Monday was a lucky day for Irina. She found a job as a caregiver for a lonely, elderly man, 80 years old. Irina knew her job well, had a lot of experience, and was eager to start.
The salary promised was very decent, and the money was much needed. Recently, Irina and her husband Igor had taken out a mortgage on an apartment, and they had to pay for it every month. Igor couldn’t find a job; either he wasn’t suitable, or he didn’t like the conditions.
Her first day at the new place. A large, beautiful two-story house, garden, house helpers. Irina had only seen such things in movies. The homeowner, Leonid Alekseevich, was a pleasant, well-groomed man, cultured and polite. Irina liked him immediately, pleasantly surprised, as she had expected to see a frail old man.
He joked and encouraged Irina to make her feel comfortable. They took to each other immediately. The job was not difficult; she had to administer his medication on schedule, serve food, accompany him on walks, and there were many other small duties that were not at all hard. In the evenings, she returned home to Igor, and early in the morning, she had to be at the place.
Irina enjoyed going to work, and Leonid Alekseevich always looked forward to her arrival. He treated Irina like a granddaughter; he had no children or grandchildren of his own. His wife had died 20 years ago, and he had lived alone all these years. He had no relatives; he and his wife had been orphans.
Since childhood, Leonid had a knack for mathematics, easily solving complex problems, equations, counting in his mind. After finishing school, he studied to become an economist, his abilities were noticed, and he was invited to work as an assistant manager.
Over time, he took a management position and worked there for many years. He actively invested in the stocks of successful companies, and over time, lost count of how much he had accumulated in his accounts.
He grew fond of Irina. She was easy to talk to, well-read, cheerful, and Leonid Alekseevich very much liked her character.
A year flew by unnoticed. Igor now worked there too. The gardener had fallen ill and resigned, and they urgently needed a new one. Irina suggested her husband, and Leonid Alekseevich agreed, just to please Irochka. Igor performed his duties well, and everyone was satisfied.
Irina would never forget that day. It was a day off, there were no house helpers, only Irina and Igor. Entering Leonid Alekseevich’s bedroom in the morning, she saw him sitting in his favorite chair, a fallen book on the floor. He was not breathing.
Irina called Igor, they were going to call an ambulance to certify his departure. Suddenly, Igor saw a door in the wall, which was open, they had not seen it before, it was hidden, and led to a small room. They entered it with Irina, and it seemed like they were transported to the past.
There were old newspaper clippings mentioning Leonid Alekseevich, his wife’s belongings, old furniture. In the corner of the room was a chest, the lid was open. Igor approached it and started looking inside. On top were worn children’s shoes, tin soldiers, an old, tattered book «The Count of Monte Cristo.»
Igor and Irina realized that these were Leonid Alekseevich’s childhood belongings, which he had kept all these years, and showed to no one. Igor noticed a compartment with a lid in the chest, and opened it. Inside were bundles of dollars. Many bundles. Igor had never seen so much.
He began counting, and lost count.
«Ir, this is our chance, we can pay off the mortgage…»
«Don’t even dare, Igor, what are you thinking! This is not ours, how can you say that!»
Irina was beside herself with anger.
She had never taken anything that wasn’t hers in her life, and she wasn’t going to start, no matter how hard it was.
«Ir, we’ll take a little, who knows how much was there, the old man obviously hid this money, and didn’t publicize it. Now the police will take it, and where do you think it will go? They’ll take it for themselves, and no one will know it was there.»
«Igor, what are you saying! Don’t even think about it, I won’t forgive you for this!»
Igor angrily threw the bundles of money back, and left the room.
Irina called an ambulance, the police, but told no one about the money she saw. They left the door to the room open. Irina was very saddened by the loss of Leonid Alekseevich. She felt humanly sorry for him.
Two weeks passed. Irina and Igor were looking for jobs. Some girl called Irina and invited her for a talk. She said it was related to Leonid Alekseevich. Irina didn’t understand what she wanted from her, and went with Igor.
It turned out to be a law firm, and they were invited into an office. A young, attractive girl greeted them.
«I am the authorized representative of Leonid Alekseevich. Recently, he left a will, in which he named you, Irina.»
Irina was shocked. Her, a stranger, for what merits?
«You became very close and dear to him. Leonid Alekseevich left you his house, and something else. Don’t you guess what it is?
Irina shrugged in confusion.
«Remember the chest with money? Yes, yes, that very chest, from which you didn’t take the money. There were cameras in the room, and we saw everything. In the will, there was a clause, which stated that if the amount in the chest remained untouched, then the house and these money would be yours.
If you had taken even one dollar, you would have gotten nothing. It was a kind of test. You, Irina, successfully passed this test, and now this money and the house are yours. The amount in the chest was equal to 10 million rubles. The money from the accounts he bequeathed to help sick children and orphanages.
Irina was speechless. Igor sat with his eyes downcast. How good it was that he had listened to his wife; now they were rich, their own house, they would pay for the apartment, and could rent it out. Irina cried, not from the joy that she had become rich, but from the warm feelings for Leonid Alekseevich, how much she would miss him, his kind look, soulful conversations…
Having finalized all the documents, Irina and Igor stepped into a new life…
There are many temptations in life, and people accept them differently. But, there is one rule — always act according to conscience.
