Signed A. Diaz -
It was the end of a nightmare.
Giovanni had dashed back home from the village after buying the newspaper and now, surrounded by the women and sitting at the kitchen table, he was reading the latest news aloud, his voice was cracking up from time to time.
Maria was nervously rubbing her apron and said in a soft voice – Thank God, at last it is all over!- Ada was keeping her hands on her chest, as if she was trying to keep her heart which was beating so fast that she could not speak.
Giulia, standing behind Giovanni, was reading quietly with eager eyes the lines that he was reading loud, eager to get to the bottom of the page
-Rudi is coming back home, everybody is coming home- she was repeating to herself. The last letter dated back two months earlier and had he had reassured her about his health condition. She could have hugged him again and go back to the everyday life.
Giovanni finished reading and his eyes were wet.
-I’ll go to the village. People are organising a parade to celebrate the victory. I’ll bring the kids with me.-
-Only Antonino e Clara, not the little ones- Giulia said worried.
-It is a memorable day, people will remember it forever. Why you don’t want them to come? The whole village will be there…-
-That’s why- she reiterated – they could get lost
-I’ll be happy to come- Ada said, the lump in her throat was loosening up and was giving way to an anxiety that she could only get rid of by doing something.
-What about you?- Giovanni asked the others.
-I’d rather stay at home- Giulia replied.
-So do I- Maria added.
They got ready and they got on the buggy. The children felt the excitement in the air and were waving little paper flags that the twins had coloured, crammed on the seat, one on top of the other. They headed off all excited to the village full of the joys of spring, where everyone was celebrating in the streets and the local marching band was playing the royal march, which now was the National anthem.
They got there just on time to see the parade arriving. Clara and Antonino jumped off the buggy and ran under the makeshift stage, where the authorities could praise in turns the great deeds of the Italian troops. The marching band would play national anthems in between the various speeches. Everybody clapped their hands when they heard the pretentious sound of the words Nation and Italy.
To be free to run round among the crowds would excite the little ones who were chasing one another boisterously making the most of the general leeway. The old veterans were waving the flags and women were hugging happily. Agnese and Luciano would have liked to follow their siblings but Ada’s hands held them tight. She would often stumble when one would pull from one side and the other from the other side. That would go on until with a tug she would put an end to all that. Giovanni had moved away and was involved in a heated conversation in the middle of the square with a group of men.
When the parade broke down in a shouting crowd, Ada went over to him and asked him to go home. She felt tired and the November stinging and damp air convinced her to go back home despite the celebrations were still going on, worried that the little ones could get sick.
They went back home despite the children were complaining and unhappy to go home, the day should have been endless for them.
Ada was complaining about a bad headache and said that she would go to bed while everyone else had a load of things to do.
The following morning she did not get up, her headache was worse and she also had a little temperature. They forbid the children to go into her room, making sure they would not make too much noise. They were used to be told – Don’t make too much noise, auntie Ada is not well- so they decided to do quieter activities on that day.
Over the next few days her health condition got worse. The temperature was higher and she was complaining of pains in her joints. She had shivers and no cover would keep her warm.
They sent for the doctor. After visiting her, dr Marinucci went downstairs to the kitchen and was visibly concerned.
-Giovanni , I am sorry, but I fear that she has the Spanish flu- he said sorrowful- I thought that the epidemic was nearly gone, that the worse was over, but there are still some sick people in the village and I really believe that Ada is one of these-
Everybody feared this news and they were speechless.
-The Spanish flu? Are you sure doctor?-
-I fear so. I saw too many of these cases-
-What can we do?- Giovanni asked with a sigh.
-Give her quinine morning and night. Hopefully it won’t be as infective as it was at the beginning-
-What about the children? – Giulia asked.
- It is pointless to take them somewhere else. The chance to get infected is everywhere. Try to keep them far from their aunt and often ventilate the rooms. There’s nothing else that you can do. I’ll come back tomorrow to see her again-
Giovanni took the doctor to the door, leaving the women in their silence.
-You know it better than me- he said to him when they were on the doorstep- don’t keep your hopes high. I have recently seen very young and extremely healthy people die in a few days. That is the last tragic consequence of the war. This is probably the war we fought at home. Come on, I’ll see you tomorrow.-
They shook hands. Giovanni was sick with worry. Dr Marinucci saw him and his children being born, he was an old doctor who had carried out his job with dignity, and suffered with the limited means that medicine would offer at the time. In those few words he could sense the tiredness and the despondency of a person who can’t cope anymore with all the pains and sufferings he had been experiencing over the years plus he was getting older and everything was becoming too much and was pushing him to retire.
The epidemic had been terrible and had infected children, young people and old people. The death toll was huge and in the village there were no more coffins to bury them. The dead bodies were brought to the graveyard on a cart and buried underground. It had been like a horrible axe on the population already tired down by years of war. Whole families had been destroyed. Only a few weeks before, two very young sisters had died within a few days’ time; the mother’s grieving, among many other people’s, had particularly upset the whole village.
Giovanni’s mind was crossed by these thoughts and their burden seemed to drop on his shoulders all of a sudden. He fought with himself to try and keep them at bay and get back a little hope to let him give reassurance to the others once back in the house.
1 Chapter X
Ada
The next few days the women were going back and forth to nurse the patient.
Ada’s condition was getting worse. The very high fever did not give her a break and in a short while her prosperous body had become so thin that it was hard to recognise it. Lucia had been called in to help with the family chores. She looked after the little ones
