Alya, losing strength, grabbed up the youngster and pushed him through the window. She didn’t see him being apprehended. She did not hear her parents’ screams. She didn’t feel like she was losing consciousness while crawling out after him…
Fresh air surged in through the open window, fueling the flames. The flames immediately devoured the entire flat.
She was just 22 years old. Her survival appeared remarkable; experts did not believe a person with such severe burns could make it through the first day. But the most fortunate thing was that her face remained intact.
Lyoshka was also rescued, unlike his mother. She later di:ed as a result of smoke inhalation. No one knew where the dad and his son went following his wife’s funeral. They vanished without trace.
Experts blamed the incident on obsolete electrical wiring, which had long been due for replacement.
The healing was prolonged and unpleasant. Alya was actually reassembled piece by piece. The most difficult part was coping with her mother’s death: the woman’s heart couldn’t take seeing her daughter in the fire.
– Alechka, perhaps we should sell the apartment? – the father concerned. – We’ll buy something smaller and heal you…
She simply shook her head. She couldn’t speak any longer. After the fire and her mother’s death, she simply went silent. The physicians shrugged their shoulders; her vocal chords were fine, but it appeared that her body had turned off this function itself. “A nervous condition,” they surmised. “We’ll wait.”
In the end, the unit was exchanged. The brother married and took out a mortgage; no aid was expected from him. The father reserved the corner for himself in case they unexpectedly paid a visit.
She could no longer teach.
— Aleftina Tarasovna, I understand your situation… But, how will you teach the kids? – The school principal signed the dismissal with heavy heart.
Alya nodded quietly. Yes, she was not a teacher anymore.
She landed the job by happenstance, in an office that required a cleaner. She was returning from another plein air when she noticed an advertisement on a glass door and walked in without thinking. Why she was hired remains unknown. However, the manager never pity her. Her hands ached from previous burns, but she persevered. Despite the pain, she washed the floors, wiped the glass, and polished the handles – and her hands got softer, less stiff.
When the office moved to another area, the manager called his friend:
– Mikhalych, hello! I have one recommendation for you. The girl is just a godsend. Just take good care of her.
