My Husband’s Boss Wants Me ✅ Learn English Through Story (A1-A2 Level) 🍷

Added: 2026-05-13

[00:00:00]My name is Clara.

[00:00:02]My husband is about to lose his job.

[00:00:06]His rich boss said he will save us, but only if I spend the night. This is my story. It is a hard story, but I want to tell it to you.

[00:00:20]Maybe you are having a hard time too.

[00:00:23]Maybe you feel scared. It is okay to feel scared.

[00:00:28]I was very scared.

[00:00:31]But I learned something important. I learned how to be strong. I am 25 years old. I live in a big city. The city is very loud. There are many cars. There are many people.

[00:00:49]Sometimes the city feels too big.

[00:00:53]But I do not live in the rich part of the city. I live in a poor neighborhood.

[00:01:00]My home is very small.

[00:01:02]It is an apartment on the fourth floor.

[00:01:06]There is no elevator. We have to walk up the stairs every day. My legs are always tired, but I like my small home. I keep it clean.

[00:01:19]I put cheap flowers in a glass of water.

[00:01:23]I try to make it look nice. I live with my husband. His name is Tom.

[00:01:30]Tom is a very good man. He is 27 years old. We got married 3 years ago. We were very young. We were very happy. We did not have money, but we had love. I thought love was enough. I thought life was easy. Tom is a quiet man. He does not talk a lot, but he has a kind heart.

[00:01:59]He always tries to help people. He works very hard. He wants to give us a good life. He wants to buy a house one day. A house with a small garden.

[00:02:13]That is his big dream. That is my dream, too. But life is not easy.

[00:02:21]Life can be very hard.

[00:02:23]Tom works at a big company. He works in an office. He looks at a computer all day. He types on the keyboard. He answers the phone. He works very long hours. He leaves the house at 7 in the morning. He comes back at 8 at night. He is always tired. The company is very big.

[00:02:50]The boss of the company is a very rich man. His name is Mr. Vance.

[00:02:58]Mr. Vance is not a kind man. He does not care about his workers. He only cares about money. He is very strict. He shouts at people. He makes people feel small. Tom does not like Mr. Vance.

[00:03:17]But Tom needs the job. We need the money. We have to pay for our apartment.

[00:03:24]We have to buy food. We have to pay for electricity.

[00:03:29]Everything is very expensive.

[00:03:32]The prices go up every day. Our money does not go up. Our money stays the same. A few months ago, things got bad.

[00:03:44]Very bad. Tom started coming home looking sick. His face was pale. He did not eat his dinner.

[00:03:54]I made his favorite food. I made chicken and rice, but he did not eat it. He just looked at his plate. Tom, what is wrong?

[00:04:06]I asked him. He shook his head. It is nothing, Clara. Just tired. But I knew it was not nothing. I know my husband. I know when he is worried. His eyes look different. His hands shake a little bit.

[00:04:26]I touched his hand. His hand was cold.

[00:04:30]Please tell me, I said. We are a team.

[00:04:34]We share everything.

[00:04:36]Tom looked at me. His eyes were full of water. He looked like a small boy. He took a deep breath. Mr. Vance is firing people, Tom said softly.

[00:04:50]The company is not making enough money.

[00:04:54]Mr. Vance is letting 50 people go. He will tell us on Friday.

[00:05:01]I think I am one of them. My heart stopped. I felt a cold wind in my chest.

[00:05:09]If Tom loses his job, we have nothing.

[00:05:13]We have no savings in the bank. We live week to week. If he has no job, we cannot pay the rent. We will lose our apartment.

[00:05:25]Where will we go? We have no family in the city. We will be on the street. Are you sure? I asked. My voice was shaking.

[00:05:37]I am almost sure, Tom said. Mr. Vance looks at me with angry eyes. He gave my big project to another man. He does not speak to me. I know it. Clara, I am going to lose my job. I am so sorry. I failed you. He put his face in his hands. He started to cry.

[00:06:03]My strong, kind husband was crying. It broke my heart. I put my arms around him. I held him tight.

[00:06:14]No, Tom, you did not fail me. You are a hard worker. We will be okay. We will find a way. I said the words, but I did not believe them. I was terrified.

[00:06:29]I did not sleep that night. I looked at the ceiling. I listened to the cars outside.

[00:06:37]I prayed for a miracle. I prayed for help. The next day was Wednesday.

[00:06:45]2 days before Friday.

