The baker was surprised when he found out why.
Nazim’s bakery was renowned throughout the region and always enjoyed high demand from customers. Both adults and children loved the tasty baked goods. For his little culinary fans, Nazim always had a discount in place, bringing a smile and gratitude from their parents.
Nazim, along with his family, came to Russia many years ago when, following the collapse of a great state, mass riots and total unemployment intensified in his homeland. The hardworking man spent many years working as a road worker and janitor until one fine day he accidentally entered a cafe specializing in Eastern cuisine. There, he was surprised to find that the baked goods offered by the baker were nothing like what he was accustomed to from childhood, due to the very few qualified specialists in the industry.
That’s when Nazim got the idea to start a mini-bakery where, together with his wife Fatima, he could delight customers with delicious Eastern baked goods. Of course, the path to his dream was difficult and thorny, but nevertheless, thanks to his perseverance and determination, he achieved his goal. Many years have passed since he baked his first bun to this day, during which Nazim became a father and grandfather.
The kind and responsive man loved children and often treated little ones for free, rightly believing that children are the flowers of life. Moreover, Nazim always fed homeless animals and helped the city shelter for abandoned pets. The wise man rightly considered dogs and cats as human friends, and if he managed to save even one small life, then the day was not wasted for Nazim. And today, the morning for the compassionate baker began with feeding a couple of stray dogs and a mangy old British cat, cruelly thrown out onto the street by its owners.
While Fatima was busy at the stove, flipping crispy buns and pies, the owner took a tray with leftovers from yesterday’s baked goods outside to feed the hungry animals.
“Now, now… Don’t rush, my dears! There’s enough for everyone,” Nazim patiently waited while the poor creatures ate.
Suddenly, someone gently touched his shoulder and asked in a quiet voice:
“Can I have a piece of bread too?”
Nazim turned around and, to his great surprise, saw a ten-year-old girl holding out her little hand to him.
“You what, little one… Why would you want yesterday’s stale baked goods? Here, I’ll give you a fresh bun right from the tray! Want it?” Nazim asked excitedly, his heart aching at the sight of the thin, pale girl.
“Sorry, uncle… But I don’t have enough money to buy anything from you,” the girl said guiltily, lowering her eyes and counting the coins clutched in her fist.
“What are you talking about! What money? Just take it, you hear? I have a grandson your age… What would I look like taking money from you?” Nazim replied passionately and opened the door, entering the kitchen.
There, he took a paper bag and put in it fresh pies and buns. Then, after thinking, Nazim added a couple of peaches and a sweet apple from himself.
“Here, take it… If you’re very hungry, you can sit on the bench and eat right here… slowly,” the baker suggested.
“Thank you very much for the treat, uncle, but I need to go,” the girl muttered guiltily, smiling and clutching the bag of baked goods to her chest, and walked towards the town square.
“Look at her, such a little one, yet already walking the streets alone… That’s not good,” said Fatima, tears spontaneously appearing in her eyes.
At that moment, Nazim caught himself feeling an inexplicable inner anxiety about this little girl. Giving in to an inner emotional impulse, the man resolutely took off his apron and promised his wife he would return soon. Then, waving goodbye to Fatima, he hurried after the slowly departing girl.
Despite her being a child, Nazim only managed to catch up with her at the very square. The baker had just taken a breath to call out to the girl when suddenly, he saw a huge dog of unknown breed running towards her.
“Lucky, Lucky come to me, my boy! Look what I have for you,” the girl said excitedly, pulling a fresh bun from the bag.
Running up to his little mistress, the dog obediently froze and began wagging his tail.
“I missed you, my good boy… Didn’t I tell you I’d be back soon?” the girl said, running her fingers through the pet’s thick, coarse fur.
After the dog ate the bun, the little girl approached a folding chair standing under a tree next to which lay a shoe box and a small rubber ball.
Apparently, a little earlier, the girl had left the dog to guard this property while she went to get food for him.
Although, judging by her appearance, the little girl was no less hungry than the dog.
“Well, Lucky… Are you ready? If so, let’s begin!” the girl commanded, picking up the rubber ball from the asphalt and tossing it up.
At the same moment, the dog gracefully jumped and caught it in mid-air. Then, standing on its hind legs, it returned the ball to its mistress with a showy elegance. After that, the duo began to perform various tricks and stunts, which immediately attracted the attention of passersby. Watching this scene, Nazim whistled in surprise and nodded approvingly.
Meanwhile, a crowd gathered around the girl and her pet, expressing their admiration for the performance of the little artists, clapping their hands and laughing merrily. It seemed that the girl and her dog understood each other with half a word and acted as a single, cohesive team honed by years of training. The street performance lasted about ten minutes, during which joyful laughter from the audience never ceased.
At the end of the performance, the girl and her pet bowed to their admirers, and then walked around with the shoe box among the rows of spectators. The act performed by the little girl left no one indifferent, causing shiny coins and crumpled small-denomination bills to fly into the box.
