«Quiet, darling, quiet. They will hear us.» The old apartment greeted me with the smell of lavender and antiquities. A typical museum of the Soviet era—carpets on the walls, crystal in the cabinet, and photographs, photographs, photographs. Honestly, I was a bit intimidated as I crossed the threshold. After the cozy provincial town, St. Petersburg … Read more
Vera! Can you hear me?» Alexei called out before he even entered the house. «I hear you,» the woman replied without taking her eyes off the screen she was drawing on with a stylus. «Igor and his wife and daughter are asking to stay with us!» Vera knew exactly who Igor was—her husband’s brother, … Read more
Sofya set a vase of flowers on the table and critically examined the result. Everything was perfect. A pristine white tablecloth, crystal glasses, expensive champagne in a silver bucket with ice. In the kitchen, a duck with apples was baking in the oven, and in the refrigerator sat desserts from the city’s best patisserie. And … Read more
— And what, now I’m supposed to walk around hungry?” Leo exclaimed in indignation, feeling his anger boiling inside him. “— Of course not,” Anna replied calmly. “You can go to the store, buy some groceries, and make yourself a dinner. Or order delivery. You do have money.” “— Is this some kind of strike?” … Read more
Hi! Is Mom home?” asked the unfamiliar man to Yulia as she opened the door for him. “Yes…” Yulia nodded and shouted, “Mom, it’s you.” “What’s the matter…” Mom came out of the kitchen, wiping her hands. “You just can’t do without me…” she began, then faltered. Yulia saw a flash of surprise on her … Read more
— So what am I supposed to do now, walk around hungry? — Lev exclaimed, feeling the anger rising inside him. — Of course not, — Anna replied calmly. — You can go to the store, buy some groceries, and make dinner. Or you can order delivery. You have money, after all. — Is … Read more
A phone call shattered the morning silence so unexpectedly that Natasha jumped. The screen displayed the name: “Aunt Lyuba.” — “Natashenka!” an excited voice came from the other end of the line. “Can you imagine, we’re coming to your country house!” Her cup of coffee froze mid-air. Aunt Lyuba was the very one who … Read more
Ludmila sat at the kitchen table, nervously tapping a spoon on the rim of a cup of cooling tea. Her eyes, narrowed from perpetual dissatisfaction, followed as Marina loaded boxes into the car outside. “That’s it,” she thought, “finally this upstart has been removed from my boy’s life.” Alexey stood by the car with … Read more
Anna rearranged the figurines on the shelf, wiping the dust off with her sleeve. Every Friday, she performed her ritual of a deep cleaning—whether guests were coming or not. Cleanliness had become a habit, one that turned into an obsession. At fifty-eight, she felt that control over her home was the last thing that truly … Read more
He promised to return, and Masha believed him, even though everyone laughed at her. As a farewell, he gave her earrings – two golden doves, and she wore them without taking them off. “You’re so naive, Masha,” sighed her friend Tanya. “Why would he want you now? You saw how he is, they even showed … Read more