[00:06:48]2 days before the bad news. Tom went to work. He looked like a ghost. I stayed home. I cleaned the apartment. I washed the floors. I washed the windows. I cleaned to stop thinking. But I could not stop thinking.

[00:07:09]The fear was always there. It was like a heavy stone in my stomach. In the afternoon, the phone rang. It was Tom.

[00:07:20]Claraara, he said. His voice sounded strange. It was fast. It was nervous.

[00:07:28]What is it, Tom? Did it happen early?

[00:07:32]Did he fire you? No, Tom said.

[00:07:36]No, he did not fire me. Mr. Vance just called me into his office and I asked.

[00:07:44]My hand gripped the phone. He wants to have dinner with us tonight. He wants me to bring you. I was very confused.

[00:07:55]Dinner with us? Why? I do not know. Tom said. He said he wants to talk about my future at the company.

[00:08:05]He said it is a special meeting.

[00:08:09]We are meeting him at a [clears throat] very nice restaurant at 8:00.

[00:08:14]I did not understand.

[00:08:16]A rich boss inviting a poor worker to dinner. It made no sense, but a small hope grew in my heart. Maybe Tom was wrong.

[00:08:29]Maybe Mr. Vance saw how hard Tom works.

[00:08:33]Maybe Mr. Vance wanted to promote him.

[00:08:37]Maybe he wanted to give Tom more money.

[00:08:40]This is good news, right? I asked. I hope so, Clara. I really hope so.

[00:08:48]Please wear something nice. I will meet you at the restaurant. We hung up the phone. I ran to my closet. I looked at my clothes. I did not have many clothes.

[00:09:03]I only had simple things. Jeans, old sweaters, plain shirts. But I had one good dress.

[00:09:12]It was a dark blue dress.

[00:09:15]I bought it a long time ago. It was for a friend's wedding. It was simple, but it was pretty. I took a long shower. I washed my hair. I brushed my hair until it was shiny.

[00:09:32]I put on the blue dress. It fit perfectly.

[00:09:36]I put on a little bit of red lipstick. I looked in the mirror. I looked nice. I looked presentable.

[00:09:46]I wanted Mr. Vance to see that Tom had a good wife. I wanted to help my husband.

[00:09:53]I took the bus to the restaurant.

[00:09:56]The restaurant was in the rich part of the city.

[00:10:01]I walked past big expensive stores.

[00:10:05]I saw people in beautiful clothes.

[00:10:09]I felt very small. I felt like I did not belong there. I arrived at the restaurant. It was very fancy.

[00:10:19]There was a man in a suit at the door.

[00:10:22]He opened the door for me. Inside it was quiet. The lights were low.

[00:10:30]There were candles on the tables.

[00:10:33]Soft music was playing.

[00:10:36]It smelled like expensive food and rich perfume. I saw Tom. He was standing near the bar. He was wearing his only suit.

[00:10:48]It was an old gray suit. He looked nervous.

[00:10:52]He was playing with his hands. I walked up to him. You look beautiful, Clara, he said. He gave me a small smile.

[00:11:03]Thank you, I said. Is he here? Tom nodded. Yes, he is at a table in the back. Are you ready? I took a deep breath. I am ready. We walked to the back of the restaurant.

[00:11:20]There was a large table in a private corner.

[00:11:24]A man was sitting there.

[00:11:26]He was drinking a glass of red wine. He wore a very sharp black suit.

[00:11:33]He had dark hair and cold gray eyes. He looked very confident. He looked like he owned the world. This was Mr. Vance. He saw us. He smiled. But the smile did not reach his eyes. It was a fake smile.

[00:11:54]Ah, Tom. Mr. Vance said. His voice was deep and smooth.

[00:12:00]"And this must be the lovely Clara."

[00:12:03]"Good evening, Mr. Vance," I said. I tried to sound polite. He stood up. He took my hand. He held my hand a little too long. He looked at me from my head to my shoes. His eyes made me feel uncomfortable.

[00:12:24]I wanted to pull my hand away, but I did not. I needed to be polite for Tom.

[00:12:31]"Please sit down," Mr. Vance said. We sat down. The waiter brought menus. I looked at the prices. I almost gasped.

[00:12:44]One plate of food cost more than our weekly grocery bill.

[00:12:49]I closed the menu quickly. Order anything you like, Claraara, Mr. Vance said. He was still looking at me.

[00:12:59]The steak is very good here. Thank you, I said quietly. The dinner started. It was very awkward.

[00:13:09]Mr. Vance talked a lot. He talked about his expensive cars.

