– Are you serious? – Anna looked at Svetlana Gennadievna questioningly. – My grandmother asked to have a letter delivered to me six months after she passes away?
– Yes, my girl. Here it is, – Svetlana Gennadievna handed Anna an envelope.
The envelope was sealed, and in the “To” line was written – Anna.
– Thank you, Svetlana Gennadievna, – Anna smiled. – I miss her so much. It’s such a pity people don’t live forever…
Then Anna remembered that she was actually a librarian and asked:
– Don’t you want to borrow something to read?
– No, dear. I don’t want to. I still have plenty of unread books at home. By the way, come over for tea sometime. We’ll chat, – Svetlana Gennadievna nodded to Anna and went toward the exit.
Anna looked around the empty library hall and opened the letter.
She read it once, twice, three times, then threw it onto the table.
Her grandmother wrote that there is a secret room on the third floor of the city hospital where something important to their family is kept, and that Anna must find it.
– What nonsense? – Anna muttered.
She had actually expected a farewell letter where her grandmother would write how much she loved her, but instead…
– Wait a minute! – Anna muttered again. She remembered that the deputy chief doctor of the hospital was Dima, her ex. – Nice try, grandma, but no, – Anna decisively put the letter in her bag. Just then, visitors came into the library, and Anna finally got busy.
…
In truth, grandma really liked Dima. She was sure Anna would be happy with him. And Anna herself believed it until the very end, but then Dima fell in love with another woman, and she let him go in every direction. Later, his love faded, and he tried to come back to Anna, but she thought that if he had fallen in love once, he could fall in love a second and third time, so what? Should she forgive him every time?
– Anna, understand, he just slipped up. Take him back and everything will be fine, – her grandmother said, but Anna no longer trusted Dima and said they were on different paths.
– Hm…, – Dima smirked then. – So you want to live your whole life with cats?
– No. I want to live my life with a loved one, – Anna replied.
– Well, we’ll see, we’ll see where you find a loved one here. Our town is small, no one to choose from. You should be glad I paid attention to you, – Dima declared.
– Dima, please go. Our relationship is over, – Anna said quietly but firmly.
Actually, Dima was right. She lived in a small provincial town, was over 30, worked as a librarian, and most likely would not meet anyone else because the good guys were already taken.
…
– Anna, hi! – Anna was walking home from work when her neighbor stopped her near the entrance. – Heard the news?
– What news? – Anna asked.
– They want to demolish our hospital, – the neighbor replied.
– Why? – Anna was surprised; it wasn’t just a hospital, it was a polyclinic. Everyone in town went there whenever something happened.
– They say it’s unprofitable. We’ll have to go to the neighboring town, and instead, they’ll build a shopping center, – the neighbor said sadly.
– Thanks for the info, – Anna nodded and went home.
Actually, she found it even funny: the hospital is unprofitable, but the shopping center won’t be? Hmm… who will go to that shopping center?
“They just cut the funding and are trying to save money,” Anna thought.
At any other time, she would have just forgotten about the hospital. It’s clear it would be inconvenient, having to go somewhere else. People will get used to it. But now she felt uneasy: if the hospital is demolished, she won’t be able to find the secret room her grandmother wrote about. On one hand, she hadn’t planned to look for it, but on the other, she was curious – could there really be such a room in that hospital?
And Anna wondered: how could she get into the hospital?
…
– So you want to read to the children in the hospital? – Dima looked thoughtfully at Anna.
– Yes, – she nodded.
– Why? Tell me, why? – he asked. – It seems like a strange idea to me.
– Nothing strange. I watched a program that said children have a hard time staying in the hospital. And pensioners too, by the way. They all get happy when someone visits. I can not only read but also show tricks. Talk to those whose relatives don’t come, – Anna explained. – Dima, the idea is great. I think your management won’t mind. Plus, the administration here will notice such an innovation and give you credit, – she added.
– I don’t know, I don’t know…, – Dima got up and paced the office. – We’re soon… you could say moving. The hospital is closing, and some doctors are going to another one in a neighboring city, – he said. – So I don’t know… if it makes sense to implement what you suggest.
– You can try. And if you like it, then implement the same after the move, – Anna shrugged.
– Okay, let’s try, – said Dima. – Come tomorrow evening to the second floor. The third floor is already closed. And we don’t admit patients anymore, we send them to neighbors. We’re preparing people, so to speak, – he added.
– Thanks, Dima! I won’t let you down! – Anna smiled. The fact that the third floor was closed didn’t bother her much – she was sure she’d figure something out.
…
– Miss, where do you think you’re going? – Anna jumped at the sudden voice. The thing was, a moment ago there was no one near her, and now a man was standing there.
– Oh, am I going the wrong way? – Anna feigned surprise.
– Yes, this is the third floor, you need the second, – the man said gruffly.
– Oh, what’s wrong with the third floor? – Anna decided to pretend she didn’t know why she wasn’t allowed up there.
