But suddenly the air conditioner screeched, thumped, and shut down completely. Already the fifth time that week. My husband kept fixing it, and it kept breaking again.

The room suddenly became stifling hot. The children lay on the floor — sluggish, sleepy, their faces shiny.

I called Viktor. He didn’t pick up right away. In the background I heard voices, a woman’s laughter… and a child’s.

“The air conditioner broke again, I’m calling a repairman, you don’t know how to fix it,” I said.

“Don’t you dare!” he shouted sharply. “No repairmen. No one is allowed inside the house. I said so!”