[00:13:15]He talked about his big houses.

[00:13:18]He talked about his trips to Europe.

[00:13:21]Tom just nodded.

[00:13:23]Tom agreed with everything Mr. Vance said.

[00:13:28]Tom was trying very hard to be good. I stayed quiet. I ate my food, but I did not taste it. I felt a bad feeling in my stomach. Something was wrong. I could feel it. Mr. Vance was not looking at Tom.

[00:13:49]He was only looking at me. After an hour, Mr. Vance put down his fork.

[00:13:56]He wiped his mouth with a white napkin.

[00:14:00]He looked at Tom. Tom. Mr. Vance said, "You know the company is having a hard time. We are letting people go." Tom's face went white. He put his hands on the table.

[00:14:16]Yes, sir. I know.

[00:14:18]You are not my best worker, Tom. Mr. Vance said coldly.

[00:14:24]You are slow. You make mistakes.

[00:14:28]I have your name on my list. You are going to be fired on Friday. Tom looked down. He looked completely broken.

[00:14:38]My heart broke for him. I wanted to yell at Mr. Vance.

[00:14:44]I wanted to say Tom was a great worker.

[00:14:48]But I stayed quiet.

[00:14:50]However, Mr. Vance said he took a sip of his wine.

[00:14:55]I am a man who likes to help. I have a problem, Tom. My phone is in my car. I need to make an important call.

[00:15:06]Go to my car.

[00:15:08]Ask my driver for my phone.

[00:15:11]Bring it to me. It will take you about 10 minutes.

[00:15:16]Tom looked confused.

[00:15:18]Your phone, sir. Yes, of course. I will go right now. Tom stood up. He looked at me. I will be right back, Clara. He walked away quickly. He walked out of the restaurant.

[00:15:35]Now I was alone with Mr. Vance. The silence was heavy. I looked at my water glass. I did not look at him. Your husband is a weak man, Clara. Mr. Vance said softly. I looked up. I was angry now. He is not weak. He is a good man.

[00:15:59]He works very hard for you. Mr. Vance laughed. It was a cold, quiet laugh.

[00:16:07]Good men do not make money. Strong men make money.

[00:16:12]You are a very beautiful woman, Clara.

[00:16:16]You deserve better than a small, poor apartment.

[00:16:20]You deserve nice clothes.

[00:16:23]You deserve expensive dinners like this one. We are happy with our life. I lied.

[00:16:30]I wanted to defend my husband. Are you?

[00:16:33]Mr. Vance leaned across the table. He was very close to me. I could smell his cologne. It was strong and spicy.

[00:16:44]I know Tom has no money. I know you will be on the street next week.

[00:16:50]Unless, he stopped talking. He just looked at me. Unless what? I asked. My voice was very small. Unless we make a deal, Mr. Vance said. A secret deal just between you and me. I felt sick.

[00:17:11]What kind of deal? Mr. Vance smiled.

[00:17:16]It is very simple, Clara. I am staying at the Grand Hotel.

[00:17:22]Room 5001.

[00:17:25]It is just down the street. I want you to come to my room tomorrow night. I want you to spend the night with me. I stopped breathing. The room started to spin. Did I hear him right? Did he really say that? If you come to my room, Mr. Vance continued, if you are nice to me, I will tear up the list.

[00:17:51]I will not fire Tom.

[00:17:54]In fact, I will make him a manager.

[00:17:57]I will double his salary. Your money problems will be gone forever.

[00:18:04]You can buy that house with the garden.

[00:18:07]Your husband will be a success.

[00:18:10]He will never know why. He will think he earned it. I was in shock. My whole body was shaking. I felt dirty. I felt completely disgusted.

[00:18:24]And if I say no, I whispered.

[00:18:27]Mr. Vance's smile disappeared.

[00:18:30]His eyes became very hard.

[00:18:33]If you say no, Tom is fired on Friday.

[00:18:38]He will never get another job in this city. I will make sure of it. You will lose everything.

[00:18:46]You will be ruined.

[00:18:48]Tears filled my eyes. I wanted to scream. I wanted to throw my glass of water in his face, but I was frozen.

[00:18:59]He had all the power. He had our whole life in his hands. He was playing a cruel game.

[00:19:07]Think about it, Clara," he whispered.

[00:19:10]"One night. Just one night of your life, and your husband is saved forever.

[00:19:18]You have until tomorrow evening.

[00:19:21]Come to the hotel at 9:00.

