This story touches each of us in one way or another, as it tells of dreams and plans, of difficulties and the crushing of hopes. But it also tells of how real people cope with life’s situations. Where they draw strength, and what keeps them from giving up.
Pasha grew up in an orphanage, placed there by child services after his mother lost her parental rights. He didn’t like to talk about it, but he forever remembered the constant, unending hunger of his childhood. All the food went to his alcoholic parents and their friends. Sometimes he got crumbs from the table, but mostly he ate only when the drunks fell senseless to the floor. At that moment, Pasha was happy, wiped away his tears with a dirty sleeve, and climbing onto the table with a stool.
On the table, he carefully collected all the bread crumbs, and if he found a whole piece, he would soak it in oil left at the bottom of a can. Sometimes his stomach hurt from stale food, but he knew no other life. The child didn’t even suspect that at the same time other children were walking in parks with their parents or waiting for sweets from their beloved grandmothers. Pasha grew up within four walls, and everyone he saw were drunks.
He vividly remembered the day his father never woke up. He heard the fellow drinkers negotiating and his mother screaming in grief. Something about counterfeit vodka, something about a body that couldn’t take it anymore. Then Pasha remembered some people in suits arriving, his drunk mother screaming that she wouldn’t give up her son, that she couldn’t live without him. Pasha cried too, as he was taken away by strangers. It was a woman and two strong men in uniform. The woman kept pursing her lips, looking at her dirty son, at the pile of rags he slept on, and she cried when she gave Pasha a sandwich and he attacked the food like a wild animal. But still, the boy cried, saying goodbye to his mother.
Then came the orphanage, and Pasha realized he was in a very good place. They fed him well, he had his own bed, though the caretakers somehow turned away, hiding tears as they watched him hide food under his pillow, but they didn’t forbid it, letting him get used to the idea that the world could be different. Pasha also learned to read, and from that moment he was unstoppable. He read everything in the orphanage library and asked for more. The caretakers said he had a fantastic memory, strangely adding the word “talent,” but the boy simply absorbed information like a sponge absorbs water.
In the orphanage, Pasha met Tanya. At first, they were friends, and when they were released upon reaching adulthood, they couldn’t be without each other. It was a strange love, of people united by an orphaned childhood, but because of it, they valued each other even more.
Pasha got a government scholarship to university and graduated with honors. All this time, he had to work evenings to pay for his apartment and support himself and Tanyusha. After graduating, he couldn’t find a job in his field, so he and Tanya decided to try their luck in the country’s capital. They had nothing to lose and headed to Moscow. The whole train ride, the young couple smiled and whispered about how they would achieve everything and get rich, and one day return to their city wealthy, and definitely visit the orphanage.
Tanya laughed and hugged Pasha, and he hugged her back, not hiding his hopeful smile. Moscow greeted them with unfriendly rain and the grim faces of the local population. Pasha looked at Tanyusha, squeezed her hand tighter, and confidently stepped towards the metro.
They managed to rent a room from an advertisement. Tanyusha got a job as a waitress at a nearby cafe, and Pasha set out to conquer firms to offer his services. But as it turned out, his brilliant abilities, higher education, and analytical mind were not rare in Moscow, and he was repeatedly rejected. Our hero was in despair. He thought his red diploma would open doors to any firm, but as it turned out, it did not.
Every day Pasha went out in search of his destiny and returned dejected to their room. Tanyusha greeted him, supporting him as best she could.
“Pash, don’t worry, everything will work out,” she said, stroking his head.
“Tanyush,” Pasha asked sadly, “Why is life so complicated? Haven’t we suffered enough with you?”
“Pash,” Tanya reassured, “Don’t be discouraged, I’m working, we have enough for now, and you’ll find where to apply your bright mind, you’re a genius with a red diploma!”
“Eh, Tanyushka,” Pasha sighed and held the most precious person in the world close.
Out of desperation, Pasha even tried to go to construction, but even there he was denied because his physique did not possess outstanding physical characteristics.
“We don’t need wimps!” the foreman barked at the young man, slamming the door of the cabin right in his face.
