“Yes, it was her, but Anna, let’s talk about that later. Karla is sick; she threw up and has a terrible headache and is feverish. I’m going to bring her home, but I think you should call the doctor. It’s probably just the flu, but just to be safe.”
“Well, if it’s the flu, the doctor may not come right away. It’s the weekend. Unless it’s an emergency, he may just put some medicine in his mailbox and check her out on Monday.”
“Anna, I don’t want to scare you but the severe headache worries me a little. I’ve heard of a few cases of . . . meningitis, and I just want to make sure—”
“Meningitis?” Anna’s voice rose to a high pitch.
Shit, I shouldn’t have said anything.
“Don’t worry, Anna, it’s probably a false alarm, but I just think we shouldn’t take any risks.”
“I’ll call him right away. How is she now? Can I talk to her?” Panic flooded her voice.
“She is lying down. She had some tea. Don’t worry, Anna.” Jonas walked into the living room. Karla was sitting up but she was pale and held her jacket close. “Anna wants to talk to you.”
Karla’s hand shook as she held the receiver. “I’m sorry, Anna,” she said and broke down crying. “I didn’t mean . . . okay, yes, Jonas is taking me home. Bye.” She gave the phone back to Jonas.
“I’m calling the doctor right now,” Anna said, her voice trembling.
“Anna, don’t panic. I’m an idiot; I shouldn’t have mentioned meningitis—”
“Just bring her home, Jonas.”
“Okay.”
“Meningitis?” Karla stared at him.
“Now, don’t go crazy. It’s enough that your aunt loses her nerves. I just read somewhere of a few cases. It always happens once in a while. You probably just have the flu.” He helped Karla get up.
“But Maja said one of her relatives had it,” Karla said. Her dark eyes looked even bigger in her now-pale face.
Jonas suppressed the bout of terror that spread from his stomach to his chest. “No need to worry. Come on, honey, let’s get you home.” He picked up Karla’s portfolio, grabbed his car keys, and took Karla by the arm. He noticed the invitation to Anna’s reading and marveled how such a big issue all of a sudden looked insignificant.
Chapter 47
“But it could be meningitis!” Anna almost screamed into the phone. The emergency assistant of the pediatrician told her to hold on. A few seconds later, the doctor answered and asked her about the symptoms. He told her to calm down, it was probably the flu, but he would be by right away.
At first, the words calmed her down, but then she got worried again. If the doctor didn’t suspect it could be meningitis, he wouldn’t come right away, would he? Anna kept pacing the living room, then forced herself to sit down.
I have to remain calm,
she told herself. She kept looking at the clock. Finally, she heard a car. Thinking it was Jonas, she rushed to the door. It was the doctor.
The young pediatrician smiled at her. “Where is she?”
“She’s on the way home. Do you think it could be . . . meningitis?”
The doctor shook his head. “I doubt it, but let’s wait.”
“You know the relative of a friend of hers had it a few weeks ago.”
“Has her friend been in contact with the sick person?”
“I don’t . . . think so, but I don’t know. Let me call her family.” Anna grabbed the phone. At that moment, Jonas’s car arrived. Anna watched as Jonas helped Karla out of the car. She was clearly ill; her normally light-bronze skin looked grayish.
Anna dialed the number of Maja’s family and waited impatiently. After a few rings, Maja’s aunt answered. To Anna’s relief, she told her that Maja had not been in contact with the sick relative, and it turned out that it hadn’t been meningitis after all. “Thank God,” Anna said.
“Something wrong with Karla?” Maja’s aunt asked.
Anna told her she was ill and had a severe headache.
“It’s the flu,” Maja’s aunt said. “It’s going around.”
“Yeah, I guess that’s what it is. Anyway, thanks, the doctor is here. I need to hang up.”
In the meantime, Jonas had accompanied Karla to her bedroom and the doctor was unpacking his medical bag. “I’ll wait in the living room,” Jonas said to Anna.
She nodded. “Honey?” Anna held her hand on Karla’s forehead. It felt very warm. She helped her undress and pulled back the covers on the bed.
“Anna, I’m sorry about the note.”
Anna shook her head. “Yes, well, we’ll talk about that later. First, let’s find out what’s wrong with you.”
The doctor checked Karla out, asked her about her symptoms, pointed a light into her eyes, and measured her temperature. “Headache?”