Occasionally, there were paper bills, but mostly two and five-ruble coins predominated. Upon seeing this scene, tears involuntarily welled up in Nazim’s eyes, and his hand reached for his wallet. Touched by respect for the girl and her dog, the baker approached closer and emptied his wallet, including a couple of thousand-ruble bills and a handful of small change.
When the girl saw all this wealth, she looked up at the man and said in surprise:
“Uncle, you must be mistaken… There’s too much money here… You’ve already helped me and Lucky with food…”
“Take it, take it, dear… You’ve earned it… Look at the show you put on! Just like a real magician!” Nazim exclaimed admiringly and pushed away the girl’s hand, which was offering him the large bills.
The girl responded with a sweet smile and theatrically bowed her head.
Then, she put the box in her backpack and folded up the chair.
“Well, that’s all, Lucky and I need to go home,” the girl said seriously, and after attaching a leash to the dog’s collar, headed towards the nearby high-rises.
At the last moment, Nazim had the thought that it would be nice to escort the girl home. That way, he would feel more at ease, and the little one would get home without any adventures. To his surprise, the girl happily agreed. On the way home, she told Nazim her story.
As it turned out, the girl’s name was Nastya, and she lived with her mother in a nearby high-rise.
“My God… What kind of mother would allow her child to do such things?” Nazim thought, deeply moved by the girl’s street performance.
But Nastya seemed to see nothing shameful in it and told how two years ago she found a small puppy in a burlap sack near the garbage bins. The puppy was no more than two weeks old and was plaintively crying, poking its nose from side to side in search of its mother’s breast. If not for the loud squeak emitted by the little one, Nastya would have passed by without knowing that a little miracle with a wet black nose and bead-like eyes lay in the bag.
The girl brought the little one home and fed it milk from a bottle for more than a month. Nastya named the puppy Lucky, which in English meant “Lucky”…
From the conversation, Nazim understood that the girl was doing well in school and was a straight-A student.
The man looked at Nastya with respect and a touch of envy, then immediately thought of his grandson Ruslan, who struggled greatly with his studies.
“Well, here we are… If you want, you can come in for a visit… My mom will be glad to see you! She’s a good woman,” the girl said, pointing to the entrance.
Nazim initially hesitated at such an invitation but then, looking at Nastya’s smiling face, he could not refuse.
Approaching the apartment door located on the first floor, the girl turned the key in the lock and loudly announced her presence:
“Mom… I’m home! And we have guests… This is Uncle Nazim… He helped us a lot with Lucky today!”
The baker hesitated for a moment but then, gathering courage, crossed the threshold. Following him was Lucky, who, impatiently whining, nudged the reluctant guest with his nose and paws.
“How was your day, daughter? You played outside for so long… I understand it’s summer vacation, but still,” the woman asked with a tired voice and, swaying slightly and steadying herself with her hands on the walls, moved toward Nastya and Nazim.
“No… This can’t be! Is she drunk? How could this be!? Forces her daughter to beg, and she’s an alcoholic!” a furious thought flashed through the baker’s mind.
Instinctively, Nazim stepped back toward the door, but when Nastya’s mom came under the light of the hallway lamp, his heart skipped a beat, and his eyes burned and stung as if they were full of river sand…
The young, beautiful woman was blind and held onto the wall to avoid falling.
Nazim struggled to hold back tears, especially after Nastya took her helpless mom by the hand and sat her down on a kitchen chair.
Then, the little girl deftly poured aromatic tea into cups and after that, filled a bowl with dog biscuits for Lucky.
“How did this happen? Were you born like this?” Nazim stuttered with each word, asking the blind woman named Tatyana.
“No… not from birth… It’s all because of a car accident we were in with my husband seven years ago… Nastya was visiting her grandmother at the time, and that saved her… My Kolka died, and I am now doomed to live in darkness for the rest of my days,” the woman sadly said, trying to feel for the teacup with her hand.
“Well, not for the rest of your days!!! … Don’t speak ill of yourself, mommy! … Didn’t you tell me that the consequences of such injuries are treated in foreign clinics!” Nastya exclaimed resolutely.
“Maybe they are treated… But where would we get such money? How much can I earn in the society for the blind, assembling clothespins and electric switches?” Tatyana replied sadly, having long lost hope for healing.
Nazim painfully clenched the teacup, then glanced at the old refrigerator, on which stood a three-liter jar one-third filled with small change.
Attached to the jar was a piece of paper, on which in shaky, childlike handwriting, was written:
“For mom’s surgery” And then, the middle-aged baker understood everything. From the realization of this truth, Nazim wanted to scream at the top of his lungs… He understood that to raise money for her beloved mom’s surgery, Nastya secretly gave street performances with the dog Lucky. Nazim’s heart ached, and he became very sad that he learned about the girl’s and her mom’s misfortune so late. Preparing to go home, Nazim promised Tatyana that he would do everything possible and look after Nastya.
