-Buy yourself a normal phone, – Olivia looked judgmentally at her colleague, who was texting his wife on an old phone. -It’s the twenty-first century, and you have a black-and-white old push-button phone. Aren’t you ashamed of yourself?
-Why should I be ashamed? – Steve was sincerely surprised. – You can call from it – you can. You can also write messages. And I have a computer for the Internet.
-“Now you can buy a touchscreen one for a penny!” – the woman did not calm down. “With your salary it is not a problem. Where do you spend your money? I saw your wife, she dresses modestly, has no jewelry, and you have no children.
-It’s our business, where we spend our honestly earned money, – the man replied a little irritated. So don’t pry into my business either!
Steve stared at the monitor, showing with all his appearance that he did not intend to continue the conversation. Olivia snorted and went to her workplace, having managed to talk to two more colleagues along the way.
The man felt the glances behind him and understood that he had once again become the subject of discussion.
Well, he is not used to it. What rumors about him have not been heard! That he spends all his money on games, and that he has a lot of debts.
And recently a new version was invented – that he has three illegitimate children and he gives almost all his salary for their maintenance.
Steve was very curious which of his colleagues has such a rich imagination. If only to talk to them! At least to find out why he is credited with three children? Why not two or five? It is a pity that this secret is unlikely to be revealed.
Once even the boss carefully asked if the family had any problems.
-No, just say the word, – the man was worried, as if it was a relative, – Can I help?
-Everything is fine, – Steve answered confidently. – There’s no problem. And about the money… I’ll tell you a secret, Vivian and I are seriously thinking about children.
-That’s right, – the boss nodded, – but to be honest, it doesn’t explain anything.
-We just want to buy something. For the future child, you might say.
-Why don’t you just say it outright? -the boss laughed.
-“You know how my relatives are, don’t you?” Steve grimaced, remembering his unhappy childhood. “As soon as they hear that I have money, they’ll come running and beg. Do I need these nerves?
-Okay, I understand you, – the man said, -but keep in mind, if you need help, don’t hesitate to ask!
Steve hadn’t told the whole truth. He and his wife were actually going to buy a house, but they were going to do it abroad.
Where it is always warm, clean and cozy streets. Where there are no factories within the city, and, accordingly, no smoke. Where polite people live who will not poke their noses into other people’s private lives.
This was the dream of Steve and Vivian, who was even less lucky with her parents than he was.
For the sake of this dream they worked for ten years, saving on everything they could. And finally, they are closer to their goal than ever.
The house in a small European town is already waiting for its new owners. However, so is the job. It remains only to move out of the rented apartment and wave goodbye to everyone. With what pleasure Steve will look at the envious faces of his former colleagues who were making up all sorts of nonsense about him!
-“I wrote a letter of resignation today,” Vivian smiled, sitting down on the couch with her husband, “I didn’t even have to work it off. I’m starting to pack a little bit.
-That’s good, – Steve hugged his wife tightly and, looking somewhere at the ceiling, said:
-It’s hard to believe that we are leaving in less than a month. You know, I will probably change the tickets for an earlier date. We’ll fly this weekend! How does that sound?
-I don’t care if it’s tomorrow!
Hard work helped to make the dream come true. Neither Steve nor Vivian will ever regret their decision. They will live a happy life, with two children who will appear in a couple of years after the move…
