This story, in one way or another, touches each of us, as it tells about dreams and plans, about difficulties and the crashing of hopes. But it also tells about how real people cope with life situations. Where they draw strength from, and what keeps them from giving up.
Pasha grew up in an orphanage, placed there by social services after his mother was stripped of parental rights. He didn’t like to talk about it, but he always remembered the constant, unrelenting hunger of his childhood. All the food went to his drinking parents and their friends. Sometimes he got crumbs from the table, but mostly he ate only when the drunkards collapsed senseless to the floor. At that moment, Pasha was happy, wiping his tears with his dirty sleeve and using a stool to climb onto the table.
On the table, he would carefully gather all the bread crumbs, and if he found a whole piece, he would dip it in the oil left at the bottom of a can. Sometimes his stomach hurt from eating stale food, but he knew no other life. The little boy didn’t even realize that other children were walking in parks with their parents or waiting for sweets from the hands of beloved grandmothers. Pasha grew up within four walls, and everyone he saw were alcoholics.
He vividly remembered the day his father didn’t wake up. The boy heard the drinking buddies talking and his mother screaming in grief. Something about counterfeit vodka, something about the body not holding up. Then Pasha remembered how some people in suits came, how his drunk mother screamed that she wouldn’t give up her son, that she couldn’t live without him. Pasha also cried because he was being taken away from his mother by strangers. It was a woman and two sturdy men in uniform. The woman constantly pursed her lips, looking at the dirty son, at the pile of rags he slept on, and cried when she gave Pasha a sandwich and he lunged at the food like a wild animal. But still, the boy cried, saying goodbye to his mother.
Then there was the orphanage, and Pasha realized that he had ended up in a very good place. Here, the food was tasty, he had his own bed, and although the educators sometimes turned away, hiding their tears as they watched him stash food under his pillow from the dining hall, they didn’t forbid him from doing it, allowing him to get used to the idea that the world could be different. And Pasha learned to read, and from that moment, he couldn’t be stopped. He read everything in the orphanage’s library and asked for more. The educators said he had a remarkable memory, oddly adding the word «talent,» but the boy just absorbed information like a sponge absorbs water.
Still in the orphanage, Pasha met Tanya. Initially, they were friends, and when they were released from the orphanage upon reaching adulthood, they couldn’t live without each other. It was a strange love, of people united by an orphaned childhood, but it made them value each other even more.
Pasha entered university on a scholarship and graduated with honors. All this time, he had to work evenings to pay for the apartment and support himself and Tanya. After graduating, the young man couldn’t find a job in his field, and he and Tanya decided to try their luck in the country’s capital. They had nothing to lose, so they went to Moscow. All the way on the train, the young couple smiled and whispered about how they would succeed and become 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 unwelcoming rain and the gray, gloomy faces of the locals. Pasha looked at Tanya, squeezed her hand tighter, and confidently stepped toward the subway.
They managed to rent a room from an advertisement. Tanya got a job as a waitress in a nearby cafe, and Pasha set out to conquer companies to offer his services. But, as it turned out, his brilliant abilities, higher education, and analytical mind were not rare in Moscow, and he received rejection after rejection. Our hero was in despair. He thought his red diploma would open doors to any company, but it turned out not to be the case.
Every day, Pasha went out to search for his destiny and returned dejected to their room each time. Tanya greeted him, supporting him as best she could.
«Pash, don’t worry, everything will work out,» she would say, stroking his head.
«Tanyush,» Pasha asked sadly, «Why is life so difficult? Haven’t we suffered enough?»
«Pash,» Tanya soothed, «Don’t be downhearted, I’m working, we have enough for now, and you’ll find somewhere to apply your bright mind, you’re a genius with a red diploma!»
«Ah, Tanyushka,» sighed Pasha, hugging the most precious person in the world.
In desperation, Pasha even tried to get a job on a construction site, but they turned him down there too, as his physique didn’t have outstanding physical features.
