Me And You
Chapter 2 Me and You
Eva sat down heavily on a bench like seat next to where the old woman was working. Neither spoke. It was a neat well kept home with a small kitchen area, a bed across the bottom of the home, with blankets neatly spread over the mattress. This mobile home was warm and comfortable and Eva liked it.
In the central area, opposite where the old woman was working and facing Eve was a shiny cylindrical object some seven foot in height and just wide enough to hold a body. Curious as to what this was the young nurse was about to speak but seeing the concentration of the old woman’s face she bit her lip, deciding not to speak until spoken to.
Eventually, the old woman closed the glass ball, snapped a metal ring round it and pulled some fine wires from the small cross on its top.
“There, that should do it.” She said in a relieved tone while examining her hands.
“My name is Eva.” The nurse volunteered.
“Really?” quizzed the old woman without offering her own name, “Well, Eve I could do with your help to place this in my generator.”
“Eva” corrected the nurse.
“One letter difference is not the world, is it?” snapped the woman , clearly not use to being corrected.
“Will you help me?” requested the woman in an authoritarian tone.
“Of course” Eva retorted as a matter of fact guessing the woman had seen her name on her hospital ID badge around her neck. This old woman is very alert thought Eva.
The woman led Eva outside again and already in the short time she had been inside the weather had deteriorated. Now snow swirled and danced around the mobile home, while the wind rattled the trees making them creek and complain like herded animals awaiting slaughter.
With a small torch in hand the younger woman followed her host to the rear. Here the woman released the large metal tube that ran the length of the van and which Eva assumed was holding some kind of yawning. It swung down violently , the old woman shouting, “Catch it.”
To her surprise Eva found the tube to be very heavy and difficult to hold it in the vertical position. Using all her strength as the wind tugged the structure one way then another, she just held it steady enough for the old woman to open the base and work her device into a large recess.
No sooner had the old woman completed her task and closed the hatch when a sudden gust of wind snatched the boon from Eva’s grasp. It hit the old woman knocking her sideways into the darkness towards the wood. Eva gave a cry of alarm looking into the darkness for her host.
“Secure the generator” cried a voice barely audible over the wind.
Picking up the torch from the grass Eva managed to push the boon into a recess and latch it with metal hook that was on the side of the mobile home. Next she turned quickly to find the old woman.
“Where are you?” she shouted flashing the torch frantically from side to side. Some distance away and some 3ft below her she saw the red eyes of the woman reflecting the light from the torch. Eva rushed forward to help . This was a grave mistake, because the snow clad grass was very slippery. Her body vaulted downwards , her head went sideways and the next thing she knew was the icy cold grasp of water soaking into her clothes. The cold hit her like a wrecking ball making her grasp at the cold snow air, filling her lungs to their capacity.
“Jesus” she screamed.
“He is not here.” Came the calm measured tone of the old woman. “We are in a drainage ditch of some kind. She continued, ” cannot pull myself out, no strength.”
Eva, who still held the touch found her standing up to her thighs in the brown snow covered vegetation while the bank and the mobile home was some 5 to 6 feet above them. Putting the torch in her mouth, Eva used both hands to grasp the vegetation and began to haul herself out of the ditch. The cold was unbearable.
However, she proceeded to take off her jacket, twisted it into a rope structure, lay on her stomach and slowly passed it to the old woman. Pulling the old woman out of the ditch was not difficult for she was no weight. Eva immediately made for the passenger door to get out of the wind.
“No” screamed the old woman, “Help me with the generator – it is vital.”
The young woman, her teeth chattering like castanets, reluctantly returned to the rear of the home. Shouting commands the old woman told her to secure the boon properly then raise the large mushroom head into the wind some 4ft above the roof of the mobile home. After that she had Eva lower stanchions onto the floor at the rear of the home to stabilise it.
Only then did both rush to the protection of the indoors. Eva did not wait to be told to strip off all her clothes for they were dirty and wet. However, she barely understood the directive to climb into the now open cylinder she had seen earlier. Now, after their ordeal there was a bond between them, a bond of trust. Adversity solidifies relationships. So it was with some reluctance and without speaking for she felt numb from foot to mouth, she climbed into the tube. The door closed and she felt a warm soft glow all over. Then a floating feeling which seemed to come from nowhere followed by a vibration of pure pleasure. Closing her eyes she let these serene sensations wash over her.
How long she remained in this contraption she had no idea but when the door finally opened she emerged to find the old woman had changed into a white blouse and a Victorian style skirt that reached the floor. Eva felt amazing clean and amazing dry and above all deliciously warm.
The old woman studied her carefully, then said “you have a fine body.”
Eva felt embarrassed but the old woman pleaded, “No ,no let me look at you, ”
Eva stood there a few minutes then the old woman handed her a gift wrapped parcel, “I bought it for my son, ” she explained “but your need is greater.”
Amazingly the old woman had made Eva feel perfectly relaxed, as if they were old friends. Taking the parcel she unwrapped it to find a luxurious terry dressing gown in pure white. It was too large yet the smooth, soft not to say sumptuous feel of the fabric next to her skin was enough to make her hug it to the point of swooning. “It is beautiful, ” she said, “It must have of cost a fortune.”
The old woman smiled, “It did” she replied, “Now for some food, you have not eaten since about...errr.. 10 this morning?”
It was a question with pin point accuracy. Indeed, Eva realised she had last eaten some biscuits with coffee at about 10.30 that morning missing lunch to drive out on the emergency that had brought her to this place on the globe. “How did you know that?” she asked astonished.
It was a warm all encompassing smile the old woman gave her then turning to raid a cupboard she announced with some gusto, “My name is Primara, call me Prim, ” then added casually , ” I do not have much food since I intend to leave this world tomorrow.”
At first the young woman wondered if she had heard the words correctly. A slight panic spread throughout her brain for in her training she had done six months of mental health and hated it. Did she have a depressive on her hands? For Eva mental health was intangible, nebulous even though vast progress had been made in identifying the chemicals that could affect mental health she still found the ailments unquantifiable. A broken leg was easy to identify, a blood condition easy to measure, but schizophrenia, depression, anxiety all were moving targets.
The old woman appeared cheerful as she held up eggs and bacon.“Sure stammered.” Eva , saying almost in a whisper, “You don’t appear depressed, are you?”
Prim, stopped looked at her guest sternly, “Depressed, hell no, what makes you think that?” “Leaving this world tomorrow.” Answered Eva with a look of real concern all over her face. There was stunned silence then the old lady double up with laughter. Approaching Eva, Prim held out a hand and ran her fingers down the young woman’s chin.
With real affection she observed, “Beautiful skin, clear alert eyes, so intelligent, I really like you child, so this what will happen, I will cook, we will eat, I will tell you my story which you will find incredible then me and you will face the world, tomorrow. Agreed?”
It was clear the conversation was on hold so as the smell of cooking bacon filled the mobile home Eva retreated to the rear, climbed on to the little bed there and peers outside. The night was totally dark with only masses of white snowflakes filling her view. A full orchestra of wind and trees groaning could be heard outside. ′ I am here for the night’ she thought,′ no one is going to rescue me in this. ′
Dropping the curtain she idly lifted a door on a nearby locker. Inside was a mass of dials and lights busy twinkling away with purpose. A small screen with numbers scrolling slowly upwards caught her eye. Then the words. ‘Close the locker door and return to your seat.’ Appeared.
“Shit ” she said under her breath and scuttled to her seat.
