My dear mom, my precious… What should I do, how can I help you?” Alla wept. She leaned over the woman lying on a dirty sofa. “My dear daughter, thank you for everything,” Maria Dmitrievna replied in a quiet voice, “But you’ve already done more for me than you could. See how I have repaid … Read more
Mom called again, worried about how you take care of me,” sighed my husband. “As if you were five years old,” I replied. “Tell her you’re thirty-two and you don’t need a sweater.” Borya gave a strained smile and dropped the conversation. My mother-in-law, Alevtina Nikolaevna, was one of those women who dedicated her life … Read more
In the city, there was a stifling heat, it seemed even the asphalt was melting, with temperatures soaring above thirty degrees Celsius. In a residential area, a young pregnant woman wandered confusedly through the courtyards of apartment buildings. She carefully looked for numbers on the corners of the houses but couldn’t find the address she … Read more
Dina shook her housecoat, jumped into her slippers on bare feet, and dashed out of the building, trying to catch up with her husband. “Pasha, come back! Where are you going?” she cried out, almost in tears. Pavel irritably responded over his shoulder: “I can’t stand being around you right now, I’m going … Read more
Who ran into the cafeteria again and stole a loaf of bread?” Lidia Fedorovna, the caretaker, scolded as she opened the door to the children’s room. “Not me!” yelled one of the kids. The others echoed him. Sasha said the same, but his response seemed unnatural. “So it was you?” Lidia Fedorovna grabbed him by … Read more
“Well, Valyusha, are you going dress shopping with your girlfriends today?” Lev Zakharovich inquired, looking at his daughter. “If you need anything, just let me know, and I’ll transfer more money to your card, just in case.” “Oh, Dad,” Valentina chuckled, “I’m not planning to buy anything from Dior. We’re just looking for something unique, … Read more
As my husband started acting distant, I turned to my best friend for comfort. She said to me that I was overthinking things. Turns out, I wasn’t. But three years later, fate gave me front-row seats to the results of their betrayal. Betrayal always seemed like something that happened in dramatic stories or whispered gossip, … Read more
For years, I’ve felt like an afterthought in my own family. When my younger half-sister, Ashley, was born and my parents started fostering two kids, their attention and resources were directed entirely elsewhere. While I understood the importance of fostering and caring for others, it hurt to feel invisible, especially when I was struggling with … Read more
I’ve been super careful with money for years, always saving every penny, never buying anything nice for myself, just so we can pay the rent for our cute little house. Paul and I would both chip in for it, but he was always the one to actually pay the landlord. I never questioned it because … Read more
Arnold sat in his aged recliner, the leather split from years of wear, with his tabby cat Joe purring sweetly in his lap. At 92, his fingers weren’t as steady as they had were, but they still made their way through Joe’s orange fur, finding solace in the old silence. He flipped through pages of … Read more