp October. Her husband’s call didn’t lift her spirits—over twenty-five years of … Read more
Alice pressed her forehead to the cool glass of the hospital room window, feeling under her fingers the steady, lulling breath of her newborn son, nestled against her chest. Her third son. Outside, under the streetlights, thick March snow swirled as if in slow motion—just as blind and hopeless as it had been six years … Read more
Elvira stood by the window, looking out at the rainy October street. Three days earlier, the money from selling her late grandmother Raisa’s apartment had hit the bank account. Twenty million rubles—a sum that could change a life. The deal had been done officially through a notary; all the documents were in a folder on … Read more