04/09/2025
MY HOUSE BURNED DOWN WITH EVERYTHING WE OWNEDâA FIREFIGHTERâS GIFT CHANGED EVERYTHING
The smoke still clung to my clothes. My babies were safe, but everything elseâgone.
I stood barefoot in the freezing night air, holding my five-year-old, Luna, close. My baby, Mateo, was wrapped in a firefighterâs jacket, cradled against a strangerâs chest. The man holding himâhis uniform read A. Calderonâwas speaking softly to him, his gloved hand shielding Mateoâs tiny face from the cold.
I didnât even remember handing him my baby. Everything had happened so fast. The fire, the sirens, neighbors gathering outside, whispering.
One moment, I had a home. The next, I had nothing.
Luna sniffled against my shoulder. âMommy, where will we sleep now?â
I didnât have an answer. My husband had been gone six months. I barely had enough to cover rentâhad covered rent. Past tense. Rent didnât matter if there was no home left.
Thatâs when Calderon stepped forward, still holding Mateo inside his jacket like he was the most precious thing in the world. He looked at me, his brown eyes serious.
âMaâam,â he said, his voice steady, âI have something for you.â
I blinked at him. âWhat?â
He hesitated, carefully reaching into his uniform pocket, and pulling out something small. đ˝
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