When 73-year-old cleaner Elizabeth asks the staff to leave their office so she can clean and sweep, they insult her, knowing that they were in shock the next day.
Elizabeth, 73, came out of the cemetery, tears streaming down her face. She went to visit the grave of her late son Jerry. Elizabeth visited the cemetery daily and spent some time near Jerry’s grave, remembering their good old days.
“Jerry, dear, I’m sorry…mum’s a bit late today,” she cried over his tombstone. “I hope you enjoy the sweet scent of your favourite white flowers I picked from our backyard.”
Jerry died 20 years ago in a motorbike accident. With him, Elizabeth’s joy and future were buried in the grave. She was never herself after losing him and ended up working as a cleaner in a private company to make ends meet…
Elizabeth wiped her tears away as the scent of flowers lingering in her hands reminded her of her son. “I’ll come again tomorrow. Bye, sweetheart!” she said and walked away as fast as she could because she was late for work.
“Hey, Mrs. Joel! Good morning!” the security guard outside the office greeted her.
“Good day, Simon. I’m almost late. Is the boss visiting today?”
The company’s boss, Mr. Jefferson, was heading many branches in different cities and states. Everyone was told he would be arriving to inspect the particular unit where Elizabeth worked.
“Yes, Mrs. Joel. But the boss hasn’t come yet. Please start your work early coz I’m sure the ones working in the early morning shift would’ve messed their offices up by now.”
Elizabeth quickly changed into her work uniform and went to clean the office rooms. She heard people laughing inside and saw that some clerks were still occupying the rooms she had to clean next.
She waited outside the glass door of one office, hoping they would see her and know it was time to clean up. But even after ten minutes, the guys inside wouldn’t leave.

Elizabeth had a lot of work to do, so she lost her patience and knocked on the door. She politely said: “Sir??”
The guys turned around, and one of them yelled at poor Elizabeth.
“WHAT??”
“Sir, it’s getting late. I have to clean this office.”
“Come back after five minutes! We’re not done yet!”
Disappointed, Elizabeth sighed heavily and walked away with the bucket and mop to clean another office. She swept the floor and disposed of the garbage there, then she returned to the first office again.
The guys were still chatting there. Wrappers and food packets were lying around, and it looked like they had celebrated a colleague’s birthday.
Elizabeth knocked again. “Sir, can I clean this office now?”
The guys were busy laughing and turned a deaf ear to Elizabeth.
“Sir?? Can I start cleaning now?” she spoke loud enough for them to hear and turn around.
“YOU OLD BAT!” one of the clerks shouted. “Are you blind or something, lady? Don’t you see?? We’re discussing something important here! Come back five minutes later!”
“Yeah, go do your work instead of disturbing us, old lady. Get out!” another clerk added. “Look at her, man. Who hired her? She’s so annoying. We have to get her fired.”
Suddenly, silence filled the air as other staff flocked around Elizabeth. The clerks turned pale with shock. Their boss, Mr. Jefferson, was standing right behind the poor janitor.
Elizabeth turned around to leave in tears. Though she didn’t immediately recognize her boss, Mr. Jefferson quickly recognized her as his late best friend Jerry’s mother.
“Mrs. Joel!! What are you doing here?” he cried and everyone else gasped in shock. “Mrs. Joel, it’s me… Jeffery, Jerry’s best friend from school and college. How are you?? It’s a pleasure meeting you. What are you doing here in my office?”
“Oh, Jeffery, my boy! How are you, son?” Elizabeth cried in Mr. Jefferson’s arms.
“It’s been so many years since I last saw you at my son’s funeral. I quit my job and retired early because I could no longer focus on my work after my son’s death. I did my best to save Jerry’s life after the accident. And I was emotionally destroyed after he died. I had no purpose in life.”
As it turned out, Elizabeth was a well-experienced accountant years ago. She was a widower who had dedicated her heart and soul to raising her only son. The motorcycle crash led Jerry to undergo urgent surgery due to a blood clot in his brain. She spent all her savings to save his life, but fate had other plans.
“Years passed in distress. I am glad the pension still helps, but I could not stay idle. I was looking for a job, but nobody was ready to hire me. They said I was too old, and then I landed a job here as a cleaner last year,” Elizabeth said.
Mr. Jefferson hugged Elizabeth and wiped her tears away before turning back to his employees.
“You have no idea who she is. How dare you mock my best friend’s mom? She’s a great mother, and I still wish I had a mom like Mrs. Joel,” Mr. Jefferson began.
“You don’t know what she’s been through. You are not worthy of even a small nail on her little finger. Learn to respect your elders and honor their sacrifice.”
An eerie silence filled the office. The clerks who teased Elizabeth knew they were in deep trouble.
“Mrs. Joel, please come with me. We need to discuss something really important!”
“Good morning, everyone! Meet your new head accountant, Mrs. Joel.” Mr. Jefferson formally introduced Elizabeth to everyone. Those who had teased her and looked down on her the day before hung their heads in shame. They had no choice but to apologise to her and treat her with dignity and respect from then on.
Mr. Jefferson helped Elizabeth move into a comfortable house in his neighbourhood. He took care of her as her son would have done and never made her feel lonely or abandoned again.