Galina closed the door behind her, kicked off her shoes onto the floor and took a deep breath. Finally, she could relax. Today had been an important day—she had completely paid off the mortgage on her apartment. The very one she had bought before marriage, when she worked twelve-hour shifts and denied herself everything. The […]
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Mashenka, open up, it’s me! I brought fresh little pies, with cabbage, just the way Pavlik likes them!” The voice behind the door was brisk and insistent, leaving not the slightest chance to pretend no one was home. Maria slowly wiped her hands on the kitchen towel and shot a brief, heavy look at her […]
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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 […]
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I was chopping vegetables for a salad when I heard Lena’s familiar voice at the door. My husband Andrey’s sister never rang the bell — she just walked in with her own keys, as if this were her own home. “Hi, Masha!” Lena burst into the kitchen, her perfume filling the whole space. “Where’s Andryusha?” […]
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They were expecting borscht or cutlets. She dropped a stack of documents onto the table so loudly that Aunt Elina’s fork slipped from her hand. In that moment, the familiar family script stopped existing. Irina stood by the table, straight as a string. She’d been preparing for this moment all evening—buttoned her blouse all the […]
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Where do you think you’re going? I told you, you’re staying home.” Dima stepped out of the kitchen into the narrow hallway and, getting two steps ahead of Lera, planted his broad palm against the doorjamb. His body completely blocked the way out. In the dim light of the single bulb his figure looked massive, […]
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And you still call yourself a homemaker,’” the mother-in-law sighed loudly. “When Dima was sick, everything in my place sparkled. Have you even picked up a rag once?” “Now is not the time for cleaning, the child’s temperature is almost forty.” “A fever is not the end of the world,” retorted Antonina Andreyevna. “Besides, you […]
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Just for a couple of hours, Dan, really!” Marina’s voice over the phone sounded both pleading and demanding. “It’s a rush job, you understand. And I really need the money right now…” Polina froze with her mug of coffee in her hands. The words printed on the porcelain — “My home is my castle” — […]
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Just for a couple of hours, Dan, really!” Marina’s voice over the phone sounded both pleading and demanding. “It’s a rush job, you understand. And I really need the money right now…” Polina froze with her mug of coffee in her hands. The words printed on the porcelain — “My home is my castle” — […]
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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 wiping […]
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