Olena's Extra Copy

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Olena works in a small printing shop. She likes her job very much. Every day she helps many people. The shop is busy in the morning. Olena arrives early and turns on the machines. She checks the paper and the ink. The shop has big printers and a small desk. Olena stands behind the desk and smiles at every customer. One morning, an old man comes into the shop. His name is Mr. Baran. He looks very tired. He walks slowly to the desk. He puts some papers on the desk. He says, "I need twenty copies of this, please." Olena smiles and says, "Of course! I can do that for you right now." Olena takes the papers and goes to the printer. She puts the papers in carefully.

The printer starts to work. Mr. Baran sits down on a chair near the window. He looks at his hands. He seems worried. Olena notices this. She thinks, "He does not look happy today." The printer finishes and Olena counts the copies. She counts them one more time. She wants everything to be correct. Then she sees a problem. One page has a small smudge on it. The ink is not clear. Olena does not give this copy to Mr. Baran. She prints it again. She checks every page very carefully. She puts the good copies in a neat pile. Olena walks back to the desk with the copies.

She puts them in a paper bag for Mr. Baran. She says, "Here are your twenty copies. I also printed one extra copy for you, free of charge." Mr. Baran looks surprised. He says, "Oh! Thank you so much!" His face changes. He smiles for the first time. He looks much happier now. He says, "You are very kind." Olena feels warm inside. She says, "It is no problem at all. I hope your day gets better!" Mr. Baran picks up his bag and walks to the door. He turns around and waves. Olena waves back. She feels happy too. A small act of kindness made two people smile that day.