Give me another chance, the girl begged again, pulling a handkerchief from her tiny pocket and wiping her nose. It was white with a blue trim and little flowers tucked into the corners.
I thought, with a wry smile, that she was being earnest I wasnt fond of womens tears, I reminded myself. No chance, I said. Maybe next year, love. In the meantime, how about I get you a job as a hospital orderly? Its grim work, but youll get a glimpse of the inside, if thats what you fancy.
I looked over the courtyard of the nursing school, full of students, and imagined them in crisp white coats, shining instruments, bright corridors, nodding like demigods to patients who stared back with pleading eyes. Exactly! I muttered, ducking under the girls straw hat. Youve got so many freckles, Miss Kensington! The sun must love you.
A sudden laugh escaped me, delighted by the freckles on her cheek, by the thought of the sun kissing her, by the fact that today was my wifes birthday and we were heading to the country house where pike and perch swam in the pond, and busy bees buzzed in their hives while I chatted with them about common sense.
Blythe raised an inquisitive brow. Youre laughing, Professor thats odd. It feels wrong, doesnt it? I prepared, but Ive messed everything up, Im trembling before the panel, my hands are sweaty, I cant even look up. She seemed embarrassed.
Er Im not laughing at you, I confessed, feeling a little foolish. Miss Kensington, youre very pretty. How about some icecream? Its sweltering, isnt it? I tugged at my shirt collar, clutching my worn briefcase. Dont think Im taking you to a fancy restaurant. Just a scoop. Here, take the money, I fumbled in the pocket of my tweed jacket and pulled out a crumpled note. Buy yourself a cone and one for me. Ill wait on the bench.
Blythe shrugged and asked quietly, What flavour should I get?
Whatever you like, and be quick. I dont want the bench to stay empty, otherwise I cant offer you the orderly job. I urged her forward.
She shuffled toward the icecream stall, her tiny legs wobbling. Youre just a child at heart, I muttered, shaking my head. How did someone like you end up in my life?
Sitting on the bench, I slipped a handkerchief from my coat pocket. Unlike Blythes delicate one, mine was huge, a garish bluegreen check, downright hideous. I dabbed my forehead and wiped my neck, grimacing. Its miserable being sweaty, tired, and old. Its worse standing beside a freckled, tender girl and feeling like a relic. Not because Im tempted to flirtGod forbid! I love my wife more than anything, and I never stare at students. It just hurts to watch a bright, stubborn life pass by while Im left with nothing but memories.
Blythe stared at me, then handed me a paperwrapped icecream bar. Heres your vanilla, she said.
What about yours? I asked, noticing her empty hands. I told you to get two. Youre not listening! I widened my eyes, resembling the pike I fancied catching the next day. Youre told what to do, yet you ignore it! You
No, I understand! Ill go back, get another cone, she snapped, sprinting back to the stall. She plopped down beside my briefcase, panting.
Eat, I ordered. Then goodbye. I have a lot to domy wife needs a lift to the cottage, Ive got parcels to load, the usual chores. Eat your icecream. Where are you off to now?
She dabbed the corner of her mouth with a finger, shrugged. The icecream was overly sweet, cloying, more for drinking than eating.
Dont you know where you are? I snapped, stamping my foot. Youre not homeless, are you?
She replied, Im staying with my aunt for a while. Shes expecting relatives from the north, so Ill be moving again soon. The flat isnt exactly spacious.
My aunt, Elaine, had warned her, Blythe, youve got to be sensible. The flat isnt forever. I asked, chewing, Where do you live? How did you get here?
It doesnt matter, she said. Just give me another exam, please. I can manage three tickets, four I just got confused and messed everything up.
Stop that nonsense, I warned, pointing a finger. How will you work then? You cant cut out a spleen instead of an appendix, can you? Thats absurd!
She frowned, How could you cut one thing for another? Her eyes widened. Want another cone? Two? she asked, grabbing my arm. I flinched. No, thank you. And Id advise you not to overindulge. I must be off; my wife is waiting. Come back next year, all right?
I rose, gave a brief bow, and walked away down the park path, not looking back. Blythe, in her whiteandred hat, sighed and stayed on the bench, tucking a tiny suitcase into the shrubbery as if it were a toy.
Its its really over, she whispered, her frecklesspattered nose trembling. Theyll laugh at me at home. No one believed Id become a doctor
In Littleford, a modest semirural settlement split by a winding Broad into two rival halvesbrick terraces on one side, thatched cottages with cheerful gables on the otherno one truly believed the diminutive Blythe would ever graduate from medical school and wander the local hospital in a white coat, giving orders to nurses nearly sixty.
The hospital was a shabby threestorey block with yellowgreen mould patches and peeling plaster. Its chief, Dr. Nigel Ford, looked forever swollen, his nose blotched with blue veins, his eyes sunken, lips cracked. He rarely inspected the wards, claiming he wasnt obligated to hire fresh, modern staff, and was perpetually in a foul mood.
Blythe had prepared for his interview, but she flunked biology and genetics. It wasnt meant to be, I thought as I slipped away, leaving her on the bench with an empty icecream stick.
