Lyudmila Lvovna, did you see the notice on the store door?» The saleswoman, Zoyka, was laying out products on the counter for an elderly woman who had come shopping, and was packing them into the customer’s backpack. «Be careful out there in the outskirts, you can expect anything from those scoundrels,» Zoyka warned. «Which scoundrels?» […]
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If you leave now with the kids, I won’t take you back,» Tatyana Petrovna screeched. «Just so you know: I’m leaving my apartment to an animal shelter!» «Do what you want,» I tiredly replied. «But we won’t stay here a second longer.» My world collapsed in an instant. Just yesterday, Alexei and I, along with […]
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I never considered myself a simpleton. On the contrary, I had much to be proud of in this life. I managed to get out of a tiny town, move to a big city, get a good job there, and even buy a three-bedroom apartment. Then I got married, and it seemed like my happiness knew […]
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Mikhail glanced at his watch for the hundredth time and exhaled irritably. Ten minutes. The damned train was already ten minutes late! And as it was, the day had been nothing short of a disaster. First, there was that pompous client who backed out of an order at the last minute. «You see, we’ve had […]
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Mishka, a boy of about twelve, grew up to be a very clever kid. His mother raised him alone; they were not wealthy, but he never demanded more from his mother. She gave as much as she could—some warmth, motherly love, but that was the case for the first 10 years of his life. Tamara, […]
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«I asked you kindly—watch the son! How can you be so heartless? The child is soaking wet and you’re just staring at the monitor!» «What are you starting for?» Vadik frowned, glancing over his shoulder at the crib. «The boy is lying there quietly, not crying. Why are you making a fuss?» «You at all, […]
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«If you leave with the children now, I won’t take you back,» Tatiana Petrovna shrieked. «Just so you know: I will bequeath the apartment to an animal shelter!» «Do what you want,» I replied wearily. «But we won’t stay here a second longer.» My world crumbled in an instant. Just yesterday, Alexey and I, with […]
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«Egor, immediately tell me what you’re hiding!» Mom’s voice was tense with strain. «Nothing,» the boy pressed the jacket tighter to his chest, from under which a soft whimpering could be heard. «I can hear it! What is it?» Egor bit his lip and took a step back. His eyes stung. How could he explain […]
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«I can’t manage anything!» In despair, I just wanted to cry helplessly. «You never manage to finish anything! Others somehow cope!» my husband reproached me irritably, instead of offering even moral support. «Vitya, I’m alone. I have only two hands, not ten. I need to take care of Kostya, who is on me twenty-four seven, […]
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Denis, she’s just a kid. And where did you find this beggar?» Tatyana Viktorovna looked at her son with fright. After work, I stopped by the church to light a candle for the repose of the late Olenka. When I came out, the beggars were refreshed, but this big-eyed Yulia stood off to the side, […]
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