[00:19:24]If you do not come, Tom is finished."

[00:19:28]Just then, Tom walked back to the table.

[00:19:32]He was breathing heavily. "Sir," Tom said.

[00:19:36]I went to your car. Your driver said you took your phone inside with you. Mr. Vance reached into his pocket. He pulled out his phone. He smiled.

[00:19:49]Ah, how silly of me. I had it all along.

[00:19:54]Thank you, Tom. You can sit down. Tom sat down. He looked at me. He saw my face. Claraara, are you okay? You look very pale. I am fine. I lied. My voice was cracking.

[00:20:12]I just do not feel well. The food was very rich. We should go home, Tom said.

[00:20:20]He looked at Mr. Vance.

[00:20:22]Thank you for the dinner, sir. I appreciate it. Good night, Tom. Mr. Vance said. He looked at me with his cold, gray eyes.

[00:20:34]Good night, Clara. I hope to see you very soon. We left the restaurant.

[00:20:41]The cold night air hit my face. I took deep breaths. I tried not to cry. We took the bus home.

[00:20:51]Tom held my hand on the bus. He was quiet. He was thinking about Friday.

[00:20:59]He was thinking about losing his job.

[00:21:02]He had no idea what happened.

[00:21:05]He had no idea about the secret deal. We got home. We climbed the four flights of stairs.

[00:21:14]We went into our small, old apartment.

[00:21:18]It felt very cold tonight. Tom went to the bedroom to change his clothes.

[00:21:25]I stood in the kitchen. [clears throat] I looked at the cheap flowers in the glass of water.

[00:21:31]They were dying. The petals were falling off. I started to cry.

[00:21:38]I put my hands over my mouth so Tom would not hear me. What was I going to do? My mind was a storm. It was spinning and spinning. If I spend the night with Mr. Vance, I will save Tom.

[00:21:56]Tom will be a manager.

[00:21:59]Tom will make a lot of money. We will buy a house. Tom will be so happy. He will be proud. But I will know the truth.

[00:22:11]I will carry this dirty secret forever.

[00:22:15]I will have to look at myself in the mirror. I will have to look at Tom's face knowing what I did.

[00:22:23]I will feel like garbage.

[00:22:26]I will lose my soul.

[00:22:28]If I do not go to Mr. Vance, I keep my soul. I keep my respect.

[00:22:35]But Tom loses his job. We lose the apartment. We have no money. Tom will be broken. He will be a failure. He might never recover. It was an impossible choice. It was a cruel, horrible choice.

[00:22:54]That night, Tom fell asleep quickly.

[00:22:58]He was exhausted from the stress. I lay next to him. I looked at his face in the dark. He looked so peaceful when he slept. I loved him so much. I loved his kind eyes.

[00:23:15]I loved his gentle hands. I wanted to protect him from the world. Should I do it? I thought, should I sacrifice myself for him? I thought about it all night.

[00:23:29]The clock ticked. 1:00, 2:00, 3:00.

[00:23:36]I cried until I had no more tears. I thought about my mother. My mother was a strong woman. She raised me alone.

[00:23:47]She always told me, Clara, never let anyone buy your self-respect.

[00:23:53]Money is paper. Your dignity is your life. Without dignity, you are nothing.

[00:24:01]My mother's words echoed in my head. If I do this, I realized, I am selling my dignity.

[00:24:10]I am selling our love. If Tom's success is built on a dirty secret, it is not real success.

[00:24:20]It is a lie. The sun came up. The sky turned gray. Then it turned blue. It was morning. It was Thursday, the day of the decision. Tom woke up. He kissed my forehead.

[00:24:38]Good morning, my love, he said. He looked very sad.

[00:24:44]Today was his last full day of work before Friday.

[00:24:49]Good morning, I said softly. He got dressed. He drank a cup of coffee. He put on his coat. I will see you tonight, he said. Wish me luck. Maybe Mr. Vance changed his mind. He walked out the door. I was alone. The day went very slowly.

[00:25:13]Every hour felt like a year. The clock ticked on the wall. Tick tock. Tick tock. Time was running out. At noon, I made a choice. I was going to tell Tom.

[00:25:29]I could not keep this secret. We were a team. We promised to share everything, good things and bad things.

[00:25:39]If I kept this secret, I was destroying our team. I had to tell him the truth, even if it hurt, even if it scared him.

[00:25:51]I waited for him to come home. At 6:00, the door opened.

