Marat left the business center, not stopping talking on the phone, important issues required solutions here and now, and therefore the young man did not look around.
But as soon as he took a few steps, he encountered some homeless man and, in order not to fall, seized on him, clutching firmly to the dirty, disheveled old man.
However, catching the balance, he disgusted the man, and so that he fell into the mud.
“Ugh!” cried Marat, beside himself with anger, looking at the stained suit, “What are you walking around, old donkey?” Nowhere else to shake lice??? Now I smell like you, I have to go and change!
— Help me up, the old man asked, but Marat only chuckled.
— Anything else? Can I get coffee in bed?
— You’re a human being.
— I am yes, Marat cut off, and you are not.
Beside himself with rage, Marat cursed, slightly kicked the old man swarming on the ground, then shaking off, went to the car. He was waiting for one of the regional events, where he was supposed to fly in a private helicopter, but he could not come there in a dirty shirt.
— Hello, Oleg! — Marat’s voice trembled with irritation. — Yes, I have a force majeure, I need to stay. Yes, fly yourself with Tyumych, I’ll follow. I’ll make it. Nothing, I’ll pay myself…
Once again swearing, Marat turned on the highway leading to the house. A couple of hours later, having taken a shower and changed clothes, he was already approaching the airport when a call came from an unfamiliar number. Marat responded and immediately slid to the curb, sharply parked.
— What? What did you say?????? he repeated, stunned by the unexpected and terrible news.
— Your partner’s helicopter crashed on takeoff. Oleg Nikolayevich and two of his attendants were killed. We’re so sorry.
The phone fell out of Marat’s hands and he dropped his head on the wheel and sobbed bitterly, not wanting to believe that what had happened was true.
All the following days were filled for Marat with a series of saddest events and somehow he was able to recover only a couple of months after the death of friends. But life went on and required Marat to let go of his sadness. We had to accept the loss and live.
Marat was completely immersed in work and did not leave himself a minute of free time.
It’s been six months. One evening, Marat went into a small shop to buy himself food for dinner. There was a homeless man at the checkout and he was going through a change in the palm of his hand. In the bag in front of him lay a loaf of bread, a piece of livery sausage and a bottle of cheap vodka.
The saleswoman rushed him, pointing to the queue. At the cash register, the old man stood alone, no one wanted to approach him. Marat, tired during the day and dreaming of getting home as quickly as possible, approached the cashier and demanded that she punch his goods first.
— And in general, why are you letting all sorts of scum here?! he indignantly pointed at the homeless man.
— I’m not a fool, he replied calmly. — I’m just like you.
The queue closely followed the verbal quarrel and at these words the old man made indignant noise. Suffered by this, Marat continued:
— What kind of man are you, drunkard? Get your waterman and get out!
— I don’t have enough money to pay, the old man asked. — Add me a little…
— I’m going to drink all kinds of vodka. Take the sausage and the bread and get out of here!
— No, I really need this. Very much.
Suddenly a girl came forward and handed the cashier money:
— Here you go. Let Grandpa go.
— Thank you, honey, are you very kind, what is your name? said the old man, turning to the girl, and she smiled and nodded to him.
— Ksyusha.
Marat looked at the stranger with amazement and was surprised at the look of her large, chocolate-colored eyes. He suddenly felt ashamed, but the cashier had already released the old man and was now punching through the goods bought by Marat.
He went to the car and decided to wait for a beautiful girl to meet her. Suddenly, his eyes fell on the same bum who now made him so angry in the store.
The old man was sitting at the parapet, leaning over a dog. She ate the sausage he bought, and he treated her damaged side with vodka, most likely torn in a fight with other dogs.
Marat looked at this painting so much that he missed the girl who left the store and fled around the corner. After waiting a little longer, he realized that she had left and, feeling a fit of annoyance, went home.
It’s been another six months. There has been no change in Marat’s life. He still worked hard, forgetting to rest, and only once, on the anniversary of the death of his friends, went to their cemetery and spent more than an hour there, remembering his past life. And then he stopped at some bar on the outskirts of the city and poured his grief with strong drinks.
It was already very dark when Marat asked the bartender to call a taxi, and then, staggering hard, headed to his car to pick up the briefcase with the documents he had almost forgotten about.
The car was messing with some guys and Marat, immediately realizing what was going on, shouted at them. But instead of running away, they attacked him and beat him. And when he fell unconscious, they found a key in his pocket and opened the car.
But at that moment, someone screamed right next to him, then the guards ran out of the bar and the hooligans rushed out at random.
Marat woke up in the hospital. He did not immediately understand where he was, the memories of the last evening were vague and fragmentary, when the events of the last evening took some form, he groaned, thinking not about his health, but about the briefcase that remained in the car.
There were very important documents, contracts and money, a lot of money that Marat cashed in the morning. Suddenly someone’s face leaned over him. Marat shuddered with surprise, recognizing these chocolate-colored eyes.
— Xyusha.
— You know me? A young nurse, who gave him an IV, raised her eyebrow in surprise.
— I must have seen it in my dream, Marat smiled. — You’re very beautiful, Xyusha. Very much.
From that day on, Marat and Xyusha met very often and talked a lot. Marat told the girl about himself and learned that she had come here from a remote village to study and work.
— You know, in our village there is not even a simple outpatient clinic and people have to get to the doctor’s office almost forty kilometers off-road. I want to leave school and go home. I’ll help people as much as I can.
Ksyusha, you are a very kind girl.
— No, I’m ordinary. I just know what a need is and I want to do everything to make it a little less.
As soon as Marat was discharged, he immediately went to the bar where he was beaten. The car was where he left it, but the briefcase Marat was so worried about wasn’t in it.
