My Maria..by Michael

A Story by Michael Reisman

Maria worked the late shift cleaning up the offices on the 25th floor our building. A draft came from an open window that November evening as she went to close it. Crouched on the ledge outside was the president of the company looking at the street below. She didn't speak too much English but knew exactly what to say at that moment. "Please don't, we need to talk for a minute", she said. He turned around and poured his depression out with some words she couldn't understand, but read them in his sad eyes. "I fix you black coffee with two sugars, then we talk, ok?" she pleaded. He nodded his head as she took his hand and helped the distraught man back inside. "Why you still wearing a tie with your suit, nobody is here to impress but me". He laughed and said "yes my Maria, maybe this should just be casual". She spoke like a negotiator during a hostage crisis and talked him into his normal self. The incident that night remained between the two of them as both went to work the next day as if nothing had happened. He called her into his office and made the following speech.."You are the clean up girl and cleaned up my life last night. You are twenty years younger than me, but have the wisdom and compassion that most do not see in a lifetime. Will you be my personal secretary with a salary of 45,000 dollars a year"? Maria was speechless and just ran up to him as she put her arms around his neck. He paid for her to go to college and she earned a degree in business administration. The blue uniform became that of a well dressed corporate executive to the president of the company. At a company Christmas party the following year, he announced his engagement to all the guests who attended. "This is my Maria"....

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