«Again, you?» Ivan Petrovich, the baker, asked, noticing the girl. Ivan Petrovich was already an old man, his hair gray.
The girl stood as if rooted to the spot. Her eyes were drawn to the fresh golden buns on the counter.
Anna looked at the baker and, after a deep sigh, nodded to him.
«I’m just looking,» she replied quietly.
Ivan Petrovich understood that the girl was well-mannered and simply too shy to say anything.
«Dreaming about the buns, aren’t you?» he asked with a gentle smile. «Or do you want to bake them too?»
The girl blushed and lowered her head, unable to respond.
Anna was from an orphanage and often passed by this bakery on her way from school. Everything inside the bakery was foreign, yet it felt very homely to her. She dreamed of being on the other side of the counter, like Ivan Petrovich.
Every day as she passed by the bakery, the aroma of fresh buns warmed her soul. Approaching the counter, she could not tear herself away from looking at the various baked goods. It wasn’t even out of hunger, but out of an appreciation for beauty. She admired what Ivan Petrovich did.
On one such day, feeling in a bad mood, Anna decided to speak to the baker:
«Hello,» her voice was so quiet that Ivan Petrovich barely heard her.
He was surprised to see the girl inside, as she usually stood outside.
«Oh, it’s you,» Ivan Petrovich noticed the girl. «I knew you’d come in sooner or later. What brings you here?»
Anna fiddled with the edge of her torn coat, her anxiety growing by the second:
«I… I just wanted to look.»
The baker smiled, pushing a basket of freshly baked buns towards her. He softly said:
«Come on, take one. Don’t just look, go ahead.»
Anna couldn’t believe what was happening. At the orphanage, no one ever handed out even bread for free.
«But… I can’t,» she mumbled, feeling a lump in her throat.
«Come on. Help yourself. I can make others if you don’t want these, especially for you, I don’t mind,» Ivan Petrovich said, offering a fresh jam-filled pastry.
Overcoming her awkwardness, Anna took the pastry and started eating it right there, without managing to say anything. Joy and confusion were evident in her eyes.
Anna continued to visit the bakery. She tried to spend more time there, not to eat, but to learn the baking process. She dreamed of becoming a baker.
«Come on in. Wash your hands and follow me,» Ivan Petrovich said one day and disappeared behind the door that led to the kitchen.
«Really?» Anna couldn’t believe his words.
«Of course, really. Come on. I’ll show you. You want to learn how it’s done, don’t you?» he said with a smile.
She entered through that door. Everything was so large around her. There were sacks of flour, large containers, and various tools everywhere.
Ivan Petrovich told her about the types of dough, the oven temperature, and the secrets of kneading. At first, she just watched. But after a few days, watching Ivan work, she too began to mimic his movements. It started with simple tasks: shaping buns, rolling dough. Eventually, Ivan taught her how to make pies and stuffed buns.
When Anna felt the dough in her hands, she forgot her school troubles and worries. She enjoyed spending time with Ivan Petrovich, kneading dough and shaping pastries.
One time, staying too late in the bakery, Anna was late for dinner at the orphanage. She was met at the doorstep by the director:
«You’ve been hanging out in that bakery all the time again?» he asked sternly.
«I just…» she began, but the director interrupted her.
«You are supposed to be in the orphanage after school. Now you’re not to set foot there without my knowledge.»
She was very sad after these words, as the bakery was the only place where she could happily spend time after school before returning to the grim and shabby walls of the orphanage she lived in… The director had jeopardized her only joy…
Anna didn’t come to the bakery for about a month, and Ivan Petrovich was very worried, wondering if she was ill. Or maybe she had been adopted. But then she would have come to him anyway. Various thoughts kept him restless, as she had become like his own granddaughter. He had no children, and before meeting her, the bakery was his only diversion and joy in life.
«Anna, Anka, wait,» Ivan Petrovich called out, spotting a familiar silhouette as he ran out of the bakery.
«What happened, why haven’t you come?» he asked anxiously.
«I was… I was scolded by the director,» Anna stuttered, tears in her eyes, «I can’t be late again, or they will scold me again, goodbye.»
Ivan Petrovich was stunned, not understanding what was wrong with a child spending time in a bakery, learning a new trade. He didn’t know what to do.
After several days of thinking, Ivan Petrovich went to the orphanage and headed to the director’s office. He showed the director videos of how Anna worked with him and enjoyed it, how she was happy about the first successful pastry she made with her own hands. Ivan Petrovich argued that Anna should continue visiting the bakery to learn the trade, as the girl herself really enjoyed it. Moreover, on various holidays, Anna could help the cooks at the orphanage and bake various treats.
After long persuasions and viewing the recordings, convinced that Anna was indeed learning to bake, the director allowed her to spend her free time there after school. The director was just worried that someone might take advantage of the girl, as she had no relatives.
In the bakery, Anna felt needed and confident. She gradually mastered various subtleties of the trade.
Ivan Petrovich became not only a mentor to Anna but also a true friend.
One day, Anna stayed late in the bakery, helping Ivan Petrovich clean up inside before closing. Ivan saw the anxiety on Anna’s face and felt something was wrong.
«Anna, what happened? What’s wrong with you? Why are you sad,» he asked.
«Ivan Petrovich, I don’t even know how to say this. Can I stay here overnight? I want to run away from the orphanage…» the girl said, slightly stuttering from nervousness.
«Why do you want to run away?» he asked, surprised.
«You see, everyone there laughs at me, that I don’t spend time with other kids, I don’t play with anyone. They don’t like me, they don’t leave me alone. At school, I have friends, but in the orphanage, everyone is so mean… I’m afraid of them,» the girl replied, sitting down in a corner.
«I’ll talk to the director, don’t worry. It’s already late, let me walk you home. Otherwise, the director will scold again and won’t allow you to return. And if you run away, I could get into trouble, everyone will think I hid you. I’ll figure something out.» Ivan Petrovich hugged the girl, took her by the hand, and walked her to the orphanage.
The director listened to Ivan Petrovich and did not scold Anya for coming back late, but he told her not to do it again.
Anya continued to visit the bakery and learn, but over time her spirits gradually fell. She wasn’t as passionate anymore. Ivan Petrovich understood that the relationships inside the orphanage were affecting her.
«Anya, please leave the classroom, they are waiting for you outside,» the teacher suddenly said in school, reading a text message on her phone.
Outside the door stood a caretaker from the orphanage:
«Come with me, your school day is over,» the woman said and took Anya by the hand.
Leaving the school, she saw Ivan Petrovich standing on the corner.
«Aren’t you going to say anything, Anya?» the caretaker asked sternly as they approached Ivan Petrovich.
The girl’s heart began to beat faster. She didn’t understand what they wanted from her. «Did he tell everyone that I complained about the children? What will happen to me now?» thoughts swirled one after another in her head.
«You’re silent, so yes. But I have something to say to you, little one. Congratulations, that’s what I can say.»
The woman smiled, switching from her stern voice to her normal tone. «Congratulations, now you will have your own home.»
«Well hello, Daughter,» Ivan Petrovich, standing next to her, said.
Ivan Petrovich had completed all the documents for guardianship. His living space and income allowed it, despite his age. Anya grew up and continued to engage in her favorite activity. Many years later, the bakery became very famous in the city, and Anya helped make it popular through advertising.
Twice a month, on weekends, Anna visited her orphanage with workshops for the children, teaching them simple recipes and showing by her own example that there was a different life beyond the walls of the orphanage.
