Timur noticed a young cleaning lady sitting in the corner with a tear-stained face.
«Excuse me, can I help? What happened? Did someone hurt you?» he asked quietly.
The girl flinched, quickly wiped her tears, and spoke:
«Sorry for the trouble. Everything’s fine.»
«No need to apologize. Are you sure you’re okay?» Timur continued with concern.
«Yes, sorry, I’ll go back to work,» she replied hastily and quickly left the area.
Left alone, Timur shrugged and thought that there’s no smoke without fire. On his way to the office, he pondered how to help the girl. Only in the office did he throw his head back and smirk: of course, there was Tatyana Yegorovna.
Tatyana Yegorovna had worked there for a long time, maintaining order. Timur found her number in his notebook and called.
«Good afternoon, Tatyana Yegorovna. Could you come to my office in ten minutes?»
After some time, Tatyana Yegorovna was sitting in his office, enjoying tea.
«Maybe I just called you for a tea?» joked Timur. «Why can’t a boss invite a cleaner for tea?»
Tatyana smiled:
«Oh, come on, Timur Alexandrovich. What did you want to find out?»
«I have a question for you. Who knows our employees better than you?» he replied, preparing for the conversation. «What do you think of the new cleaner?»
«She’s a good girl. Hardworking. Life doesn’t spoil her, but she doesn’t give up. What’s the matter?» asked Tatyana Yegorovna.
«I just saw her crying. I asked, but she ran away,» explained Timur.
Tatyana Yegorovna frowned:
«She cried here. I told her not to pay attention to those dolled-up dolls. They have nothing but lips and lashes. Sonya takes everything to heart.»
«Was she offended here?» Timur became interested. «How so?»
«Oh, it started after she appeared here. Our girls are well-groomed, expensively dressed, all the cosmetics. And Sonya is not, just naturally pretty. That’s why they attack — out of disdain for poverty, contempt for the weak. Isn’t it the same with men? If you sense weakness, you just bully for fun,» Tatyana Yegorovna explained.
Timur didn’t like intrigues at the workplace, but since he decided to figure it out, he asked further:
«And how do they offend her?»
«By appearance, clothing. They mock her, call her ‘queen of the slums,’ ‘donkey skin.’ No fashionable shoes, clothes… That’s all,» Tatyana Yegorovna answered.
Timur was surprised:
«In our team, people have higher education, how is this possible? Maybe you’re mistaken?»
«No, I’m not mistaken. Even warned Svetlana, ‘calm down.’ No, they find it too amusing,» Tatyana Yegorovna candidly replied.
«And what about her life situation, is it really that hard?» Timur asked.
«Yes, her mother is ill, and they won’t grant disability. She can’t work, but needs medication. Sonya does what she can to support both. She’s smart, just no time for studies,» shared Tatyana Yegorovna. Timur reflected: how can people still behave like this in the modern world? He thanked Tatyana Yegorovna for the information and saw her out of the office, staying alone with thoughts of the injustice that sometimes reigns among people.
After some thought, Timur decided to intervene and try to change the situation. He took out his wallet, took out all he had, and headed to the corridor, where he noticed Sonya and Tatyana Yegorovna cleaning a large hall.
There was time, and much work for the cleaners, so Timur quietly sneaked into their storage room. Sonya’s bag immediately caught his eye. Opening it, he found her wallet intending to secretly put money there to help the girl buy clothes. If he had done it openly, he might have embarrassed her.
He was ready to place the bills, but stopped when he saw a strikingly familiar golden cross in the wallet. It could not have ended up in a stranger’s wallet! Timur pondered.
This cross was unique: it once belonged to his father. Events of twenty years ago suddenly resurfaced in his memory. Timur’s mother suddenly fell ill, her condition worsening rapidly. Ten-year-old Timur anxiously watched as his father, exhausted and distraught, drove his mother to doctors, but the treatment was insufficient.
That morning, his mother was making breakfast. It seemed she was getting better, and Timur thought recovery was near. But they hadn’t even left the house when his mother suddenly turned pale and collapsed. His father, lifting her in his arms, shouted:
«Quick, to the car, we’re going to the hospital!»
Timur sat next to her in the car, holding her hand, and quietly cried. His father drove so fast that everyone around scrambled to make way. The city was close, and suddenly, during an overtaking maneuver, their car collided with another.
His father was sure he would make it, but the oncoming driver, apparently scared, lost control and veered off the road. His father braked with a shout:
«Damn!» He didn’t hit the car but caused an accident — there the car overturned.
His father turned around and approached the overturned car.
Near the curb, glancing at a crack in the windshield, Timur noticed a six-year-old girl. Her mother, in the driver’s seat, was bloody. Timur saw that the girl was almost unscathed, but the woman was badly hurt. His father pulled out the stranger and froze, looking at her. Blood ran down one cheek, the other was clean.
Suddenly she grabbed the cross around his father’s neck, clinging to it, and whispered:
«Help my daughter.»
His father stepped back:
«I can’t,» he shouted, «my wife in the car is dying.»
He rushed back to the car, and they sped off. Timur pleaded:
«Dad, they need help, someone will stop, but we must get to the hospital faster.»
Timur noticed that only a fragment of the worn chain remained on his father’s neck. The situation was frightening, and all the way to the hospital, the boy imagined what happened to that woman and her daughter.