[00:25:58]Tom walked in. He looked defeated. His shoulders were slumped. "He did not speak to me all day," Tom said quietly.

[00:26:08]He took off his coat.

[00:26:11]Tomorrow is the end. I know it. He sat down on the old sofa.

[00:26:18]He put his head in his hands. I walked over to him. I sat down next to him. I took his hands in mine. I looked into his eyes.

[00:26:30]Tom, I said. My voice was surprisingly strong.

[00:26:36]I need to tell you something. Something very bad. He looked at me. He looked worried. What is it, Clara? Are you sick? No, I am not sick. I said it is about Mr. Vance. It is about last night at the restaurant. I took a deep breath.

[00:26:58]I told him everything.

[00:27:01]I told him what Mr. Vance said when he went to the car.

[00:27:06]I told him about the grand hotel.

[00:27:09]I told him about room 5001.

[00:27:13]I told him about the secret deal, the promotion for my body. Tom did not move.

[00:27:21]He was completely still. His eyes grew wide. Then his face turned red.

[00:27:29]Very, very red. He stood up so fast he knocked over the small table.

[00:27:37]The glass of flowers fell to the floor and broke. He said, "What?" Tom yelled.

[00:27:44]His voice was like thunder.

[00:27:47]I had never heard Tom yell before. He was always so quiet.

[00:27:53]He wants you too. He wants you, too. Oh my god.

[00:27:58]Tom put his hands on his head.

[00:28:01]He started pacing around the small room.

[00:28:04]He looked furious. He looked like a tiger in a cage. "That animal," Tom said through his teeth. "That disgusting rich animal. He thinks he can buy anything.

[00:28:19]He thinks he can buy you. He thinks he can buy my wife." Tom walked to the door. He grabbed his coat. Where are you going? I asked. I stood up quickly. I was a little scared. I am going to the Grand Hotel, Tom said. His eyes were burning with fire.

[00:28:43]I am going to find room 5001.

[00:28:47]I am going to break his nose. I am going to kill him. I ran to the door. I stood in front of it. I blocked his way. No, Tom. Stop. I put my hands on his chest.

[00:29:03]His heart was beating incredibly fast.

[00:29:07]You cannot do this. If you hit him, you will go to jail. He is rich. He has lawyers.

[00:29:16]He will destroy us completely.

[00:29:18]You cannot throw your life away for him.

[00:29:22]I do not care, Tom shouted. He insulted you. He insulted us.

[00:29:28]I am a man, Clara. [clears throat] I must protect you. You are protecting me, I said. I looked deep into his angry eyes.

[00:29:38]You are protecting me by being my husband, by loving me. Please, Tom, do not let him win. If you go to jail, he wins.

[00:29:51]Tom stopped fighting. He looked at me.

[00:29:55]The anger in his eyes slowly turned into deep sadness.

[00:30:00]He dropped his coat on the floor. He fell to his knees. He wrapped his arms around my waist and began to sob. I am so sorry, Clara," he cried. "I am so sorry I brought this man into our lives.

[00:30:19]I am so sorry I cannot provide for you.

[00:30:23]I am a failure. I cannot even protect my own wife. I knelt down on the floor with him. I held his head against my chest. I stroked his hair. "You are not a failure," I whispered. "You are the best man I know. We do not need Mr. Vance. We do not need his dirty money. We have each other. We have our honor. We will be fine. We sat on the floor for a long time. We cried together. We let all the fear and the anger out. Finally, Tom stopped crying.

[00:31:07]He pulled back and looked at me. His face was wet with tears, but his eyes were clear.

[00:31:15]He looked different. He did not look defeated anymore.

[00:31:20]He looked determined. "You are right," Tom said. "We do not need him." He stood up. He walked over to his work bag.

[00:31:32]He took out his company laptop.

[00:31:35]He took out his company phone. He put them in a plastic bag. "What are you doing?" I asked. "I am not waiting for Friday," Tom said.

[00:31:47]I am not waiting for him to fire me. I am quitting. He picked up his own cheap mobile phone.

[00:31:56]He dialed a number. He put the phone on speaker so I could hear. The phone rang three times.

[00:32:05]Then someone answered.

[00:32:08]Yes, it was Mr. Vance's cold, smooth voice.

[00:32:13]Is that you, Claraara? Are you downstairs?

[00:32:17]He thought I was calling from the hotel lobby.

[00:32:21]He thought I came. Tom's face tightened, but he kept his voice very calm.

[00:32:28]Very steady. No, Mr. Vance. It is Tom.

