‘Look, she’s dragging that bag again! See how hard it is for her!’ the waitresses, who had stepped out for a smoke break, laughed.
One of them yelled:
‘Dishwasher! Valya, just don’t hurt yourself, leftovers are heavier than food!’
The elderly woman looked back, smiled sadly, and, switching the hand holding the bag, quickly headed to the bus stop.
‘I wonder why she needs so many leftovers?’ one of the girls asked.
‘Who knows? She’s only been here a couple of weeks. And as for our Palyich…’
‘You know I don’t care about people’s personal lives at all!’ the other scoffed dismissively.
‘Oh, sure, as if I need him! Ugly, grey-haired…’
‘Well, grey-haired because he’s seen a lot. But as for ‘ugly,’ you’re mistaken there: Palyich is quite charming and manly to boot!’
Svetlana looked at her friend:
‘Really, have you fallen for our manager too?’
‘No, I just said he’s an interesting person. Nah, Svet, we don’t stand a chance. Palyich and our boss aren’t interested in us. They need personalities, and we’re just ordinary.’
Svetlana sighed, accepting that her friend was right in some ways. Andrei, whom everyone called Palyich, was a friend of the restaurant owner. If Ivan Igorevich was about forty, then Palyich was slightly younger, by three or four years. Rumor had it they met in a hotspot 15 years ago and then went into the restaurant business together. It was even said that they saved each other in some terrible ordeal, hence their strong friendship.
Palyich was on site, and Svetlana immediately headed towards him.
‘Andrei Palyich, is it normal that our new dishwasher is taking bags of leftovers home?’
Palyich looked at her attentively:
‘Would you be more at ease if the leftovers were thrown out?’
Svetlana blushed but was not ready to back down.
‘But think about it, if someone lives so poorly that they eat leftovers and probably feeds someone else with them, what are her home conditions like? It’s unacceptable for someone working with dishes.’
‘Take it more seriously! Valentina Stepanovna has all the necessary certificates—that’s one. She’s always neat and clean—that’s two. You don’t know whom she’s feeding with these leftovers—that’s three. And four: if you, Svetlana, did your job even half as well as Valentina Stepanovna, you would be invaluable! Focus on your tasks and remember: gossip and slander don’t become a lady.’
Svetlana, blushing with shame, rushed into the utility room where her friend was waiting.
‘Well, did you get a talking-to? Tell me, why do you try to act smart where it’s not asked for?’
Svetlana snorted angrily.
‘That grunt, defending some old woman who survives on leftovers! It won’t be me if she works here long!’
‘What did that grandmother do to you?’ sighed Rita. ‘Well, she takes it, let her, she doesn’t just take it without asking! Why are you so worked up?’
‘Just…’ Svetlana was on the verge of tears. ‘Why does he talk like that?’
Rita sighed heavily again:
‘Let’s go already, we’ve been closed for half an hour, and you still haven’t gotten ready.’
The next day, when the girls arrived at work, Valentina was already hard at work. While there were no dishes, she diligently cleaned everything around: she polished windows, tables, and other surfaces until they shone. Svetlana snorted contemptuously:
‘Paying off her leftovers, no doubt.’
Valentina flinched, turned around, and simply smiled calmly, as if she was facing a capricious child, not even worth getting upset over. This serenity immediately drove Svetlana mad. She approached closer:,,
«You’re smiling in vain! I’ll still ruin your life. If you don’t leave yourself, I’ll tattle to the owner. Since the manager turns a blind eye, let him sort it out.» Valentina asked confusedly:
«Svet, why are you so angry at me?»
Svetlana was so outraged that she choked and, slamming the door so hard that the glass shook, stormed out of the room. Valentina watched the door in astonishment for a long time and then turned to Rita:
«What’s happening to her?»
«I have no idea,» Rita shrugged. «Do you think she’ll really complain to the owner?»
Rita knew about Valentina from Andrei. Although the woman collected leftovers, she clearly wasn’t starving: she dressed neatly and decently. But on the other hand, she was clearly lacking something. Rita understood: her friend needed support because Svetlana was clearly troubled by something of her own. In fact, Svetlana was angry because once she herself wouldn’t have minded such leftovers.
Svetlana grew up in a family of alcoholics. When there was no food, she had to steal or starve. She felt shame every day—her father often got drunk and didn’t make it home, and her mother, in his absence, took in whoever was available.
Now Svetlana wasn’t even sure if her father was really her father. One winter, he froze to death on the street, a hundred meters from home. Her mother did not mourn for long and brought a new man home within a couple of weeks, with whom she soon died, poisoned by alcohol.
Her mother’s sister didn’t want anything to do with them but took Svetlana in:
«I have two of my own, and you’re a stranger. You’ll live until 18, and then you’re on your own.»
Svetlana held no grudges: over four years, she understood that life could be different. There was always food and cleanliness in the house. She had been living independently for five years but kept in touch with her aunt, congratulating her on holidays and sometimes visiting. Everything that happened in her childhood was a terrible nightmare she wanted to forget forever. None of her current acquaintances knew what her life was like before she was 14.
In the evening, Andrei announced that the owner would return in two days. He had gone abroad to study restaurant business.