When they arrived, it was too late: the doctor said his mother’s heart couldn’t take it, she was gone. Life split into «before» and «after.» And now Timur again faced the echo of that past, holding the cross, shining with a glint, as if closing the circle of memories.
Throughout his life, Timur and his father never discussed that fateful incident on the road. At first, Timur tried to find information about what happened in the news, but soon gave up these fruitless attempts. He never found anything.
Since then, thirteen years had passed. Timur’s father had long retired, traveled a lot, and often visited his wife’s grave. He never remarried, although there was a chance.
Timur became a successful businessman, well-known in the city, a man who tried to erase all unpleasant memories…
Suddenly someone called out to him:
«Excuse me, what are you doing here?»
He turned sharply and saw Sonya. He realized how absurd he looked, holding someone else’s wallet.
«Sorry, Sonya. This might sound strange, but I wanted to give you a bonus and didn’t know how to do it simpler.» He handed her the money, apologized, and hurriedly left the storeroom.
At home, Timur pondered for several hours before deciding to talk to his father.
«Dad, we need to talk,» he said, sitting next to him.
Alexander Kirillovich raised an eyebrow:
«Are you finally getting married?»
«No, Dad, not about that. Do you remember the day we were taking Mom to the hospital, and there was an accident?»
His father frowned:
«I thought you didn’t remember that.»
«No, Dad, I remember it too well. We didn’t help them then, and Mom was dying in the car.»
«Yes, Timur. But we had no choice.»
«We didn’t even call an ambulance for them. Dad, the girl who was in that car now works for me. We have to help.»
His father paced the room, then returned to his son:
«Why are you sure it’s her?»
Timur recounted the day’s events.
«Do you think I haven’t thought about that day? The woman had serious injuries. She was doomed.»
«She survived, but became disabled. Her daughter carries everything on her shoulders, and she’s only nineteen. Dad, we must help somehow.»
Alexander Sergeyevich looked at his son:
«Timur, whether she’s disabled or not — that’s the past. We were not to blame. The inexperienced driver couldn’t handle it. We didn’t even touch their car.»
«I understand, but, Dad, there’s a chance to help here and now. Do you really want someone to hate you for life?» Timur stood up. «I’ve always respected you, knew you were a strong man. Now I’m more disappointed than then because now you could rectify that situation.»
He left, feeling an unprecedented sadness. The father he had always respected now seemed a stranger to him.
When Sonya entered the office, Timur noticed her beauty for the first time. She was truly charming, and the department employees were probably just jealous of her.
«Have a seat, Sonya,» Timur offered. «We have a long conversation ahead.»
Sonya looked at him anxiously:
«Did I do something wrong?»
«No, everything’s fine, have a seat,» he reassured her, placing a cup of coffee in front of her and settling into the chair. «Sonya, why didn’t you go to college?»
She just shrugged:
«I couldn’t manage it yet. Mom got very sick.»
«And what’s with your mom?» Timur asked.
«We were in an accident a long time ago. Something happened to her spine,» Sonya began to explain. «Pain used to appear after long walks or standing, but now it’s constant. Doctors can’t figure it out, and we can’t afford a good clinic. I’m saving money. Besides working for you, I also work as a guard and clean stairwells. The income is small, but I try.»
Timur walked to the window, fully absorbed in thought:
«So, this accident was the cause of all your troubles?»
«You could say that,» she nodded.
Timur returned to his chair, but unexpectedly, his phone beeped — it was his father calling. Timur apologized:
«Just a minute, please.»
His father’s voice sounded anxious:
«Timur, I met with her. We had a normal conversation. I’m now arranging for her treatment at our clinic. Our best specialists will examine her. She turned out to be a very good woman, and, it seems, holds no grudge. I’ll explain everything later.»
Timur looked at Sonya with a broad smile:
«Sonya, I want to truly help you. I’ll sort out your affairs with school and help financially.»
«But I can’t study, my mom…» she began to protest.
«Your mom is already directed to an excellent clinic. My father did that,» he said, seeing her widened eyes.
«But why? For what reason?» the girl wondered.
Timur rubbed his face with his hands:
«I don’t know how you’ll react, but I have to say it. I was in that overtaking car. My father was driving, and my mom was dying in the back seat. We were in a hurry, she was unconscious.»
Sonya looked at him, pondering:
«So that’s why you didn’t help?»
«Yes, Dad wasn’t himself then. It’s not an excuse, but give us a chance to help now. I’ll do everything to change your life,» he said with bitterness in his voice.
He offered her various forms of assistance. Sonya, stunned, already at the door, turned around:
«I understand this has tormented you all your life. But maybe your father will feel better. Mom was inexperienced behind the wheel, that’s why the accident happened. She had just learned to drive but hardly ever drove. That day someone called her and told her that Dad was having fun on the side. She snapped, got behind the wheel, and I was just with her… If not you, someone else might have scared her,» she concluded and left.
Timur felt as if a weight had been lifted off his shoulders: it was easier to breathe. He helped Sonya, her mother, and now his conscience was clear.
Half a year later, Timur came to his father again.
«Dad, we need to talk,» he declared.
«What now?» his father feared.
«This time I’m really getting married. Sonya is about to finish her session, and we’re filing an application.»
The entire office celebrated at the wedding, led by Tatyana Yegorovna. Sonya’s mother, after long rehabilitation, could walk on her own and even dance a little at the celebration.
Former office bullies dared not raise their eyes to Sofia Sergeyevna and the boss, congratulating them.
