Tanja, why do you always scream so loudly!” Marinka burst out laughing, and her friend Valya joined in.
It was hurtful to the point of tears. Tanya had been working here for over six months, and her colleagues constantly teased her. Understanding why Marina and Valya had chosen her as their target, Tanya could not respond in kind. Tanya was mute.
She closed the door behind her and shut out the noise coming from the street. Outside, a dispute was heating up: the administrator Sasha, a favorite among all the female staff, was upset by Marina’s behavior.
“Do you enjoy bothering Tanya?” he asked seriously.
Marina looked at him in surprise.
“Who’s bothering her? It’s just a joke!”
“Strange jokes you have,” Sasha noted. “It’s like laughing at a child who can’t respond.”
Marina looked around for support among her colleagues, but everyone averted their eyes. When it was time to laugh at Tanya, everyone was there, but now suddenly Marina was the guilty one.
“If you don’t see it, then yes, you are bothering her,” Sasha spoke without a hint of doubt. “And we all know why.”
He was aware that Marina had designs on him and even told others that they were dating. He had grown tired of her audacity and decided to put an end to it.
“Really? And why is that?” Marina smirked mockingly. She guessed what Sasha might say, but she didn’t want to hear it.
“Do you really want to know? Won’t you be disappointed?” Sasha continued with the same calm.
Marina was forced to choose between self-assurance and fear: if she said she didn’t want to know, she would lose on all fronts and fall in the eyes of her colleagues.
“Speak, since you have something to say. What have you found in that weak fool?” she retorted.
“She is smarter and more dignified than she seems,” Sasha disappointed her. “Unlike you, she does not respond to attacks and looks smarter because of it. Everyone knows you think you’re the beauty queen, but Tanya is clearly better, and everyone understands that.”
“Get glasses, there’s nothing beautiful about her,” Marina retorted sharply.
But she couldn’t help noticing that the colleagues who had laughed with her were now on Sasha’s side. She jumped up and ran out of the restaurant, shouting as she left:
“Go to hell, all of you!”
One of the colleagues noted:
“She was trying for you, Sasha, wanted to look cool, and you… pushed her into the dirt.”
“I responded as I should have,” Sasha said. “Tanya can’t respond herself, so someone needs to stand up for her. We’re not animals to trample on the weak. Alright, break’s over, let’s get back to work. Don’t forget, we have a big event tomorrow!”
The colleagues murmured and returned to work, while the chef, the only person over 50 in the restaurant, stopped Sasha:
“You did well to stand up for Tanya, just don’t harm her with it. Don’t you know Marina? She’s vindictive.”
Work continued in full swing.
It seemed that everyone had already forgotten about the incident: restaurant employees talked and laughed. By midnight, the hall was fully ready for tomorrow’s celebration. The next day, the restaurant was rented for a wedding—after all, a local magnate was marrying off his daughter.
Tanya stayed late, though she didn’t like to stay late, but she never refused because she needed the money for surgery.
“Tanyusha, wait, let’s talk,” Marinka’s voice rang out.
Tanya stopped, seeing Marina and two other girls in front of her.
“Well, why don’t you call for help? Ah, right…” Marina continued sarcastically when Sasha’s figure appeared behind Tanya. He looked sternly at Marina.
When Tanya and Sasha were outside, he said to her:
“Tanya, I’m sorry this happened. It’s a shame you can’t talk—you would definitely have responded to them.”
“I can actually talk, just quietly,” Tanya whispered.
Sasha froze, looking at her.
“Don’t think I’m deceiving you,” Tanya continued. “There was a serious accident in my childhood that injured my throat. When I ended up in the orphanage, no one paid attention to my problem. Later, as I grew up, I sought medical help and started treatment. I’ve had two surgeries already. I can talk a little now, but it’s very difficult. I need one more surgery, it’s not urgent, but I still need to gather the money.”
“Wow, you look completely different to me now.”
“Please, don’t tell anyone. I can speak for no more than five minutes, then I need a long rest.”
“Tanya, what happened then?”
“My parents and I were driving when a large car crashed into us. My parents died. I survived, and the driver of that car was unharmed—he was a very influential man.”
“No way…”
“Yes. I decided then that I would become a doctor because the ambulance took a very long time to arrive. If it had come faster… Anyway, I decided to help people. I’m still preparing. I still have time. As for that man… I learned about him when I grew up. I was nine when it happened, I remembered him and his wife. Later, I found information about the accident. The report said my father had alcohol in his blood, but he never drank; he had a heart condition.”
As they talked, they arrived at her house.
“We’re here. Thanks, Sasha, I wouldn’t like to have conflicts with Marina either.”
“Don’t worry. If you don’t mind, I’ll tell everyone your story, and they’ll leave you alone.”
“Are you crazy? They’ll mock you.”
Sasha smiled:
“Let them laugh if they dare.”
Tanya was tired even of whispering.
“Alright, be quiet until tomorrow,” Sasha said, putting a finger to his lips.
Tanya nodded, smiled, and disappeared behind the door.
The restaurant was as lively as never before.
There were as many visitors as there had never been on one of the evenings. Tanya also came at the beginning of the celebration. While congratulations were being made and speeches were given, all the staff watched. Tanya glanced briefly at the attendees when suddenly her attention froze.
