Girls

Tanya is about forty. Her assets include two children, a husband who ran off, and a third pregnancy. She’s in her twenty‑second week — no joke. And there’s the endless work, and the nannies for the children. Plus, there’s her perpetually discontented mother: she criticizes liberals and her ex‑son‑in‑law, and praises Stalin. Although... If it weren’t for Mom, there would be no one to take to the doctor, and all around — it’s winter, there’s ice on the roads, trolleybuses, and scary dogs are lurking dangerously close. It’s hard without men, and it’s no easier with them either. The good news is that there are no complications or pathologies. Another girl will be born in St. Petersburg soon.