[00:32:34]There was a long silence on the phone.

[00:32:37]Tom, Mr. Vance said. His voice was sharp. Now, why are you calling me?

[00:32:44]Where is your wife? My wife is at home where she belongs. Tom said she is with her husband. We do not want your deal.

[00:32:55]We do not want your money.

[00:32:58]You are a sick, disgusting man. I could hear Mr. Vance breathing heavily on the phone.

[00:33:06]You are a fool, Tom. He sneered. You are throwing your life away. You are fired.

[00:33:13]Do you hear me? You are completely finished.

[00:33:18]You will be on the street next week. I am not fired, Tom said clearly. I quit.

[00:33:26]I am returning my computer tomorrow morning.

[00:33:30]Do not ever contact me or my wife again.

[00:33:34]Have a miserable life. Tom ended the call. He put the phone down. He looked at me.

[00:33:43]A huge smile broke across his face. It was the first real smile I had seen in months. He looked free. A heavy weight was lifted from his shoulders. I smiled back. I felt light. I felt incredibly proud of him. "We did it," I said.

[00:34:06]"Yes," he said. He hugged me tight. "We did it." But the next morning, the reality set in.

[00:34:15]We were free from Mr. Vance, but we were also free from a paycheck.

[00:34:22]We had exactly $200 in the bank.

[00:34:26]Our rent was due in 10 days. The struggle began.

[00:34:32]It was harder than I ever imagined.

[00:34:36]Tom woke up at 6 every morning.

[00:34:39]He put on his old gray suit. He went out to look for a job. He printed 50 copies of his resume.

[00:34:49]He walked to every office in the city.

[00:34:52]He knocked on doors. He handed out his paper. Hello, my name is Tom. I am a hard worker. Do you have any jobs?

[00:35:04]Most people said no.

[00:35:07]Some people did not even look at him.

[00:35:10]They just took the paper and threw it in the trash.

[00:35:15]The city is full of people looking for jobs.

[00:35:19]The city does not care about one man in an old suit. I did not stay home. I wanted to help. I needed to help.

[00:35:30]I went to the local shops in our poor neighborhood.

[00:35:34]I went to the grocery store. I went to the diner. Do you need help washing dishes? I asked the diner owner. No, sorry. We are full, he said. Do you need help sweeping floors?

[00:35:51]I asked the grocery store manager. No money for extra help, she said. We came home every night tired and hungry.

[00:36:02]We ate cheap food. We ate a lot of plain rice. We ate cheap bread. We did not buy meat. We did not buy fresh fruit.

[00:36:14]We saved every single penny. The 10 days passed. Rent day arrived.

[00:36:22]We gave all our money to the landlord.

[00:36:25]We were completely broke.

[00:36:27]We had zero dollars.

[00:36:30]That night we sat in the dark. We did not turn on the lights. We did not want to waste electricity.

[00:36:39]It was very quiet. I am sorry, Clara.

[00:36:43]Tom whispered in the dark. This is very hard. We are alive. I said we are together. It will get better. I tried to sound brave, but inside I was terrified again.

[00:37:00]How long could we live like this? How long before we starve? A week passed, then another week. Things got very desperate. We started selling our things. I sold my blue dress to a secondhand shop. I got $10 for it. We used the $10 to buy beans and potatoes.

[00:37:26]Tom sold his watch. It was a cheap watch, but it bought us bread for a week. One rainy Tuesday, Tom came home early.

[00:37:38]He looked completely exhausted.

[00:37:41]He was soaking wet. His shoes were full of water. He sat on a chair. He did not say a word. He just stared at the wall.

[00:37:53]I made him a cup of hot water.

[00:37:56]We did not have tea anymore, just hot water. I gave it to him. Did you find anything? I asked softly. He shook his head slowly.

[00:38:09]No, no one wants me. They all want younger men or men with fancy degrees.

[00:38:17]I am nobody, Clara.

[00:38:19]Maybe Mr. Vance was right. Maybe I am a failure. Do not say that name, I said sharply.

[00:38:28]He was wrong about you. He was wrong about us. You must not give up. You cannot give up. I am so tired, Clara, he whispered.

[00:38:40]A tear fell down his cheek. I know you are tired, I said. I rubbed his back.

[00:38:47]Rest tonight. Tomorrow is a new day. The sun will rise again.

[00:38:54]We will try again. The next day, the sun did rise. The rain stopped. The sky was clear and bright. I decided to try a different street.

