He kept my business alive while I buried my mother

Dear Delyara, I run a small plumbing business with one employee who has also been my friend since school. When Mum died abroad, I needed to leave immediately. I told him I might be gone ten days. It became four weeks. He answered customers, rescheduled jobs, paid suppliers from the business account, and took only his normal wages even though he was doing both our work. When I returned, I expected chaos. Instead, there was a folder on my desk titled “Things you can worry about later.” I laughed and cried at the same time. He had even told difficult customers that the owner was dealing with a family death and they could either wait or use someone else. Friendship did not remove grief. It protected one part of my life from collapsing while I was too far away to hold it.