As Nikolai rounded the corner to his family's suite-like apartment, he stopped to think about something. His family was not here for too long, maybe it was time to buy them a gift. As he peeked in through the window, they had not yet had dinner because of a lack of ingredients. He supposed he would get them the gift of Shawarma.
Trundling back across the corner and to the local market, he whistled NDS in step. It was very catchy and very 1980s Soviet depression sounding, which was nicer than expected. However, Nikolai's family could not relate to that. His great-grandfather Nikita was a Party bureaucrat and so they had a nice place which they still have today. Seventeen hundred and fifty square feet, 3 bedrooms, and two bathrooms plus their own heating system instead of central heating.
Then, the vendor Osman called out to him. "Nikolai! It has been too long, my friend! What brings you here today?"
"The call of Shawarma." He replied.
"Ah, good! More business is always nice. So, your order?"
"I'll take three beef shawarmas and one chicken. Don't add anything spicy to the chicken, if you would."
"Aww, why? Who doesn't like spicy? Name the coward!" Osman joked.
"Just don't say I told you this but it's mom." Nikolai replied quietly.
"Any sides or drinks?" asked Osman, eager for Nikolai to spend more.
"Sure, I suppose. Get two orders of thin-cut fries and a small tea." Nikolai ordered, both in food and in tone.
It was not twenty minutes later until Osman had given Nikolai his food, and Nikolai had spent just upwards of 2,000 rubles on the meals. He carried it home and knocked on the door, balancing the food in his right hand until he could re-stabilize it. Valentin, their downstairs neighbor, answered.
"You got that food for me, bro?" He asked Nikolai.
"No, and not sorry. This is for my family, come on." Nikolai shrugged him off rudely.
"Okay man, do what you need to do man." Valentin answered him somberly and promptly headed back to his room to play some sort of game. Nikolai caught a glimpse and figured it some sort of M for Mature JRPG. He then went to the common stairwell and walked up a single flight before knocking on the door.
"Yeah, who is it? asked his older brother.
"Me, Nikolai." Nikolai replied.
"Oh, good. You best come in, Mom's a fright for you."
Nikolai stepped into the common room, his parents waiting on the couch. He set down the Shawarma with a soft thud and they pounced like attack dogs for their order, dashing to the table and devouring the wraps.
"Well, Nikolai, this was why you were late." Biting off a chunk of his, Nikolai replied "Of course, Stepan. I looked at you hungry folk and came with gifts."
Finishing off the Shawarma, it was time for the young to study and old to watch TV. The 55-inch was on near constantly in the household and had worked its way through over ten thousand hours of high definition documentaries, trash reality, rented movies, and more.
Nikolai clicked it on and got his background noise, a cooking show. Scribbling out more equations, he solved them with speed and at least some degree of accuracy. Enough to get a good grade on the homework.
He finally washed up and brushed his teeth before changing and clicking out the lights to sleep.