«We don’t need weaklings!» the foreman barked at the young man, slamming the trailer door right in his face.
Returning home in a depressed state, our hero noticed a sign on the doors of a beautiful and very cool business center «Janitor needed.» For Pasha, this sign felt like a sentence, but he could no longer stand to watch Tanya alone carry their entire budget. He swung open the doors and headed to the administration desk.
Hello,» Pasha said quietly. «May I ask if you still need cleaners?»
A beautiful, slender, long-haired girl looked attentively at Pasha and politely said:
«Good afternoon, please take a seat, I’ll call the boss. Would you like some coffee?»
These were the first kind words Pasha heard in Moscow, and for some reason, he felt like crying. But he composed himself and replied:
«Thank you, but I would like to know about the job.»
The girl smiled and spoke into the phone that a guy had come for the cleaner position.
Pasha looked around, at the expensive hall, at the many rooms, at well-dressed people who smiled and were happy. He thought that they must be doing well since they worked here. And he so wanted to become just as successful, for his Tanya to be proud of him.
«Young man,» the beautiful girl called him— «Please, come into the office.»
«Thank you,» Pasha replied politely. «You are very kind.»
«Come in, if you want coffee,» the girl smiled— «My name is Katya.»
«And I am 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 boy with undisguised disgust.
«Are you ready to start working?» the boss smirked.
«Yes,» Pasha replied timidly.
«And what can you actually do?» another man asked— «Or did you study to be a cleaner?»
All three laughed loudly. Pasha immediately blushed to the roots of his hair, not expecting such a reception, but he quickly composed himself:
«I graduated from university with honors, have a phenomenal memory, and an analytical mind,» Pasha said proudly.
«Well then, remember where the mop and broom are,» the director laughed loudly along with the two men.
Then Katya came and took Pasha to the storage room, where everything for cleaning was kept.
«Pash, don’t pay attention to him,» the girl said— «the director is complicated, but if you don’t take it to heart, it’s just a job.»
«Thanks for the support, Katya,» Pasha said and looked at the brooms and mops.
Pavel was assigned to the second floor, issued a uniform, and given instructions. 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, girls were not hired for the cleaner position. Maybe they couldn’t handle the load, or maybe to avoid lawsuits for harassment at work.
Pasha started working. 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, peaceful life. They mocked all the «lower level» workers, joking, knowing that nothing would come of it. This attitude exhausted Pavel the most, but he could no longer afford to be a burden to his Tanya.
They even rented an apartment that was still beyond their means, but they really wanted to live separately. The apartment was without renovation, but the young people managed to create a semblance of coziness. Now Pasha was waiting for the end of his shift to return home quickly, where they indulged in dreams about the future.
But the morning came, and Pasha, with his head down, went to clean the rooms again.
«Hey, genius!» laughed the boss, deliberately spilling coffee on the floor— «Clean this up.»
«Hey, Einstein!» the boss yelled, dumping cigarette butts from an ashtray onto the carpet— «Don’t forget to vacuum thoroughly, you missed it again.»
The cleaner always heard his laughter, but he endured it because there was someone for whom he was doing it. The only consolation at work for him was the pretty girl Katya, who from the first day treated Pasha very well. She made him coffee before the workday began, and Pasha was very grateful to her for her support.
After a month of working as a cleaner, our hero submitted an application to the HR department to transfer him to the economists’ staff. Fortunately, his education allowed it. But the boss kept feeding him «breakfasts,» promising to consider the candidacy a little later. But Pasha did not give up and wrote an application for a higher position every month.
But the trials did not end there. One day a call came and a male voice informed Pasha that Tanya was in the hospital. A car had hit the girl and fled the scene of the accident. Hip fracture. Surgery. Pasha took out a loan from the bank to pay for the treatment and asked to add another floor to clean at work. Now he had to work for two.