Returning home in a depressed state, our hero noticed an advertisement on the doors of a beautiful and very cool business center, “Cleaner needed.” For Pasha, this sign was like a sentence, but he could no longer watch as Tanyusha alone pulled their entire budget. He swung open the doors and headed to the administration desk.
“Hello,” Pasha said quietly, “Can I inquire, do you still need cleaners?”
A beautiful, slender, long-haired girl looked at Pasha attentively and politely said:
“Good afternoon, sit down, I’ll call the boss, would you like some coffee?”
These were the first kind words Pasha had heard in Moscow, and for some reason, he wanted to cry. But he composed himself and replied:
“Thank you, but I’d like to learn about the job.”
The girl smiled and said into the phone that a guy had come for the cleaner position.
Pasha looked around at the expensive hall, at the many rooms, well-dressed people who smiled and were happy. He so wanted to become just as successful, to make his Tanyusha proud of him.
“Young man,” called the beautiful girl, “Please, come into the office.”
“Thank you,” Pasha replied politely, “You are very kind.”
“Come by if you want coffee,” the girl smiled, “My name is Katya.”
“And mine is Pasha.”
Pavel timidly opened the office door. It was a bright room with floor-to-ceiling windows and an expensive interior. At the head of the table sat the boss and two other men. All looked at the young man with undisguised disgust.
“Are you ready to start working?” the boss sneered.
“Yes,” Pasha replied timidly.
“And what can you actually do?” asked another man, “Or did you study to be a cleaner?”
All three laughed loudly. Pasha blushed to the roots of his hair, not expecting such an introduction, but he composed himself in time:
“I graduated from university with a red diploma, I possess phenomenal memory and an analytical mind,” said Pasha proudly.
“Well then, remember where the mop and broom are,” the director laughed loudly with the two men.
Then Katya came and took Pasha to the utility room, where everything for cleaning was stored.
“Pash, don’t pay him any mind,” the girl said, “the director is complicated, but if you don’t take it to heart, it’s just a job.”
“Thank you for the support, Katya,” Pasha said and looked at the mops and brooms.
Pasha was assigned the second floor, given a uniform, and briefed. As it turned out, there were many cleaners because their business center was large. Pasha felt a bit better when he saw other guys like him. For some reason, they didn’t hire women for cleaning positions. Maybe they couldn’t handle the workload, or maybe to avoid lawsuits for harassment at work.
Pasha got to work. At first, he barely held back from leaving. Office workers only appeared to be nice people. But most of them turned out to be tactless people, spoiled by money and a good, calm life. They mocked all the “lower rank” workers, joking, knowing nothing would happen to them. Such treatment exhausted Pavel the most, but he could no longer afford to be a burden to his Tanyusha.
They even rented an apartment that was still out of their budget, but they very much wanted to live separately. The apartment was without renovation, but the young people managed to create a semblance of coziness. Now Pasha awaited the end of his shift so he could quickly return home, where they indulged in dreams about the future.
But morning came, and Pasha hung his head again as he went to clean the premises.
“Hey, genius!” the boss laughed, deliberately spilling coffee on the floor, “Clean this up.”
“Hey, Einstein!” the boss shouted, dumping cigarette butts from an ashtray onto the carpet, “Don’t forget to vacuum thoroughly, and you missed it again.”
The cleaner always heard his laughter, but endured, because there was someone for whom. The only consolation at work for him was the pretty girl Katya, who had been very nice to Pasha from the first day. She made him coffee before the workday, and Pasha was very grateful for her support.
A month into his job as a cleaner, our hero submitted an application to HR for a transfer to the economists’ staff. His education allowed it. But the boss kept feeding him “breakfasts,” promising to consider his candidacy a bit later. But Pasha did not give up and wrote an application for a promotion once a month.
But the trials did not end there. One day a call came, and a male voice informed Pavel that Tanya was in the hospital. A car had hit the girl and fled the scene. Thigh fracture. Surgery. Pasha took out a loan at the bank to pay for the treatment and asked to add another floor for cleaning at work. Now he had to work for two.
Tanya lay at home, and Pasha worked as a cleaner from morning to night. But deep down he was glad that he was working even to exhaustion, because he felt like a man who cares for his girl.
