«Anya, I’m home,» called Vera as she entered the apartment. A thirteen-year-old girl emerged from the room. «Mom, you’re home early today.» «Yes, I came home a bit early. Next week I’ll need to work a couple of hours more. How are you? How’s school?» «Fine, nothing new.» «You look a bit pale. You should … Read more
Mom, you have to help me.» «I’m sorry, sweetheart, but I don’t have to do anything for you.» Those words hung in the air like heavy raindrops before a storm. Yekaterina Vasilyevna gripped the phone receiver so tightly her knuckles turned white. On the other end of the line, a deafening silence prevailed. «What do … Read more
The wind, like a celestial shepherd, drove the dark clouds across the sky, and the air was sharply scented with rain. In the courtyard, on an unremarkable bench by the flowerbed, a young girl sat with her eyes closed, quietly crying. It seemed that the approaching rain didn’t frighten her at all, and she was … Read more
— Tonya, are you feeling unwell? What’s wrong with you? Antonina did not respond; she just continued to lie on her side. — Mom, tomorrow I will come home not alone but with a fiancé, — Larisa surprised Antonina over the phone. — I’m getting married! Antonina was taken aback: — Getting married? When did … Read more
«What are you stuck in there for? Come out, let’s go!» Anna Makarovna was banging on the bathroom door with her fist. «Please wait just five more minutes,» responded the daughter-in-law, Albina. You’ve lost all conscience! What could you possibly do there for half an hour? Were you unloading wagons or something?!» It was always … Read more
Alenushka, please… listen to me!» cried the mother-in-law. «No, Vera Vasilievna. There’s nothing to talk about,» Alena cut her off. She looked at four-year-old Valyusha. He was the spitting image of his father. But now that no longer mattered. Not long ago, Alena would have given anything for these words. Back then, when she sat … Read more
Why did you come home so early?!» the husband exclaimed, startled, instinctively closing the door in his wife’s face. «What do you mean?» Svetlana managed to insert her bag into the doorway to keep the door from slamming shut. The situation resembled a cheap joke. Only in this joke, the role of the «business trip … Read more
Inga Alekseevna nervously adjusted her apron as she approached the door. The doorbell rang again, this time more insistently. She flung open the door, and there stood Zhenya, her daughter. «Sorry, Mom. It was hectic at work. Couldn’t get away earlier. And I won’t stay long. Igor is still on a business trip, and I … Read more
Rita’s phone trembled in her hand. The voice of an unfamiliar woman, quiet but clear, echoed in the background. Just a second ago, she was waiting for the familiar voice of her husband, and now—this strange whisper in the background. «Where are you?» she wanted to scream, but Rita clutched the phone tighter, holding her … Read more
Ivan met Alena at a volunteer center. However, he wasn’t there to help the disadvantaged, but to look for a girlfriend for a relationship. A friend persuaded him to this odd action. «If a girl volunteers and carries heavy bags of food for elderly strangers on her own, she will do everything and even more … Read more