Richard stepped into his quiet house after a very long day of endless business meetings.
The air in the front hallway smelled like fresh lemon oil and old polished wood.
He walked toward the back of the house to place his leather briefcase on his heavy desk.
Soft splashing sounds came from the center of the library, right behind the thick oak doors.
He pushed the heavy door open and stopped immediately near the threshold of the large room.
A tiny toddler was kneeling on the cold marble floor near the high bookcases.
She wore a faded grey dress, a light pink shirt, and tiny white bows in her hair.
Oversized yellow rubber gloves hung off her small hands while she held a wet sponge.
The little girl scrubbed the white floor tiles with great effort, wiping away imaginary spots.
Richard stared in complete shock because he had never seen this tiny child before.
A large American flag hung quietly on the far wall near the bright glass window.
Footsteps echoed across the hallway outside, growing louder and faster with every single second.
A woman dressed in a bright maroon dress walked straight into the sunlit room.
Her face looked strict, and her dark eyes were cold as she looked down.
She swung her foot and kicked a metal bucket resting right beside the toddler.
Dirty water splashed across the white marble floor, soaking the edge of the girl's pink shirt.
The metal bucket crashed against the base of the bookshelf with a sharp ringing noise.
The little girl started crying hard, hiding her face in her tiny yellow rubber gloves.
Richard felt a sudden wave of hot anger rising deep inside his chest.
He took three long steps into the room, his black leather shoes squeaking on the wet tile.