«I hope we haven’t slacked off. Everything clean? Order in the kitchen? Everything in place in the refrigerators? No complaints in the complaint book?»
Svetlana smirked:
«We’ll see how Ivan Igorevich reacts to some strange old lady hauling food from his restaurant.»
Rita immediately chided her friend:
«Drop it! They’re just leftovers. Nobody needs them.»
Svetlana had a dream: to marry so she never had to worry about money again. Maybe not billions, but at least a stable and secure life. For that, she needed a successful marriage. When Svetlana first got a job at the restaurant, she immediately noticed Palyich. He seemed like someone who could fulfill her dream. But, no matter how her heart thumped, Palyich remained indifferent. Then an idea matured in her head: why not try with the owner? Ivan Igorevich was not much older, and she was young and attractive. And just then, a reason to draw his attention appeared. She just needed to approach the matter wisely.
On the day Ivan Igorevich arrived, Svetlana came to work early. It wasn’t easy for her: she walked to the restaurant as if on a date. Palyich raised his eyebrows in surprise and smirked, but Svetlana ignored his reaction. The girls whispered: Ivan Igorevich was already there. Svetlana sighed:
«Well, now or never.»
She knocked and slightly opened the door.
«Ivan Igorevich, may I come in?»
Ivan looked at her and smiled warmly:
«Svetlana, if I’m not mistaken? Of course, come in. Do you have something to discuss?»
Svetlana carefully closed the door behind her, smiled charmingly, and began to speak. She expressed her concern about the reputation of the restaurant where she worked. Ivan Igorevich listened and asked, looking at her in surprise:
«Are you worried about the fact that these are leftovers, or that the person might be unhygienic?»
«Of course, the latter! What do the leftovers have to do with it?»
«Good, let’s go check on our employee. I suppose she was hired after I left?»
«Yes, that’s right.»
They left the office and immediately encountered Palyich. He looked at Svetlana attentively and snorted:
«Svetlana, can’t you ever calm down, huh?»
Svetlana passed by in silence. What did Palyich matter if the owner himself was with her now! They entered the dishwashing area. Ivan Igorevich greeted loudly:
«Hello! I’m Ivan Igorevich, the owner of the restaurant. Let’s get acquainted!»
The elderly woman slowly turned around and suddenly whispered:
«Nyusha!»
Ivan froze for a moment, then exclaimed:
«Valentina Stepanovna?»
«The owner rushed to embrace her. Svetlana and Palyich watched them in stunned silence. Svetlana immediately realized that her plan would not work and could even lead to her dismissal. She tried to slip away unnoticed, but the entire staff had already gathered at the door.
‘Andrey, come here! Remember, I told you about the woman who stayed to help in the hospital after her son died? How she dragged me out of the ward on a blanket when the shelling started? I owe her my life! I thought everyone had perished then. I’ve been looking for you.’
‘I was injured, in the head, they moved me from place to place. Vanya, I don’t even know how I survived! And when I returned, I realized that even in peacetime there are abandoned animals. Sorry, I thought these leftovers were needed by no one, and here it caused such a scandal.’
Ivan Igorevich jumped up:
‘Valentina Stepanovna, don’t even think about it! We will buy everything necessary. And no more dishwashing for you! You need to live peacefully and enjoy life!’
‘And will the dishes wash themselves?’ Valentina smirked.
‘We’ll find someone, we’ll announce it. But for now,’ he turned to the staff, ‘Where’s our fighter? Svetlana will work in the dishwashing area until we find someone else.’
Svetlana barely held back tears, and Rita sighed.
‘Svetka, I told you not to meddle! What did you achieve? What do you need these leftovers for?’
‘I’m not going to work here anyway!’ Svetlana snorted.
‘And where will you go? To the factory? You won’t be able to pay rent for your apartment.’
Svetlana burst into tears:
‘Why, Rita? Why is everything like this? In my childhood, these leftovers would have been worth their weight in gold… And here, the old lady just packs it all in a bag and carries it away! I hate everyone: the restaurant, Valentina… How am I supposed to live with this?’
Rita looked at her in shock. She never suspected how hard Svetlana had it in the past. But not only Rita—Palyich stood in the doorway, watching her attentively. He always thought she was just mean, but it turned out to be much worse. Svetlana went to wash dishes, didn’t resign, and didn’t say anything to anyone, keeping to herself.
A few days later, Palyich brought in a new employee:
‘Svetlana, show her everything here. This is our new dishwasher.’
Svetlana, without saying a word, took off her apron.
‘And where should I go? Write an application?’
‘Yes, Svetlana,’ Palyich nodded. ‘But not for resignation, for a vacation. I’ve arranged with Ivan. I want to invite you to a ski resort, I know a good place.’
Svetlana looked at him in surprise, and Palyich calmly added:
‘The rooms will be separate, don’t worry about that.’
From then on, that resort became one of the favorite places for the young family. Later, with the administration’s consent, they started leaving an album with photos of homeless animals that Valentina Stepanovna had been feeding, and many of them found new homes. By the way, Svetlana apologized to Valentina and invited her to her wedding with Andrey Palyich. Valentina, of course, forgave her, as she was a person of exceptional kindness.»