[00:39:08]I walked to a part of the neighborhood I did not know well.

[00:39:13]There were small old shops there. There was a shoe repair shop. There was an old bookstore.

[00:39:22]And there was a bakery. It was a small bakery.

[00:39:26]The paint on the window was peeling, but it smelled wonderful.

[00:39:32]It smelled like warm bread and sweet sugar. It smelled like hope. I walked inside. A little bell rang above the door. Ding ding. An old man was behind the counter.

[00:39:49]He had white hair and flour on his apron. He was needing a large piece of dough. He looked up and smiled.

[00:39:59]His smile was warm and genuine, not like Mr. Vance's smile.

[00:40:06]Good morning, the old man said cheerfully.

[00:40:10]What can I get for you, young lady? A fresh roll, a sweet bun. Good morning. I said I am sorry. I do not have money to buy anything.

[00:40:23]I am looking for a job. Do you need any help? I can clean. I can wash pans. I work very hard. The old man stopped kneading. He looked at me carefully.

[00:40:39]He saw my old clothes. He saw the tired look in my eyes. You want to work? he asked. "Yes, please. I really need to work." He wiped his hands on a towel.

[00:40:54]"My name is Mr. Rossi. I own this bakery.

[00:40:59]I have been baking bread here for 40 years. My hands are getting old. The work is heavy."

[00:41:08]I was thinking about closing the shop.

[00:41:11]My heart sank. He was closing. No job here.

[00:41:16]But Mr. Rossy continued, "My customers need their bread.

[00:41:21]And maybe, maybe I could use some young hands to help me." My eyes went wide. "Really?

[00:41:29]You would hire me." Mr. Rossy laughed.

[00:41:34]It was a kind, rumbling laugh.

[00:41:37]Well, baking is hard work. It is hot.

[00:41:41]The hours are early, but I need someone to help me mix the dough. I need someone to carry the flower bags.

[00:41:51]It is heavy work. Can you do heavy work?

[00:41:55]I thought about it. I am not very strong.

[00:41:59]But I thought about Tom. I thought about the rent. My husband is very strong, I said quickly.

[00:42:08]He is looking for a job too. He can carry the heavy bags. He can mix the dough. He is a very hard worker.

[00:42:18]Please, Mr. Rossy. Give him a chance.

[00:42:22]Mr. Rossy stroked his chin. A husband?

[00:42:26]A. Is he a good man? He is the best man, I said proudly.

[00:42:33]He quit his last job because his boss was a bad man. He stood up for what is right. He is honest and true. Mr. Rossy smiled.

[00:42:46]I like honest men. Bring him here tomorrow morning.

[00:42:51]5:00 sharp. If he can work hard, he has a job. I could not believe it. I wanted to hug the old man. Thank you. Thank you, Mr. Rossi. He will be here. I promise. But I did not want to leave without a job for myself.

[00:43:12]Mr. Rossi, I said, do you need someone to sell the bread? I can talk to the customers.

[00:43:21]I can keep the shop very clean. He looked around the small shop.

[00:43:27]It was a little dusty. He nodded slowly.

[00:43:31]I can pay you a little bit to run the front counter. It is not much money, but you get free bread every day. I will take it, I said immediately.

[00:43:44]I ran all the way home. I did not feel tired.

[00:43:50]I ran up the four flights of stairs. I burst through the door. Tom was sitting at the table. He looked up surprised.

[00:44:01]Clara, what is it? Why are you running?

[00:44:04]I threw my arms around his neck. I found a job. No, I found two jobs for both of us. I told him about the bakery.

[00:44:17]I told him about Mr. Rossi.

[00:44:20]I told him we had to be there at 5:00 in the morning. Tom hugged me so hard he lifted me off the floor. We laughed. We laughed so loudly.

[00:44:34]It was the best sound in the world. The next morning, it was very dark.

[00:44:41]The city was asleep, but we were awake.

[00:44:45]We walked to the bakery together, holding hands.

[00:44:49]It was cold, but we felt warm inside.

[00:44:53]Mr. Rossi was there. He gave Tom a white apron.

[00:44:59]He showed Tom how to carry the heavy bags of flour.

[00:45:04]He showed him how to mix the dough in the big metal bowl. Tom worked very hard. He did not complain. He sweated.

[00:45:15]His arms got covered in white flour.

[00:45:18]But he smiled. He liked the work. He liked seeing the dough rise. He liked pulling the hot golden bread out of the oven. I wore an apron, too. I wiped the counters. I arranged the breads in the window. I learned the names of the customers.

