One for My Enemy

by Olivie Blake

Here, have this book.

“Well, that’s very thoughtful of you, Masha,” Sasha sighed, “but somehow, I think I should just get used to it. We can’t curse all the men in the world, can we?” “Not in a single day, at least,” Marya replied, “much as I try.”

“Katya always says she wants more babies, and maybe one day you’ll have seven daughters of your own.” “Please, don’t curse me today, Sashenka,” Marya said. “I’ve had a very trying morning, and I simply cannot bring myself to imagine such a dystopian future right now.”

What would it be like, Sasha wondered, to live in a world where no meant no?

“Even good men will let you down.”

“Strength comes from struggle,” Marya said. “Each time we bid farewell to a piece of ourselves we become different than we were. But each time we rise again in the morning, it’s a victory,” she said firmly.