Tanya was lying at home, while Pasha worked from morning to night as a cleaner. But deep down, he was glad that he was working to exhaustion because he felt like a man who takes care of his girl.
One day, Pavel stayed late and became an unintentional witness to a meeting of the board of directors, who had gathered from all over Moscow. The cleaner saw how his boss groveled before them and reported the results. From the expressions on the «main» faces, it was clear they were not satisfied, and they gave exactly one month to rectify the situation.
When everyone left, Pasha knocked on his boss’s office door, red with shame from the scolding he received from the «higher-level directors.»
«What do you want?» the boss snapped. «If you’ve cleaned the area, then go home!»
«Listen,» Pavel began timidly, «I am familiar with the financial components of such business structures, and I can offer my services.»
«Are you out of your mind?» the director laughed. «You’re a cleaner! Or do you think we just sit around here? We all have higher education, so get out of here, you half-wit.»
But Pasha had already learned to ignore his perpetually dissatisfied boss. By day, he diligently swept and scrubbed the offices, and at night, he worked on a proposal that he believed would solve the problem. Especially since his education and knowledge allowed him to see the whole picture, and he sat each night until his eyes hurt over graphs and calculations. In the morning, he went to work, and in the evenings, he took up the calculations again.
«You really shine when you work with analytics,» Tanya laughed. «It’s clear that this is your calling.»
«Of course,» Pasha smiled. «I like it myself.»
«Will your boss appreciate it?» Tanya frowned.
«No idea,» Pasha darkened. «But it’s worth a try.»
«Pash,» Tanya suddenly became sad. «The landlord called, demanding money for half a year in advance.»
Pavel felt everything inside him sink 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 to be the day of the next board of directors’ meeting. Pasha came to work and immediately felt the tension. Everyone in the departments was running around like mad, and the director was indignant.
«Hello, Katyusha,» Pasha greeted. «It’s too hot here today.»
«Oh, Pashka, it’s complete chaos here—tomorrow’s the board meeting, and as you see, everything here is gloomy. The director paid little attention to work, let everything go on its own, and now they will ask him about profits and expenses.»
«Wow, what 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, 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, Katyusha! You’ve been very kind to me from the first day.»
«May I?» the cleaner asked through the gap in the door of the director’s office.
«What else do you need?» the director rolled his eyes. «Go do your job, clean the windows, tomorrow the board of directors is meeting, and it’s dirty everywhere here.»
«Here, look at this,» Pasha extended a folder, the product of his sleepless nights, «Here’s my vision for resolving 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 and offer your solution? Get out of here before I throw you out.»
The boss grabbed the folder and angrily threw it in the trash. Pasha was crushed. Here it is, the capital, a place where dreams are supposed to come true. But as it turned out, it grinds everyone into a gray mass, killing hopes and destroying paths to dreams.
He took the mop in his hands, firmly deciding to work as a cleaner until Tanya could stand on her feet, and then he would go further and seek his fate in other companies. He looked at Katya, who made a sad understanding face, and then got back to his duties.
The next morning, the cleaner came early to tidy up the boss’s office quickly and saw the folder with his work in the trash bin. Not knowing why, Pavel grabbed it and quickly placed it on the table, where folders for the board members were already laid out. Whatever happens, the guy decided, if they fire him, so be it.
Closer to noon, expensive cars started arriving at the business center, from which dignified people emerged and disappeared one by one into the boss’s office.
Pashka froze at the far end of the hall, watching through the glass as the board members discussed. It was evident that his boss was noticeably nervous. Then they took the folders and delved into the report provided by the business center’s analytics and economics department. Pashka’s heart pounded. One of the board members picked up his folder and frowned. The guy couldn’t hear the voices, but he saw how this man pointed at the folder and asked the boss something.
The boss turned red, recognizing his cleaner’s folder, and began to respond. From his face, it was evident that he was pointing out that it was a mistake and that he was asking for forgiveness. But a moment later, the boss froze, saying something into the phone. Pasha saw Katya appear in the hall and head toward him.