One day Pavel stayed late and accidentally witnessed a meeting of the board of directors who had come from all over Moscow. The cleaner saw how his boss groveled before them and reported the results. From the faces of the “higher-ups,” it was clear they were not pleased, and they gave exactly one month to correct the situation.
When everyone left, Pasha knocked on his boss’s office door, red with shame from the scolding by the “higher-level directors.”
“What do you want?” the boss barked, “If you’ve cleaned the area, then get out of here!”
“Listen,” Pavel began timidly, “I’m familiar with the financial component of such business structures, and I can offer my services.”
“Are you crazy?” the director laughed, “You’re a cleaner! Or do you think we sit around here? We all have higher education, so get out of here, you unfinished smartass.”
But Pasha had already learned not to pay attention to the eternally dissatisfied boss. During the day, he diligently swept and scrubbed offices, and at night he sat over a proposal that would help solve the problem, as he saw it. Moreover, his education and knowledge allowed him to see the whole picture, and he sat up every night until his eyes burned over charts and calculations. In the morning he went to work, and in the evenings, he took up the calculations again.
“You really glow when you work with analytics,” Tanyusha laughed, “It’s clear that it’s your calling.”
“Would I like it?” Pasha smiled.
“Will your boss appreciate it?” Tanya frowned.
“No idea,” Pasha darkened, “But it’s worth a try.”
“Pash,” Tanya suddenly saddened, “The landlord called, he wants money for half a year in advance.”
Pavel’s insides dropped for a moment, but he looked into his beloved’s eyes, smiled, and said, “Tanyush, we’ll think of something.”
Finally, a month passed, and tomorrow was supposed to be the day when the next meeting of the board of directors was planned. Pasha came to work and immediately felt the tension. Everyone in the departments ran around like mad, the director was indignant.
“Hello, Katyush,” Pasha greeted, “Something’s too hot with us.”
“Oh, Pashka, yes, there’s a full rush here—tomorrow is the board of directors’ meeting, and as you can see, everything is gloomy in our center. The director paid little attention to work, let everything go, and now they will ask him about profits and expenses.”
“Wow, that’s a mess… Well, okay, I’ll go show him my calculations, maybe he’ll accept it,” he winked at her.
“Your calculations?” Katya was surprised.
“Well, yes, or did you think I studied to be a cleaner?” Pavel laughed.
“Oh, Pashka, you know how to surprise,” the girl smiled, “Good luck to you.”
“Thanks, Katyush! You’ve been very kind to me from day one.”
“Can I?” the cleaner asked through a crack in the director’s office door.
“What else do you need?” the director rolled his eyes, “Go do something, wipe the windows, the board of directors is gathering tomorrow, and we have dirt everywhere.”
“Here, look,” Pasha handed over a folder of papers, the labor of his sleepless nights, “Here’s my vision for getting out of the situation in your business center.”
“Are you an idiot?” the boss yelled, “We have dozens of smart people working on the problem, and here you come with a mop in hand and offer your solution? Get out of here before I throw you out the door.”
The boss grabbed the folder and angrily threw it in the trash. Pasha was crushed. Here’s your capital, a place where dreams come true. But as it turned out, they grind everyone into a gray mass here, killing hopes and destroying roads to dreams.
He took the mop in his hands, firmly deciding that he would work as a cleaner until Tanya was back on her feet, and then go further to seek his destiny in other companies. He looked at Katya, who made a sad, understanding face, then got to his duties.
The next morning, the cleaner came early to quickly tidy up the boss’s office and saw the folder with his work in the trash bin. Not knowing why, Pavel grabbed it and quickly laid it on the table, where folders for the board of directors members were already spread out. Let it be, the guy decided, they’ll fire him so they’ll fire him.
Closer to noon, expensive cars began to gather near the business center, from which solid people emerged and disappeared one by one into the boss’s office.
Pashka froze at the far end of the hall, watching through the clear glass the discussion of the board members. It was clear that his boss was noticeably nervous. Then they took the folders and delved into studying the report provided by the analytics and economists department of the business center. Pashka’s heart pounded. One of the board members picked up his folder and frowned. The boy couldn’t hear the voices, but he saw how this man pointed to the folder and asked the boss something.
