teacher and the watchman went into the teacher's lounge, the watchman easily found a bright backpack.
"I will not rummage in it, I'll take the whole backpack," said he to the teacher and left the office.
The ambulance did not have to wait long. The watchman opened the gate. Into the watchman's lodge entered the doctor with a suitcase and a young girl – an assistant.
"So, what's here? Let me take off your dress and see," said the doctor.
– No, I'm not going to take off my dress here, drive me to the hospital, the wound is not too deep.
"Well, can you go?" the doctor asked.
"Yes," answered Matilda and went to the ambulance, taking her backpack.
Ambulance drove through the city with included beacons. The doctor and his assistant were very polite.
"At last I broke free," thought Matilda.
"I cut my hand too, could you see it and bandage it?" she asked the doctor.
The doctor examined her hand and processed it with hydrogen peroxide.
"The wound is not terrible, a small cut," he said. A young girl, the doctor's assistant, cleverly bandaged her hand.
Arriving at the hospital, the car drove up to the reception. The doctor took Matilda to the department and handed it to the attendant. Then he said goodbye to Matilda, wished her a speedy recovery and left. He already had to go to another challenge.
"So, what have you got here?" asked the attendant.
"I cut my hand with glass, I was treated in the car, the doctor stitched wound and bandaged. The doctor said that you need to registry me in your journal and then I can go home. He said me to come to your clinic tomorrow," Matilda lied.
"Okay, passport with you?"
"Yes, of course," said Matilda and handed in her passport.
The attendant made the necessary entries in the journal and returned the passport to Matilda. Then Matilda said goodbye and went out into the courtyard of the polyclinic.
"I forgot to give her pass to the exit," the attendant thought, "well, nothing, she'll be right now back, and I'll write out."
At the exit from the policlinic's gates was a guard.
"Girl, what hospital room are you from?" he asked.
"I'm not from a hospital room. I accompanied my sister to the ambulance, now I'm coming back."
"Ah, got it. Well, come on," he said, and went back to the security guard cabin and the automatic gates opened. "Maybe I can help you to get a taxi?" the guard asked after Matilda.
"Thank you, I'll catch it myself," answered Matilda and moved away.
It was about ten in the evening, and the city did not sleep. Matilda straightened her backpack behind her shoulders and headed toward her house. It was far to go. On the way Matilda met no one hooligan. There were strolling couples, were also married couples with baby carriages. As always, there were a lot of idle tourists and hurrying people in the city. Matilda reached her house at midnight. Entering the entrance and climbing till her apartment, Matilda did not know what to do. She did not have the keys. After standing a little at the door, she went down into the courtyard and went to the nearest kindergarten. There were no children in the kindergarten. They were ordinarily taken there early in the morning, and in the evening they were taken away.
"Perhaps there is a watchman here," thought Matilda, "I don't need to run into him."
She tried to find some place in the fence to penetrate the territory of the kindergarten. Then she went to the gate. The gate, was like a fence, was made from a forged rods. She slipped her hand through the bars and pushed back the bolt, and then closed the wicket behind her.
"I need to sleep somewhere until the morning," thought tired Matilda and headed to the playground. She climbed into the small hut on the chicken legs, sat down on the wooden floor and fell asleep.
Do you speak English?
Matilda woke from the cold, she was trembling violently. It was already six in the morning. She got out of the hut and went back to her house. Usually at seven in the morning the neighbors were already awake. Matilda went into her porch, and without taking off her backpack, she began doing squats to keep warm. After a while, the chill went away. She no longer shook, but Matilda needed to keep warm.
"Yes," she thought, "a cup of hot coffee would not hurt." Continuing to do sit-ups, Matilda waited seven in the morning. She had no hours, and from time to time she left the entrance and looked at the neighbors' windows. The light caught fire in the window of the old woman Zina. Matilda went up to her apartment and rang the doorbell.
"Oh!" exclaimed the old woman Zina, "Matilda, what's the matter with you? Come on, come inn. My old man is still sleeping. Come into the kitchen, I'll make you tea," said Zina and led Matilda to the kitchen.
"You did not spend the night at home! Neighbors said you were taken by cops to the orphanage. Poor little soul! Did you escape? What happened with your arm?"
At tea Matilda told how she managed to escape from the orphanage and that there was only a small cut on her hand.
"Now I'll prepare for you another sandwich. Do you want me to warm up the soup?"
"Thank you, Zina! I'm already full. And can I have some hot tea?"
"Tea is not food. Now I'll warm up the soup on gas quickly. Hot bouillon is very salutary," said Zina, took out of fridge the pan with soup and put it on the stove. "My old man still sleeping, yesterday watched football to midnight. If you want, stay with us. Only don't show yourself to neighbors. Evil tongues can inform cops. You'd better not see cops. And my old man does not like these cops, he calls them garbage!"
The old woman Zina fed Matilda by hot soup. She spoke without stopping. It was her professional quality – in her younger years she worked as a teacher.
"Let me bring you a dressing gown, and I'll wash the dress. The blood just can’t be washed."
"Thank you, Zina, but I have to go."
"Where will you go, my dear?"
"I'll go look for work."
"Where will you sleep? Come to us."
"Thank you, Zina, but really I shouldn't appearance here. Okay, shall I go? Is good?" said Matilda, got up and headed for the door, "thank you for not allowed me to freeze."
"Wait, do not go away, I'm right now," said Zina, and went out into the room. Matilda stood and waited for her at the front door.
"Here, take some money, you'll need it. We're old, and no need money," said Zina, and slipped several bank notes into Matilda's hand.
"But there are many, I would have enough only to travel around the city."
"Take it, take it."
"Thank you, Zina. I will refund the money when I will can. But when – I do not know."
"Don’t worry. We have money with my old man. We wait for you in this evening, come to sleep here. Wait, I'll bring a shawl now."
"Why should I have a shawl?" Matilda asked, but Zina went out to the room again.
Returning, she brought a thin woolen beige scarf. He was with a fringe. Then Zina tied a scarf around Matilda's waist. "So, the blood on dress will not be visible," she said.
Matilda once again thanked, said goodbye and left. She ran down the stairs, came out from the entrance, and, trying not to meet with neighbors, headed towards the street.
After several hours of walking around the city and looking for work, she stopped at the building with the inscription "Business Center Lingua." The lesson of English at school was Matilda's favorite lesson. Her teacher – Fonarina Darya Antonovna, was delighted with Matilda's successes and always gave her extra assignments and books in English. Matilda's pronunciation was perfect. Sometimes after the lessons, Matilda stayed at school and came to the English class room. There she could talk with Darya Antonovna in English. They discussed