She eventually gathered her tiny suitcase from the shrubbery, stared at the bus stop, and hoped to catch the evening train before darkness fell. The thought of walking home alone at night terrified her; every rustle seemed a ghost, every branch a demon, courtesy of her chatty grandmothers bedtime stories.
She shivered as the old house creaked, the wind rattled shutters, and a distant dog barked. Inside, her grandfathers snoring filled the air, a gruff mutter that oddly soothed her. Who would want to stay with such a grandpa? she wondered, drifting off.
Her grandfather soon passed away from pneumonia, leaving the house silent. The local nurse, Mrs. Tamara Egerton, muttered, Hes finally at peace The dark lane to her home remained littered with overgrown hedges and abandoned brick houses, the perfect setting for mischief.
The next day a lanky lad named Victor appeared, scooping up her suitcase. What are you doing here? she snapped. You didnt believe Id get in, did you? He grinned, Ive always had your back, remember? I even called Aunt Elaine to tell me you were coming back, so I waited. She lunged at him, they tangled, then she clung to his shirt, pressed her cheek to his chest, and let out a childish, bitter sob.
Victor finally kissed her. Ive been waiting at the station for you, he whispered, but I was scared, pretended to look for something in my pocket, and now
Their kiss was clumsy, like two fledglings pecking. Blythe blushed, then reached for him, his lips forming a small pipeshaped smile.
Its odd, but Im glad youre back, Victor murmured. If youd stayed, Id have visited you.
She nodded. Everything seemed to settle, though the memory of her grandfather lingered like a faint ache.
Later, I was rummaging through the admission lists for the new intake, thumbing the names with my gnarled fingers: Kensington, Blythe God, where is she? I asked the frazzled secretary, Nadine, who was wiping her glasses with a bluebordered handkerchief.
That one? Bought it at the market. There were yellowflowered ones too, but I liked this better, she stammered, slipping the cloth into her bag.
Nothing! I snapped. Where is Blythe Kensington? I need her.
Nadine, now visibly pregnant, shrugged, popped an apple into her mouth, and mumbled, She didnt show up. Ive been worrying about my wife, Tessa, for weeks because of this. I even begged the dean for a special place for her, but he said no slots. So she never came this year. She shook her head, resigned.
Soon after, Professor Felicity Wade, a sharptongued senior lecturer, laughed, Looking for a protégé? I brushed her off, heading toward the trolley that sold icecream.
I bought a doublescoop, sat on the same bench, and chewed thoughtfully.
Fine, I told myself. Ill give her a chance. I have pike in the pond, a birthday cake for my wife, and a lifetime of stories to tell.
The next weeks saw me juggling the wretched hospital, my wifes birthday celebrations, and the endless queue of patients. I wondered why Blythes name stayed in my mind while countless others tried to bribe or beg for favours.
At the cottage, my wife, Tessa, entertained friends with barbecues, guitars, and football chatter, while the ladies gathered on the veranda, laughing over fashion magazines. All was well until I suddenly felt a dizzy spell, my heart racing, my breath shallow.
Tessa clutched my hand, Whats wrong? Speak up, love! I could barely utter a word.
Our friend Ian, driving us back to the village, shouted, Wheres the nearest hospital?
Take the back road, past the old quarry. Theres a small clinic, thats all we have, an old man warned from the roadside, gesturing toward a rusted sign.
We barreled down the narrow lanes, our car sputtering, the night growing darker. When we finally arrived at the bleak threestorey clinic, I was rushed into a cold, empty ward. Dawn barely filtered through the grimy windows as I lay there, a thin veil of linoleum beneath me.
A nurse in a blue coat entered, her scarf fluttering. She set a glass of water on my bedside table and, with a gentle smile, said, Mr. Ford? Youre looking rather pale.
I managed a weak nod, Where wheres Blythe? I croaked.
She looked puzzled, then glanced at a clipboard: Kensington, Blythe shes due to arrive this year. Weve been expecting her. She handed me a fresh cup of water.
The door opened, and Blythe stepped in, her cheeks flushed, eyes bright. Professor, Ive been looking for you, she said, placing a hand over my arm.
Ive searched the lists for two years, I rasped, and you finally appear. Tell me, whats it like here?
Its terrible, she whispered, arranging my pillow, but Im determined to change it. Ill become a doctor, come back, and fix everything.
I laughed weakly, Youll have to be careful not to end up like Dr. Ford herealways exhausted, always complaining.
She smiled, Ill try not to.
We talked a while longer until a nurse announced it was time for my wife to be taken to the ward. I closed my eyes, feeling the weight of my life lift just a fraction.
Later, as I walked the wards narrow corridor, the smell of antiseptic and old plaster filled my nostrils. I passed a dusty list pinned to the wall and read aloud, Kensington, Blythe. Accepted. My heart swelled with a strange hope.
Ah, Blythe, I muttered to myself, youve finally made it. I turned toward the trolley with the icecream, ready to treat the day as another chapter in this odd, English tale.
