But Anna had suddenly gone very quiet. She stepped closer, staring at my phone. Her mouth fell open.
“Dad?”
Viktor stopped laughing.
Daniel cleared his throat.
He leaned toward his camera.
“Anna? What are you doing with Michael?”
I glanced toward the old photograph on the bookshelf.
Anna looked from her father’s face to mine, as though she’d just discovered that the shabby old electrician standing in her living room was someone she should have recognized all along.
“How do I know him?”
“Dad, how do you know this man?” Anna asked.
Viktor laughed.
“How do I know him? Anna, Michael and I have been friends for nearly forty years!”
Anna stared at me.
“What are you doing?”
“We met shortly after I came to America from the Soviet Union,” Viktor continued. “My English was terrible. Michael was one of the first people who treated me like a human being.”
Viktor explained how we’d spent evenings teaching each other our languages. I’d helped him with English, and he’d taught me enough Russian to understand conversations.
“Michael, what are you doing at my daughter’s house?”
“What happened?”
“Fixing her electrical outlets, actually.”
“Wonderful! What a coincidence!”
Then Viktor studied my face.
“Wait. Something’s wrong. What happened?”
I sighed.
“You understood us?!”
“Well, Viktor, your daughter and her husband have been rather interesting customers.”
Then I spoke in my rusty Russian.
“Your daughter called me an idiot. But I fix outlets better than she chooses her words.”
Anna’s face turned bright red.
“Wait… You understood us?!”
“What should I think?”
Viktor’s smile disappeared.
“Because I taught him Russian, you fool!”
“Dad, it’s not what you think!”
“Then what should I think?”
Daniel stepped forward.
“Tell me he’s joking.”
“Sir, there’s been a misunderstanding. Your friend was tampering with our security system.”
“The alarm was undergoing a routine test,” I explained. “I repaired their outlets, but they refused to pay the hundred dollars we agreed on. Then they accused me of stealing.”
Viktor stared at his daughter.
“Anna, tell me he’s joking.”
“Happy now?”
She opened her mouth, then closed it again.
“Anna?”
She looked at the floor.
Viktor shook his head slowly.
“Unbelievable.”
“Is that how you apologize?”
Daniel stood frozen for a moment. Then he reluctantly reached into his wallet and pulled out a hundred-dollar bill.
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“Here. Happy now?”
Viktor’s voice thundered from my phone. “Daniel! Is that how you apologize to someone?”
Daniel swallowed.
“I’m sorry, Michael.”
“And you, Anna?”
“Would that make it acceptable?”
Anna folded her arms.
“Dad, I didn’t know who he was!”
“And if he were a complete stranger, would that make it acceptable?”
Anna opened her mouth, but nothing came out.
Viktor continued. “I didn’t raise you to measure people’s worth by their bank accounts!”
Anna lowered her head.
“You’re right, Dad.”
She turned toward me.
“Did I stutter?”
“Michael, I’m sorry. What we said was cruel. And accusing you of stealing was disgusting. You didn’t deserve any of it.”
Daniel nodded awkwardly.
“I apologize too.”
Viktor wasn’t finished.
“Daniel, give him another four hundred dollars!”
“Easy, Viktor.”
“Four hundred?!” Daniel nearly choked.
“Did I stutter?”
I burst out laughing.
“Easy, Viktor. A hundred is enough. I charge for electrical work, not for teaching manners.”
Viktor chuckled.
“Why don’t you come over?”
“Then you’re giving my daughter a very expensive lesson for free.”
Even Anna managed a small, embarrassed smile.
I tucked the hundred-dollar bill into my pocket.
“Listen, Viktor. Why don’t you come over this weekend? It’s been far too long.”
“I’m hiding my tools.”
“Absolutely! I’ll bring some homemade food. And I want to finally meet your wife!”
“Margaret would love that.”
“Don’t let me anywhere near your kitchen wiring. You remember what happened last time!”
I laughed.
“Oh, I remember. That’s why I’m hiding my tools before you arrive!”
“I think I can manage.”
I ended the call and reached for my toolbox.
Anna followed me toward the front door.
“Would you like me to help you carry that?” she asked quietly.
I glanced at her expensive shoes and smiled.
“Now what?”
“Thank you, ma’am, but I’ve been carrying this thing for thirty-eight years. I think I can manage.”
Before leaving, I turned to Daniel. “Oh, one more thing.”
He looked nervous.
“Now what?”
I pointed toward the security panel.
“Someone needed a wake-up call.”
“Your alarm system is working perfectly. The test was successful, and everything’s back to normal.”
Daniel frowned. “Then why did the alarm go off?”
I smiled.
“Because someone finally needed a wake-up call.”
Anna covered her mouth, trying not to laugh.
I’d found an old friend.
Daniel didn’t seem nearly as amused.
I walked out of that enormous mansion with my toolbox in one hand and my hard-earned hundred dollars in my pocket.
On the drive home, I thought about Margaret waiting for me, and how happy she’d be to have company that weekend.
Sometimes, it takes a loud alarm.
I’d gone there expecting nothing more than another repair job.
Instead, I’d found an old friend. And I’d been reminded that kindness has a funny way of coming back to you.
Sometimes, it just takes forty years and a very loud alarm.