“Yes, it’s a little bit better right now, but it comes and goes and it’s really bad sometimes.”
“Neckache?” The doctor peered at her.
Karla turned her head left and right, then shook her head. “No.”
“Good.” The doctor smiled and turned to Anna. “This doesn’t look like meningitis. It looks a lot like the flu. I’m going to give her a shot for the headache and the high fever and some medicine.” The doctor took a syringe out of his suitcase. Anna left the room to join Jonas.
“It looks like the flu,” she said. “I was so scared.” Anna only noticed now that her whole body was tense. She sat down and started to tremble.
Jonas sat down next to her and put his arm around her. “I’m so sorry. I shouldn’t even have mentioned meningitis, but I heard of a few cases. Sorry.”
“It’s not your fault. I’m glad you reacted so fast. It could’ve been, you know.” Tears welled up in Anna’s eyes. A sob escaped. Jonas hugged her; his body felt warm and comforting. Anna leaned her head against his shoulder. They sat quietly for a while.
The door opened and the doctor stepped out. “Okay, she’s asleep. Again, I don’t think you need to worry about anything more serious than the flu. If anything unusual happens, or if the headache gets worse again, don’t hesitate to call me. Here is my emergency number.” He handed Anna his card.
“Thanks for coming so fast,” Anna said. “I’m sorry I panicked.”
“No problem.” The doctor smiled and waved as he walked to his car.
Anna sat back down. “I’m exhausted.” She tried to get up again. “I better check on Karla.”
Jonas held her arm. “Relax. Let me check on her.” He got up and quietly opened the door to Karla’s bedroom. Anna, who couldn’t sit still, joined him. Karla was lying on her side, deep asleep. Her face had lost its ashen pallor and looked more alive again. A tangle of hair hung in her face. Anna gently brushed it away from her forehead, which felt cooler.
“Little devil,” Jonas whispered. They watched her sleep for a while, then tiptoed out of the room.
Anna walked to the window and looked outside. The sun had just set and the yellow-leaved birches in front of the house shimmered in the last of the daylight. She turned around. “Thanks.”
Jonas grinned. “For what? For scaring you to death?”
“No, for being here. I think without you I would have lost it.” Jonas joined her at the window. “You know, Karla has never been seriously ill. I all of a sudden realized how hard it must be for a single mother—or father—when something like this happens.” She took a deep breath.
“I know what you mean.” They watched as the last of the sun disappeared behind the trees.
“Well, one thing is for sure, she got out of being scolded too much about her little scheming game,” Jonas said. “She got sick at the right time.”
“Oh, she’s going to get it once she is better again,” Anna grumbled.
“She’s aware she did something wrong. Besides, I was pretty harsh with her. And I don’t think it was her idea. I think her little friend had more to do with it.”
“Maja?”
“Yes, I think so.”
“Doesn’t surprise me. I’m still going to talk to her. We can’t blame it on Maja. Karla is old enough to know better,” Anna said.
Jonas cleared his throat. “Well, to be honest, I actually meant what Karla wrote on the announcement, except for the spelling error, of course,” he said with a quick grin. “I did miss you and when I saw you come in, I was very happy. That above all made my day.”
Anna nodded. “Yeah, I guess she pretty much summarized my feelings, too. I wanted you to come to the reading.”
“Hmm. So aside from being a dirty little schemer, she seems to know us better than we do.”
“It’s still no excuse,” Anna said, then turned to Jonas. “I’m sorry I have been so hard on you. I had no right.”
“That’s okay. I probably deserved it. Well . . .” Jonas checked his watch. “I guess I’m on my way. You sure you’re going to be okay? You can always call me if something unexpected happens.”
Anna swallowed. “Actually, I’d love for you to stay . . . if you don’t have plans or anything. I’ll fix us something to eat. I’m starting to get hungry. I don’t have anything fancy, but . . .”
Jonas glanced at her. “That would be perfect.”
Anna examined her refrigerator. There was some leftover lasagna she had planned to warm up for Karla and herself. Anna sighed. It would have to do. She fixed a salad and asked Jonas to open a bottle of wine. “To spice up the simple meal somewhat,” Anna said.
She went to check on Karla, who had woken up and was thirsty. Her headache was gone and the fever was down quite a bit. After drinking some juice, she fell back asleep again.