– Nothing wrong with it, they just try not to take too many patients there, – said the stranger, then added: – It’s a pity this building will be demolished. It’s beautiful and probably historic.
– Historic? By the way, yes. Probably, – said Anna. They talked a bit more and went their separate ways.
Once they met in town, greeted each other, and finally got acquainted.
…
– Oh, Anna, what have you come to! – Dima approached her at the hospital after she had read a book to the children and played with them and was about to go home.
– What do you mean? – Anna asked.
She thought Dima was already at home, but it turned out he was still there! And today she and Igor planned to inspect the third floor again.
– What! You’re friends with the plumber! Aren’t you ashamed? – Dima looked at her mockingly. Anna shrugged.
– I wonder why I should be ashamed of that? By the way, plumbing is a wonderful profession. It means this person has hands growing from the right place. Unlike some others, – she retorted. Anna told the truth; she never judged a person by their profession, salary, or skills. For her, the person’s soul and how her heart responded to them was important.
– I earn enough for people like your Igor to fix everything for me, – Dima snorted.
– If that’s all you wanted to say, then I’ll be going, – Anna began to leave.
– Anna, maybe you’ll forgive me already? – Dima asked.
– Dima, I forgave you long ago, – she replied.
– So maybe…, – Dima started.
– No, – Anna interrupted him immediately. – No.
– Am I interrupting? – Igor’s voice suddenly sounded.
– Of course not, – Anna said happily. – Sorry, Dima, we have to go.
Anna quickly took Igor by the arm and pulled him outside.
– Are we not going to the third floor today? – Igor asked.
– I don’t know. You see, Dima’s here. And when he leaves – no one knows, – Anna replied.
– Then we can go in through the back door, – Igor suggested.
– Really? – Anna was surprised. – Then let’s. But we need to pretend we left. And we also need to pretend we’re in love with each other, – Anna added shyly.
– Dima is your ex? – Igor asked.
– Yes.
– Many girls would want to be near him, – Igor said.
– I know, – Anna paused and added. – I don’t want to be with him, not because I fear competition, but because I no longer trust him. He betrayed me.
– I understand, – Igor nodded. – I was betrayed too. That’s why I’m here, in this small town, working whatever job I could get.
– Who betrayed you? A girl? – Anna asked.
– No. Colleagues. They took credit for my ideas, and I was fired in disgrace. But that’s not important now. Give me your hand, let’s pretend we’re in love.
Anna held out her hand to Igor, and her palm melted into his hand, and all her nervousness went away. She felt calm and confident.
…
– By the way, Dmitry Petrovich doesn’t let me go to that floor, – Igor told Anna when they were on the third floor again.
– Strange, why? There’s nothing here, no equipment, – Anna was surprised.
– I don’t know. He said the floor is in an emergency condition, but I see nothing wrong, – Igor said. – Also, for several weeks, a couple of men have been coming and going to the roof and doing something there…
– Maybe they’re fixing it? – Anna asked.
– Maybe, but it seems to me they’re doing the opposite, trying to break the roof so the hospital will be demolished sooner, – Igor replied.
– No, you’re wrong, – Anna waved it off. – Dima wouldn’t do that. If the hospital closes, he’ll be fired!
– Are you sure? – Igor asked.
Anna thoughtfully looked at him and shook her head no.
– No.
Then Igor and Anna entered another room with a cupboard. It was empty. You could tell right away because the doors were open and the shelves were bare.
– Look, there’s a door, – Igor pointed to the corner of the room, and they rushed there. Five agonizing minutes passed while Igor fiddled with keys.
– Done, – he said. He pressed the door handle and opened it.
This time they got lucky: behind the door lay old medical records, some photos, lots of scribbled notebooks…
– Igor! Did we really find it? – Anna whispered.
At that moment the light flashed on. Anna and Igor looked at each other and without a word hid behind the table. The light went out. Then the door creaked. Anna’s heart pounded fast. She was truly scared and grabbed Igor. Then the door to their room creaked again… but no one came in.
– Probably the wind, – Igor said. – I’ll check now.
As soon as he got up, the bright light came back on. Igor froze, then hurried to the door. The light went out again. Igor went into the corridor and then returned to Anna.
– Nobody’s there. Probably a glitch. Scared? – he asked her.
– Yes, – she nodded.
– That’s all for today. I’ll deal with the lights tomorrow, – Igor said.
– You’re a plumber, after all…, – Anna was surprised.
– I’m a handyman here, – Igor smiled.
…
A few days later Anna arranged a meeting with Dima, accidentally bumping into him at his favorite café. She wanted to find out where he would work after their hospital closed.
– Can I join you? – Anna approached him.
– Oh! Anna! Of course, sit down. Are you alone? – Dima asked.
– Alone, – Anna nodded.
– Where’s your plumber? Did you break up? – Dima raised an eyebrow.
– Actually, we’re just friends, – Anna said. – And I don’t know where he is now. He doesn’t answer to me.
– I see… Understood. So I have a chance.
In fact, Dima had no chance, but Anna decided not to say anything and just smiled.
