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<\/p>\n<\/p>\n
Nina leaned back in her chair, exhausted. It was hard to tell whether her back or her head ached more. A gentle knock on the office door interrupted her thoughts.\u201cNina Sergeyevna, may I come in?\u201dShe looked up, surprised.\u201cRita, why are you still here?\u201dThe young woman smiled sheepishly.\u201cI couldn\u2019t just leave you here alone. What if you needed coffee?\u201dNina smiled in appreciation.\u201cThat\u2019s kind of you, but you didn\u2019t have to stay. You should have gone home and gotten some rest.\u201dRita sighed.<\/p>\n
\u201cYou know there\u2019s no one waiting for me at home. I always feel better here at work.\u201d<\/p>\n
Nina had met Rita in a way that most people wouldn\u2019t have considered taking her in. Her car had broken down on the outskirts of the city, and her phone had died at the worst possible moment. She had been returning from an exhausting business trip, hungry and worn out. After several unsuccessful attempts to restart her car or turn on her phone, she had given up and stepped out into the freezing air.<\/p>\n
After standing by the roadside for fifteen minutes, unable to hail a taxi, she had decided to walk to the nearest gas station or store. That was when she had noticed a lone figure walking along the road\u2019s edge, completely oblivious to her surroundings.\u201cMiss!\u201d<\/p>\n
The woman didn\u2019t react and continued walking. Nina caught up and gently tugged her arm.<\/p>\n
\u201cWhy are you walking in the middle of the road?\u201d<\/p>\n
The woman finally stopped but didn\u2019t meet Nina\u2019s gaze. She simply stood there, as if she hadn\u2019t even heard the question, before attempting to walk away again. But Nina wasn\u2019t about to let her go so easily. She took her by the hand and guided her into the car, at least getting her out of the cold.\u201cAre you alright? Do you need help?\u201d<\/p>\n
That was when the young woman turned to her, her face crumpling as tears began to fall.<\/p>\n
Rita had told her everything that night. She had grown up in an orphanage, received state housing, completed technical school, and thought she had found love. But her boyfriend had thrown her out, bringing another woman into the apartment.<\/p>\n
\u201cBut the apartment was yours!\u201d Nina had exclaimed.<\/p>\n
\u201cHe transferred everything to his name,\u201d Rita had whispered.<\/p>\n
Nina sighed.<\/p>\n
\u201cWhere do such na\u00efve people come from?\u201d she muttered, then caught herself. \u201cOf course\u2026 from orphanages.\u201d<\/p>\n
Miraculously, Nina\u2019s car had started just then, and she had driven Rita home with her.\u201cDad, look, I brought someone with me!\u201dHer father, Sergey Andreevich, had appeared in the hallway.\u201cWho is this? A snow maiden?\u201d he had joked.<\/p>\n
\u201cAlmost,\u201d Nina had replied. \u201cIf I hadn\u2019t found her, she\u2019d have turned into an icicle out there.\u201d<\/p>\n
Sergey had immediately sprung into action, ushering their guest into the kitchen. By the time Nina had changed out of her travel clothes, he had already set the table.<\/p>\n
Nina had never considered herself particularly kind or given to impulsive acts of generosity, yet something about Rita had made her want to help.\u201cYou really have no one?\u201d she had asked over dinner.Rita had shrugged.<\/p>\n
\u201cI have a half-sister,\u201d she had admitted. \u201cI saw her once when I was little. There\u2019s even a picture. She was sixteen, and I was two. We have the same father but different mothers. I think she visited us once, but when I was five, my parents died. I was sent to the orphanage, and I have no idea if she even remembers me.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cHave you tried looking for her?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cNo. What would I even say? \u2018Now that I\u2019m in trouble, I\u2019ve decided to find you and rely on you for help?\u2019\u201dNina had smiled involuntarily.Rita had flushed.\u201cI\u2019m sorry. Thank you for dinner. I should go.\u201dSergey had exchanged a glance with Nina.<\/p>\n
\u201cRita, sit down,\u201d Nina had insisted. \u201cWhere will you go? Stay here tonight, and we\u2019ll figure things out in the morning.\u201d<\/p>\n
Rita had hesitated, but finally, she had nodded in gratitude. Later, when Nina checked on her, she noticed a small photograph on the nightstand. The same one Rita had mentioned\u2014a young woman holding a laughing child, both of them smiling warmly.<\/p>\n
