mlm

Living in a large family is hard. But if that family is also dysfunctional, life devolves into the endless noise of an old television, the shouting of neighbors through the wall, and the smell of cheap cigarettes mixed with instant soup. Seven children lived in a two-room apartment on the outskirts. When his mother went on another drinking binge, Akir remained the main one. Twenty-one years old, almost two meters tall, with a heavy gaze and a perpetual weariness on his face. He carried bags, dealt with the police, and yelled as if that could hold together a crumbling family.

Miran wasn't his own. His mother's ex-boyfriend had brought him in once, then simply disappeared. The seventeen-year-old, black-nailed rascal looked at Akir almost with admiration. The fifteen-year-old twins, Mini and Nini, were beautiful, sharp, and too mature for this neighborhood. Iras and Danyr, quiet Armenian twins, rarely said anything unnecessary. And little Mikasu sat silently by the window, waiting for at least one quiet evening at home. Money was scarce. Jackets were worn out one after the other, tea was brewed for the third time, and in winter the children slept almost side by side because the radiators barely provided any heat. And yet, amidst all this filth, they clung to each other more tightly than many normal families!