The Janitor's Payback

“Hey, cleaner, don’t stand there! You’re blocking the way!” a woman in a shiny red dress snapped.

The smell of floor polish filled the long hallway of the Grand Star Hotel. The marble floors gleamed like a mirror, but to Leo, it was just another day of mopping and scrubbing. He worked quietly, his head bent, pushing the mop back and forth as guests walked past without even glancing at him.

Leo quickly stepped aside, bowing slightly. “Sorry, ma’am.”

She gave him a disgusted look and muttered something about “useless poor people” before walking off. Leo let out a deep breath and continued cleaning. He had gotten used to it , the rude words, the mocking stares, the laughter behind his back. Being poor made him invisible to everyone, except when they needed someone to clean their mess.

But he wasn’t always like this. There was a time when he believed things would get better. He believed hard work could change his life. He believed in her.

Her name was Clara.

Leo’s lips curved into a faint smile at the thought of her. She was beautiful, soft brown hair, gentle eyes, and a voice that could calm his heart no matter how bad his day had been. She was his girlfriend, the one person who made him feel seen, who didn’t care that he worked odd jobs to pay his tuition. Or so he thought.

He had been saving for months also skipping meals, taking double shifts, even cleaning toilets late at night all because he wanted to buy her a special gift. Tomorrow was their graduation, and he planned to propose to her. He already imagined the moment; he’d kneel under the campus tree where they first met, open the small box, and ask her to marry him.

He smiled at the thought and whispered to himself, “Just one more day, Leo. Then everything will be worth it."

But fate had other plans.

As Leo wiped the last corner of the hotel lobby, he noticed a familiar voice coming from the nearby elevator, his heart skipped a beat.

“Clara?”

He froze, turning toward the sound. His mop clattered to the floor as he saw her; his girlfriend stepping out of the elevator arm-in-arm with a tall man in an expensive brown suit. The man looked rich, probably one of those business heirs who stayed at the hotel. Clara was laughing, her hand resting on the man’s chest as if they’d known each other forever.

Leo blinked, unable to believe his eyes. Maybe it wasn’t what it looked like. Maybe the man was a friend, or a client from her part-time job. He took a shaky breath and walked toward them.

“Clara?” His voice cracked.

She turned, startled. Her smile froze the moment she saw him. “Leo? What are you doing here? Do you also work here? Gosh!”

“I work here,” he said softly. “I was just cleaning. But… who is he?” He pointed at the man beside her.

The rich man gave him a lazy smirk. “Who am I? I’m her boyfriend, obviously."

Leo’s stomach twisted. “Her… boyfriend?” He looked at Clara, hoping she’d laugh and say it was a joke. But she didn’t. She just looked away.

“Clara,” he said again, his voice trembling, “tell me he’s lying we haven't even broken up yet and he's saying that you're dating him”

She bit her lip and said coldly, “He’s not lying, Leo. I’m with him now.”

For a moment, everything around Leo went silent. The noise of the hotel faded, the light above them dimmed in his eyes, and he could only hear the sound of his own heart breaking.

“But… why?” he whispered. “After everything I did for you… all the hours I worked, all the money I spent just to make you happy. I was even saving up to—”

“Enough, Leo.” Clara cut him off sharply. “I can’t keep living like this. You’re just a cleaner. I need a man who can give me a future. Do you think love can fill an empty stomach? Can love buy a car, a house, or a diamond ring?”

Leo took a step back. “So that’s it? You’re leaving me because I’m poor?”

She crossed her arms. “I’m being realistic. You should too.”

The rich man beside her laughed. “You actually thought a girl like Clara would stay with someone like you? Look at yourself, man. Dirty uniform, broken shoes. You’re a joke.”

A few hotel guests had stopped to watch. Some whispered, others chuckled. Leo felt the sting of humiliation burn through his chest.

“I may not have money,” Leo said quietly, “but I loved her with everything I had.”

Clara looked away. “Love isn’t enough. Goodbye, Leo.”

And with that, she walked away with the man, their hands entwined, their laughter echoing through the hallway.

Leo stood frozen for a long moment, his eyes stinging. His hands shook as he clenched them into fists. He wanted to shout, to run after her, to ask her why — but what was the point? She had already chosen.

He turned back to his mop, picking it up with trembling hands. The same guests who had laughed earlier were still staring. One of the hotel staff, a chubby man named Eric, smirked and said, “Hey Leo, you should’ve known better. Girls like her don’t date cleaners for love. Maybe she just liked your free labor.”

The others laughed.

Leo forced a weak smile. “Yeah… maybe.”

But deep inside, something cracked. The quiet kindness in his heart began to fade, replaced by a heavy darkness.

Later that evening, when the halls were empty and the laughter had died down, Leo sat in the staff room. He stared at his reflection in the small mirror — messy hair, tired eyes, and a small cut on his cheek from scrubbing tiles too hard.

“Maybe she’s right,” he murmured. “Maybe love really isn’t enough.”

His phone buzzed. He picked it up and opened his bank app — just to distract himself from the pain. His eyes widened as soon as the screen loaded.

₦15,000,000.00

“What?” He blinked hard, thinking it was a mistake. But the numbers didn’t change. He refreshed the page again. The same amount stared back at him. Fifteen million naira.

His heart raced. “How… how did this happen?”

He checked the transaction history. A message read: Funds credited — confidential source.

He frowned. No name, no details. Just money. Lots of it.

For a long moment, Leo just sat there, staring at the screen. If this was real, it could change everything. But before he could even think about it, his phone buzzed again — a message from Clara.

> I’m sorry, Leo. Don’t call me again. Please move on. It’s for the best.

His hand tightened around the phone until his knuckles turned white.

He typed a reply but deleted it. What could he say? That she had made a mistake?

Leo stood up, wiping his face. The pain was still there, but under it, a strange calm began to rise. He slipped the phone into his pocket and went back to work.

But maybe he was too lost in thought, too distracted by heartbreak and confusion, because when he carried a bucket of water through the corridor, his foot slipped. The bucket fell, water splashed everywhere, and Leo crashed against the sharp corner of a metal stand.

“Agh—!” He winced as pain shot through his arm. Blood trickled down from a cut near his elbow.

Eric, the same co-worker who mocked him earlier, rushed over not to help, but to laugh. “You really are unlucky today, huh? First your girl dumps you, now you injure yourself. Maybe you should take a hint from life and quit.”

Leo looked up at him, his expression calm but cold. “Thanks for your advice, Eric,” he said quietly. “But I don’t quit.”

He wrapped his wound with a piece of cloth and stood up. The pain burned, but he ignored it. He had faced worse.

When his shift ended, Leo walked home under the cold night sky. The streets were almost empty, and the soft glow of streetlights stretched his shadow long and thin across the road.

The pain in Leo’s arm throbbed all through the night. He had wrapped it with an old towel and tried to sleep, but every time he closed his eyes, Clara’s words echoed in his head —

> “You’re just a cleaner. I need a man who can give me a future.”