The next day, Nina had spoken with a lawyer from her firm. Not only had he helped Rita get her apartment back, but he had also successfully sued her ex-boyfriend for damages. Afterward, Nina had invited her to work as her secretary. Rita had learned quickly and had become Nina\u2019s most trusted assistant.Now, as they stood in the office together, Rita teased her.<\/p>\n
\u201cGenka from finance follows you around like a shadow, and Valerka from security too. And you don\u2019t even look at them!\u201dNina laughed.<\/p>\n
\u201cWhy should I? I already know them. Valerka is a hopeless flirt, and Genka\u2026 well, he only has numbers in his head.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cTrue. He seems like the type who secretly runs marathons in his spare time.\u201d<\/p>\n
Nina chuckled but then glanced at the time.<\/p>\n
\u201cI need to head home. The neighbor probably left already, which means Dad is alone.\u201d<\/p>\n
After breaking his leg in two places last year, her father\u2019s mobility had been severely limited. He had lost interest in almost everything, barely eating and spending hours staring out the window.<\/p>\n
\u201cRita, I need a favor. Can you find a companion or a caregiver for my father?\u201dRita looked concerned.\u201cIs he getting worse?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cNot exactly. He\u2019s just\u2026 lost his spark. I worry about him constantly, but I can\u2019t always be there.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cUnderstood. I\u2019ll start looking tomorrow.\u201d<\/p>\n
A few days later, Rita arrived at Nina\u2019s office with an update.<\/p>\n
\u201cI interviewed twenty candidates and narrowed it down to three. When can you meet them?\u201d<\/p>\n
Nina scheduled the interviews for later that day. As she spoke with each candidate, one woman caught her attention. She seemed slightly older than Nina and visibly nervous, fiddling with her bracelet.Nina frowned.\u201cI\u2019ve seen that bracelet before\u2026 but where?\u201d<\/p>\n
Something clicked in her mind.<\/p>\n
\u201cCome by tomorrow to meet my father,\u201d she said. \u201cLet\u2019s see how you two get along before we decide anything.\u201d<\/p>\n
Later, Nina urgently sent Rita to the store for apples\u2014an excuse to get her out of the office. Then, she hurried to Rita\u2019s desk, searching the drawers until she found the photograph.<\/p>\n
The bracelet in the picture was identical to the one the woman had been wearing.<\/p>\n
Could it be? Had Rita\u2019s long-lost sister just walked into their lives without recognizing her?<\/p>\n
Nina\u2019s father listened to the story and, for the first time in months, looked interested.<\/p>\n
\u201cWe have to find out,\u201d he said with conviction.<\/p>\n
The next day, the woman, Darya, shared her story.<\/p>\n
\u201cI was married, then divorced, and never had children. I moved here because my father once lived in this city. He had a daughter, much younger than me. I last saw her at his funeral, but she was so little she wouldn\u2019t remember me. My mother refused to let me take her in, and I regret not insisting. She passed away a few years ago, stubborn as ever, refusing medical help when she got sick.\u201d<\/p>\n
Nina and her father exchanged glances, but before they could say anything, the door burst open.\u201cWhy aren\u2019t we decorating the Christmas tree?\u201d Rita announced.Darya turned pale.\u201cRita\u2026 your full name wouldn\u2019t be Rita Pavlovna, would it?\u201dRita froze. The box of ornaments slipped from her hands.\u201cHow do you know my father\u2019s name was Pavel?\u201dDarya\u2019s eyes filled with tears.\u201cBecause he was my father too.\u201dRita gasped.\u201cYou\u2019re Dasha?\u201dTears streamed down Darya\u2019s face.Nina and her father stepped back, giving them space.\u201cWe\u2019ll set the table,\u201d Nina whispered to him.As they worked, her father chuckled.\u201cI suppose that makes me your assistant?\u201dNina laughed.\u201cYou\u2019re not getting out of peeling potatoes, Dad!\u201dHe sighed dramatically.\u201cWhat a tyrant I raised!\u201d<\/p>\n
Nina felt a warmth spread through her chest. For the first time in a long while, everything felt right. Rita had found her sister, her father had found new purpose, and in that moment, the world felt just a little bit brighter.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
Nina leaned back in her chair, exhausted. It was hard to tell whether her back or her head ached more. A gentle knock on the office door… <\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":20921,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[1],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-20920","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-uncategorized"],"yoast_head":"\n