Then they chatted about this and that. Anna asked:
– Listen, when the hospital closes, what will happen to you?
– Me? Are you worried? – Dima was glad.
– Well, yes. I’m worried, – Anna nodded.
– Don’t worry. I’m being transferred to the neighboring town with the same position. And in six months, I’ll be director. My dream will come true, – Dima’s face was pleased. – So, I’m a good catch. Dima took Anna’s hand. She wanted to pull it back but knew she shouldn’t.
– I’m happy for you, – Anna smiled.
That day Anna had to hang out with Dima and let him walk her home. Then she quickly ran away so he wouldn’t ask her out.
…
After that meeting, Anna started avoiding Dima. She said she was sick and stopped going to the children to read books. Instead, she started going to the back door and then going with Igor to the third floor.
Together they reviewed all the documents they found, but Anna did not find anything about her family.
One day, a note fell out of one notebook: “Leave this place, or you will regret it.”
– Igor, I think someone knows we’re looking for something here. Look at the note, it’s written recently! It’s modern! – Anna said.
– I don’t know. I told no one about our search. What about you? – Igor asked.
– I didn’t tell anyone either, – Anna sighed. – Igor, there’s only one room left, and I don’t think we’ll find anything there. We passed it a million times, and it was empty! – she added.
– What about Dima? – Igor asked next. – I saw you together.
Anna looked at Igor surprised.
– So what? – she asked.
– Nothing, – Igor grumbled. – Let’s move on.
Anna and Igor inspected the last room and came out. Disappointment was written on Anna’s face. She leaned her back against the wall and hit it with her fist. There was a dull sound. She hit again – another dull sound. Then she turned to the wall face forward, stepped right, and knocked on the wall – the sound was normal.
– Igor, shine here! – she asked.
Igor aimed his flashlight at the wall, and they realized there was a small door there.
– Probably for storing a bucket and mop, – Anna said.
– You don’t want to be disappointed, huh? – Igor laughed.
He opened the door, and indeed there was a bucket and a rag, and next to them lay several old notebooks and envelopes.
Somehow Anna understood this was exactly what they had been looking for.
Then the light turned on again, just like that time. But that time it went off, and this time footsteps sounded, and Dima appeared before them.
– So, did you find what you were looking for? – he asked mockingly.
Anna was silent, Igor too.
– So, what’s there? – Dima went to the cabinet and looked inside.
Anna quickly grabbed the notebooks and hugged them to herself.
– This is mine, – she said.
Dima smirked and reached for the notebooks. Igor stepped forward toward them. How it would end – no one knows, but at that moment the light suddenly went out, and the ceiling collapsed.
– Well, that’s it, – Igor said. – Let’s get out of here fast.
The three of them ran toward the exit, the back door.
…
How they got out – Anna didn’t understand herself. She felt like she was walking, and everything was collapsing behind her.
Dima walked beside her and called the Ministry of Emergency Situations. Then they evacuated all the patients to the street, and Anna, taking advantage of the chaos, quietly slipped away and eventually went home.
At home, she looked through her haul: photos, letters, and documents related to the hospital’s history. It turned out the hospital building was historic and actually shouldn’t have been demolished. And the most important document for Anna was her grandmother’s diary. But how it ended up there was a question.
…
Time passed.
And yet, the hospital was closed. Or rather relocated. They built a new building especially for her, and the old one was restored. Now it is the city museum.
Dima remained deputy chief doctor of the hospital. He believes Anna is to blame.
And Igor and Anna started dating and eventually got married.
But one moment of this story kept lingering in Anna’s mind – why, oh why did her grandmother keep her diary in the hospital? Why did she write that strange letter and ask for it to be delivered?
Too many questions, no answers.
– Svetlana Gennadievna, hello! – that day Anna decided to visit her grandmother’s friend and find out everything possible.
– Anna, hi! – Svetlana Gennadievna was glad to see her. – Want some tea?
– Of course! By the way, I brought cake, – Anna smiled.
Then they drank tea, Anna told about her life, asked Svetlana Gennadievna about hers, and wanted to smoothly transition to the letter, when suddenly Svetlana Gennadievna said:
– Still, your grandmother was right: you and Igor are a wonderful couple.
– Igor? – Anna was surprised. – I thought she wanted me to be with Dima.
– She did. For a while, – Svetlana Gennadievna nodded. – Then she saw how he behaved and changed her mind. But she met Igor and realized you’re the perfect couple. She knew she didn’t have much time left, so she wrote that letter and put the documents with photos and her diary where the bucket and rag are kept – I did. I worked as a cleaner there. Then when the floor was closed, I was fired too, – she added.
– Hm… why didn’t she just tell me all this? I don’t understand…, – Anna looked at Svetlana Gennadievna confused.
– Oh, would you have listened? Yeah, I know you, – Svetlana Gennadievna waved her hand. – You had a puzzle to solve. And the interesting thing is, our plan with your grandmother worked. And that’s the main thing!