“I think we can relax,” Anna said as she put the food on the table. Jonas poured them each a glass of wine. “She’s on the mend.”
“Great,” Jonas said, then tried a bite of the lasagna. “This as well,” he added, pointing at his plate.
After the meal, they sat in the living room, drinking wine, talking, and watching the darkness settle over the woods and the trees in the yard with their colored leaves.
“I love fall,” Anna said. “The colors, the fog in the morning, it’s mysterious. But it also makes me a little sad or rather melancholic. Soon, the end of the year will be here again.”
“Yeah, I know what you mean,” Jonas said. “You don’t see the changes of the seasons as much in the city, but out here in the countryside, you really become aware of the passage of time.”
“Yes,” Anna said. “I’m going to build a fire. It’s getting a little cool. This is the time when it’s too warm yet for the heating but just right for the fireplace and the woodstove.”
“Let me get some more firewood,” Jonas said and got up.
“The stack is right next to the house,” Anna told him and went to check on Karla again. “She sleeps like a baby,” Anna said as she came back out. To her surprise, Jonas had turned off the light in the living room. The front door was ajar and he was standing outside on the patio.
“Psst,” he said and motioned Anna to come outside.
In the light of the almost-f moon, a group of deer—two adults and two youngsters—were grazing on the field next to the forest. When Anna stepped outside, the tallest one, a buck with antlers, lifted his head and stood absolutely still. Jonas and Anna didn’t move and waited. The male lowered his head again and continued to graze.
“They must not have picked up our scent,” Jonas whispered into Anna’s ear. She felt his breath on her face and smelled the subtle musk of his cologne.
“The wind is coming from their direction,” Anna whispered back.
Jonas put his arm around her. The warmth of his body enveloped her like a soft blanket. She leaned lightly against him. They watched the grazing deer for a while. All of a sudden, the headlights of a car driving around the curve in the road nearby lit up a short stretch of the field. The shy animals froze, then sprinted off and within seconds disappeared in the forest. A cool breeze picked up. Anna shivered and crossed her arms in front of her chest.
Jonas pulled her closer, rubbing her arm. “Cold?”
“It’s getting chilly,” she said. She turned toward him. Flashes of shadows and light hovered over his face. His eyes, nose, and mouth shone lightly against the dark. Anna closed her eyes and felt his beard against her cheeks and his lips on her forehead. She took his face between her hands. Their lips touched, lightly first, then fully. They kissed for a long time. The warmth and the firmness of his arms felt good. When they stepped apart, Anna’s heart was racing.
“Sleep with me tonight,” Anna said when they were back in the living room. Her voice trembled a little.
“I’d love to,” he said, embracing her.
In the bedroom, Anna was gripped by nervousness. She tried to remember the last time she had slept with a man. It was all a blur. Jonas kissed her again. He sat on the bed, took her hand, and pulled her down next to him. He pulled off his pullover and loosened the belt to his pants. Anna tried to open the buttons to her blouse. Her fingers trembled, and after the third button, she tried to pull the blouse over her head. It got stuck and she had to pull it back down again. She guffawed and shook her head. “I’m sorry; I’m not used to this anymore.”
Jonas smiled. “Just relax.” He helped her pull off her top all the way. Anna unhooked her bra; she was glad she was wearing one which closed in the front. Jonas cupped her small but firm breast and kissed her nipples. His hand slid down inside her skirt. The last bit of resistance fell away. Anna closed her eyes and gave herself over to the sensations of pleasure that surged through her body.
They made love off and on until the early morning hours. It took Anna a long time to be able to fully enjoy it, her body slowly reawakening after such a long time of not making love. But Jonas was patient and sweet, making her feel beautiful and young again. In the end, her sex was sore but she felt satiated and happier than she had been in a long time.
They slept late the following morning. When Anna woke up, Jonas was still asleep, his mouth half open, snoring a little. His arm was resting on top of Anna’s thigh. Anna heard the kitchen door open. She carefully moved Jonas’s hand off her leg and slid to the edge of the bed. She got up, grabbed her robe, and went to the bathroom. She checked herself in the mirror. Her mouth opened with a wide grin. She brushed her teeth, and ran her fingers through her tousled hair, then went outside.
Karla stood in the kitchen, pouring herself a glass of juice. Anna gave her a quick hug. “How are you, honey?”