Emily was left an orphan and raised by her mother’s sister. Besides her, Aunt Sarah brought up three daughters of her own. As a result, she treated her niece with indifference, sometimes even irritation, considering the poor child a burden. Uncle William was no better, constantly frowning and grumbling: — We’ve got our own girls growing up, and we need to think about their marriages, gather a proper dowry. And now we’re supposed to sort out Emily’s life too? Maybe someone will take her without a dowry. Such a person soon appeared. A year before the war, Emily turned eighteen, …

This happened on one of those summer days. It was very warm, with a clear blue sky overhead. The sun illuminated everything so brightly that it felt as if its light was everywhere, saturating and warming everything, filling the soul with joy because nature was rejoicing, everything was green and blooming. You couldn’t stop marveling at how much God has created and how wisely it’s all arranged. Just six months ago, it was winter. Frosty. Very short daylight hours. Everything covered in snow. All that endless whiteness and harshness, plus those nasty flu viruses that show up every winter, weighed …

Looking out the window, Alex felt an odd wave of melancholy, as if a serious problem was gnawing at him from within. A knock at the door pulled him from his thoughts. — Yes, it’s open! Oh, it’s you, Victor. You could’ve just walked in. What’s the situation with our two warehouses? I heard there’s an issue with the staff? Standing before Alex was his trusted associate, who was supposed to have all the latest updates. — Well, how do I put this, Mr. Alex Thompson? The thing is, we’re critically short on workers. I’m trying to figure out what’s …

While carrying sparkling new pipes from the basement, the plumber collided shoulder-to-shoulder with his boss. The boss’s comment came swiftly: — Hey, Nick… Selling off construction materials on the side again? Watch out, if the director catches you, he won’t exactly pat you on the head. Glancing around, Nicholas scratched the back of his head, as if trying to recall something. — Good day to you too, Pete. You’ve got it wrong. I’m taking these for a job. You’ll probably show up at my country house this winter, won’t you? Haven’t forgotten the way or the smell of those tasty …

— Talking on the phone again? — John, the café administrator and my boss, caught me off guard. “Just one second,” I promised, keeping the phone pressed to my ear. My three-year-old daughter had been coughing since morning and complaining about a sore throat, so I was anxious to hear what Mrs. Alice Johnson had to say about Lily’s condition. That was far more important than any scolding from my boss. — “Yes, yes, I understand, thank you so much. I’ll try not to stay late today,” I quickly wrapped up the conversation with my neighbor from the shared apartment. …