Chapter 3 — Before Retirement, I Was Demoted to Work as a Laborer

Old key chains. Old receipt slips. All these years... They have treated them all like waste paper. But for me... That's thirty-two years of evidence. I pushed the cleaning cart away from the twenty-eighth floor. Just as the elevator door was about to close... Trinh Hoai Nhan chased over.

"Tan Ngoc Tran."

"Before leaving work today..."

"Give that notebook back."

I looked at him. He breathed a sigh of relief. I calmly continued:

"I'll deliver it..."

"Give it to the right person who needs it."

The elevator door slowly closed. Trinh Hoai Nhan's face was gradually cut off behind the door. At that moment... The phone in my pocket vibrated slightly. A message from an unknown number appeared. Don't go to the twenty-ninth floor. I stared at those five words. The number on the elevator screen was jumping from 28 to 27. I silently raised my hand... Pressed button 29. The button for the 29th floor lit up. The young cleaning lady accompanying me immediately turned pale. The girl's name is Ha Mieu. The girl lowered her voice.

"Miss Qin... you can't go up to the twenty-ninth floor."

I looked at the numbers on the electronic board that kept jumping.

"Everyone says so."

"Who are you?"

Ha Mieu was speechless. The elevator stopped on the twenty-ninth floor. There was not a soul outside. The entire floor only had half the lights on. The reception desk is empty. The walls are full of old photos of Vien Thai Group. The first panel... Is the factory gate from thirty-two years ago. I stood in front of that photo for a few seconds. Vien Thai is not yet a corporation. Just a small factory. In front of the gate stood more than ten people. The young man in the middle... is Tham Trieu An, the current Chairman of the Board of Directors. As for the short-haired woman standing next to him... The photo is very old. The glass surface is covered with a thin layer of dust. I picked up the towel. Slowly wipe clean little by little. Ha Mieu stands behind. I don't even dare to move.

"Miss Tan..."

"Were you also in this photo before?"

I nodded slightly. The girl asked very softly.

"So... why do they treat you like that?"

I don't answer. There are many people who have forgotten. There are also people who... Intentionally make others forget. I continued to push the cleaning cart inside. The door to the Chairman's office is still closed. There was no dust on the door handle. That proves... Someone has come here. In the trash can of the small conference room next door, there was half a torn delivery slip. I bent down to pick it up. Recipient: Office of the President. Sending address... Is a nursing home. I put the piece of paper in the trash bag. Ha Mieu looked nervously at me.

"This... will you pick it up too?"

"Garbage classification."

I replied very calmly. In the tea room... I picked up a paper cup again. At the bottom of the cup there was a faint imprint of lipstick. Apparently no one was working on the twenty-ninth floor. A newly used paper cup appeared again. I put the cup in my pocket. Exactly 11:15 a.m. Footsteps were heard from the elevator. Not Trinh Hoai Nhan. Footsteps were very slow. But extremely sturdy. I'm cleaning the sign in front of the Chairman's office door. Ha Mieu was so scared that he backed away completely. An old man stepped out of the elevator. He wore a dark coat. Hand holding a black stick. Followed by a middle-aged man. Carrying a briefcase of documents in hand. His face was extremely serious. The old man saw me and stopped walking. I also stopped. The space suddenly became silent. He was the one who spoke up before.

"Are you a cleaning lady?"

I nodded.

"Today, yes."

His eyes stopped on the employee card on my chest. The tag is still pinned on the gray uniform. Tan Ngoc Tran. Head of General Administration Department. His eyes changed slightly. He said nothing.

"Who sent you here?"

"Transfer decision of the human resources department."

The middle-aged man immediately turned to look at him. The old man held out his hand.

"Let me see the decision."

I took the photocopy from the cleaning cart compartment. Give it to him. He took it. Dry hands. Finger joints are clear. Read the first page... He remained silent. Until he saw the approval seal... The corners of his lips slowly lowered. The middle-aged man called softly.

"President Tham..."

He is Tham Trieu An. But he did not get angry on the spot. Just quietly folded the decision.

"Where did you clean today?"

"Twenty-eighth floor."

"Office of the General Director."

"Meeting room."

"Lobby."

"Tearoom."

He looked at me.

"Is anyone giving you a hard time?"

I calmly replied:

"I'm a cleaning lady."

"Just do your job right."

Tham Trieu An looked at me for a long time. Then suddenly smiled. A fleeting smile.

"Tan Ngoc Tran..."

"How many years has it been..."

"You still haven't changed."

Ha Mieu suddenly raised his head. I don't answer. Tham Trieu An walked in front of the old photo. I just cleaned the glass. He quietly looked at the young faces in the photo.

"This photo..."

"No one has cleaned it for many years."

"Today is within the scope of work."

The middle-aged man reminded softly.

"President Tham."

"The timesheet for the shift downstairs hasn't been seen yet."

He nodded.

"Get down there."

Having finished speaking... He turned and walked towards the elevator. After two steps... He looked back at me.

"What time do you get off work?"

"The assignment schedule says until twelve o'clock at night."

"Just work until twelve o'clock."

Ha Mieu was impatient.

"Miss Tan..."

"You've been working all day..."

I just glanced slightly at the girl. She immediately fell silent. After Tham Trieu An went downstairs... The twenty-ninth floor became quiet again. I cleaned the area in front of the Chairman's office door. Through the crack in the door... A cold light still shines out. But I didn't go in. By 10:50 p.m. I pushed the cleaning cart down to the first floor lobby. The large lobby only has security guards and receptionists on duty at night. The timesheet is placed right on the counter. I followed the correct procedure. Tan Ngoc Tran. Complete the patrol check before 11 p.m. Old guard Ho looked at me. His eyes were full of complexity.

"Miss Tan..."

"Do you really have enough work for one day?"