The boss turned red, recognizing his cleaner’s folder, and began to respond. It was clear from his face that he was indicating that it was a mistake and that he was asking for forgiveness. But in a moment, the boss froze, said something on the phone. Pasha saw Katya appear in the hall and head towards him.
“Pasha,” Katya said anxiously, “You’re urgently called to the office. What have you done? You’re just a cleaner!”
“I don’t know,” Pasha’s eyes widened, “But there can’t be two deaths, so I’m going. Goodbye if they fire me.”
Pasha opened the doors to the management office and froze on the spot. Twelve board members and a red-faced boss looked at him.
“What do you allow yourself,” the boss began, “to sneak folders onto the table?”
“Quiet!” bellowed the man who took the folder first, “No wonder a boss like you almost bankrupted our branch, if you even failed to study what’s written in this folder.”
“Please tell me, is this your work?” the man turned to Pavel.
“Yes, mine,” Pavel replied, turning pale.
The man stood up, slowly approached him, looked into his eyes, and extended his hand. Pasha, as if in a dream, extended his own.
“My name is Igor Petrovich,” the man said in a deep voice, “And I’m impressed with your report. Why are you working as a cleaner? I can’t believe it, because what you wrote requires vast knowledge.”
“I possess them,” Pasha modestly replied. From the first day, I talked about my strong sides, but in vain. In the orphanage, they called me a genius, as in university.”
“In the orphanage? In the university?” Igor Petrovich’s eyes widened.
“Yes, I’m an orphan,” Pasha replied, looking into the man’s eyes.
Igor Petrovich noticeably tensed. It was felt that he had the most significant voice here, because everyone looked at Pasha and him with interest.
“You are fired,” Igor Petrovich said to Pavel’s boss. We will appoint a suitable person in his place, and I officially appoint Pavel as the head of the analytics department. I’m sure everyone will support me after getting acquainted with his work.”
“Congratulations, Pavel,” Igor Petrovich addressed the stunned Pavel, “I will personally ensure that you are provided with everything necessary as soon as possible. Where do you live?”
“I rent an apartment with my beloved,” Pasha said.
“The company has apartments for valuable employees. Take a company car today and let them help you move. Of course, you don’t need to pay for the apartment. Can you start work soon?”
“Yes, as soon as tomorrow!” Pasha almost shouted.
“No, take a couple of days off to gather strength, there’s a lot of work ahead. This branch needs a lot of improvement. Do you have any requests or wishes to start work?”
“You’ve already given me more than I could have hoped for, but if possible, I’ll need a personal secretary with a higher salary, and I’d like to ask for Katya for this position, who works downstairs at the administration desk. Thanks to people like her, faith in the goodness of people remains, and she’s a true professional.”
“No problem,” nodded Igor Petrovich, “When you start your duties, she’ll already be waiting for you in the next office with yours.”
Igor Petrovich warmly shook Pavel’s hand and, apologizing, returned to the board members. Pasha left the office and slowly walked through the hall. It seemed to him that he was sleeping and seeing a dream.
“Pashka!” Katya shouted, “Well, what happened there? You don’t have a face!”
“Kat,” Pasha said, “Thank you for everything, you’re a very good person!”
“Did they fire you after all?” Katya frowned.
“No, everything’s fine,” Pasha said, smiling, “They gave me a few days off, when I come back—I’ll tell you everything.”
“Be sure to,” Katya replied, “I’ll go crazy with curiosity!”
Pasha walked outside and raised his head to the sky. The sun was shining, the breeze was ruffling his hair. He decided to walk all the way home. On the way, he dug out his last money from his pocket and bought a bouquet of flowers.
Pasha opened the door to the apartment with a key, from which the smell of fragrant pancakes wafted.
“Pashka,” he heard his beloved girl’s voice, “Come in, I’ll be right there, my hands are in flour.” He heard her bustling in the kitchen, how she took crutches and started hopping towards him to meet him. This girl always supported him in everything, and his heart overflowed with gratitude and love.
“Is everything okay with you?” Tanyusha asked, seeing his stunned expression, “Why are you so early and what about the flowers?”
“These are for you, Tanya,” he paused, tears welling up in his eyes. Then he smiled, hugged his girl, and said:
“Will you marry me?”