“I, as a father, want to gift the newlyweds an apartment,” a man announced with obvious pride. “And I’ll gift them a house when they gift me grandchildren.”
Tanya turned pale, stepping back. Sasha immediately approached her.
“Tanya, are you okay?” He looked at her concernedly. Tanya silently pointed at the man whose voice she had just heard. Sasha immediately understood. “Is that the one?”
Tanya nodded.
“Honestly, I’m not surprised,” said Sasha. “There are legends about him in the city, and many involve his cruelty and the victims of his schemes.”
Just then, Marinka approached.
“Tanya, when you and Sasha are together, do you moan in whispers?” she giggled and smiled, walking away.
The wedding was in full swing. Steady noise of music and joy reached Tanya. At some point, commotion turned into panic. She looked into the hall: the oligarch’s wife was lying on the floor. Around her were the bride, the groom, and the perpetrator of the turmoil. The crowd seemed bewildered.
Tanya approached. Someone asked to call an ambulance, others shouted. The woman’s face turned crimson, then bluish from suffocation. Tanya attentively examined the guests, but no one even tried to help. The woman’s eyes rolled back, and she heard the bride’s cry, “Mom!” That cry returned to Tanya as an echo of memories.
She quickly grabbed a bottle of alcohol and a knife, moving towards the woman. The bride froze in place.
“The ambulance will be here in fifteen minutes!” someone shouted.
Tanya shook her head and began to act. The bride, embracing her father, watched. Tanya acted calmly and confidently, and after a few minutes, the woman breathed, albeit with difficulty.
Afterward, the saved woman consciously looked around, resting her gaze on Tanya, who smiled faintly.
“She saved her life,” someone whispered.
Doctors arrived and took the woman under their care.
Tanya stood up and went to the dishwashing area. Soon all the colleagues gathered there.
“Tanya, where did you learn this? We thought you wanted to stab her!” someone exclaimed in awe.
Embarrassed, Tanya glanced at Sasha.
“Oh, what did she do that was so special,” Marinka demonstratively snorted. “Anyone could have done that.”
“Well, why didn’t you go save her?” someone winked at her.
“I’m a waitress, not a rescuer! Some should better wash dishes, the pile is growing,” Marinka replied, pointing at the dirty dishes.
Unnoticed, a man joined them. It was the same rich man who had ordered the banquet. “Is it true?” his stern gaze was fixed on Tanya. She remained silent. “I’m asking, is it true? Why are you silent?”
Sasha intervened:
“She can’t talk because of an accident in her childhood.”
The man ran his hand over his face, deep in thought:
“So it was you in that accident? You recognized us. Why did you help?”
Tanya just shrugged and turned away.
The man, after standing for a minute, walked out. Everyone in the room breathed a sigh of relief.
“What was that?” echoed from the crowd. “He didn’t even say ‘thank you.'”
“What accident was it, Tanya?” colleagues asked curiously.
Tanya only looked pleadingly at Sasha, who, spreading his arms, began to usher everyone out:
“Alright, enough. The wedding’s not over, everyone back to their places!”
After the guests dispersed, the manager called Tanya to him.
“Tanya, I have news for you. You’ve been asked to resign,” he said. She raised her eyebrows in confusion and reached for her notebook.
“For what? I really need this job,” Tanya wrote, hoping for an explanation.
“Tanya, understand, my hands are tied. I’m just a subordinate,” he explained, sadly spreading his arms.
Tanya cried all the way home. Sasha walked beside her, clenching his teeth in anger.
“So much for a twist: saved a person from death, and they fired her for it,” he muttered bitterly.
Approaching their yard, they saw two SUVs.
“Look, it’s him and his security,” Sasha noted.
Tanya, pursing her lips, headed towards the men. One of them stepped towards her.
“Can we talk?” he offered, glancing at Sasha, who shook his head no.
“I won’t leave her alone with you,” Sasha said firmly.
The man smiled.
“Fine, you can stay. As you understand, I did exactly what I was supposed to do. But that day, I wasn’t drinking and didn’t crash into your car on purpose—things just happened that way. I couldn’t go to jail then: young daughter and business. Your parents were already gone… I’ve thought about you often, even though I thought if you didn’t find me, it wasn’t necessary. Thank you for saving my wife. And you were fired so you could focus on treatment and studies. Don’t worry about money, everything is set up in your name,” he explained and added after a pause: “My wife and daughter are everything to me. I would never leave them. I ask for your forgiveness for what happened.”
He got into the car, leaving a note in Tanya’s hand.
As the SUVs drove away, Sasha quietly noted:
“It feels like he had to overcome himself to say all that.”
Half a year later, the restaurant buzzed with wedding joy. The staff didn’t know until the day of the celebration who was getting married. When they found out, some were surprised:
“Can’t believe that fool is marrying Sasha, and in our restaurant too!”
Marina, slamming the door, went to ask for a day off—she didn’t want to serve at that wedding. But nearby, the same woman whose life Tanya had saved approached the restaurant politely and joyfully with Tanya. This time Tanya was speaking out loud, and both seemed happy.