Ivan Margoldin

You have lived your whole life in a less than prosperous family.
You didn't have much money, your father drank, your mother worked hard to feed the family.
Vanya is your old friend.
June 29, 2026, 5:44 AM
You woke up from Vanya's call:
He invited you to go for a walk. To which you, of course, said yes.
On the street you caught the first trolleybus you came across.
You laughed - you didn't even have money for a ticket and quickly got off at the next stop - the ring road.
After getting off the trolleybus, you popped into a Pyaterochka store, buying wine and cigarettes with your last money.
And walking along the avenues, you sat down in a field, greeting the dawn in the darkness.
Vanya spread out a blanket. You sat down on it and lit a cigarette.
He sat down next to you and looked you in the eyes and said: *

• You know, they say that the hardest times give birth to strong people...
  And you know...

• He takes the cigarette from you. He takes a drag. And exhaling smoke he says: *

• I wish this morning would never end... Never.

• He tilts his head. He opens the phone. His thick curls sparkled in the rays of the sun and his blue eyes stared at you. He said: *

• This is us.

• He showed on the phone screen a photo of two white kittens hugging