After telling his relatives about the problem of the lonely blind woman and her daughter, the baker saw understanding and tears in their eyes.
“Of course, we need to help the little girl… But what, specifically, can we do for her?” Fatima asked compassionately, wiping a tear with her apron hem.
“Well, for starters… We need to get her off the square… If she wants, let her perform at our bakery… That way, she’ll always be fed… and under supervision, again,” Nazim suggested, furrowing his brow in search of a way out of the situation.
Overall, after discussing, the relatives decided to do as the head of the family suggested.
And the next day, thanks to Nazim’s initiative, Nastya and Lucky were already giving their circus performance at the walls of the bakery.
To the baker’s surprise, the street performance of the girl and her dog caused unprecedented demand for the baked goods, which enthusiastic customers swept from the shelves in just ten minutes.
Nazim could not remember a day when his sales were so high. Overwhelmed with emotion, the man cried and hugged Nastya, while Lucky was fed to the brim with meat pies…
In addition to the funds Nastya collected from the performance, the man added a few large bills from himself.
“You’re a real magician, dear…” Nazim whispered, patting the girl on the head.
Nastya performed at her friend’s bakery for two more days, and on the third, to her immense surprise, she woke up famous.
The sudden fame that fell like thunder from a clear sky was due to the baker’s grandson Ruslan, who recorded her performance on his phone and posted the video online.
The video went viral in just a few hours and instantly swept across all the country’s news sites, and Ruslan, unintentionally, made excellent advertising for his grandfather’s bakery and gave fame to Nastya and her dog Lucky.
Now, to meet the demand for baked goods, Nazim had to expand the staff and work in two shifts.
But the dramatic changes affected not only the bakery… They also directly impacted Nastya, who received thousands of advertising offers from advertisers. In no time, a photo of Nastya, hugging Lucky, became a brand that guaranteed successful sales for large industrial companies in the country. The story of the girl and her sick mother caused a broad public resonance, and many charitable foundations offered their help.
The necessary amount was raised in just a few days, and Nazim, who had already established contact with an eye microsurgery clinic in Switzerland, brought Tatyana the joyful news.
“Lord… It feels like this is all a dream… and once I wake up, I’ll find myself back in desperate poverty and darkness,” Tatyana whispered, feeling Nazim’s hand blindly.
“No, mommy… This is not a dream… Now, they’ll perform surgery, and your eyes will see again!” Nastya whispered, carefully picking out the most festive clothes for her mom.
Not to leave the little girl alone with her sick mom during the flight, Nazim sent his nephew, who had recently arrived to help his uncle with the bakery expansion.
Timur turned out to be a kind and responsive guy and never left Tatyana and Nastya’s side, surrounding them with attention and care.
The only one saddened by this fact was Lucky, who, due to the lack of necessary documents and vaccinations, Nastya could not take with her on the flight. All the time while Tatyana underwent treatment and postoperative rehabilitation abroad, the dog lived with Nazim, flinching at the slightest noise behind the door. Lucky pined away, refusing food and walks with the baker’s grandson. The dog missed Nastya and Tatyana, having long considered them his family.
But, as is known, nothing lasts forever on Earth, and everything comes to an end… Including sadness too…
And when a smiling Tatyana, holding Nastya’s hand, independently descended the airplane’s stairs, Lucky joyously rushed into their arms, impatiently squeaking and trying to lick his beloved owners on the cheek.
“Easy, easy, my boy… Or you’ll knock us over,” Nastya laughed.
But the dog, who had missed his owner’s attention, could not be stopped…
And behind this happy trio walked Timur, who during the two months of communication with Tatyana, developed sincere, heartfelt feelings for her. The young man fell in love at first sight with the beautiful young woman with such a difficult fate. It was amazing how people, involuntarily united by common misfortune, become close and dear to each other.
Back home, Nastya and her mom were welcomed as heroes. Inspired by their example, people in difficult life situations believed in themselves and saw a light at the end of the tunnel, which with each step became brighter and brighter. Nazim’s business grew from an unassuming bakery to a chain of stores with signature baked goods and Eastern sweets.
Tatyana, now married to Timur, works as a manager in one of these stores.
Her beloved daughter Nastya no longer performs on the streets with shows. Now, she studies straight A’s and, after finishing school, dreams of enrolling in a theatrical school. And Lucky, as before, loves his owners and Nazim’s sweet pastries, which the elderly baker always treats the smart and loyal dog. Little could the compassionate man know that by helping a little girl, he would set off a chain of kindness that would ultimately make not only his family happy but every participant in this amazing story.
This work is inspired by real events and people, but it has been fictionalized for creative purposes. Names, characters, and details have been changed to protect privacy and enhance the narrative. Any resemblance to actual persons, living or dead, or actual events is purely coincidental and not intended by the author.