An upset man decided to talk to bar workers, hoping they had taken his briefcase for safekeeping.
— No, the bartender shook his head. — We didn’t take anything. If it weren’t for the homeless man, maybe we wouldn’t be talking right now.
— Bum?! — Surprised Marat. — What bum?!
— Who knows him? He burst in here, shouting that a man was being killed. So we rushed to your rescue. And in time, I’ll tell you.
— Yes, on time…Thank you… said Marat and left the bar knowing he would never find his briefcase. It doesn’t matter whose hands he was in, those hooligans or the homeless. No one will give it back to him…
Soon Marat started having problems. The documents in the portfolio were confidential and now the business partners, gathered for an emergency meeting, began to attack Marat, suspecting him of foul play.
— How can you lose these papers? You probably leaked them to someone! Especially since they are in one copy!
No vows or assurances by Marat that what happened was his fault, but unintentional.
— No, they said, that was negligence. Nobody wants to do business with you anymore!
The intensity of the conversation increased greatly and it is unknown how the meeting would have ended if the secretary Lyudochka had not told Marat that he had a visitor.
— Lyuda, I’m busy right now.
— I’m sorry, but you definitely need to see him. He’s so… strange, unusual… I didn’t want to let him in, but he said it was important.
— I’m going, Marat threw abruptly into the phone and, apologizing, left the office.
When he entered the reception room, he became stunned: a homeless man stood in front of him and held his briefcase in his hands.
— Here, he told Marat. — It’s yours.
— How did you get it?
— One of the guys who beat you up threw him out of his hand. I picked it up and hid it.
— How did you find me? — There was an address on the papers and your passport in the portfolio.
— So you know what’s inside?
— Sure.
Astonished Marat took the briefcase and opened it. The documents were the same neat stacks as he had stacked them. And the money, all the money was there.
— My friend, thank you, said the moved Marat and, not paying attention to the business partners standing in the door, wanted to hug the homeless man standing in front of him, but he retreated a step back.
— Since when did I become your friend? I’m not a human being to you.
Marat shuddered and immediately remembered that day, a little over a year ago, when faced with this very homeless man, he went to change clothes and did not have time to catch a plane. That’s why he stayed alive.
— You are a man, the old man said.
— I am yes, Marat cut off, and you are not.
Then there was an incident at the store. That time, thanks to this old man, he met and loved Xyusha. And again, Marat was rude to him.
— “I’m not a fool,” the old man said calmly. — I’m just like you.
— What kind of man are you, a drunkard? — Get your waterman and get out!
And now, for the third time, he not only saved him from hooligans, but also returned such a valuable loss without taking a penny.
— Forgive me, old man, said Marat. — Here, take the money, there’s enough for a living.
— Keep it, the homeless man said. — You need it.
— Why? — Marat was confused.
— Buy your conscience.
— I don’t understand…
— What does that mean? I’m nothing to you.
— No, that’s not true.
— Then why didn’t you just offer me money but ask me my name and say the simplest human thank you? Think about who one of us is!
With these words, the old man turned and went out. A confused Marat looked after him. For a long time he was looking for this strange old man, but could not find.
Two months have passed. Once Marat called Xusha and said that he missed him very much.
— Me too, the girl replied. — But you know, they brought a homeless old man here. He is in serious condition, he was hit by a car. He pulled the dog from under her wheels, and he did not have time to escape. She’s sitting in the hospital yard waiting for him.
“Old man … dog …” – a conjecture flashed in the head of Marat and he rushed:
— Ksyusha, I’ll be right there. I need to see this old man.
Half an hour later, he stood over the same homeless man whom Ksyusha was looking for and listening to, who quietly told him that his name was Vladimir Petrovich.
— He told me that before he passed out. Our surgeon says his chances aren’t great.
Ksyusha, take me to the surgeon, I’ll talk to him. I need to save the life of Vladimir Petrovich at all costs. And I’ll do anything for that.
A couple of months later, the old man, who was literally returned from the dead world, first went to the hospital square and there he was met by Marat.
— Hello, Vladimir Petrovich. How are you feeling?
— Thank you, Marat. Xyusha told me everything.
— Forgive me, Vladimir Petrovich, for all the insults I have caused you. You’re right, I didn’t appreciate people. But you taught me a lesson I will never forget. Can I hug you now?
— Now you can, the old man smiled, embracing Marat.
At this time, a black and white dog rushed to his feet and began to scream with joy, happy that the owner returned to her.
My dear friend, the old man cried when he saw the only living thing that truly loved him.
— Thank you for Buddy, Marat. Come on, he’s even better.
— Thank you not to me, but to your granddaughter. She went out the dog. A friend now lives with her.
— What? The astonished old man turned to Marat.
— I learned everything about you, Vladimir Petrovich. I found out you were homeless by giving it to your ex-wife. And then they left their native places here to work. I know how hard it was for you to think that your family abandoned you, but it’s not. Your daughter and granddaughter were looking for you for a long time and were very glad that with my help you were found.
— Marat.
— Look at that. Marat pointed to the side and Vladimir saw two women rushing to him.
A minute later, they held the old man in their arms. And Ksyusha came to Marat and took his hand.
— Marat, my mother called me and said that an outpatient clinic was being built in the village. And she said you asked them for my hand. Is that true?
— Really, love. You agree, don’t you?
— Yes, my love, yes! You’re the best man in the world.
“Man…,” said Marat quietly and kissed the girl.
Author: Ekaterina Lee
The Holy Land Charitable Foundation
Soul investment!
Orthodox stories from life
