Eventually, they got in a cafe when their feet started hurting. They ordered juices and cakes. Shopping and chatting with her new found friend, Ira forgot the real purpose.

"Reeya. Isn"t the life of firefighter hard?" she asked directly.

"It sometimes is sometimes it isn"t," Reeya answered nonchalantly, drinking her juice. She looked happy and satisfied with her life and her job.

Ira was once again silent. It was an excellent opportunity to talk to her about her life. A life of firefighter looks pretty from outside, but she would have her own demons.

"Why did you choose to be a firefighter?"

When we met Reeya, she was always a bubby straightforward a bit outspoken little girl.

What made this girl choose this difficult Job? As far as she knew her parents were no more. She lived with her uncle and aunt who were simple people. How did even the idea arise in that mind?

Reeya laughed at the question.

"What?"

"Oh! Nothing the same question was asked in my firefighter exam interview." Reeya said. After some consideration, she decided to give her a definite reply. Hence she started talking about it:

---------

It was scorching hot. Sirens and screaming of people echoed, but my eyes were fixed on the house. From the third floor, flames were rus.h.i.+ng out to the sky. Fire blazing the entire area. Smoke covered the night sky.

"No...no...save .. baby.." I turned around to find a young girl of about 6 was screaming. I saw her. Her clothes were charred, she suffered a burn yet she was struggling to find someone.

"There..there I see someone" a man from the crowd pointed to the window on the third floor.

I ran there but saw no one. Soon the firefighters set their pump and started hitting the fire with water.

It remained ablaze. It seemed to me that nothing could exist in that blazing place.

People were yelling all around this alone sends you another frame of mind. Yet these firefighters without any trace of distraction worked their part. One of them entered the flames in front of my eyes.

I saw an ambulance soon arrived at the scene. Next thing I found was that the baby was in it getting treated. They saved the baby.

I felt they were true heroes. I wanted to be part of them. Hero!

An office job was never made for me. I am not the elegant entirely innocent girl but a bada.s.s woman.

Next day I filled the application. A few days later I pa.s.sed the physical a.s.sessment. Then came the interview. I was all prepared, dying my hair red. I wanted to look as bada.s.s as possible.

To my amazement, the interviewer was the same man I saw entering the house on fire.

He asked, "Why do you want to be a firefighter?"

I told him the entire story. How everyone saved the baby, their teamwork amazed me, and I wanted to be part of them. To be part of their journey saving lives

After my reply, an awkward silence followed. He stared at me straight in my eyes. My enthusiasm dropped a bit. I tried to find his reaction to my answer. However, it met a deadpan face.

"You don"t know the whole story," said and after some time, I left the hall.