Nina was tired and leaned back in her chair. It was unclear what hurt more—her head or her back. Someone knocked softly on her office door.
«Nina Sergeyevna, may I come in?» The woman raised her eyebrows in surprise.
«Rita, why aren’t you home yet?»
The girl smiled sheepishly:
«How can I leave you here alone? What if you want some coffee?»
Nina smiled:
«I appreciate it, but you didn’t have to. You should go home and rest.»
Rita sighed:
«You know, no one is waiting for me at home. I’m always better off at work.»
Nina met this girl by chance under such circumstances that no sensible person would have done what Nina did. Her car broke down—just stopped on the outskirts of the city at the exact moment her phone died. She was returning from important negotiations in another city, tired and hungry. After several attempts to start the car and then turn on the phone, she despaired and stepped out onto the street. It was very cold that day. About 15 minutes later, after unsuccessful attempts to hail a taxi, Nina decided to walk at least to a gas station or store to call a car. That’s when she saw a lone female figure.
Rita was walking along the edge of the road, completely unresponsive to anything, looking straight ahead, clearly seeing no one.
«Miss!»
Rita did not respond and walked past Nina. Nina caught up with her and grabbed her arm:
«Why are you walking on the roadway?»
She stopped but didn’t even look at Nina, just stood there and wanted to continue walking as if she hadn’t heard her. Nina wasn’t about to give up that easily. She grabbed the stranger by the arm and almost forcibly seated her in the car. At least there was no wind inside.
«What’s wrong with you? Are you feeling unwell?» Then the girl looked at her more meaningfully and started crying.
Nina learned that she was an orphan, that the state had provided her with housing, she had graduated from a technical school and met a boy—everything was simply wonderful. But then the boy just kicked her out of the apartment, bringing another girl there.
«But it’s your apartment!»
«He said he had transferred everything to his name.»
Nina sighed:
«Where do such naive people come from? Really, only from an orphanage.»
She tried to start the car, and miraculously—it immediately purred to life. Nina pulled out, and her father was waiting at home.
«Dad, meet her, I’m not alone!»
Sergey Andreevich came out to the hallway:
«Hello, Nina. And who have you brought? A Snow Maiden, perhaps?»
«Almost. Another half hour and she would have been not a Snow Maiden, but she definitely would have turned into a snowman.»
Sergey Andreevich bustled about, led the guest to the kitchen, and by the time Nina had changed, he had already set the table. Nina smiled.
Generally, Nina was not particularly known for her kind character or spontaneous actions, but she herself didn’t know why she felt the urge to help Rita. «Tell me, do you really have no one else?»
Three days later, Rita entered Nina Sergeyevna’s office:
«Nina Sergeyevna, when can you review the candidates? Twenty people applied, and I’ve narrowed it down to three who I think are suitable for the role of Sergey Andreevich’s companion.»
«Well, let’s meet in twenty minutes; I’m just finishing up some work.»
Rita was right: the candidates were indeed good. Nina asked questions, received answers, and honestly, it wasn’t easy for her to make a decision. But at one point, one of the women, slightly older than Nina, apparently nervous, started fiddling with her bracelet.
«You have the same bracelet, only where have I seen it before…» then it dawned on her. «You know what, come to us tomorrow, meet my father, look around, and then we’ll decide everything.»
The woman smiled:
«Alright, of course.»
The hardest thing was to send Rita to the store because Nina couldn’t think of anything else to do. But she suddenly wanted apples, right now. Rita looked at her strangely, but didn’t argue and went. Meanwhile, Nina rushed to the secretary’s reception:
«Where does Rita keep that photo? Definitely in the first drawer!» She carefully examined the photo. Indeed, she was right: that bracelet—there couldn’t be another one like it. It was inexpensive, probably homemade, but clearly valuable to someone. What does this mean? Was the sister Rita so desperately wanted and feared to find applying for a job with them, and Rita didn’t recognize her?
Nina looked at the photo again: even she wouldn’t have recognized her. The girl in the photo was a blonde, lively young woman, and this one—a woman with dark hair and a serious demeanor. Perhaps the bracelet just passed to another person? Thousands of questions and no answers. Alright, tomorrow’s a day off, she could invite Rita over as well and figure it out in the evening.
Nina told everything to her father. Sergey Andreevich, as usual, listened without interest. But by the end of the story, he perked up.
«Ninochka, we must definitely find out everything, what if it really is our Ritochka’s sister?» Nina smiled.
«And you’ll help me only to question that woman?»
He nodded, his eyes lit up, and he cautiously moved to his office.
«Nina, bring me dinner in the office, I’ll look her up on the internet, what did you say her name was?»
Nina was surprised to see the empty plates. It had been a year since her father had finished everything. Father, his head not turning from the monitor.
«Could you make some coffee?»
«Dad, what coffee? It’s the middle of the night!»
«Please, I don’t like your healthy tea.»
Nina sighed, went to the kitchen. Of course, she would make it, what choice did she have?
The woman’s name was Darya. She willingly talked about herself.
«I was married, got divorced, never had children, so I decided to come to this city where my father once lived. He has a daughter, much younger than me. I wanted to find her, see how she’s doing. The last time I saw the girl was at the funeral, but she was in such a state that she recognized no one. I really asked my mom to take Ritka in, but mom wouldn’t allow it. She terribly hated my father for leaving. Maybe I should have insisted, but I was used to obeying mom in everything. And three years ago she caught a cold and died, you could say not from the cold but from her own character. She called the doctor a fool and started treating herself. In the end, when they brought her to the hospital, it was too late.»
Darya smiled at Nina.
«Your secretary reminds me a lot of Ritka. Of course, I understand it can’t be, since Rita was raised in an orphanage. A way into such firms for her, of course, is barred.»
Nina exchanged glances with her father, but before they could reply, the door slammed, and Rita appeared.
«Why are we just sitting here? Why aren’t we decorating the tree?»
«Rit, what tree? Do we have kids?»
Rita laughed.
«I’ll be the child! Please, Santa and a present!»
Darya looked astonished at Rita. Something was off. She watched attentively, unable to take her eyes off the girl.
«Rita… your middle name wouldn’t happen to be Pavlovna, would it?»
Rita slowly turned towards Darya. The box of Christmas ornaments she apparently bought on the way slipped from her hands to the floor.
«Who are you? How do you know my father’s name was Pavel?»
Darya inhaled.
«It seems our fathers had the same name. Moreover, it was the same man!»
Rita clasped her hands to her chest.
«Wait, it can’t be! You… you’re Dasha?!»
Tears streamed down Darya’s cheeks.
«Exactly, I’m Darya Pavlovna! We met when you were very little. I remember, rather, I know. I have a photograph. I remember, our father took it. We were walking around the city then…»
Nina signaled to her father, and they left the room and closed the door behind them.
«Well, Dad? Let them talk, and we’ll set the table.»
Sergey Andreevich sighed.
«I’m not much of a helper.»
Nina laughed.
«Don’t even think about using your condition to get out of peeling potatoes, Dad!»
«You’re a tyrant!» Sergey Andreevich sighed. «How could I raise such a one?!»
But Nina’s heart was singing. She hadn’t felt this happy in a long time, and although the happiness wasn’t all hers, she was happy for herself, and perhaps even more so. Now everything would be alright for Ritka, Dasha, Dad, and so, for her too.