«Haven’t you gone yet?» I asked.
«Dad hasn’t arrived,» she said sadly.
«And your mother?»
The girl shrugged.
«Will you call home?» I suggested.
«Come on, Alice…»
«Oh, these familiarities again!» I thought.
Christina dialed some phone number and was answered, but she remained silent and hung up.
«Wrong number?» I supposed.
Christina silently left the room. I made her come back and called to their house myself. Her grandma answered me. She said that Christina’s dad would definitely come to college in a fortnight, after his business trip. I passed that information on to the girl, but got no response.
«Why did you hang up?» I asked again.
Christina got up and silently walked away.
«Chris!» I shouted, and she didn’t even turn around.
I got angry and decided to complain about the girl to her father.
***
Two weeks of vacation flew by in a flash, and the kids were back to studies. I must admit, my class was excellent! Only Christina made me feel uncomfortable. Willy-nilly, I saw that strange girl every day. She pierced me with her gaze, I lost my temper and nagged her about little things. I knew it was wrong, but I couldn’t help it.
Finally, Christina’s father arrived. He brought her many toys and sweets. The girl didn’t want to let him go.
«I’ll come back for you in the summer, when your classes are over, and we’ll go to the sea. You love the sea, don’t you?»
Christina nodded in agreement, and I suddenly imagined her as an adult – she would turn into a beauty and drive a lot of men crazy!
After the meeting with her father, Christina behaved much better and didn’t approached me during her free time. However, the girl seemed to become even more withdrawn.
***
One day, when we were singing a cheerful (although, to be honest, a very stupid) song at a music lesson, I suddenly noticed that Christina wasn’t singing. As usual, she sat at the last desk alone, but with headphones on…
«Is she listening to some music?! What a spoiled girl! What does she allow herself! She can do everything she wants, being only eight years old!»
«Chris!» I yelled in anger, approaching her.
The girl convulsively clutched something with her small hands.
«Give it to me now!»
«No!» she said firmly.
«If you don’t give me your toy, I’ll call your parents today, and you won’t be here anymore!»
Christina unclenched her fingers in helplessness, stood up and ran out of the classroom in tears. When the lesson was over, I turned on her player, but instead of music I heard a pleasant female voice. I realized it was the girl’s mother. For some reason, she had to move to another country for a few years, and before leaving, she had prepared that audiobook with instructions for Christina.
***
The academic year was over. Parents were taking their children home. I sat on the veranda of the summer building, reading a love story. The next day I was leaving for the sea, not yet knowing that I would no longer teach there, because I would get married and move to another country.
Someone silently approached me from behind and gently touched my shoulder. I turned around and saw Christina. She held out to me a bouquet of flowers she had picked. I hesitated to take them.
«Come on, Alice!» she said.
«Again?»
She didn’t answer and sat down next to me.
«Do you miss your parents?» I asked, trying not to get angry. «Do they often go on business trips?»
«That’s what they say…»
«Anyway, business trips end sooner or later!»
The girl silently shrugged her shoulders and sighed.
Another car drove up, Christina’s father got out of it. The girl threw herself at his neck.
When he came up to me and started thanking me for something, I couldn’t hear anything anymore. I remembered his daughter ugly behavior: she addressed me like a girl, hung up phone, listened to the player, and did whatever she wanted. I don’t remember what exactly I said to her father then, but he listened to me calmly.
«I’m sorry… Don’t take offense, miss Flitch!» he said sadly, when I cooled down.
He left us alone, inviting his daughter to ask my forgiveness.
«Forgive me, Alice! Come on!» the girl said defiantly coldly, clearly feeling no remorse.
I abruptly got up from the bench. Christina even asked for forgiveness, addressing me like that! I took a few steps and heard her voice.
«You look like…»
I didn’t even turn around. Along the way, I remembered that I had left on the bench the flowers, Christina’s gift to me.
***
I got married and went back to college on the first day of the new academic year to pick up some papers. My kids had grown up, but had hardly changed much. Among them, I didn’t see Christina only. My friend, the teacher, said the girl was present on the pupils list.
My friend and I went to the chief office. I didn’t really care about Christina. I needed the chief’s signature on my documents. However, my friend asked him why the girl was absent.
«Her father is a school friend of mine,» said the chief. «When Cristina’s mother died last year…»
«Oh, did her mother die?» I exclaimed in surprise.
«Yes. The girl was told that her mother had gone on a business trip abroad. Christina’s grandmother, my friend’s mother, liked neither her daughter-in-law nor Christina. So I advised my friend to bring the girl here.»
«And why didn’t she come this year?»
«Christina and her father… disappeared…»
«Disappeared?!» I was stunned.
«They went to the sea and never came back. The police are still looking for them… By the way, Alice, she was in your class, wasn’t she?»
Many years had passed since then, and I disappeared on Earth myself. However, burning various stories of my earthly life in the bonfire of memories, I still can’t let go of this one, because every time my fate gave me a sad lesson, I heard a voice, whispering, «Come on, Alice!»
12. На берегу Темзы
Лондон – мечта моего детства с тех самых пор, как в школе на уроках английского нам стали рассказывать о его достопримечательностях. Те же самые достопримечательности я учила и на подготовительных курсах при МИДе, а затем – в ВУЗе. Казалось, ещё даже не побывав