Anna’s very first memory was not of the warmth of a mother’s hands or the sweet scent of New Year tangerines. It was a pricking, ice-cold thing, stamped on the wrong side of her soul like a scar that would ache all her life. She was six. Into the neat, polished-to-sterility world of the orphanage—smelling … Read more
“Sign it, Kseniya Arkadyevna, and let’s be done with this farce.” Rodion carelessly slid a folder of documents toward me. His well-groomed fingers drummed on the mahogany desk, and on his lips played that very smirk I’d come to hate over the years. The smirk of a predator driving its prey into a corner. “What … Read more
Raisa sat on the edge of the bed and stared at the suitcase. Two years ago, Arkady had assured her it was temporary. Just a couple of months, until his mother recovered from knee surgery. “Raya, please,” Arkady had taken her hands then and looked into her eyes. “Mom is lonely. And she’s afraid to … Read more
The news of her grandfather’s death reached Yana in the middle of the workday. She was sitting at her computer when a message came from her mother: “Grandpa Misha is gone. His heart. Come as soon as you can.” Yana didn’t cry—they hadn’t been especially close in recent years. But something snapped inside her, as … Read more
Larisa looked up from her computer when Andrei walked into the kitchen. From his face she immediately understood—something was wrong. Her husband stood in the doorway, shifting from foot to foot like a schoolboy outside the principal’s office. “What happened?” she asked, closing the laptop. Andrei came to the table and sat down across from … Read more
The quiet of our cozy Saturday morning was shattered by a sharp, insistent knock at the door. Sunbeams danced across the floor of our modest but beloved living room; the air smelled of freshly brewed coffee and vanilla croissants. My daughter, gentle and radiant Alisa, was happily building the castle of her dreams from colorful … Read more
The gate creaked shrilly and nastily, as if underlining the end of yet another quarrel with my mother. I was almost running to the car, swallowing tears and feeling how badly my hands were shaking. Behind me were the half-weeded garden, the half-picked raspberries, and… Mom. Alone again at her dacha. The day was hot. … Read more
I was sitting at my laptop when Andrey came back from work. Hearing the click of the front door, I quickly minimized the tab with the bank statement and opened the translation text. My husband peeked into the study and planted a casual kiss on the top of my head. “Good evening, worker bee. How’s … Read more
— All right, Dasha. I bought you this blouse for last year’s birthday for twelve thousand, — Semyon ostentatiously put the item on the scale. — Eight hundred grams. We multiply by the current price of gold. Fine, let’s say three thousand. — Are you serious right now? — Dasha looked at her husband in … Read more
“What do you mean your daughter is going to live with us now, Slava? Did you mix something up? This is my apartment, and I’m the only one who has the right to let anyone in!” Katya burst out, freezing in the doorway with grocery bags in her hands. She had just crossed the threshold … Read more