«Pasha,» Katya said fearfully, «they urgently call you to the office. What have you done? You’re just a simple cleaner!»
«I don’t know,» Pasha widened his eyes, «but one does not die twice, so I’m going. If anything, goodbye, in case they fire me.»
Pasha opened the doors to the management office and froze as if rooted to the spot. Twelve board members and a red-faced boss looked at him.
«What do you allow yourself to do,» the boss started, «sneaking folders onto the table?»
«Quiet!» barked the one who took the folder first. «It’s no wonder that a boss like you almost bankrupted our branch if you even failed to study what’s written in this folder.»
«Tell me, please, is this your work?» the man turned to Pavel.
«Yes, mine,» Pavel replied, paling before their eyes.
The man stood up, slowly approached him, looked him in the eyes, and extended his hand. Pasha, as if in a dream, extended his.
«My name is Igor Petrovich,» the man said in a deep voice. «And I am impressed by your report. Why are you working as a cleaner? I can’t believe it, because what you wrote requires extensive knowledge.»
«I possess them,» Pasha modestly replied. «And from the first day, I spoke of my strengths, but in vain. In the orphanage, they called me a genius, as they did at the university.»
«In the orphanage? At the university?» Igor Petrovich’s eyes widened.
«Yes, I’m an orphan,» Pasha replied, looking the man in the eyes.
Igor Petrovich visibly tensed. It felt like he had the most significant voice here because everyone looked at Pasha and him with interest.
«You’re fired,» Igor Petrovich told 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 reviewing his work.»
«Congratulations, Pavel,» Igor Petrovich addressed the stunned Pavel. «I will personally ensure that you are provided with everything you need as soon as possible. Where do you live?»
«I rent an apartment with my beloved,» said Pasha.
«The company has apartments for valuable employees. Take a company car today and let them help you move your things. Of course, you don’t need to pay for the apartment. Can you start work soon?»
«Yes, even tomorrow!» Pasha nearly shouted.
«No, rest for a couple of days to gather strength; there’s a lot of work ahead. We need to pull up many things in this branch. Do you have any requests or wishes to start working?»
«You have already given me more than I could expect, but if possible, I will need a personal secretary with a higher salary, and I would like to ask for Katya, who works downstairs at the administration desk. Thanks to people like her, faith in the goodness of people remains, and she is a true professional.»
«No problem,» nodded Igor Petrovich. «When you start your duties, she will already be waiting for you in the next office with yours.»
Igor Petrovich warmly shook Pavel’s hand and apologized before returning to the board members. Pasha left the office and slowly walked through the hall. He felt like he was dreaming.
«Pashka!» Katya shouted. «Well, what happened? Why were you called? You look pale!»
«Kat,» said Pasha, «thank you for everything, you are a very good person!»
«Were you fired after all?» Katya frowned.
«No, everything is fine,» Pasha said, smiling. «They gave me a few days off; when I return, I’ll tell you everything.»
«Make sure you do,» Katya replied. «I’ll go crazy from curiosity!»
Pasha stepped outside and looked up at the sky. The sun was shining, a breeze ruffled his hair. He decided to walk all the way home. Along the way, he dug the last of his money out of his pocket and bought a bouquet of flowers.
Pasha unlocked the door to the apartment, from which the aroma of delicious pancakes wafted.
«Pashka,» he heard his beloved girl’s voice. «Come in, I’ll be right there, my hands are full of flour.» He heard her bustling in the kitchen, how she grabbed her crutches and started hopping towards him to meet him. This girl always supported him in everything, and his heart was filled with gratitude and love.
«Is everything okay with you?» Tanya asked, seeing his stunned expression. «Why are you so early, and what about the flowers?»
«They’re for you, Tany,» he fell silent, tears welling up in his eyes. Then he smiled, hugged his girlfriend, and said:
«Will you marry me?»
