In this story by Vasily Aksyonov (Aksenov), a Russian factory worker reviews his life and relationships as he spends a day with his six-year-old daughter while his wife is at a “meeting”. He is growing apart from a once close-knit group of childhood friends, and faces a growing gap with his wife who is completing a doctoral degree and may be having an affair. In an epiphany, he realizes that being there for his daughter as she grows up is the most important thing in the world. Themes include childhood innocence, fatherhood, social relationships, marriage disconnect, deceit.
Papa, What Does that Spell? Text / PDF (6,100 words)