4.

The 7.15 Oriental Express

 

 

     August had just begun. Six weeks had passed since Halette had finished her schooling, and in the warmth of summer’s haze she had thought little of where her life would lead. Though she enjoyed helping her mother at home, she felt caged, as though what she did bore little consequence to the rest of the world. All the heroines she read about had great impact on those around them, and it left Halette wondering what the story of her life would be.

     She let the thought settle as she cycled along the winding country road toward Baschel, but by the time she walked her bicycle through the busy market streets, over the bridge and up the hill leading toward the clinic, she’d resolved what she wanted to do. Standing in front of the clinic’s main door, she straightened her shirt and skirt, made sure her hair was correctly tied in a neat bun, then took a deep breath and steadied her nerve. It was what she wanted. To make a difference. To become someone’s hero. She straightened her shoulders, held her head high, checked her hair a second time and pushed open the door.

     The ward was busy. Several elderly people were being treated for smoke inhalation after a fire broke out in a village café north of Baschel the night before. A young man had burns to his arms. An accident in a local factory saw a group of men come in with crushed and broken limbs. It seemed they had all arrived at once, for Halette had never seen the main hall so full. Nurse Aubert stood at the centre issuing instructions to the other nurses, the window light falling upon her like a stage light emblazoning the conductor of a great circus. Halette caught her eye, but Aubert barely took a moment to register before turning to another nurse, who helped her ease one of the young factory workers into a wheelchair with a brace propped up to support his injured leg.

     “This isn’t the best time,” Halette suddenly heard Enzo say from beside her. He looked tired, his skin pale within the shadows and she caught him heavily favouring his good leg.

     “I want to become a nurse,” Halette said, admiring the women’s fortitude as they helped those in need. She saw the gratitude in an old man’s eyes whose wife had been injured in the fire. He sat at his wife’s side, her fragile hand in his, the years of love remembered in their old fingers as the nurse reassured him that his wife would be ok. Halette saw relief overwhelm the old man, and he took the nurse’s hand to praise her for the work she had done.

     “Unsung heroes,” Halette whispered, a comment made for herself, but she forgot that Enzo was close by.

     “This is no fairy tale, Halette,” he said sharply, his voice severing her romantic illusion. “These women are dedicated. They work hard. But if it’s what you want?”

     Halette looked keenly at the nurses. Resolving her own desire, she nodded.

     “Nurse Aubert told me she would help.”

     As though hearing her name, Aubert looked up. She walked briskly to where they were standing, her barbed look of frustration aimed squarely at Enzo.

     “We’re overrun, yet you idly chat away the day?”

     Her gaze drifted to Halette.

     “I thought I told you not to linger.”

     “Halette desires to become a nurse,” Enzo announced. The comment burned Halette, for she wanted to ask Aubert herself. This way, she felt as though Enzo’s request insinuated disbelief. Yet Aubert simply straightened, gauging Halette.

     “Twelve-hour days. Some night shifts. You live far from town?”

     “A half hour ride,” Halette replied. “By bicycle.”

     Aubert grunted. “Then we have beds in the upper rooms if you can’t make it home at night. If they’re not required by patients. Have you ever treated burns? Ever set a broken bone?”

     “Only what they taught us at school,” Halette said, unsure if that would be enough. She glanced around the room, at nurses talking patiently to those waiting. “Empathy I learned at home.”

From the corner of her eye, she thought she saw a slight smile twitch upon Aubert’s lips, but it was gone as soon as Halette turned.

     “She’ll do,” Aubert stated to Enzo. “We’re too busy now to induct her, but –.”

     “I can still help,” Halette enthusiastically cut in. “I can run errands. Anything.”

     Aubert glanced at Enzo, who now wore a proud smile. He put an arm around Halette. She laughed, proud of herself for finally making the choice, but the moment was cut short as a nurse called for Aubert’s aid.

     “Tomorrow,” Aubert said. “Your shift starts at eight. We’ll get you registered, a uniform. Wear comfortable shoes until we get you fitted.”

     Halette was thrilled. She felt she had purpose. Enzo gave her a comforting squeeze, but as she turned to face her new colleagues, she saw them looking at her from over their shoulders, laughing in private conversations as she stood by Enzo’s side. She suddenly understood what Enzo had meant, that in Vienna, he was like all others, bettering himself to be a doctor, whereas in this small-minded village, he was still their master’s crippled son.

     “Listen. You must come with thick skin,” Aubert said quietly, noticing the subject of Halette’s gaze.      “I’m happy to have you. Earn your place and they’ll appreciate you in time.”

