On one of the city streets, an elderly woman stood by the curb and quietly addressed passers-by:

“Son, don’t pass by indifferently… My granddaughter needs help,” she said quietly.

A middle-aged man walked by – in a suit, with a focused gaze. He intended to continue walking, but his attention was drawn to the earrings in the woman’s ears. They were delicate, old ornaments with green stones, in the shape of maple leaves.

He stopped, as if he suddenly remembered something important. These earrings were almost identical to the ones that had once belonged to his deceased wife.

He approached politely and reservedly:
“Excuse me… May I ask where you got these earrings?”

The woman looked at him with a slight sadness and replied:
“It’s an old thing… A gift from a good man. It was a long time ago.”

The man was overcome with emotion. He remembered how many years ago the earrings had mysteriously disappeared when his wife was in hospital. They meant a lot to him.

He calmly continued the conversation:

“Did you ever work in a hospital?”

The woman thought for a moment, then nodded:

“Yes, there was a time when I worked as a nurse…”

After a short pause, she added:

“I found them and kept them at a difficult time. It was a mistake… I was only thinking about my granddaughter.”

The man was lost in thought. Memories, sadness, but also understanding were mixed in him. He sighed and said:
“These earrings were important to my family. But thank you for your honesty. Let’s find a way to help your granddaughter too.”

The woman silently took off her earrings and handed them to him. Their meeting was the beginning of a new, human story – a story of kindness, reconciliation, and support.

This story is fictional, and any similarities to real events or people are coincidental.