«Why do you stay here?» Marina asked, lifting the edge of the blanket. The reddish orange light from the fire oozed through the blinds, and Loo screamed and jerked the blanket down again.
«I hate flame!» the girl said with pain in her voice. «My family died in a house fire.»
Marina stood still. «Impossible, impossible, impossible…» was beating in her head.
«My parents, my brothers, all were gone!» Loo was talking, barely holding back her tears. «My oldest sister rescued me in the last second. She jumped with me out of the window. I was just two. I forgot her name; I forgot her face. All I remember is a flame on the left sleeve of her pajama top. Her sleeve was burning, her arm was like a torch, but she did not cry. A fireman beat off this flame, and took her inside an ambulance, and I never, never saw her again!»
«What have you done with your hair, Masha?» Marina suddenly asked in a very calm voice.
«Bleach and permanent,» mechanically answered the girl, then stared at Marina with amazement. «What did you call me?»
Without a word Marina came close to Loo, rolled up her left sleeve and showed to her the big old scar on her arm, the vestige of the deep burn.
At the International Airport the Lapins were waiting for Alla.
Nina’s mother was coming to the U.S.A. to visit them, so Vlad drove his family to pick her up.
«Are you sure it’s the correct gate?» Nina asked with worry, glancing at the wall clock, then at her watch, and all around. Panting, she almost hopped with impatience, but suddenly Larisa said very calmly, «I need to go to the bathroom.»
«Oh.» Nina threw her arms up. «It’s about time. I did ask you. Now you’ll wait, young lady.»
«No, I can’t,» the girl objected, speaking with the same tone that her father usually used, and Nina involuntarily noticed this.
«Go, I’ll stay,» Vlad told her.
«No way!» Nina felt tears fill up her eyes. «I don’t wanna miss Mom.»
«Go, I said,» Vlad repeated very quietly, but steel sounded in his voice and Nina took her daughter’s hand and went away without further argument.
* * * * *
Alla strode through the gate, and immediately saw Vlad. Her daughter and Larisa were not there and concern pricked her heart.
«They live so far away,» she said to herself trying not to be worried. «He probably left them at home.»
Pushing the cart with her baggage, she went close to her son-in-law and hugged him. «Hello, son.»
They looked at each other smiling.
«Still a young boy! I wonder if you’ll ever look like an adult?»
Vlad only shrugged his shoulders.