     Perhaps registering Halette’s indignation, Enzo’s hand fell from her shoulder, but Halette locked eyes with Nurse Aubert, offering nothing but determination and pride.

 

     Though her duties were light, Halette found the long hours difficult to begin with. She’d become used to helping sporadically around home, reading her books by the stream when it suited, or inside when it rained. Now, at the end of each day, she returned exhausted, sometimes with her father, sometimes alone.

     Aubert took her under her wing, allowing Halette to attend patients who weren’t seriously ill, and observing the care of those who were. She ran junior duties, cleaned up after others, but she made sure she never let anyone down, determined not to give any of the other nurses an excuse not to accept her.

     The clinic was far larger than she imagined. It rose five stories above the main hall. Rooms filled each level. Once bedrooms, parlours, dining halls and meeting rooms, they now harboured patients, each given a room of their own, sharing only if there was need. Halette began to understand the importance of the clinic to Baschel, the amount of people it employed, the reputation it conveyed. Though it lorded over the village, casting it in cold morning shadow, it was an intrinsic part of Baschel’s survival, and she was proud to be part of what made it work.

     She saw Enzo each day, but her mindset had changed from when she used to visit. She realised that perhaps she’d been bored at home reading books, that seeking Enzo’s attention was merely a distraction from not having greater purpose in her life. On the occasions when he’d come to see her, they’d talk about work, a patient or a duty she’d performed, but the moment he began to linger, Halette noted the looks from the other nurses. Their laughter still hurt. She felt sorry for Enzo, as he limped from room to room, yet she knew that standing up for him meant the others would not take her seriously, believing she was only here to win his favour, not for the patients in her care.

     Head down, she became lost in the feeling of gratitude her patients offered, their kind words of thanks satisfying her ideals of becoming someone’s hero. She thought fondly of the heroines in her books, for though she often dreamed of embarking on a great adventure, seeking that ultimate moment of grandeur, she began to realise that these small moments of aid were more than enough.

Weeks ticked by without realising, until one chilly morning, after a joyous ride through sun-filtered trees on the road to Baschel, Enzo took Halette aside the moment she began her shift.

     “I must return to Vienna,” he announced. Halette was shocked. She’d been so preoccupied with learning her duties, she’d forgotten that Enzo had only come home for the summer.

     “When do you go?”

     “Tomorrow morning. I get the 7.15 to Paris. I’ll stay overnight, then catch the Orient Express through Strasbourg and Munich.”

Shivers ran down Halette’s spine at the thought of travelling across Europe by train, continuing all the way until eventually arriving in Istanbul.

     “I’m sorry,” Enzo continued. “I was hoping we’d have more time. With you working here, there’s barely been a chance to see you alone, and we never really….”

     She looked at him with curiosity as he trailed off.

     “Never really what?”

     Enzo looked around to see if any were watching. The main entrance hall was quiet, just the single nurse stationed at the large, wooden reception bay.

     “You know how I feel about you,” he said. “I was hoping, once I returned next summer, we could… that is, perhaps you and I….”

     Over Enzo’s shoulder, Halette saw the reception nurse rise and casually look their way. Halette could not bear catching another look of ridicule, so she shuffled to one side, hiding herself from the nurse behind Enzo.

     “A year is a long way off,” she said quietly. “Perhaps you should just go. Who knows what things will be like when you return. Perhaps you’ll find someone in Vienna.”

     She regretted saying that the moment the words fell from her lips. Yet they were true, and she knew Enzo would feel hurt. She could barely look him in the eye, trapped between wanting to say goodbye properly while wishing none of the nurses would see. He nervously shuffled close, but she stepped back, pressed against the wall, afraid he was going to give her a kiss. Instead, he simply placed his hand upon her shoulder. It was comforting, but their silence lingered, so she awkwardly moved away, offering him an apologetic smile.

     “I’d best begin my shift,” she said. “Aubert doesn’t like me being late.”

     “She doesn’t like anyone being late,” Enzo agreed, but Halette could not find the humour.

     “Goodbye, Enzo. Look after yourself. Send me a postcard from Vienna.”

     She skirted around him, deciding not to catch the reception nurse’s eye as she entered the main hall, but the moment she shut the double doors behind her, Halette felt her tears flow. She knew Enzo’s departure was coming, that one day he would have to go, but this was not how she imagined it. She’d barely said a word, but he’d been a fool by saying goodbye at work. If only he’d waited, she thought, wiping the tear from her eye. She looked across the magnificent main hall. Sunlight streamed through the eastern floor to ceiling windows, casting a warm glow across the ornate rococo rooftop and frescos upon the wall, yet today Halette felt the once grand home seemed dimmed, as though darkening clouds covered the sky.

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