[00:45:41]I smiled at everyone who came in. Hello.

[00:45:46]Welcome to Rossy's Bakery.

[00:45:48]Fresh bread today. It was a simple job.

[00:45:53]It was an honest job. The pay was very small. We did not make much money, but we made enough. We paid the rent on time. We bought simple food, and we ate a lot of wonderful, warm bread. Months passed, the seasons changed, winter turned into spring, the weather got warmer. Tom learned how to bake. Mr. Rossy taught him everything.

[00:46:27]He taught him how to make sweet cakes.

[00:46:30]He taught him how to make crusty rolls.

[00:46:34]Tom had good hands for baking.

[00:46:37]He was very careful and patient.

[00:46:40]One day, Mr. Rossy called us to the back of the shop. He looked very serious. "I am old," Mr. Rossy said. My legs hurt.

[00:46:52]My back hurts. I want to rest. I want to go live with my daughter in the country.

[00:47:00]We felt sad. We loved Mr. Rossi. He was like a father to us. Are you selling the bakery? Tom asked.

[00:47:10]Mr. Rossi shook his head.

[00:47:13]No, I am not selling it to a stranger. I want to give it to you. We were shocked.

[00:47:21]"Give it to us," I asked. "Yes," Mr. Rossi smiled. "You run the shop. You pay me a small rent every month from the profits.

[00:47:33]The rest of the money is yours. You are good people. You are hard workers.

[00:47:40]You saved my little bakery.

[00:47:43]Now it is yours."

[00:47:46]Tom started to cry. He shook Mr. Rossy's hand. He hugged the old man. I cried, too. It was the best day of our lives.

[00:47:58]We became the owners of the bakery.

[00:48:01]We worked even harder.

[00:48:04]We painted the walls. We fixed the sign.

[00:48:08]We started making new cakes.

[00:48:11]The neighborhood loved our bakery. More and more people came. We started to make real money.

[00:48:20]Not rich money, not Mr. Vance money, but honest good money.

[00:48:27]Money we earned with our own hands.

[00:48:30]Money we earned with our dignity intact.

[00:48:35]It has been 2 years since that horrible night at the restaurant.

[00:48:41]2 years since Mr. Vance tried to buy my soul. Today, our life is very different.

[00:48:49]We still live in a small apartment, but we moved to a lower floor.

[00:48:56]No more climbing four flights of stairs.

[00:48:59]Our home is warm and full of light.

[00:49:03]I buy beautiful fresh flowers for the table every week. Tom is happy. His face is relaxed. He laughs a lot. He smells like cinnamon and sugar.

[00:49:18]He is proud of his work. People in the neighborhood know him. They call him Tom the Baker. They respect him. I am happy, too. I love working in the shop.

[00:49:33]I love seeing the smiles on people's faces when they eat our cake.

[00:49:39]I am proud of my husband. I am proud of myself.

[00:49:44]Sometimes I think about Mr. Vance.

[00:49:48]I wonder if he is still sitting in expensive restaurants trying to buy people's lives.

[00:49:56]I wonder if he is happy with his cold, empty money.

[00:50:01]I know he is not. He does not know what real love is. He does not know what real respect is. We chose the hard path. We chose to say no. We chose to lose everything.

[00:50:18]But by losing everything, we found ourselves.

[00:50:22]We found our strength. We built a new life, a clean life, a proud life. Money is important. You need money to live.

[00:50:34]But money is not everything.

[00:50:37]If someone offers you an easy way, but it feels wrong in your heart, do not take it. Do not sell your dignity.

[00:50:48]Do not sell your respect. It will be hard. You will cry. You will be scared.

[00:50:55]You might be hungry.

[00:50:57]But you can survive it. You are stronger than you think. You can stand up to bad people. You can walk away from bad deals.

[00:51:08]You can start again from zero. It is okay to start from zero.

[00:51:15]Zero is a clean place to build a strong house. Look at us. We are happy. We are free. We have love. We have respect.

[00:51:27]And we have the best bread in the city.

[00:51:30]You can do this, too. If you are facing a hard choice, be brave. Trust yourself.

[00:51:38]Choose the right path even if it is the hard path. Keep going. Keep working.

[00:51:46]Never give up on your honor. Thank you for listening to my story.

[00:51:52]I hope it helps you find your own strength.

[00:51:55]You deserve a good life, a true life.

[00:51:59]Never forget that.