I don’t get it! Why on earth should your sister and your mother be living in our bedroom while you and I sleep on the sofa in the living room? What kind of reshuffling of sleeping places is this supposed to be?

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  “Ilya’s mom and Lenka are coming on Friday. I’ve already bought their tickets,” Igor mentioned offhandedly, without taking his eyes off his phone as he lazily scrolled some feed. He was sitting at the kitchen table in a relaxed pose, one of those evenings when the world feels simple and predictable. Veronika, who was … Read more

Oh, I’m really not feeling well today… and there’s dust in the apartment again, it’s awful. You’re not busy tomorrow, are you? You’ll come and help me clean up a bit, won’t you?

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“Oh, I’m really not feeling well today… and the apartment is all dusty again, it’s awful. You’re not busy tomorrow, are you? You’ll come and help me tidy up a bit, right?” “Sorry, but tomorrow is my birthday…” “But you’re free in the morning! Come to me around seven, you’ll be done by eleven at … Read more

Tell Sveta you went to my place to help me,” she heard her mother-in-law’s words and couldn’t believe it. “I’ll cover for you…

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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 has been your favorite grandson his whole life! And now this kind of twist in your old age? Have you lost your mind?

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— 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

The wife found out her husband had been visiting a young neighbor and decided to teach them both a lesson

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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

Maria spent three days scrubbing every corner of the house, as if her enemy weren’t dust but time itself—the time that had separated her from her son.

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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

— Oh sure, right now! I’ll just drop everything and move in with your parents! I have my own apartment, and I’m going to live in it—and I’m not renting it out!

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  — 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, honey! I’ve got a big surprise for you! Make your signature dish for dinner!” “What happened?” Svetlana asked warily.

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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